--- title: Letting Our Yes Be Yes description: The promises that we inadvertantly make cost us credibility with our team and our congregation. image: https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/bernard-hermant-541485-unsplash.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/letting-our-yes-be-yes#main-content) [![cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95.webp?width=342&height=95&name=cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95.webp "cropped-chemistry_logo_homepage-342x95")](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/) - [How We Help](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/what-we-do/) - [How We Help Candidates](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate/) - [How We Help Churches](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/church/) - [Our Team](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/team/) - [Our Mission & Strategy](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/what-we-do/) - [Churches](https://chemistrystaffing.com/church) - [Hire New Staff](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/2021-churches-new-staff-hiring/) - [Free 30-Minute Church Consult](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) - [Chemistry Solutions – You Don’t Have to Do Ministry Alone](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/solutions/) - [Final Fit Assessment](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/final-fit-assessment/) - [Senior Pastor Succession](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/succession/) - [Job Seekers](https://chemistrystaffing.com/candidate) - [Add My Resume / Profile](https://chemistry.fyi/kwq) - [Current Openings](https://chemistrystaffing.com/jobs) - [Free Resume Assessment](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/free-resume-self-assessment/) - [Step-by-Step Job Search](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/cjb) - [How Chemistry Can Help](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate/) - [Resources](http://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate/) - [Free Playbooks & Downloads](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/resources/) - [Chemistry Blog](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/) - [2024 Youth Pastor Compensation Survey](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/resources/2024-yp-compensation-survey/) - [Contact Us](http://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) - [Candidates](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/candidate-contact-page/) - [Churches](http://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) - [Find a Job](https://chemistrystaffing.com/jobs) - [My Church is Hiring](https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk/) [Leadership](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/tag/leadership) # Letting Our Yes Be Yes The promises that we inadvertantly make cost us credibility with our team and our congregation. ![bernard-hermant-541485-unsplash](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/bernard-hermant-541485-unsplash.jpg) # This may sting a little... Part of my morning rhythm is listening to Todd Henry's Daily Creative podcast. It is a quick hitting podcast (three minutes or so) that gives me something to chew on throughout the course of my day. Most days, I come away with a helpful insight that I can chew on. Then there were days like today... when I wanted to throw my phone across the room: [Declaring Undesirables](https://accidentalcreative.com/podcasts/dailycreative/declaring-undeclarables/):   If you don't have two minutes to listen to the podcast, here's the bottom line: > *Are you making promises that you may not be able to keep? Are you offering things that you can’t deliver? If so, you might be losing the trust of the people you count on.* As church leaders, we do this all the time. Thinking back over the course of my pastoral career, I have lost count of the number of times that I have said "we should have lunch," "I'd like to hear more about that," or promised to deliver something by a certain time... only to forget about the commitment I made or totally miss the deadline. The truth is, every time we make a promise that we can't deliver on we impact the culture of our church and our team. People begin to realize that you can not be counted on to follow through on your promises and it becomes culturally acceptable to miss deadlines and make undeliverable promises. This impacts your credibility as a leader, and hurts the reputation of your church. Next time you find yourself about to make a promise, stop and think. Ask yourself three questions: - *Do I intend to follow through on this?* - *Do I have the capacity to deliver on this promise?* - *Is this promise being made intentionally?* If you answer no to any of these questions, you may want to question your motivations.   ![matt](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hs-fs/hubfs/matt.png?width=124&name=matt.png)   [![Hiring this year? Let's talk!](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5045578/7303cd6a-3a25-4a75-b02d-2aef7e8f027d.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5045578/7303cd6a-3a25-4a75-b02d-2aef7e8f027d) ### [![Matt Steen](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/IMG_4588.jpg) Matt Steen](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/author/matt-steen) Matt has served the local church for over two decades as a youth pastor, church planter, and executive pastor. Originally from Baltimore, Matt currently lives in Orlando, with his wife Theresa, and has a B.S. in Youth Ministry from Nyack College and an M.Div. and MBA from Baylor University. Certified as an Urban Church Planter Coach by Redeemer City to City and as a StratOp facilitator by the Paterson Center, Matt has made a career of helping churches thrive through intentionality, clarity, and creating healthy cultures. He is convinced that a healthy church is led by a healthy team with great chemistry, and loves partnering with Chemistry’s churches to do great things for the Kingdom. [![Facebook Author](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8768169/Elements/Theme/icons/social/facebook.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/snoop4jc) [![Twitter Author](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8768169/Elements/Theme/icons/social/twitter.svg)](https://twitter.com/matt_steen) [![Linkedin Author](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8768169/Elements/Theme/icons/social/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsteen/) ## Latest Resources Browse Articles ![What's Actually Killing Your Church? The Surprising 250-Year Diagnosis](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/blog-images/featured/featured_158.png) #### What's Actually Killing Your Church? The Surprising 250-Year Diagnosis Church decline isn't what you think. Discover what's really threatening the church today vs. 1776 and the 1900s—and why low numbers aren't ... ![What's Actually Killing Your Church? 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