Nehemiah’s Project Management Blueprint

As a pastor, you need to be able to put together projects efficiently and effectively. Whether you are starting a new church, planning a new ministry, opening a new building—or just preparing for next weekend’s services—you need to mobilize people for a common task. That’s leadership in a nutshell.

Nehemiah, a great biblical model of leadership, had a monster project on his hands when he returned to Jerusalem to help rebuild the city’s walls. And he was successful. How he tackled that project can give us insight on how to handle our own ministry projects. Nehemiah followed seven key principles that helped him succeed.

1. The principle of simplification
Nehemiah kept his plan simple. He didn’t randomly assign jobs, he didn’t create a whole new organization, and he didn’t develop any complex charts. He organized around natural groupings of people already associating together, such as the priests, the men of Jericho, and the sons of Hassenaah. 

The point is, don’t create an organization if you don’t need it. If an organization of people already naturally exists, try to work through it and with it. Sometimes the first thing a new leader does is to change the whole organization. Instead, think: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The strongest organizations are the simplest organizations.

2. The principle of participation
It’s a pretty simple rule: Work with those who want to work. Amazingly, a lot of leaders never learn this principle. They spend all their time trying to corral the lazy and the apathetic, instead of working with those who want to work. 

Look at what Nehemiah did. He involved almost everyone in the building of the wall. He had the clerics, the goldsmiths, the perfume makers—men and women, city and country folk. Everybody was moving bricks and making mortar.

But there was one exception: “Next were the men from Tekoa, but their leaders were lazy and didn’t help” (Nehemiah 3:5 TLB). Nehemiah didn’t lose sleep, get bitter, or waste time trying to corral the shirkers. He ignored them—and focused on those who were willing to work. 

In every situation, you’re going to have workers and shirkers. If you’re a leader, don’t worry about people who don’t want to get involved. Focus on those who are eager to be part of what you’re doing.
 
3. The principle of delegation
When you’re organizing, give clear assignments. Nehemiah didn’t tell everyone, “Go work wherever you want.” Instead, he assigned sections of the wall to individual groups. He kept it simple, and he clearly delegated specific assignments.

Here are some steps to follow when you delegate:

– Break down major goals into smaller tasks. When we started Saddleback, I made each one of our founders a committee of one. Each of us had assignments. One person managed the printing of the bulletins, while another set up the nursery. Everybody had a specific task.

– Develop clear job descriptions. Your workers deserve to know what you expect of them.

– Match the right person with the right task. The wrong person in the wrong task causes chaos and all kinds of motivational problems. When you delegate, you don’t just pass off work; you need to understand what each task is all about and what each person is good at—and then match them up!

4. The principle of motivation
When you organize any project, help people “own” it. In Nehemiah, you see again and again men making repairs to the sections of the wall near their houses. If you lived in Jerusalem, where would you be most interested in working on the wall? Probably by your house!

Allowing for ownership in a project helps increase motivation. I think Nehemiah is also saying, “Make the work as convenient as possible.” Nehemiah allowed people to work in their area of interest. That’s a key principle of organization—good organizations allow workers to develop their own areas.

5. The principle of cooperation
It’s been said that this is how to spell success: T-E-A-M-W-O-R-K. Cooperation is a greater motivator than competition, and the motivation lasts because you feel like you’re together on a winning team. Strong organizations build trust and teamwork. 

The Bible mentions “one another” 58 times to describe how Christians should support each other. In fact, God can overlook almost anything in a church, but God will not overlook disunity. In the book of Acts, you’ll read over and over again phrases like: “they were of one accord,” “of one heart,” “unified.” When you have unity like they did in Acts, you’ll have the power of Acts.

6. The principle of administration 
Even after you delegate, you must supervise the work. Nehemiah walked the line of the wall, inspecting the work and checking on his workers. Tom Peters, in his book A Passion for Excellence, calls it MBWA— Management By Walking Around. Good organizations establish clear lines of authority. People do what you inspect, not what you expect.

7. The principle of appreciation
Good leaders give recognition. For instance, Nehemiah knew the names of those working on the wall. I think that’s a mark of a good leader. He even listed the names in his book, and now here we are thousands of years later, and pastors across the world are mispronouncing the names of Nehemiah’s helpers! But Nehemiah cared enough to recognize these men and women for their work. Do you know who’s doing a good job in your church? If you do, are you telling them they’re doing a good job?   

Nehemiah had a huge task in front of him when he organized people to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. But he did it. The seven principles God gave Nehemiah worked for him then—and they’ll work for you and your church today!