The Church Leader's Secret Weapon: Embracing the Power of "No"

What if saying no could actually enhance your ministry? On this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, uncovers the transformative power of setting boundaries and prioritizing your well-being. Burnout is a common plight among church leaders, but Todd offers a counterintuitive solution: embrace the word "no" as an act of leadership and self-love. Learn how to safeguard your energy and focus on impactful work without the guilt or apology.

Todd shares practical strategies to master the art of saying no with confidence and grace. Discover how to get clear on your priorities, set firm boundaries, and politely decline requests that stretch you too thin. Imagine having more time for your family, personal growth, and the areas of ministry where you truly shine. This episode promises to be a game-changer for anyone feeling overwhelmed in their ministry roles. Tune in and find the freedom to lead more sustainably and effectively.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hey there and welcome to this edition of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom, and today we're diving into a topic that might make you a little bit uncomfortable, but, trust me, it's a game changer. Okay, you ready? Here it is. It's the power to say no. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, todd, we're in the business of saying yes, yes to God, yes to our staff, yes to our church, yes to ministry opportunities. How can no saying no be our secret weapon? Hopefully, what I'm going to say is really going to shake you up a little bit. So buckle up, because this very well may blow your mind, okay? So let's start with the obvious.

Speaker 1: 0:54

As church leaders, man, we are pulled in a million different directions. And here's the deal. We want to please everyone, we want to take on every project and, honestly, most of us want to be a superhero to our church's needs. But here's the harsh truth that's a recipe for burnout, and we see burnout all over. Matter of fact, there is a pile of bodies laying along the side of the road from people that have burned out in ministry. And you think it can't happen to you? You think it can't happen in ministry? Absolutely it can. In fact, research shows that church leaders have one of the highest burnout rates of any profession. And it's because we're constantly giving of ourselves. We're on the clock 24-7. We're often neglecting our own needs in the process, and it's not healthy and it's not sustainable and it's not good. It's not good for me, it's not good for you, it's not good for anyone. All that said and this isn't rocket surgery so far right, I've not said anything that you do not know to be true, probably about yourself and about the others that you work with. So how do we break through from this cycle of kind of over-commitment and exhaustion? And that's where no comes in. That's where we need to embrace the power of sometimes saying no.

Speaker 1: 2:12

Now, sometimes saying no doesn't mean that you're not dedicated to your ministry or to your church or to your staff. It just means that you're prioritizing what truly matters, that you're setting healthy boundaries and that you're protecting your energy so that you can have the most impactful work. Imagine for just a second, imagine, with me, having the freedom to say no to that extra meeting, being able to say no to that last minute volunteer request or no to that project that doesn't align with your church's vision. Imagine having more time to focus on your family, to grow in your personal growth or your spiritual growth, to grow in areas of ministry where you truly shine. Now, I know it's not easy and we're often conditioned. Many of us are taught that saying no is selfish or uncaring, but I'm here to tell you today and to give you permission. It's actually an act of love, self-love and wisdom and leadership, so I'm giving you permission today to say no to something. How do you do that, though? How do you start saying no more often?

Speaker 1: 3:20

Here are a few tips. Okay, first of all, get clear on your priorities. What are the most important areas of your ministry and life, what truly matters and what are the things that only you can do? Work on those things. Make those things a priority. So get clear on your priorities. Secondly, set some boundaries. Learn to say no to requests that don't align with those priorities, or maybe just an extra project that you know it is. It's going to stretch you too thin. Boundaries. Learn to say no to requests that don't align with those priorities, or maybe just an extra project that you know it is. It's going to stretch you too thin. So feel free to say no and set boundaries when you need to.

Speaker 1: 3:53

Here's the third one Practice saying no with grace and confidence. You don't need to apologize. You don't have to apologize or explain yourself. Simply say thanks for the opportunity. I'm not able to commit to that right now. It's that simple. You don't have to be mean about it. You don't have to make excuses. You don't have to apologize. Just say no with grace and with confidence. And here's the last one. I love this one. Remember no is a complete sentence. You don't have to offer an alternative or a solution. I know that we want to do that, and sometimes it's absolutely great to offer some solutions or alternatives, but sometimes your answer just needs to be no. So here's what I want to do this week. I want to challenge you to try something new this week.

Speaker 1: 4:35

The next time you're faced with a request that makes you feel under overwhelmed, that makes you feel stressed, just take a deep breath and say no, and you might be surprised how empowering it actually feels. Saying no. Here's the bottom line. Saying no is not a sign of weakness. It's not a sign of failure. It's actually a sign of strength and wisdom and healthy leadership. Embrace the power of no and watch your ministry and your life. Start to flourish as always.

Speaker 1: 5:02

If you're facing any challenges in your ministry or just need a listening ear, don't hesitate to reach. Start to flourish as always. If you're facing any challenges in your ministry or just need a listening ear, don't hesitate to reach out to me. You can reach out to me via email at podcast at chemistrystaffingcarecom. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'm here to help you thrive in your calling. If you need maybe some coaching, some transition coaching as you go through some changes in your ministry or just some personal life things, I'm happy to talk with you about how we can set up an ongoing coaching schedule. But you can reach out to me anytime podcastchemistrystaffingcom. And if you're a part of a church that's getting ready to hire a new staff member, I'd love to help partner with you as that as well. And you can again reach out to me and see my email address. Podcast at chemistrystaffcom. Okay, thanks so much for listening. We're here every day, monday through Friday, for your picks of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. We'll talk to you tomorrow.