The Permission to Plateau: When Good Enough Is Actually Good

In this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, Todd Rhoades discusses the pressures of achieving church growth metrics and the importance of valuing stability and depth over numerical goals. He emphasizes that maintaining a healthy, stable ministry should not be seen as a failure, but as a success, particularly in terms of spiritual depth and staff well-being. • Discussing the pressure from expectations of church growth post-service. • Highlighting the common pursuit of numerical growth over spiritual depth. • Encouraging a shift in focus to sustainability and stability. • Addressing the harmful effects of comparing to others and innovating out of desperation. • Stressing the importance of celebrating and acknowledging spiritual growth and stable ministry. • Emphasizing that burnout is a greater enemy than accepting stability. • Encouraging leaders to have conversations with staff about the value of a stable ministry.

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Transcript

The Growth Question After Service

SPEAKER_00 0:08

So you just finished a Sunday service, you're out in the lobby, a board money member slides right up to you after the service with you know that look. You know that look. You've seen that look before. So how are we tracking our growth goals this year? Heavy topic right after a service. Your stomach tightens up because you know the numbers. Attendance is flat, giving you steady, but it's not spectacular. I mean your team is healthy, people are growing, ministry is happening, but somehow you because of the way that he you know your board member, and you know this is no good waiting to happen. Somehow you just you you take the question and you feel like a failure. Like you're supposed to apologize for stability. We're gonna talk about that today because a lot of times we've created a culture where good enough never feels good enough.

The Pressure Culture Around Numbers

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Hi there, my name's Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistry staffing.com, and you're listening to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Every single church conference you go to sells you the same drug. Ten Ways to Break Through Your Growth Ceiling. How we've doubled in 18 months. The secret to explosive ministry growth. Meanwhile, back on the ranch, your healthy, stable ministry feels like it's somehow a consolation prize. So today I want to say to you personally, I mean, it's just you and me here today, nobody else is listening. I want to say something to you out loud that needs to be said. You and your staff could be running on fumes chasing numbers that may not even matter. You're comparing your Tuesday to somebody else's highlight reel. Every flat month feels like spiritual failure. Your team starts believing steady isn't good enough or isn't even good at all. And they're innovating out of desperation instead of wisdom. And honestly, your people feel the anxiety. When things aren't up and to the right, people get anxious. You get anxious, and sometimes your board gets anxious. There's nothing wrong with wanting your ministry to grow. Growth can be a wonderful, beautiful thing. Some of the best times in ministry have been when I've been on a staff where there's been momentum and God is working and growth, everything is up and to the right, and it's exciting. Growth can be beautiful.

When Maintenance Is The Mission

SPEAKER_00 2:47

But what if this year your assignment isn't growth? What if this year maintaining what God has already built is the mission? Same seasons, the win is keeping what you have healthy. Some seasons that's just what it is. Some years, depth matters more than width. Your staff getting mentally healthy might be more important this year than adding another service. Discipling the people that you have right now could be your breakthrough this year. Maybe God wants to grow you before he grows your ministry. The plateau, particularly those numbers and the attendance numbers and giving numbers, the plateau doesn't always mean stagnants. It means sustainable sometimes.

Lead Your Team Toward Faithful Wins

SPEAKER_00 3:44

And your staff really needs to hear this to the from you. Tell them directly, this year faithful is our win. Stop apologizing for stability in staff meetings. Celebrate the members who are growing, not just the numbers that aren't. Let your team know that sustainability is not settling. Remind them that even Jesus chose twelve, not twelve hundred. Here's your bottom line for today. Good enough isn't the enemy of great. Burnout is the enemy of great. And this week I want you to have at least one conversation with your team and tell them exactly what you're celebrating this year. Give them permission to be proud of healthy, stable ministry. Take the edge off that everything has to double because it's just not realistic. Your ministry doesn't have to be explosive all the time to be effective. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is stay right where you are, listen to what God is saying to you, and do it really well. That's my two cents for you today here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. I would love to hear

Burnout Versus Greatness Bottom Line

SPEAKER_00 4:48

your comments. You can reach out to me via email. I read every email that comes in. Podcast at chemistry staffing.com. If there's any way I can help you or your church, let me know that too. I'd love to hop on a Zoom call. We can grab coffee, or I'll probably have a Dr. Pepper with me, but uh love to grab some time with you on a Zoom call and hear your story and see if there's any way we can help you. And as always, I'll be here again tomorrow on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Hope you'll join me. If you're a brand new listener and you've not subscribed, or maybe you've been listening, you know, this is episode 623. Maybe you've listened to every single episode, but you've never subscribed. It didn't cost you a thing. Just go

Email, Zoom Invite, And Subscribe

SPEAKER_00 5:27

and hit subscribe. That way you're gonna get notifications every time we add a new podcast, which is every week. That's it for today. Hope you have a great day. We'll be back tomorrow.