Do you have trouble slowing down? Many pastors do. Some would argue that church leaders have made themselves indispensable by doing too much. The other side of the coin is the pastor I knew who warned members before they called him that he didn’t do hospital visitation. Then they got mad when he didn’t.

In a recent post on his LinkedIn site, Church Central Publisher Tom Harper posed the question of whether pastors have trouble gearing down. He quoted English author Jerome K. Jerome, who once said, "It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do."

Tom admitted that he gets stressed when he has nothing going on, which makes him feel unneeded and saps him of energy. It is easier for him to relax when he has an important project or task waiting for him.

The inquiry prompted an interesting response from Phoenix-area pastor David Smith. Currently at a small, but growing church that is currently relocating, Smith works from a home office, when not tending to his two-year-old son with special needs. Those needs mean in-home and outside therapies. His wife, who is expecting their second child, works outside the home. In addition, he is working on his doctorate.

Tired yet?

Noting he is busy and has always been an over-achiever, Smith recalled how God had blessed him four years ago with some severe, lingering back problems, mixed with a difficult bout of Bell’s Palsy (a debilitating facial paralysis.)

After much prayer and self-analysis, Smith learned the art of delegation. And, the Lord showed him how replaceable he was—the ministry didn’t fall apart when he was laid up.

"I still work hard; that hasn’t changed," he said. "And, yes, sometimes I feel like the many demands on my time and energy causes the various areas of my life and ministry to suffer.

"God, in His mercy and grace, has shown me that it is just as sinful for me not to ‘come apart and rest’ as it is to be lazy. I work hard at what God has called me to do, use my brain to schedule wisely the limited time I have, and use my resources to delegate to others those things God has better equipped them to do."

Today, delegating tasks affords Smith the space and energy to spend time with his wife, children, and varied pursuits. While this approach isn’t new, he said he wished he had applied it to his life willingly before God had to do it for him.

While it may not be a radical concept, this may be the year for more pastors to learn to delegate. The need for them to do so was pointed out recently in a humorous way by Leadership Network consultant Reggie McNeal.

In a seminar on the missional church, McNeal talked about working with his personal trainer. Then, he stopped to joke that if the YMCA were like church, instead of working out with a personal trainer, everyone would come watch the trainer work out while they enjoyed coffee and doughnuts.

In the spiritual realm, such a lack of exercise makes for flabby parishioners and overworked clergy. Pastors can take a cue from Smith and stop trying to do it all themselves.