When Your Dream Candidate Can't Afford to Say Yes

The podcast episode discusses how churches often face a disconnect between their compensation offerings and the financial needs of ideal candidates. It emphasizes the importance of addressing budget constraints transparently and maintaining relationships with candidates even if the timing isn't right. The host, Todd Rhoades from Chemistry Staffing, advises churches to avoid negotiating against themselves and to consider financial realities when hiring. • Identifying the gap between compensation packages and candidates' financial needs. • Importance of radical transparency in compensation discussions. • Challenges of negotiating salaries based on spiritual or unrealistic expectations. • Maintaining relationships with candidates when timing is not right. • Acknowledge that sometimes good stewardship means saying no to good candidates. • The risk of overextending financially to secure a candidate. • Assistance offered by Chemistry Staffing in staffing and budgeting.

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Transcript

The Dream Candidate Budget Gap

SPEAKER_00 0:08

You're kind of giddy right now because you just got off the phone with your absolute dream. They checked all of the boxes. They love your shirts. They're excited about the world. Their references, you just got them back yesterday. They are absolutely glowing. And yet they can't say yes. Not because they don't want to, but because they can't afford to. And how you don't lose your perfect dream candidate here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast today. Hi there, my name's Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffing.com, and your host right here every day on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. Let's talk about the brutal math situation here, right? Your compensation package, it seemed to make sense on paper. You compared it to similar churches in your area, and you factored in benefits and all the ministry perks. But then you forgot about this person that's going to fill this role their actual life. They've got a mortgage that reflects two incomes. They've got kids and activities that cost real money. They've got a spouse that would probably have to find new work in your city. And the math just isn't about salary,

Stop Negotiating Against Yourself

SPEAKER_00 1:27

it's about their entire financial ecosystem. And here's what I think is one of the big mistakes that a lot of churches make, and it's a critical one. You start negotiating against yourself. Maybe you can find some extra money somewhere. You consider restructuring the role to justify a little bit more pay, or you begin the mental gymnastics if they really felt called here. You're treating their financial reality like it's a spiritual problem. And listen, wanting to pay people well is not really the issue here. The issue is when we don't address this reality head on. So here's the honest conversation

Radical Transparency About Pay

SPEAKER_00 2:07

I think you need to have. Stop apologizing for your budget constraints because they are what they are, they're budget constraints. And start talking with some real radical transparency. Hey, here's the here's what we can offer. Here's why the offer is what it is, here's why we can offer what we can offer. And then ask directly, hey, can you make this work with your family situation? Yesterday we talked about student debt and all of that that factors into a family's financial situation overall. So ask them, can you make do you think you can make this work here your family's situation? And if they say no, believe them. Don't try to spiritualize their financial needs. Thank them for their honesty and keep the relationship warm. Because here's what most churches don't realize. The candidate who can't say yes today might be able to in two years. Their life situation may change. Your budget capacity

Keep The Relationship Warm

SPEAKER_00 3:03

maybe will change and hopefully grow. And the worst thing you can do is burn the bridge with guilt or with pressure. The absolute best thing you can do is stay connected and keep them in mind. I see this with churches all the time, where you know, for one reason or another, maybe it's financial, maybe it's a theological thing, maybe it's just a cultural thing or a personality thing where you just don't think you just don't, you've got this check in your spirit. You just don't know that they're gonna be the perfect candidate. But I know that there are some people that make some real friends, some people that stay in contact with candidates, even though they didn't hire them. And that's the kind of relationship that you're gonna be friends with everybody, but the best thing you can do is stay connected, keep them in mind. Some of the strongest hires happen when timing actually aligns with calling. I remember two of the jobs that I've taken, actually my last two jobs most probably, I turned them down. I turned them down initially. One I turned down for probably a year and a half, the other one I turned down for probably six months. I told him to turn them down three times. So, but we kept the relationship, and guess what? A year and a half in one case, six months in the other case, everything all of a sudden aligned. So God worked in that in-between

Stewardship Means Sustainable Offers

SPEAKER_00 4:21

time. The right person, here's the bottom line for today, the right person at the wrong time, or the right person at the wrong financial time, is still the wrong hire for you, it's still the wrong hire for the candidate. Remember, good stewardship sometimes mean as hard as it is, good stewardship sometimes means saying no to good people. That's not failure, that's wisdom, that's the system working. It's tough. It's tough. Man, it's tough. I've seen churches, one last thing before I let you go today. I've seen churches that are five or ten thousand dollars off on a candidate. They really want this candidate. And they go and they they pay the extra five or ten thousand. And they can swing it this year, but guess what? Next year, that ten thousand dollars that they just paid over, they're not able to do that next year. And so you gotta make sure that financially you're able to do what you say you're able to do. And sometimes, yes, it means telling a candidate, keeping the relationship open, but saying it's just not gonna work right now. That's not a failure. That's wisdom. I hope this has been helpful to you. Maybe you've come up against this

Get Help And What Is Next

SPEAKER_00 5:36

in a hiring decision. Maybe you're right smackab in the hiring uh of a new candidate, and this is some news that you really needed to hear today. Hey, if there's any way that I can help you, particularly with you churches staffing and hiring, even readjusting your staff, if you've got to let somebody go, if you need some budgeting help with compensation, all those kind of things are things that my team and I do every day at chemistry staffing, and we'd love to hear from you, see if there's any way that we can help you. You don't have to do this alone. We're for you. We do this all day, every day with churches all across the country, and hopefully we can offer you some support that maybe you just might need right now. Reach out to me, podcast at chemistry staffing.com. All right, that's it for today. If you're listening, can you believe tomorrow is July already? I'm excited for America 250. It's gonna happen on Saturday. I love the 4th of July, and I hope you're gonna have a great weekend. You've got some great plans and some barbecues and all that kind of good stuff going on for this weekend. But I hope you'll join me again tomorrow. Tomorrow we're gonna talk about why churches want seminary training but won't pay seminary prices. Ouch! Hope you'll join me right here on the Healthy Church Dad Podcast. See you tomorrow.