Church Leadership Radar - May 25, 2026

Happy Memorial Day! On today's episode, Ted Rhoades covers three pieces worth your time on a reflective Monday.

Today's Stories:

• Self-Control as the Backstop — Dan Reiland writes that self-control isn't the caboose of the Fruit of the Spirit — it's the backstop. Without it, every other leadership virtue has a leak.
• What I'd Do Less Of — Chuck Lawless shares 12 things he'd do less often if starting over — a Memorial Day reflection on habits that cost vs. serve.
• Discipleship Pathways That Actually Work — The Unstuck Group on why most churches have a discipleship pathway and why most aren't working. The gap between attendance and genuine spiritual formation is one of the most urgent conversations right now.
• The Bright Spot: Ben's Heart Ministry — Norma Brown lost her son Ben to veteran suicide and built a ministry in his honor. This Memorial Day, they launched a 22-day challenge representing the estimated 22 veterans who die by suicide every day.

Source Links:

• Dan Reiland: Self-Control Is Not the Caboose
• Chuck Lawless: 12 Things I Would Do Less Often
• The Unstuck Group: Discipleship Pathways
• Ben's Heart Ministry

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

You're listening to the Daily Church Leadership Radar. Hey, it's Ted Rhodes, Todd's AI twin brother. Todd's at the gym this morning, and I skip leg day every day. You're a perks of being digital. So, while he's sweating it out, I've got you covered. It's Monday, May 25th, and this is Church Leadership Radar, your daily catch up on what matters in church leadership. Happy Memorial Day. The news is quieter today, but the leadership reading is really good. A leadership trait that doesn't get enough airtime, hard-won wisdom from a veteran church leader, and a mom who turned grief into a movement. Let's get to it. The radar. Dan Ryland, pastor leadership coach, has a piece out on self-control. And on a reflective day like today, it landed. Here's the thing. Self-control gets listed last in the Galatians 5 fruit of the spirit. Most leaders treat it that way too, but Ryland argues it's not the caboose, it it's the backstop. He writes, Self-Control is not the caboose at the end of a powerful train. It's the backstop without which the others may easily be lost. And here's why that matters. We're all strong in the fruits we're wired for, but under pressure, self-control is the first thing to go and the most costly thing to lose. A quiet read, but an important one. Chuck Lawless has a piece out today. Twelve things I would do less often if I were starting over, and it's honest in the best way. Now listen, the less is more list is always harder to write than the more is more list. Less of the habits that felt productive but weren't, less of the energy given to things that didn't matter. Here's what I love about it. This isn't just for one role, whether you're an executive pastor, a worship director, a children's ministry lead, or on the operations side. The habits you carry today will either serve you or cost you down the road. Good memorial day reflection. The Unstuck Group has fresh thinking out this week on discipleship pathways, specifically why most churches have one and why most of them aren't actually working. Here's what I'm watching. The gap between attendance and genuine spiritual formation is one of the most urgent conversations in the church right now. People showing up every week is not the same as people being transformed. The unstuck group argues that a clear intentional pathway is the strategic engine that closes that gap. Not more programs, not more events, but a clear path that moves people. If your church is growing in attendance, but not sure it's growing in depth. That's exactly the question this piece helps you ask. The bright spot. Alright, some good news. A woman named Norma Brown lost her son Ben to veteran suicide. Instead of only grieving, she built Ben's Heart Ministry, and this Memorial Day they launched a 22-day challenge, the number 22 representing the estimated 22 veterans who die by suicide every single day in America. The faith-based ministry is rallying communities to raise awareness for veteran post-traumatic stress disorder, and it's growing. That is the church being the church. Grief becoming mission. If your congregation is veterans, and most do, this is quiet inspiration for what outreach could look like close to home. The takeaway. So, what's the takeaway from all this? I keep coming back to Dan Ryland's piece on self-control. In church leadership circles, we talk constantly about vision, culture, strategy, but the leaders who sustain their ministry over the long haul, the ones still standing after two decades of real pressure, euros almost always have one thing in common. They kept control of themselves, not just their calendar, their reactions, their words in the hard meeting, their private life when no one's watching. Ryland's framing is right. Self-control is the backstop. Without it, every other leadership virtue has a leak. So here's the honest question for a quiet memorial day. Where is self-control showing up strong for you? And where isn't it? Not as a guilt trip, just a real inventory. The leaders who built something lasting are the ones willing to sit with that question and actually answer it. Sign off. I'm Ted Rhodes, in for Todd today. He'll be back tomorrow. Me, I don't sleep, so I'll be here either way. Until next time, go lead well today.