--- title: Minimizing the Gap Between Ineffective and Fruitful Ministry description: There’s a huge gap between when a lot of people are moving on from their church and the time when the really cool, extremely fruitful period of ministry begins. Many people leave too early. And that bothers me. image: https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/gap.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/minimizing-the-gap-between-ineffective-and-fruitful-ministry#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) # Minimizing the Gap Between Ineffective and Fruitful Ministry There’s a huge gap between when a lot of people are moving on from their church and the time when the really cool, extremely fruitful period of ministry begins. Many people leave too early. And that bothers me. ![gap](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/gap.jpg) Many of you who know me or have followed me for the past decade know that I’m pretty passionate about the Church. I’m equally passionate about the people who have been called and have dedicated their lives to serving vocationally through the church. When I started ChurchStaffing.com (way back in 2000), the internet was a brand new way to help churches and individuals make a connection. A lot has changed in the church in the past 19 years… including the ways that churches and staff members connect. But something’s been bothering me for the past few years.  Recent surveys have shown that the best, most fruitful years in ministry, actually start after you’ve been at a church for five years.  That sounds reasonable.  In the first five years, you get the ‘honeymoon’ period out of the way, cultivate relationships, and incrementally build trust so that you can lead with passion and vision. Other surveys say that most church staff stay at their positions, on average, about three and a half years. This means there’s a huge gap between when a lot of people are moving on from their church and the time when the really cool, extremely fruitful period of ministry begins. Many people leave too early. And that bothers me. I hear all the horror stories of bad fit, unmet expectations, and bait and switch.  So I’ve been thinking that there HAS to be a better way for churches of all sizes to make better hires… more long-term hires… a way to hire staff people that really fit into the church’s theology, culture, personality, and DNA.  And there has to be a better way for staff people to know more about a church BEFORE they move their family ten states away to find out that this wasn’t a good move. So… my friend Matt Steen and I put our heads together and came up with what we think is a solution… a way to connect churches and staff members in way that will hopefully foster BETTER, HEALTHIER, and LONGER-TERM fits. A way that will help staff members to glide past the three and a half year mark, and hit five years plus with ease.  A way that sets up churches and individuals for long-term ministry success. When the right leaders are at the right churches, unbelievable things happen… families flourish and churches thrive.  And lives are changed. What does this mean for you? Well, if you’re a church that has a need for a new staff member, we can help you by using our new structure to help you find and identify great, long-term fits for your church staff.  (A secret:  we capture over 100 points of data on each candidate in the areas of theology, church culture/DNA, personality, and skills and experience; then compare their answers with exactly what you’re looking for). Our pre-assessment process will help you quickly identify all the things you have in common with a candidate, and also identify red-flag areas that you need to be aware of before your hire.  [You can check out our service for churches here.](http://chemistrystaffing.com/churches)  (Oh, and by the way, our services are affordable for even the smallest of churches). And if you’re a candidate, it means that by submitting your profile to us, you can be considered for any future job that we’re helping fill.  In fact, it’s to your benefit to have your profile on file with us even if you’re not currently looking for a new ministry position.  We’ll let you know when, in the future, a church is looking for a person just like you.  [You can add your profile here.](http://chemistrystaffing.com/submit-profile) In a way, we’re blowing up the way churches will hire in the future.  And we’re totally changing the way the church staff members will find new ministry opportunities. By assessing both candidates and churches for health and long-term fit on the front end of the search, we think churches and candidates will be much more effective in their Kingdom work. If you’re a staff member… [fill out your profile now](http://chemistrystaffing.com/submit-profile) if you haven't already done so.  It’s free and it takes less than ten minutes.  No resume required. If you’re a church that is currently looking for a new staff member, [you can find out more about what we do here](http://chemistrystaffing.com/churches)… [and grab thirty minutes of our time for free to tell us more about what you are looking for](http://chemistrystaffing.com/lets-talk). ### [![Todd Rhoades](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/883a0d42581424e9bbe7c77dccfeed6b) Todd Rhoades](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/author/todd-rhoades) Todd has invested over 30 years in serving churches, having served as a worship pastor for over 15 years, a church elder for more than a decade, and in various ministry leadership roles in both the business and non-profit sectors. As the original founder and developer of ChurchStaffing.com, Todd fundamentally changed the way thousands of churches search for pastors and staff on the internet. Todd is a graduate of Cedarville University, and lives in Bryan, OH with his wife, Dawn. 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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? The Surprising 250-Year Diagnosis](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/883a0d42581424e9bbe7c77dccfeed6b) ###### Todd Rhoades July 07, 2026 ![Stop Apologizing for Small Groups: Why Your ](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/blog-images/featured/featured_126.png) #### Stop Apologizing for Small Groups: Why Your "Failed" Bible Study is Actually a Discipleship Goldmine When attendance drops in your small group discipleship ministry, don't panic. Discover why smaller groups create deeper disciples and stron... ![Stop Apologizing for Small Groups: Why Your ](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/883a0d42581424e9bbe7c77dccfeed6b) ###### Todd Rhoades July 06, 2026 ![Stop Screening Out Your Best Candidates: Why Competency Matters More Than Seminary Degrees](https://blog.chemistrystaffing.com/hubfs/blog-images/featured/featured_142.png) #### Stop Screening Out Your Best Candidates: Why Competency Matters More Than Seminary Degrees Church hiring practices may be filtering out incredible candidates. Learn why competency should trump credentials in your ministry staff se... ![Stop Screening Out Your Best Candidates: Why Competency Matters More Than Seminary Degrees](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/883a0d42581424e9bbe7c77dccfeed6b) ###### Todd Rhoades July 06, 2026 [![Elements Logo](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8768169/Elements/Theme/logos/logo.svg "Elements Logo")](http://chemistrystaffing.com) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consecteturor adipiscing elit. Tincidunt donec vulputate ipsum erat urna auctor. 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