Chuck Swindoll wrote, “Good men die young and most leaders crack up.” One of the reasons for the problem of burnout that Swindoll identified is that leaders try to do too much and delegate too little.
If ever a leader was immersed in ministry and at the same time very skillful at delegating it is Swindoll. He pastors, and produces radio broadcasts, Insight for Living, which is on more than 2000 stations, has served as president of Dallas Theological Seminary and then as chancellor. He is also now the pastor of Stonebriar Community Church, which he started in 1998. He has written 70 books and at age 79 continues to write one book each year. While his candle burns at both ends, he has not burnout.
Stephen Davey referred to a survey of pastors that was taken. The results revealed:
• Sixty-six percent feel isolated and lonely;
• Eighty percent experience feelings of futility;
• Ninety percent suffer stress related to problems that they constantly must deal with.
• Ninety-five percent are satisfied with their work.
Imagine me going to IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) to interview. I pull up a chair and say, “Hey, I want to interview you. Tell me how you feel about this job you have had for six months.”
“Well, I feel lonely and isolated.”
“Do you feel like you’re performing?”
“No, actually, I have great feelings of futility.”
“What about the team effort?”
“Well, I’m always dealing with problems between people here.”
“So I take it you’re looking for another job?”
“No, I love this job.”
That would be ludicrous. But the catch is that when you are involved in ministry, it is wrong to think anything other than, “Oh yeah, I love this job. This is ministry.” The façade goes up, “I can’t let them know.”
Leaders get involved in what is absolutely not necessary to their work and therefore neglect what is essential. To compensate, these already overworked leaders work harder and eventually become exhausted, irritable, angry, and lonely.
This is especially prominent when new works are getting started. It is like a jet plane that expends most of its fuel on takeoff. Once the jet levels off less fuel is burned. Take-offs require a great amount of energy.
This problem goes all the way back to Exodus 18 when Moses was overworked and underorganized. Moses has just led Israel out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. He is facing crisis after crisis.
First crisis: There was not enough water (15:22-27) and the people murmur to Moses.
Second crisis: Next they ran out of food (16:1-30) and the people murmur some more to Moses.
Third crisis: They run out of water again (17:1-7) and the people threaten to stone Moses.
Fourth crisis of war: The Amalekites attacked (17:8-16).
Fifth crisis: Now he is faced with a new crisis of overwork and under-organization (18:1-27). He is all alone and about to crack in leading God’s people.
From this leadership crisis we learn that leaders need friends who love them and minister to them and also that leaders need friends who will give them wise counsel.
1. Leaders need Friends Who Minister to Them (18:1-12)
Jethro was not just Moses’ father-in-law; Jethro was Moses’ companion or partner in ministry. Jethro loved Moses and ministered to Moses. Jethro gave up time to bring Moses’ family to him (18:1-7). Jethro fellowshipped with Moses (18:8-9). Jethro worshipped with Moses (18:10-12). Jethro did not just love in word only but also in deed (1 John 3:18).
Les Ollila once said that leaders need three people in their lives: A Paul who can mentor them, a Barnabas who can encourage them, and a Timothy, whom they can mentor. Jethro was Moses’ encourager.
2. Leaders need Friends Who Give Wise Counsel to Them (18:13-27)
Jethro earned the right to advise Moses. Jethro was not an armchair quarterback uninvolved in professional football who thinks he knows it all and criticizes the professional NFL quarterback on how to play the game.
Jethro and Moses lived and worked closely together for 40 years in Midian. Jethro earned the right to give Moses counsel. The people who give leaders advice need to be involved in the ministry. No remote-control quarterbacks. They should love their leader and not be an uncaring critic. Those who are rusting out on the couch don’t need to be advising those burning out for the Lord.
The problems are identified (18:13-18)
Jethro is not attacking like the Israelites did when their needs were not being met and they murmured against Moses’ leadership. Jethro is giving loving objective counsel.
1. Moses is overworked (18:13-16). Moses responds to Jethro’s rebuke by saying the people expect me to do this. What was more important than what the people expected was what God expected.
2. The people are neglected (18:17, 18a). One person cannot minister to everyone’s spiritual needs. In the NT, Christ gives gifts to every believer so the entire Body can be served (1 Cor 12:7).
3. Potential leaders are not being trained (18:18b). This is what drove the apostle Paul as he put in writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 2:2.
Henry Ford said, “Those who never make mistakes work for those of us who do.”
The solution are given (18:19-23)
1. Prioritize your ministry (18:19-20)
Jethro lays out two top priorities for leaders: Prayer and Teaching. Pray for your people (18:19). Pray to God for those you serve. Talk to God more than you talk to people. Teach (18:20) them how to live and how to serve. Use the Word of God to equip believers to do the work of the ministry.
2. Choose leaders who have integrity and competency (18:21a)
Notice, the men were not qualified because of education or wealth, but because they had a strong relationship with God and were willing to use their God-given skills. God is not so much concerned with degrees and digits as He is with dedication.
3. Reorganize with these leaders (18:21b-23)
a. Jethro did not just point out what was wrong he provided a positive solution. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Small minds talk about people, mediocre minds talk about events, and great minds talk about ideas.” Here is a big idea: God’s work demands team players, or what Paul calls in 1 Cor 3:9 “laborers together with God.”
b. Jethro’s positive solution was to delegate to them most of the work. That was true with the early church in Acts 6. The apostles whose primary ministry was preaching, praying, and training future leaders had become bogged down with taking care of the growing number of widows. The apostles recognized this and reorganized. They chose seven godly and competent men to relieve them of certain ministries so they could focus on the ministry they could most effectively do.
c. The result of Jethro’s advice, what was best for the entire ministry was done not what was preferable for a few.
The 1980 winter Olympics in Lake Placid NY has been called the “Miracle on Ice.” The entire world expected the reigning veteran Russians to win the gold in ice hockey again for the 5th consecutive time. The Russians had practiced and played together for years eleven months out of each year. They had recently beaten the NHL All-Stars. Nobody expected the ragtag American team of college players recently thrown together to win any medal. The game was not even live broadcast in America because of the forecasted embarrassment.
But American coach, Herb Brooks, had other dreams. Herb Brooks knew, however, his young team could only win if they had heart and discipline. He told his players, “You don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.” Herb Brooks also knew that he needed players who were unselfish team players and not superstar jerks. Herb Brooks told his Olympic official higher-ups who wanted him to choose the most talented hockey players, “I’m not looking for the best players; I’m looking for the right players.” With the right players, the players with the attitude of doing what is best for the team not what is best for them individually, Team America pulled off one of the greatest upsets in sports by defeating the Russians and the Finns for the gold medal.