Currently, some of the best writing on Christian leadership is being done by Todd Rhoades and Matt Steen, founders of Chemistry Staffing. I am so glad to know them as friends and have them be supporters of this site. If you are not following their blog, make sure you do so by clicking HERE.
Recently, Todd wrote an incredible on church leaders who have lost touch with reality. It was convicting and challenging. It also offered hope as Todd gave three practical ways to address the issue.
I felt the content was so compelling I want to share it with you. Also, if your church is looking to hire qualified personnel or you are sensing God is moving you to another location, click the links below or the image provided to have a conversation with them. They are absolutely the best!!!
The following are Todd’s comments. Also, at the end of the article, he provides you the opportunity to download some complimentary resources to assist you. Now onto Todd’s comments:
Sometimes Leaders Need to Shut Down to Focus In
Can we be real? I get angry every time I read in the news, on a blog, or talk to a friend to find out another pastor or church leader has gone down in flames.
In my work, I get to talk to many church leaders… some of them frazzled and hanging on by a thread. Some are just stressed. Some have been beaten to a pulp by church politics. Others have been burning their candle at both ends for so long that they’ve made it to the middle and there is seemingly nothing left.
Why do pastors flame out?
What safeguards should you take NOW so that you don’t become this person LATER?
This past week I’ve been reading a book entitled “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.”
This quote from the book stopped me dead in my tracks:
Many leaders have “lost the ability to process and make sense of their emotions, or to reflect on who they are and what really matters, or to build strong relationships, or even to just allow their brains time to power down their critical social circuits, which are not meant to be used constantly, and to redirect that energy to other important cognitive housekeeping tasks. We shouldn’t be surprised that these absences lead to malfunctions.”
Malfunctions.
That’s a good way to put it.
But when you’re a church leader, malfunctions, when fully played out, can mean losing your current livelihood, your career, your family, and your future.
Those are pretty big stakes.
So… what do you do TODAY so that you don’t lose everything TOMORROW?
That’s not an easy question to answer. There are many variables. But here’s a place to start this morning. It will take you three hours this week.
I hear you… “I don’t have three hours”.
Yes you do.
Do it.
It’s that important.
Ready… here we go…
1. Write one hour into your calendar this week. Make an appointment with yourself to reflect.
When was the last time that you shut everything down and spent some time alone? Listening to your own thoughts? Praying intently to God and taking the time to listen for his response? What is in your spirit? What about you do you need to change? What has been getting out of control? Identify and jot down some small things you can do this week to get back on track.
2. Write one hour into your calendar this week to relax.
What is one thing that you like to do that you haven’t done in what seems like forever? Write it into your calendar for this week. Just one hour. Maybe it’s time to read the latest John Grisham novel. Maybe you need to take a hike at your favorite local park. Do it. Take time to relax. It will do you a world of good.
3. Write one hour into your calendar this week to spend with your spouse.
Do something spontaneous. Surprise your spouse with one hour of something the he/she loves to do (if you’re a guy, that might even mean taking an hour in the middle of the day to take her to Target). Make your marital relationship a priority.
Listen… I’m becoming increasingly convinced that pastors that flame out don’t take time to reflect, repair, and replenish.
Three short hours this week (and really, every week) will help you stop the downward spiral many leaders find themselves in.
PS – I’d love to hear how your three-hour experiment worked for you this week. What did you learn? How did you spend your time? Was this experiment worth the three hours of time invested? Let me know your experience by sending an email to me at todd.rhoades@chemistrystaffing.com.
Todd and Matt have developed Chemistry Staffing’s Staff Transition Playbook. This guide will walk you through what to do following a staff member’s resignation, or what you need to be thinking about as you prepare to make a staffing change.
To download your free copy of Chemistry Staffing’s Staff Transition Playbook, click here.
Check out all the resources available at ChemistryStaffing.com
This was a guest post by Todd Rhoades, Co-Founder of Chemistry Staffing. Here are some more comments from Todd about his incredible organization:
At Chemistry Staffing we spend a lot of time helping churches consider who to hire and when to begin searching for the best candidates. If you’d like to learn more, click here to recieve a copy of 20 Things to Know About Church Staff Candidates BEFORE You Interview Them. This document is the foundation of our unique candidate assessment system, and should be the starting point for your search as well.
We love learning about churches and helping them find candidates for their open positions… and we’d love to help you. As a reader of Brian’s blog and mentioned above, I’d love for you to take part in a free 30-Minute Consultation where we can learn a little bit about what you are looking for, and share some of what we have learned from the churches we have served. You can click here to schedule a FREE 30-minute conversation with Todd Rhoades and Matt.