How often do you find yourself saying, "I'll just do it myself!"? You know you could ask someone else to do whatever you have to do but it seems like that would be more work than you just doing it in the first place. You'd have to show them how to do it and then watch them and make sure they got it right.

The truth is: "I'll just do it myself!" is a dangerous phrase. In the short term, it seems innocent enough. But, in the long term, it's got major consequences.

Here are 3 dangers of always saying "I'll just do it myself":

1 | You never build new leaders

Being a leader in the church is about discipleship. It's about building other people up so that they can serve in the church. Let's make that clear: your job is not to do everything. Your job is to equip others to do the work of ministry (see Ephesians 4:11-13). If you are always doing everything yourself, you aren't leading the way God designed for you to lead.

Ultimately, the goal is for you to build up leaders who build up other leaders... who build up other leaders... who build up other leaders... you get the picture. The only way to build new leaders is to give responsibilities away.

2 | You aren't good at everything

You aren't the best at everything you do. There are people who are better at doing what you think you're responsible for and you are robbing them and your church of benefiting from their god-given talent. If you try to do everything, you will end up doing nothing well because you will be completely overwhelmed by the tasks you have in front of you.

Give a responsibility away to someone who is better at it than you.

3 | Burnout

"I'll just do it myself" is a recipe for burnout. There are an infinite number of things that need to be done in a church and there is no way one person can do them all.

If you are constantly doing things yourself, it may seem like you're saving time in the short-term but the long-term effects lead to burnout. You have to have a bigger perspective. Don't think, "I'm going to SAVE 45 minutes if I do it myself instead of teaching someone how to do it." Think, "If I SPEND 45 minutes, I'll never have to do it again!" 

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