Can do? Should do? Making Space for What Only You Can Do

Another week has rolled around and the familiar pile of to-do’s sits before you as you do your work - whether you’re leading a church, working as a member of a team or within an organisation. It looks remarkably similar each week, but different seasons bring different elements to the pile. Perhaps it's planning for the next calendar year that’s popped up this time around, or the need to send out the quarterly roster planning reminder that’s already a week late (whoops), or a special service is coming up for Christmas and you know what needs to be done but to do it on top of all the other competing priorities turns the week into a crammed one instead of a calm one. You’re capable of accomplishing it all. You’ve got the skills, but the sacrifice of your time and heightened stress levels is going to be the cost.

My friend, is there anything you can hand over? 

This isn’t, as you may assume, a question of competence. It’s a question of stewardship. 

Those in gospel work are among the most diversely competent people around - so many have the skills to manage their time, to manage rostering, to plan services, to get an overview of the year ahead put together, and create a half-decent Canva flyer for the next Christmas while they’re at it… all while conducting pastoral meetings, preaching, and everything else that’s integral to their roles. 

In the time I’ve spent supporting gospel workers administratively I have not once doubted their competence to do the task themselves. I am certain that anything I can do, they can probably do! But when we take a glance at that pile of to-dos, and perhaps break it down into a pile of ‘can-do’s, and ‘should-do’s, would we perhaps find that it’s worth not assuming that can do means should do? And, begin instead to think about what it could look like to handover some tasks in order to create some margin or leave more space for those core tasks of your role? What would it even look like to work that out?

Here’s a possible process: 

1. Make a list! Sit down with your calendar out and take a glance at the next three months. Write a list of everything that needs to be done - from routine emails, to meetings, to preaching, to plans that need to be made… big, small, get it down on paper. Include your family & friendship roles in that list as well! They can’t be outsourced, but those tasks matter. You’ll be surprised at how long the list actually is.

2. Check it. Go through your list and highlight all the things that only you can do - the pastoral moments, the preaching, the family BBQ, the preaching plan for next year. 

3. Check it twice. Pretend you’re Santa, and check that list twice! Did you highlight anything that you didn’t need to? Did you turn a can-do into a should-do because that’s the default that you work from? It’s okay to have done that - you’re used to doing it all, and delegation is a muscle that gospel workers aren’t necessarily great at utilising! Remove those highlights. 

4. Make a plan. From here, you might need some time to think and pray about next steps. You might want to hang onto some of the can-do tasks even though they’re not should-do, simply because it brings you joy! If you love creating a spreadsheet (as some of us do), then don’t hand off the 2026 planning spreadsheet. But perhaps you’ve got a team member or a volunteer who you can hand some tasks to - people waiting in the wings to serve that you could empower to do so by allowing them to pick up your can-dos so you can focus on the should-dos.

5. Ask for help. Perhaps you find that the list is too long and you need a hand. Honestly, that’s why we exist here at Virtual Church Assist. We work for churches and organisations who are engaged in vibrant, wonderful gospel work and for whom the list of tasks is too long. We’d love to hear from you about ways we could help with your piles of to-dos and free you up from the can-dos so that you can focus on the tasks only you can do. 

Take a deep breath. It’s the beginning of another week, and almost the beginning of another year. There’s so much good to do, there’s so much God has for us to enjoy as we serve him and one another.

How’s that to-do list looking? Can-do, should-do? Is there anything we can do?