The Sausage Maker's Guild
Episode One: What's this all about?
We live in a strange time.
We also inhabit an odd space.
Over the last couple of years, I have been struck by the weight of the world in which I live. As the Co-Founder of a pastoral search firm, I am a member of the ministry industrial complex. A group of people makes a living by serving churches. It is an odd space that we live in, with great responsibility and eternal ramifications.
It can also be pretty lonely.
When I walk with someone considering moving into a church staff role for the first time, I ask them if they are ready to see how the sausage is made. I want them to understand that working on church staff isn’t all roses and rainbows. They will need to peer behind the curtain and realize that all of us are human, none of us are perfect, and churches can be messy, too.
I am convinced that moving from local church ministry into this world we live in cranks the experience of seeing how the sausage is made up to eleven:
We care for pastors and churches in tough spots.
We see some of the darker sides of ministry.
We need to have the hard conversations that no one else is willing to have.
But we are also silent partners with an all-access pass to see God do things we never imagined.
It is exhilarating.
It is exhausting.
It is what we are called to.
As I contemplated what God has been doing over the decades I have spent working with churches, I realized that few places are designed for us: the people who pastor pastors, the janitors who help clean up when things get messy, and those who walk alongside churches as they pursue the calling that God has placed on them.
I hope to change that.
What is this?
My goal for 2025 is to send a monthly newsletter strictly for friends in our space. I hope you find it encouraging as you pursue Jesus and build your business. I hope to share things that interest the church geek in me, stories from friends in the space, and trends that others are seeing. I also hope that it strengthens our relationship.
I found this interesting…
Snippets of articles that have gotten me thinking over the last month. These are not complete summaries but bits and pieces picked up along the way.
The data suggests that higher education levels often correlate with increased religious attendance, countering the stereotype that educated individuals are less religious.
Ryan Burge, What’s the recipe for loneliness?You have just six seconds to capture someone’s attention — but if you interest them, you earn another twenty to thirty seconds.
Practically, this means you have about thirteen words to hook them and another thirty to forty to deliver your most compelling information.
If your email exceeds 100 words, allocate your editing time wisely: dedicate 40% to perfecting the first sentence, 40% to refining the next 2-3 sentences, and just 20% to polishing the remainder.
Shane Parrish, Brain Food, December 1, 2024It is not for me to pass judgment on those prisoners who put their own people above everyone else. Who can throw a stone at a man who favors his friends under circumstances when, sooner or later, it is a question of life or death? No man should judge unless he asks himself in absolute honesty whether, in a similar situation, he might not have done the same".
The road ahead…
What do you see happening in the next 12 months that we need to prepare our churches for?
From Kirk Tate, Senior Loan Officer at Wesleyan Investment Foundation:
Increased operating and personnel costs coupled with shrinking margins of expendable income by congregants will require churches to examine spending habits, steward resources with greater discipline and efficiency, and think entrepreneurially and creatively to meet ministry needs. At the same time, an increased interest in matters of faith presents an unprecedented opportunity to reach the next generation with the Gospel, requiring churches to reimagine and invest in student and next-generational ministries like never before.
I’m encouraging churches to take the time to take a hard look at their ministry strategies and become laser-focused on those areas that are producing real fruit. This is a season where we need to be intentional about investing in and developing the next generation, encouraging them as disciples, but also helping them develop their own ministry abilities. I’ve also encouraged churches to rethink how we partner with other organizations for Kingdom work… the days of reinventing the wheel are done.
Nugget of wisdom…
What is one way that you have learned to stay spiritually healthy while working with churches?
From Tim Nations, Lead Church Coach at Chemistry Staffing:
It is the same as when I was working in churches—not substituting the spiritual work God is doing through me for the spiritual work He wants to do in me. And not doing it alone.
To put it another way, church work ain’t church for me.
What a pastor wants…
What do I need from a church consultant that most guys miss?
From a conversation that I recently had with Josh Plant, Pastor of Church on the Drive, a client of mine at Chemistry:
Being upfront about cost - One of the things that sold me on Chemistry Staffing, for instance, was I knew what the cost would be. I could then use that number in my existing budget. Most of us aren't working at megachurches or churches with huge endowments that ensure we will survive long after cockroaches disappear from the earth. We are already working with very tight budgets, so knowing the cost and being able to plan for it is very helpful when getting others on board with hiring a consultant. It also means one less thing to worry about later.
Walking us through the process - When Chemistry did our search, you explained the process clearly and then you walked me through the muddy waters later with expertise I did not have. The explanations and patience made all the difference for me. I was very concerned about how I was supposed to navigate the whole thing, but the guidance alleviated that.
We need your expertise - I think some consultants try to stay impartial to a point. I'd rather know what you think based on what you know. Generally, you do this every day and I do this hardly ever. You're probably going to have better ideas and will think through pitfalls I won't. Tell me what you think and give me room to disagree if I have information you do not.
Do everything you can to keep from looking like you're leeching off our church - We've had other consultants in our church (before I was pastor) who walked us through processes only to stick around for an extra year or two...getting more money out of us and, frankly, not doing a great job. I will never recommend those consultants to anyone for anything.
Recognition that we are really trusting you with something big - When you hire a builder for your home, you want to know that they are reputable, will build with quality materials, and will fix any problems that come up. You are trusting them with your largest asset and, most often, your most personal space. The same is largely true for pastors with consultants. We are trusting you with the work God is doing, with our livelihood, and the future of our church family. That's a big thing and consultants to the church world should keep it in mind.
Where’s Matt?
Where I’m planning on being in the next 3 months, if we’re in the same place, let’s get together!
January 9: Austin, TX
January 10-12: Minneapolis, MN
January 21: Salisbury, MD
January 30-February 1: Alliance of Reformed Churches Gathering, Phoenix, AZ
February 24-25: Truett Pastor’s Conference, Waco, TX
February 28-March 1: Converge North Central Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN
March 17-18: Exponential, Orlando, FL
March 19-20: Ascent Curator’s Gathering, Alexandria, VA
Let’s talk!
I’d love to catch up and hear what’s going on in your life and ministry. Let’s find some time to connect.
The Fine Print
The Sausage Maker’s Guild is intended to be a community of people seeking to serve the local church through coaching, consulting, and other services. The goal is to provide care and value to you as you provide care and value to the churches you serve. Feel free to share this with others within our space and encourage them to subscribe, but my hope is that the content shared here is for our community and not for the broader public.