The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
We're all about helping create a healthy, positive, and spiritually positive environment for church staff members and leadership teams.
The Healthy Church Staff Podcast
What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do
Feeling lost in the labyrinth of ministry leadership? Discover how moments of uncertainty can become opportunities for growth and collaboration. Join me, Todd Rhoades, as I tackle the all-too-familiar paralyzing feeling of not knowing what to do next. In this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, we confront the myth that ministry leaders must always have the answers. Instead, we explore how embracing our vulnerabilities and limitations can lead to building deeper trust, fostering collaboration, and tapping into divine wisdom from God and those around us.
Gain practical insights and actionable steps to regain clarity and direction when you're overwhelmed or stuck. We'll explore the transformative power of prayer, and the importance of seeking wise counsel from your team, mentors, and church boards. Learn how quiet reflection, journaling, and even nature can open pathways for discernment and reveal God's guiding voice. Tune in to empower yourself with strategies to confidently navigate uncertainty and find your way forward with renewed faith and purpose.
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I'm glad you joined me today. I'm Todd Rhodes, your host for the Healthy Church Staff Podcast and one of the co-founders of the Chemistry Staffing today. Glad that you joined us today. I'm sure that, well, we're addressing something today. I'm sure each one of us have experienced at some point in our ministry, and that at least I have. Let me speak for myself, I will speak for you.
Speaker 1:It's just an overwhelming sense of not knowing what to do. It could be a crisis. It could be a really difficult decision that you need to make. It could simply be a feeling of just being stuck. But these moments of uncertainty can just feel absolutely paralyzing, and today we're going to talk about how to navigate those times and hopefully find a little bit of clarity and direction and get off our duff and just determine what our next steps are.
Speaker 1:So in ministry, we are expected a lot of times to have just all the answers. People come to us all the time for answers. Other staff people are coming just all the answers. People come to us all the time for answers. Other staff people are coming to us for answers. Our volunteers are coming to us for answers. If you're speaking on Sunday morning, you're expected to have all the answers and we're supposed to be the ones with all the wisdom and the guidance and the solutions God has called us to ministry. Right, we're full-time ministry if you're full-time and you should have the answers. But what happens when we don't know what to do? What happens when we feel lost and confused and overwhelmed? It's important to remember that it's okay not to have all the answers. In fact, acknowledging our limitations can really a lot of times be a sign of strength and humility and it opens us up to seeking God's wisdom and relying on others, the support of others, and trusting in the process of discernment. I was thinking about this the other day. What if you always had the answer and maybe you're somebody that you just you feel like, yeah, I've always got the answer, if I know. For me, if I always had the answer, it would be really difficult for me to rely on God because I got it covered right.
Speaker 1:Leadership experts often talk about the importance of embracing kind of vulnerability and admitting when you don't have all the answers. It can build trust and foster collaboration and allow others to step in and contribute their own insights and perspective. And if we really take the time to think about it, the Bible itself has tons of examples of leaders who wrestled with uncertainty and sought God's guidance. Moses from Moses leading the Israelites through the wilderness, paul navigating the complexities of the early church. We see even some of the greatest leaders faced moments of doubt and confusion.
Speaker 1:So what in the world do you do when you don't know what to do? Here are a few tips. Okay, first of all and this seems this should just be a natural, but I'm going to say it anyway First thing to do is really pray, seek God's guidance through prayer. A lot of times we forget to pray, especially when we feel like we know what to do. We just do it right. But we should even pray through those things. But pray and seek God's guidance, pour out your heart to him, express your confusion and your anxieties and ask for wisdom and direction.
Speaker 1:And then the second thing is to seek wise counsel. Talk to other members of your team, talk to some trusted mentors or some colleagues, talk to your elder board or your church board, share your struggles and seek their perspectives, get their advice. And then not only talk to them, but listen. I don't know how many times I've been asked my opinion. I give my opinion and the person just says okay, and then they go and do the opposite thing. It's like why did you ask me? Why did you ask me my opinion? Not that you have to do what I tell you my opinion is, but it's like you just talk to me to talk to me.
Speaker 1:So take time for some quiet reflection after you seek that wise counsel and, believe me, I'm not trying to set myself up as wise counsel. Anyway, take time for quiet reflection after you've sought that wise counsel. Listen for God's still small voice. Sometimes journaling, meditation If you're a journaler, spending time in nature, just being quiet before the Lord, can sometimes help create some space for discernment. So, after you've prayed and seeked wise counsel again we're talking about what to do when you don't know what to do You've prayed, you seeked wise counsel, you've reflected and you've listened to other people and to the Holy Spirit speaking in your life Then it's a time to take action, even if you don't have all the answers. We don't have to have the complete answer, you know. Take some small steps moving forward. Forget who it is that says.
Speaker 1:Probably a lot of people that say if you make no decision, that is a decision, and sometimes just the act of doing something, even if it's imperfect, can help clarify the path, and there's. I've also heard it said that there's very few decisions that you can make that will just screw everything up. There are some decisions you can make, but even if you take a small decision and just get off a dead center, that can help you a lot. And then trust the process. None of this surprises God. Remember that God is still in control, and trust that he's going to guide you and provide wisdom and protection for you, and he's going to provide the resources you need, even in this midst of uncertainty.
Speaker 1:Okay, so here's your bottom line for today. It's okay, you have my permission. Not that you asked for it. You have my permission. Not that you asked for it. You have my permission. It's okay not to know what to do. Embrace these moments of uncertainty as opportunities for growth and dependence upon God and collaboration with others, and remember you're not alone in this journey. Seek wisdom and take action and trust the process.
Speaker 1:If you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, reach out to me. If you have no one else to talk to, or even if you do have somebody else to talk to, I'd be honored to talk with you. I'm here to offer support and guidance and if there's any way I can coach or kind of mentor you through whatever you're going through, I would love to be able to talk to you about how we can do that. You can email me anytime at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Thanks time at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Thanks for joining us today here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. We have one more episode this week. I hope you come back and join us tomorrow. Be sure to subscribe if you haven't already. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, shout out from the rooftop about the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. It's our mission here to make sure that every church in America has a staff that is healthy and motivated and serving God with a necessary purpose. So I hope you'll come back and join us again tomorrow.
