Moses was a remarkable man of God. Deuteronomy 34:10 says, “No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.”

Yet even Moses had a leadership blind spot. His father-in-law, Jethro, pointed it out during a visit:

What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening? … What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone (Exodus 18:14,17–18).

Although Moses was helping many Israelites work through their differences, the way he was going about it was inefficient. By trying to settle every dispute personally, Moses was spreading himself too thin. An unsustainable pace was capping his leadership potential.

There’s a good chance you too could minister more effectively by identifying and addressing blind spots.

As long as there are unreached people in our communities and a need for discipleship in our churches, we should all seek to move toward greater ministry effectiveness.

Four Keys

With Exodus 18 in view, consider four ways to increase your leadership capacity.

1. Embrace personal growth. Jethro saw something no one else seemed to notice. His delegation strategy had the potential not only to resolve disputes faster and more efficiently, but also to relieve some of Moses’ burden and help him avoid exhaustion and burnout.

Of course, it was up to Moses to decide what to do with this advice.

Raising the lid on your leadership capacity requires a willingness to learn. No matter how long you’ve been in ministry, there is always room for growth. That’s why you should remain open to fresh insights and new ways of doing things.

Exposure to other perspectives is vital for growth. Reading broadly and listening to podcasts are helpful practices. But you also need personal interaction.

Attend conferences. Seek out a mentoring relationship. Develop a diverse circle of friends. Form bonds with fellow pastors, as well as individuals who work in the business world or other areas of leadership.

Ask a trusted Christian friend these questions: What do you see in my leadership that needs improvement? How can I become more effective as a ministry leader?

Even if the answers are not what you want to hear, give this feedback prayerful consideration. It might just catapult you into new levels of influence.

2. Raise up leaders to carry the load. Jethro advised Moses to share the burden of leadership with others.

Select capable men from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain — and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you (Exodus 18:21–22).

The more responsibilities you release to others, the more you will be able
to focus on matters
only you can do.

Scripture calls the Church to develop leaders as well. In fact, Ephesians 4 describes the pastor’s role as one of equipping and building up.

Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (verses 11–13).

In many churches, just a few people handle all the ministry responsibilities. But that’s not God’s design. By imparting responsibility and investing in others, we lay a foundation for greater Kingdom effectiveness.

As 1 Corinthians 12 reveals, God uniquely gifts each believer to serve in the Church. Comparing the Church to a physical body, the apostle Paul said, “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be” (verse 18).

In other words, the entire congregation is responsible for ministry. Everyone is there for a reason and has a God-ordained role.

Doing other people’s jobs is a disservice to God, them and you. What tasks are you currently doing that others could manage? Recruit, train and empower them to do it.

Don’t just focus on the regular volunteers. If God desires every believer to participate in His work, recruiting people to join the mission is part of a pastor’s role.

Challenging circumstances prevent some churchgoers from getting involved, but many attenders aren’t volunteering simply because they don’t know there is a need. No one has asked them to serve.

Exodus 18:25 says Moses chose “capable” people. Chances are, there are people on the sidelines with passion and skills that perfectly match your church’s needs. You might be surprised how capable they can be.

Not only did Moses recruit helpers, but he also “made them leaders” (verse 25). Give people the training and resources they need to become leaders in the church.

Turning over tasks can be scary. Yet the more responsibilities you release to others, the more you will be able to focus on matters only you can do.

Pastor Craig Groeschel once said, “If someone can do something 50% as well as you with momentum and upside, give it to them.”

3. Build systems to improve efficiency. A system is an organized process that promotes consistent outcomes.

Moses created a scalable judicial system, with leaders over groups of various sizes. These judges determined which cases they could handle themselves, bringing the most difficult situations to Moses (Exodus 18:25–26).

When team members understand and follow the system, they can work together more efficiently. What processes do you need to establish to get everyone moving in the same direction?

4. Focus on what only you can do. Heeding Jethro’s advice, Moses narrowed his focus to just the difficult disputes. This also freed him to provide oversight and training for the other judges.

Identifying what only you can do takes time, careful reflection, and prayer. Be honest with yourself about how you can best serve the ministry and what you should release to team members.

Some pastors try to juggle everything because they don’t feel they can trust anyone to help. Others may worry that delegation threatens job security. In reality, working together makes everyone better.

Where do you most need to invest your time? What do you do best, and how can you do it better?

When you focus on the matters only you can do, you’ll position yourself for long-term ministry effectiveness. And as an added benefit, you’ll help others step into the roles God intended for them.

The Lord has great plans for you and your congregation. As you grow in Him and expand your leadership capacity, you’ll discover new dimensions of ministry effectiveness.

This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Influence magazine.