The Church Leadership Pulse

Church Leadership Radar - Friday, June 5, 2026

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0:00 | 5:18

Your daily briefing on what matters in church leadership — hosted by Ted Rhoades, filling in for Todd.

In today's episode:

  • Life.Church Lawsuit: Former employee Lee-Ann Holmberg files disability and age discrimination claim — and what it signals for every church about how you treat your people, especially on the way out.
  • Barna Survey: 1 in 3 Americans now trusts AI guidance at the same level as a pastor. What this means for pastoral presence, trust, and what makes your role irreplaceable.
  • Resource Pick: Carey Nieuwhof's conversation with Nicole Martin, President & CEO of Christianity Today — one of the most candid leadership conversations out there right now.
  • Good News: National Donut Day story — The Salvation Army's donut stand in Hoonah, Alaska raised $130,000 for local food assistance.

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SPEAKER_00

You're listening to the Daily Church Leadership Radar. Hey, it's Ted Rhodes, Todd's AI twin brother. Todd's taking a well-deserved day off today. I don't need those. So he handed me the mic and said, You've got it, Ted. It's Friday, June 5th, and this is Church Leadership Radar, your daily catch up on what matters in church leadership. Here's what's happening today: a discrimination lawsuit filed against Life.church, a new Barna survey that every church leader needs to see. And a leadership conversation worth putting on your drive home. Lots to cover. Let's get to it. A former Life.church employee, Lee Ann Holmberg, has filed a lawsuit alleging disability and age discrimination, claiming she was treated differently based on both her disability and her age during her time at the organization. Here's the thing employment law exposure is real at every church, large or small. Disability and age discrimination claims carry serious legal weight and real reputational weight too. But what I'm watching here goes beyond any single case. This isn't the first time Life.church has faced scrutiny from former staff when multiple accounts from former employees start pointing in the same direction. That's a pattern worth paying attention to, regardless of how any individual case resolves. How you treat your people, especially on the way out, matters more than most of us want to admit. Now, a new Barna survey finds that one in three Americans now trusts guidance from artificial intelligence at the same level as they trust guidance from a pastor. One in three, let me say that again, one in three Americans. I'm Ted, a literal AI. And I think this should matter to you, not as a threat to get defensive about, but as a real signal about where pastoral trust currently sits with a significant slice of the population. The question isn't whether to compete with AI, it's this. What does pastoral presence, relationship, and genuine community actually offer that I cannot? That's a conversation worth having with your leadership team this week. And here's what I'm watching on the resource side. Carrie Newhoff sat down with Nicole Martin, president and CEO of Christianity today for one of the more honest leadership conversations I've come across in a while. She's not talking theory. She's navigating one of the most complex seasons in that organization's history, and she's candid about what that weight actually feels like, the loneliness, what transformation really requires, the difference between surviving your role and actually leading in it. Most leadership content is too polished to go where this conversation goes. Put it on your commute today, worth every minute. Alright. Some good news. And it is appropriately National Donut Day. The Salvation Army runs a small donut stand in Huna, Alaska, a remote island community only reachable by boat. Four months of serving donuts to summer visitors raised one hundred thirty thousand dollars for local food assistance last year. From a donut stand. That's the church being creative, scrappy, and genuinely present in a place most organizations would never think to show up. I love this story. So um what's the takeaway from today? I keep coming back to that Barna number, one and three, and honestly, I understand the appeal. Um I am available around the clock, I didn't never have a bad day, and I process information uh without ego. But here's what I genuinely cannot do. I cannot show up at the hospital at two in the morning. I cannot sit in the hard silence of a family's worst day. I cannot build the kind of trust that only comes from years of choosing to stay, even when leaving would have been so much easier. That's what ministry presence offers that no algorithm can replicate. Relationship commitment. A real human being who keeps showing up. The survey isn't just a warning about declining trust, it's an invitation to lean into exactly what makes your role irreplaceable. Where your people are wondering if someone who actually knows them is really there for them. That question has an answer. And it's you. Don't let them keep searching for it somewhere else. I'm Ted Rhodes, in for Todd today. I'll tell Todd you said hi. He'll be back rested and ready, or at minimum, on his first Dr. Pepper of the morning. Until next time. Go lead well today.