“Is it possible that we have not shared the work fully enough, and that others are watching us do most of the work?�: I have witnessed firsthand the tragic results when too much power and responsibility is concentrated in the hands of one shepherd and he does not “share the load.� But Paul is clear that the shepherd’s primary task is to equip others to do the work of ministry (Eph. 4). I think the other piece of this is our pride sometimes gets in the way here. After all, we know the job will get done right if we do it.
It is humorous when you think about it. We can become obsessed with doing ministry right - yet what kind of characters has God preferred to accomplish His kingdom work on earth. People who are flawed, prone to lose focus and apt to assert ego at the drop of a dime. In short, people like us! Clearly God has another means to the end in mind - doing things righteously.
Working righteously means relationships are preserved, there is mutual deference to the various giftedness and talents among the team, the chief end is that God is glorified and the dividing up of credit is an afterthought if present at all. I have had the privilege of working in such an environment on occasion. It is a call to rejoice when it happens. It is evidence that it is God working through us for His pleasure and purposes.
You posed a very interesting question in whether we share the load, or do it ourselves because we know it will be done right, or at least, according to our expectations. This is something that I have struggled with in the past, and continue to struggle with today, but less so.
In the past, when the struggle was the most troublesome, I did not allow others to take on certain projects, mainly because I had an idea as to what I wanted done and how to accomplish it. The problem, of course, was a commitment overload, and I became the bottleneck for a number of projects.
There are two changes in "mind-set" that have helped me move: (1) Taking the time to train and discuss expectations with others involved. In other words, investing some time in others; and (2) Adjusting my expectations. Depending on the project, I moved from an expectation of perfection to an expectation of quality that is sufficient to accomplish the ultimate goal. Neither is easy, but they both are fruitful in the long run.