The Church Staff Role No One Wants (But Everyone Needs)

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Transcript

Introducing the Truth Teller Role

Speaker 1 0:09

Hey , there , I'm Todd Rhodes , one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom , and you're listening to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast . Everybody has a team . Maybe your team is really healthy , maybe they're very dysfunctional , but regardless of that , what if the one person who could really transform your church staff culture and your church staff team and make it much better , what if that one person is the one person that you've been ignoring or resisting ? Every team needs a truth teller , but most churches don't want to make room for one , and that might be why the dysfunction that you feel sometimes , that kind of feeling that you have in the pit of your stomach . It's just not going anywhere . Stick around . We're going to talk about the role that nobody wants but every team needs , and that is the truth teller

What Makes a Real Truth Teller

Speaker 1 1:01

. The truth teller it's a role that risks everything .

Speaker 1 1:07

Not every church staff hero has a mic . Some have a mirror , and these are the people , the truth tellers , who lovingly disrupt , sometimes when you don't want them to . They're the people who challenge your thinking . Two they're the people who challenge your thinking , perhaps when you don't want them to , but they do it not because they're cynical or because they're just complainers . They do it because they really care deeply . They are the ones on your team that ask the uncomfortable questions . They're the ones that push back on those sacred cows . They're the ones that refuse to let unity become uniformity . Okay so here's the deal . They know they're not the favorite , they know that they walk a really lonely line because , while every leader says they want feedback , most don't Matter of fact , most punish feedback subtly or directly when it shows up uninvited . Okay so , let's unpack this truth teller and maybe you're already thinking about somebody on your staff , somebody on your board that kind of acts as your truth teller and truth be told . I find that this is a role that I play in organizations a lot of times and in churches that I've been a part of , and it's .

Speaker 1 2:31

I have a new book that's coming out here . I'll show it to you if you're watching on YouTube . It's called Silent Alarm . This is very much talking about how the church staffing pipeline has changed . It's very much a truth teller book . It's saying stuff that nobody really wants to hear , but yet I find that I'm sometimes in a place to be that person . All right , so enough side note . I saw a squirrel there and an opportunity to promote a book that's coming out .

Speaker 1 2:57

But yeah , let's talk about truth tellers and let's talk about the difference between a critic and a cynic . Okay , the difference between a critic and a cynic . Okay , the difference between a critic and a cynic . Because we've got to clear up something . If we're going to talk about truth-tellers , okay , I am not . When I'm talking about a truth-teller , I am not talking about the serial complainer or the person who just wants to keep it real but always leaves that shrapnel behind . It's like they come into a room , they blow it up and then they leave and somehow they feel good about it . That's not the person I'm talking about when I'm talking about a truth teller . The person that we're talking about here today is somebody that's emotionally grounded , that's spiritually mature , that's biblically anchored , and they're humble enough to listen just as much as they speak . It's really important for you to understand , about a real truth teller , the difference between a truth teller and a cynic . They're not against the mission . They are absolutely for the mission . They're on your side . They're for its health . Their goal is not to disrupt for disruption's sake . It is to lovingly help steer the ship away from those rocks , those hidden rocks that nobody's seeing .

Speaker 1 4:12

So why don't most churches make room for this type of a role

Why Churches Resist Truth Tellers

Speaker 1 4:16

. We're honest , this kind of voice threatens control , right . It slows down blind consensus . It slows down blind consensus . It pokes holes in plans that we thought were all finished and polished and ready to go . It makes meetings messier , not smoother . It makes meetings longer , not shorter . So what happens ?

Speaker 1 4:39

Truth-tellers often get labeled as difficult and their input gets sidelined . Eventually they burn out . A lot of times they leave and nobody realizes the wisdom that they lost , until all the wheels fall off and they think . I think somebody told us that this might happen . You know what's worse than a church that ignores its truth teller ? It's a truth . It's a church that hires one and then silences them . Okay .

Speaker 1 5:07

So how do you embrace

Embracing Truth Tellers in Leadership

Speaker 1 5:10

this role ? Okay , they're never going to be your favorite person . They're always going to be speaking truth and bringing truth to the table , even when you don't want it . So how do you embrace the truth teller on your staff without there being chaos ? If you're a lead pastor , this is especially for you because really believe this you need at least one person in your inner circle who's a truth teller . Let me say that again . If you're a senior pastor , you need at least one person in your inner circle that you trust .

Speaker 1 5:42

Who's a truth teller , right ? They don't flinch when disagreeing with you . They're willing to come to you and say , todd , let me speak something here because I want to disagree with you , and they're not going to flinch . And you're not going to flinch because you respect them . They're going to be the person in your inner circle or on your staff team that can challenge your thinking without being disloyal . That should really be everybody but truth tellers especially . And they're going to speak the truth even if their voice shakes . That means they're going to speak the hard truth . They're going to be the ones going into Pharaoh You're Pharaoh in this situation right ? They're going to be the ones going in to speak , and sometimes they know their words not only carry weight but carry some consequences . They don't know how you're going to respond , right ?

Speaker 1 6:35

So create some structured spaces for critique . Maybe you have monthly meetings where you just you say , okay , push me a little bit with this truth teller specific , not with the whole team . Maybe you have monthly disagree meetings , okay , maybe you take some anonymous staff pulse checks . Maybe you invite feedback publicly and reward it privately . And let me say this because there are probably I know there are some truth tellers that are listening and watching and you're like Todd , you're describing me . This is not a role that I've wanted , and most truth tellers don't necessarily want

Advice for Truth Tellers

Speaker 1 7:12

that role . That's just how God has wired them .

Speaker 1 7:14

But you're saying , todd , I'm a truth teller . Speak some truth to me , okay , don't confuse your calling with combativeness . Okay , truth and love isn't a license to torch . You're not a prophet without love . You're just noise . If you do that , okay . So that's my advice to you is just don't be combative . And it's really easy . It's easy for me , as a truth teller , when I'm not listened to , to get a little combative , and that does not . Those are not my proudest moments . So truth and love isn't a license to torch , okay . So here's the bottom line for today .

Speaker 1 7:50

Every healthy team needs someone who will say what others won't , and the goal isn't conflict , it's clarity , and sometimes the most loving thing you can do is tell

Episode Wrap-Up and Resources

Speaker 1 8:01

the truth . Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is listen to the truth and not hit the person over the head that brings you the truth . All right , maybe you're a truth teller and you're like Todd this was great . Maybe you're a senior pastor and you're like Todd , this wasn't so great , or maybe this was great , I don't know .

Speaker 1 8:19

I would love to hear from you Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom If this resonated with you and if you need some help on your staff team , kind of identifying or working with this truth teller , offer some coaching services . You can reach out to me at podcast at chemistrystaffingcom . I'd love to have you reach out to me if there's any way that I can help you and your staff become even a little bit more healthy . All right , that's it for today on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast . I hope you'll join me again tomorrow . We're here every weekday and I hope you'll come back for some more Todd time tomorrow , right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast . Have a great day .