Word Count: 407 – Est Read Time: 2 Minutes
What’s Up:
If your team needs constant oversight to function, you don’t have a team … you have a daycare. And let’s be honest: babysitting isn’t leadership.
So What:
The modern church needs pastors who lead, not babysit. If you’re doing everything yourself, not only will your church never grow – you’ll burn out trying.
The Point Is:
Stop Babysitting Grown-Ups
If you have to be the hall monitor, you don’t have a team. Real teams don’t need a chaperone every hour on the hour. They need a mission, a sandbox, and some basic guardrails. Hand-holding is not a leadership strategy.
Let Go of Perfect
The phrase is “Perfection is the enemy of progress” and truer words have never been spoken. Your demand for perfect (AKA, “The way I would do it”) is slowing your ministry down. Let your team fumble a bit … that’s how they learn. As long as the mission stays clear, give them the room to run (and trip now and then).
Define the Sandbox
Every ministry needs a Mission Position Description: the goal, the vision, the rules (budget, coordination, deadlines), and expectations (check-ins, who reports to who). When people know what game they’re playing and the boundaries they’re working within, they can play to win, without waiting for your play-by-play.
Build Trust Brick by Brick
Start Small – Build Trust. Let them handle the little things. Then progressively bigger things. Give them wins, let them stretch, and when they prove they’re in it for the mission, let them run with it. Ownership is the goal, not supervision.
And … ? Too many pastors hover at the intersection of delegation and micromanagement, unsure whether to trust or take over. They know the right answer, but fear of failure whispers, “Just do it yourself.” That mindset stunts both team growth and church growth. When every decision bottlenecks at your desk, your church isn’t just stuck … it’s stalling out.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: you can’t lead a thriving church and be the chief manager-of-all-the-things. If you’re still setting up the coffee table, tweaking every bulletin, and chasing down volunteers, then you’re not leading, you’re babysitting. And babysitters don’t make disciples. But leaders? They make disciples who make disciples. That’s the job. And it starts with trusting your team enough to let them lead.
Action! Get your copy of the Four Key Strategies for Church Growth and begin building your church’s core ministry teams today.
