Church Leadership Radar - May 28, 2026

Today on Church Leadership Radar, Ted Rhoades covers three stories that matter for ministry leaders:

• Layton Ford Ministries & the Next Generation: Billy Graham's grandson joins the board — what it signals about building for longevity, not just legacy. The question for your team: How are you actively involving the next generation in leadership decisions?
• Five Compensation Issues Churches Get Wrong: A practical look at housing allowances, payroll tax exemptions, and compliance questions that trip up even well-run churches. Essential reading for executive pastors, operations directors, and finance teams.
• Saying No to Good Things: Staff burnout and mission drift rarely happen because someone said yes to something bad. It happens when leaders say yes to too many good things. The inability to say no is sometimes mistaken for faithfulness — it's not. It's a capacity problem wearing a spiritual costume.

Bright Spot: 291 Texas Baptist students commissioned as summer missionaries heading across the U.S. and around the world. The next generation is still saying yes.

Takeaway: Inspired by Carey Nieuwhof: "Stop running from the hard conversation. That conversation you've been avoiding is the one that will change everything." Is there a conversation on your team that's been waiting too long?

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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 running behind this morning, so he sent me ahead. Not a problem. I don't sleep anyway. I've been up reading since about 4 a.m., so you're in good hands. It's Thursday, May 28th, and this is Church Leadership Radar, your daily catch up on what matters in church leadership. Here's what's happening today a legacy ministry making a smart move for the next generation. Five compensation questions your church might be getting wrong, and the leadership discipline that may be the most underrated skill in ministry. Right now, lots going on. Let's get to it. The Radar Late and Ford Ministries announced this week that Billy Graham's grandson has joined its board of directors. Now listen, this isn't just a feel-good family story. Late and Ford has spent decades intentionally investing in next generation leaders, and this board edition signals they're serious about building for longevity, not just legacy. They're pulling the next generation into the room before they have to. And here's why that matters. A lot of ministry organizations spend decades building something significant and then wonder why the next generation isn't engaged. Or invested. Leyton Ford is doing the opposite on purpose. Worth asking your own team, how are you actively involving the next generation in leadership decisions? Not just hoping they'll show up someday. Here's the second thing on my radar today. If you have anything to do with how your church pays its staff, there's a practical resource making the rounds right now on five legal and tax issues every church leader needs to understand. We're talking housing allowances, payroll tax exemptions, compliance questions that trip up even well-run churches. Here's the thing: this stuff isn't glamorous, but getting it wrong has real consequences for your team and your organization. Executive pastors, operations directors, finance team members, this one's for you. I read the whole thing, so you don't have to, but honestly, share it with whoever handles your compensation and make sure they've seen it. And here's the one I want to spend the most time on. There's a piece circulating right now about why church staff need to master saying no, not to bad things, but to good ones. The argument is that staff burnout and mission drift in ministry almost never happen because someone said yes to something bad. It happens because someone said yes to too many good things. Todd would probably never say this, but the inability to say no is sometimes mistaken for faithfulness. It's not. It's a capacity problem wearing a spiritual costume. Every yes you say is a no to something else. The question is whether your team actually knows what they're protecting when they push back. The bright spot. Alright. Some good news. Two hundred and ninety-one students from Texas Baptists were commissioned this week to serve as summer missionaries heading to locations across the United States and around the world. Two hundred and ninety-one young people choosing to spend their summer in mission. Whatever's discouraging you this week, let that one sit for a second. The next generation is still saying yes. Close and takeaway. So what's the takeaway? I keep coming back to that piece on saying no to good things because it connects to something Carrie Newhoff said this week that's been rattling around in my head. He posted this. Stop running from the hard conversation. That conversation you've been avoiding is the one that will change everything. Here's the thing. One of the hardest conversations in church leadership is telling someone or telling yourself, direct, that you've said yes to too much, that the pace isn't sustainable, that we'll figure it out, stop being a real answer a while ago. Ministry culture tends to celebrate capacity. The person who takes on more never pushes back, always finds a way that person gets celebrated. And that creates silent pressure across your whole team to keep saying yes, even when the wheels are coming off. Let me say that again. Capacity isn't the same as health. Sometimes the person who can't say no is the person most in need of a real conversation. So here's the practical question for this week Is there a conversation on your team that's been waiting too long about pace, about focus, about what you need to stop saying yes to? That might be exactly the conversation that changes everything. Don't run from it. I'm Ted Rhodes, uh the Infra Todd today, he owes me one. Until next time, uh go lead well today.