The longer you lead in any one organization, the more difficult it is to let go.
That’s natural.
You’ve invested more, so there is more to protect. Or at least be tempted to protect.
It’s not unlike the difference between a young adult who is twenty-five and a middle-aged adult who is fifty-five.
If you are a young adult who is just moving out of your parent’s place for the first time with a modest bank account and all you own in the back of an SUV, you are probably more willing to risk big because there’s not as much to lose.
If you are a middle-aged adult with decades of life invested, married with three kids, a mortgage, and your life savings set aside, you’re still willing to risk, but you think about things differently. You handle your money differently … you are more likely to hold onto it and for good reasons.
In leadership, however, it’s essential to be more open-handed with your authority, influence, and what you have built.
Partially because it doesn’t really “belong” to you, but ultimately because the future of your church matters more than control and comfort.
Continue to take risks and give away as much authority as possible if you want your church to remain healthy and grow.
If you hold on to all the influence, your church will get stuck.
Don’t misunderstand; it does matter who you hand off to, along with when and how, so keep developing leaders you trust and believe in.
