Jesus' Management Method

Don't worry that I am going to go all evangelistic on you if you are not a Christian. This is the management school and it is about responsibility. Thanks to Biblegateway the text follows:

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1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5'When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8'When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

13'Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.

16'He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.''

17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.'

18He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'

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Now do you see what happened? Here's four things that we often get wrong:

1. (Verses 1-3) We don't give a big vision for the work. We undersell jobs. 'It's not very much work' we say, or 'It won't take too long.' Stress the importance of jobs. It's a big harvest and there are few workers. If you are going scorpion trampling you want to know it's for a good reason and a big purpose. Nobody in their right minds goes to see the Wolves. Lambs certainly don't. Tell those about to have a painful experience that it is for a deeper purpose.

2. (Verses 4-12) We don't give specific instructions. How can we monitor people's work if we don't tell people what we expect from their performance?

3. (Verses 17-20) Debrief. If you have given someone a job then talk to them about how they did. Give feedback. Jesus hears his team's story then corrects their focus, moving it from immediate to long-term goals. I'm aware I owe a couple of people feedback right now.

4. (Verse 19) This is the one most of us miss. If you give someone responsibility give them authority too. Scorpion tramping without sandals is no fun. You want to know those critters are going to stay trampled. A church cannot live by rota alone. Someone has to be the point of contact if the rota breaks. If you are in charge of something you aren't alone but you are in charge. The best management question to those appointed to work under you is 'How can I help you do your job better?'