The End of Non-Competes and What It Means for Your Church Staff

What if your church staff could freely explore new opportunities without the shackles of non-compete agreements? Our latest episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast promises to unravel the impact of the FTC’s groundbreaking decision to ban non-compete clauses for nearly all jobs, including those in the church realm. Join Todd Rhaodes as he navigates this paradigm shift that aims to liberate employees, fostering a culture of trust and empowerment over control and restriction. 

We delve into the reasons churches have historically used non-competes and uncover why it’s crucial to rethink these strategies now. By focusing on creating positive work environments, offering competitive compensation, and building mission-driven workplace cultures, church leaders can retain top talent while allowing staff to follow their callings freely. Tune in to understand how this ruling could reshape your church’s approach to hiring and retaining staff, emphasizing service over control and cultivating a supportive and inclusive ministry environment.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes. Thanks for joining us today. Today we're going to be diving into a landmark decision made just a few months ago. That's really sending some ripples through the American workforce, including the church world, and it's the Federal Trade Commission FTC's ban on non-compete agreements. Now you might be wondering, todd, what are non-competes and why should I care? These are the clauses in employment contracts that typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or starting their own ventures for a period of time after leaving their jobs, and they've really been a standard and a staple in many industries. But their impact on employee mobility and freedom has been a subject of debate, and the FTC's recent ruling really aims to change that. What that means is that, by banning non-competes for nearly all jobs, they're essentially telling American workers, including those serving on your church staff, that they have a little bit more freedom when they go to leave your staff. Now, this is a significant shift, and it could have profound implications on how some churches hire and how they keep their staff and even grow ministry. So what's this mean for your church? Okay, we care about business, but we're in the church business right, if you want to call it that. So what does this mean for your church? For starters, staff members who may have felt trapped in their roles due to non-compete clauses, now have the complete freedom to explore new opportunities, pursue their calling and use their gifts in different contexts.

Speaker 1: 1:46

Now, not every church has non-competes or had non-competes. Some churches did, and this is one of the areas that the FTC has really come down on. Why in the world did churches even have non-competes? It always seemed like a different concept to me personally. Just because the gospel should be pretty inclusive, and we should be. Paul says that even those that share the gospel with the wrong motives, he's going to be glad anyway because the gospel's being spread. So why in the world would churches do this? Well, a lot of times it's at least it's been said over the years that we want to protect our church's interests. We don't want to make it easier for staff to leave. We don't want anybody to take our ideas or our strategies, and really what has caused this a lot of times is the reality that some pastors in particular have left a church. There's conflict or something and they decide they're going to leave a church. So they go about two blocks down, they rent a facility and they take half the church with them, and that all happens in a matter of a month. And so I understand the concern and I'm not saying that concern is not valid but I think there are probably better ways to protect your church's future than through restrictive agreements.

Speaker 1: 3:07

Instead of relying on non-competes, instead focus on creating positive and supportive work environments where people feel valued and appreciated and invested in your church's mission. Offer competitive compensation, all the things that you do to keep employees happy. And remember the heart of ministry is about serving others, not about controlling them. And that's really what non-competes have done. Is you essentially say, hey, if you're not going to work here, you can't work anywhere close to here, or you can't do the same type thing. If you really take care of your staff, make them feel valued and appreciated. Hopefully, if God calls them to a different place of ministry, you can actually bless them on their way out, rather than starting off the relationship by saying, hey, if you ever leave, you can't do this or that. So the heart of ministry is really about serving others, not trying to control them.

Speaker 1: 4:03

And the FTC's ban on non-competes won't affect a lot, but some churches that have non-competes man. It's a game changer for the church and something you need to be aware of. For church leaders, it's an opportunity to rethink our approach to staffing. It's an opportunity to prioritize our trust and empowerment over control and restriction, and it really makes it all the more important to create a workplace culture that really attracts and retains top talent. We want to keep them happy as well. Any questions on non-complete agreements? Or we did a podcast on non-disclosure agreements not too long ago as well. Any questions about any kind of staffing issue, feel free to reach out to me anytime. My email address is podcast at chemistrystaffingcom, and I hope that you will join us again right here on the Healthy Church Staff Podcast tomorrow. Thanks so much for joining us.