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
When Should Your Church Hire? Timing Is Everything
What if you could transform your church's staff dynamics and avoid the pitfalls of panic hiring? Learn the secrets to strategic church staffing with Todd Rhoades on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. As we edge closer to the year's end, many churches, like homeowners facing urgent repairs, find themselves scrambling to fill critical staff positions. But what if there was a better way? Todd draws insightful parallels to home improvement projects, explaining why timing is everything when it comes to hiring and how to recognize the signs that your church might need to bring in new staff.
Join us as we uncover how being proactive in hiring can lead not just to expansion, but to enhancing and revitalizing existing ministries. Todd shares compelling stories, like the transformation of a youth ministry through the thoughtful hiring of a full-time pastor, illustrating the profound impact that intentional staffing can have. If you're grappling with staffing decisions, this episode offers a treasure trove of insights to guide you towards a more sustainable and effective approach. Whether your church is overwhelmed or on the cusp of growth, discover how to strategically navigate the hiring process and plant the seeds for future success.
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Is Your Church Hiring?
If your church is searching for a new staff member, reach out to Todd for a conversation on how he might be able to help.
Are You Looking for a New Ministry Role?
If you are open to a new church role in the next few months, add your free resume and profile at ChemistryStaffing.com.
Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom and I'm your host each and every weekday here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. We are going to since it's coming up on the end of the year, we're gonna start a new series here for the next couple of weeks because I know a lot of churches and a lot of individuals are looking for churches, are looking for new staff members. Staff members are maybe looking for 2025 to be a year, maybe a transition for them from one church where they are to another church. So today we're going to talk about for churches when your church should hire and really I put it in the title timing is everything.
Speaker 1:And what's funny, church hiring can feel a little bit like those home improvement projects. You know what I mean that we've been putting off. You wait until something breaks or you're knee deep in a crisis and then it's suddenly urgent. I have a great example Our furnace at our home. About three years ago we had our annual check and they came out and said you really should get a new furnace. This is just not going to last much longer and I'm like but it still heats my house and three years later it's still heating my house and, rather than cheap, when it breaks, I'll fix it. So sometimes church hiring is like that. Specifically, you wait until you just can't put it off any longer.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to talk about timing, specifically, when is the right time to hire for your church? And let's be real, most churches wrestle with this. Is it too soon? Are we waiting too long? Should we just duct tape the problem with a good volunteer right now and hope that it holds for another year? So let's get into it, okay.
Speaker 1:So first of all, let's do just a really quick reality check. If your team is stretched so thin that they can't remember the last time that they had a weekend off, that might be your first clue that it's time to hire somebody. Ministry's demanding. We talk about that all the time here on the podcast. We all know that it's demanding, but it shouldn't be unsustainable. So if people on your team are constantly overwhelmed, there's a good chance that you're very low staffed and you need to consider hiring.
Speaker 1:And let's talk about growth. That's a big one, right? We're growing, so we need to hire. Well, that's true, but growth isn't the only reason. Sometimes you need a new staff member just that kind of comes from a different place. Maybe your church has a critical gap that you're finding volunteers just can't fill, or perhaps you're feeling the effects of turnover, like a key staff member left and it feels like the wheels are starting to fall off. So here's the deal Hiring isn't just about doing more, okay. Hiring's not just about doing more. It's often about doing what you're already doing better, okay.
Speaker 1:So let me give you an example. I know a pastor that told me his church had been limping along without a youth pastor for about two years and they were holding it together. They had their volunteers doing as great a job as volunteers can do in a large youth ministry, but the youth ministry was just struggling. The students weren't engaging, the volunteers were absolutely exhausted, and it wasn't until they really brought in a full-time youth pastor that things really started to turn around. And they didn't grow overnight, but the difference in the health of the ministry was absolutely day and night.
Speaker 1:Okay, one other thing I want to address here while we're talking here okay, I want to address something that I see way too often, and it's what I call the panic hire, and this is when you realize yesterday that you needed help, so you just rush the process right. Desperation leads to bad decisions, lead to, in almost every circumstance, regret. Don't fall into that trap. Instead, I want you to take a proactive approach. Think about hiring almost like planting a garden. You can't toss seeds in the ground and expect tomatoes tomorrow. You've got to prepare the soil. You've got to tomatoes tomorrow. You've got to prepare the soil. You've got to plan intentionally. You've got to give it time for it to grow. And that means planning your staffing needs for the next three to five years, not just reacting to the fire that's right in front of you right now. And one more thing Pay attention to the small whispers before they become those loud shouts in your brain. If your staff is grumbling about being overworked or volunteers keep quitting mid-year, that's a signal. There's your sign, right. But don't wait until you're in full-blown burnout mode to start thinking about hiring. Okay, so here's the practical application. Today I want to get really practical and here's what I want you to think about doing. It's the middle of December. We're getting ready.
Speaker 1:A lot of churches are starting developing their budgets, or already have their budgets, but they're looking at what they're going to do for next year. Take 30 minutes this week, just 30 minutes, maybe even right now. After you're done listening to this podcast, sit down at your desk, get out a piece of paper and a pen and assess your staffing situation, and I want you to ask yourself three questions, okay, first question are we overloading our current team? Are we overloading our current team? Number two are there gaps? Are there ministry gaps that we're just struggling to fill with volunteers right now? That's number two. And then number three are we being proactive? Are we just reacting to problems as they come up? Now?
Speaker 1:If your answers make you squirm, it might be time to start having some serious conversations about hiring and adding people to your team. Trust me, a little reflection now can save you a lot of headaches later on. And hey, if you're feeling stuck or unsure about where to start, let me know. This is something that I help churches do every day. Just shoot me an email. Podcast at chemistry staffingcom. No pressure, I'm not a salesperson, believe me. So I'd love to have a conversation about you and your church, what you're thinking about 2025. And then I'd love to take a longer term approach with you what do you think in the next three to five years as far as your church, as far as staffing, I'd love to hear just what's going on at your church and help however I can. So if your church is thinking about hiring, this is the time of year that a lot of churches start to think about that and have those conversations and plan in their budget. Let me know.
Speaker 1:At Chemistry Staffing, we specialize in helping churches just like yours find the right person for the right role. Hiring is a big deal. It's what I've given my life to Jesus. I've given my life to Jesus. But helping churches find healthy we call it healthy long-term fits. If we can find the right person that can minister in a local church for three to five years, incredible things happen in the kingdom and that's what I've given my life to is helping people like you in churches like yours hire great people. And another thing, just before we leave if you're not subscribed to this podcast yet, what are you waiting for? Hit that subscribe button so we can start hanging out every day. Today actually is episode number 241, believe it or not. So hit that subscribe button. Tomorrow we're going to dive into how to budget for your next hire, so you won't want to miss that. Right back here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Thanks so much. Have a great day.
