Loyalty in church staff isn't always a virtue – sometimes what appears as faithfulness may actually be fear in disguise, potentially damaging your church staff structure. We explore the crucial differences between healthy commitment and unhealt...

Churches often employ someone who isn't on the payroll – the pastor's spouse who carries emotional weight, hidden expectations, and unpaid ministry hours without recognition or compensation. This "invisible job description" creates unfair burde...

Jesus built a kingdom with a startup mentality that continues to disrupt and grow 2,000 years later, offering powerful principles that can transform church ministry leadership today. His approach challenges conventional organizational wisdom wi...

The true measure of a pastor's success isn't the church they build but the leaders they leave behind who can continue the work after they're gone. Jesus himself modeled this approach by focusing not on buildings but on developing 11 disciples w...

We examine how some pastors are becoming online influencers and the impact this shift has on church staff dynamics, transforming collaborative ministry teams into production crews for personal brands.• The growing trend of church influe...

Many churches verbally promote diversity while continually hiring the same types of candidates, creating a gap between their stated values and staffing reality. This episode explores the unseen biases and unspoken defaults in church hiring prac...

Long-tenured pastors often become untouchable in their churches, creating a culture where accountability disappears and feedback feels like betrayal. This quiet danger threatens church health when pastoral loyalty morphs into blind allegiance.<...

Every church operates with two distinct scripts - the public one seen in sermons and newsletters, and the private one found in elder meetings discussing budget worries and staff frustrations. The gap between these scripts often creates suspicio...

We explore how church leaders sometimes misuse theology as a defense mechanism, particularly focusing on Romans 8:28 and how it can shut down necessary conversations instead of starting them.• When we use scripture to end conversations ...

Quiet firing is when church staff are gradually pushed out through neglect rather than direct confrontation, leaving them without support, feedback, or meaningful work until they get the message they're no longer wanted. This practice damages b...

Todd Rhodes concludes the True North series by reading Chapter Four of his modern epistle for church staff and workers, offering encouragement that even in difficult ministry seasons, God has not forgotten those He's called. The chapter provide...

We explore Chapter 3 of the True North series, focusing on leadership that prioritizes reproduction over becoming indispensable. This modern epistle for church staff distills wisdom from our first 360 podcast episodes into practical leadership ...

This episode continues our True North series, a modern-day epistle for church leaders that captures key insights from 360 episodes of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.• Endurance isn't the absence of fatigue but the decision to keep goi...

We unveil "True North," a modern epistle designed to encourage and guide church staff with timeless wisdom for ministry leadership. This four-chapter resource draws from hundreds of podcast conversations to address the challenges unique to thos...

Todd Rhodes introduces a special week-long series featuring an AI-generated "epistle" created by feeding all 366 episodes of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast into ChatGPT. The resulting 15-page document called "True North for Church Leaders" sy...

Church staff displaying signs of disengagement might not be lazy but spiritually disconnected and malnourished. The real issue is often soul erosion resulting from constant ministry hustle without adequate time to abide in Christ.• Warn...

Churches often discover staff culture issues too late, only learning painful truths during exit interviews after resignations have already occurred.• Exit interviews function more like autopsies than checkups, revealing issues when it's...

We explore why the common practice of calling church staff a "family" can create unhealthy dynamics that undermine accountability and mission. This seemingly biblical and warm approach often leads to avoiding necessary conversations, protecting...

We explore the dangerous tendency for churches to confuse burnout with revival, and how overwork disguised as faithfulness is damaging the souls of ministry staff. This continuing conversation on burnout examines why ministry teams feel deplete...

Church leaders should recognize that staff who never take vacations are displaying a significant red flag, not dedication, as this mindset breeds burnout, decreased effectiveness, and eventual departure from ministry. Healthy churches thrive wh...

Church membership in Southern Baptist churches has hit a 50-year low while attendance is actually increasing, revealing a complex picture of modern church engagement. This paradoxical trend isn't limited to Baptist churches but represents a bro...

Churches nationwide are experimenting with AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance ministry operations while preserving theological integrity. Far from replacing pastoral roles, AI is helping churches streamline routine tasks so staff can focus more o...

Most church staff meetings lack energy and purpose, wasting valuable time and missing opportunities for team building and vision alignment. We explore six practical strategies to transform these gatherings from boring obligations into energizin...

Crisis doesn't knock politely at your church's door—it kicks it in without warning. Whether it's a leadership scandal, church split, natural disaster, or financial impropriety, how you respond in those critical first moments will shape your min...

Church staff are professionals deserving of recognition, fair compensation, and work boundaries—not just volunteers with fancy titles. Breaking these 10 common misconceptions about church staff culture is essential to building sustainable minis...