What if the person sitting right next to you in this week's staff meeting is experiencing your church completely differently than you are?
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It's not because they're less committed. It's not because they're weaker spiritually. It's because of where they sit on the organizational chart—and the data proves it.
In our latest Church Staff Health Assessment, senior pastors averaged 193 out of 250 points. Associate pastors? Just 169. That's a 25-point gap between leaders serving in the same building, under the same mission, yet living in completely different ministry worlds.
Over the past three years, we've surveyed more than 3,400 church staff members, and one of our most concerning discoveries is what we're calling "The Second Chair Crisis." Today, I want to share four critical insights that could transform how you support your associate staff—and potentially prevent their quiet exodus from your team.
The View From the Top Isn't Universal
Here's what the numbers tell us about staff health scores across different roles:
- Senior Pastors & Executive Pastors: 194 average (solidly healthy)
- Associate Pastors: 169 average
- Worship Pastors: 169 average
- Creative Arts Staff: 153 average (critical territory)
If you're a senior pastor reading this and thinking, "But everything feels great at our church," your experience is real—but it's not universal. The people supporting your vision are significantly less healthy than the people casting it.
Think about it: as the senior leader, you naturally connect with the vision because you're creating it. You see the big picture, understand the strategy, and feel energized by the direction. But your associate staff? They're working within frameworks they didn't design, supporting initiatives they may not fully understand, and often carrying heavy loads with limited recognition.
"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2
Why This Gap Exists (It's Not About Character)
Before we go further, let me be clear: this isn't about who's stronger or more spiritual. The gap between senior leaders and associate staff is structural, not character-based. Different roles simply experience the same organization differently.
The Autonomy Factor
Senior pastors and executive pastors typically enjoy significant autonomy. They control their calendars, set priorities, and make decisions that shape their daily experience. Second-chair leaders? They work almost entirely within someone else's framework.
The Voice Factor
When the senior pastor speaks in a meeting, the room shifts. Ideas get traction. Decisions happen. When an associate pastor speaks, the response is often more muted. This isn't necessarily intentional, but it's the reality of organizational gravity.
The Information Factor
Senior leaders know the "why" behind every decision. They understand the context, the reasoning, and the long-term strategy. Second-chair staff often receive just the "what"—the directive without the deeper understanding that makes implementation meaningful.
The Recognition Factor
Senior pastors receive public thanks, visible appreciation, and regular affirmation from the congregation. Associate staff often labor in relative anonymity, pouring their hearts into ministries that may go unnoticed by the broader church family.
Creative Arts: A Ministry in Crisis
While all second-chair roles show concerning trends, our creative arts staff are in genuine crisis territory. With an average health score of just 153—a full 40 points below senior pastors—only 38% are in healthy territory, while 75% show flight risk indicators.
Why are creative staff struggling so intensely?
Subjective Evaluation: Everyone has an opinion about fonts, videos, and creative choices. Creative staff face constant critique about artistic decisions that are inherently subjective.
Invisible Labor: They might spend 40 hours creating something that receives 15 seconds of visibility—or sometimes gets scrapped entirely at the last minute.
Vendor Treatment: Despite being pastoral staff, creative team members often feel treated more like vendors than ministry partners, called upon to execute rather than collaborate.
If you have a creative team, they may not be okay—and they may not feel safe telling you.
The "I Had No Idea" Problem
Most senior pastors genuinely don't know their team is struggling. It's not because they don't care—it's because they're evaluating staff culture through their own experience, which averages a healthy 194.
Here's the hard truth: staff members don't typically announce their struggles to the person who controls their employment. They smile in meetings, deliver on Sundays, process their challenges privately, and then—seemingly out of nowhere—submit their resignation letter.
"I had no idea," becomes the senior pastor's refrain. And often, they really didn't know because you can't address what you don't see.
Discussion Questions for Your Team:
- How well do we really know what each person on our team is carrying day-to-day?
- On a scale of 1-10, how supported do you feel in your current role?
- What's one thing about your role that others might not realize?
- How can we better share the emotional and spiritual weight of ministry across our team?
Closing the Gap: One Question That Changes Everything
If you want to know how your staff culture is really doing, don't look only at your own experience. Look at theirs, especially your second-chair leaders.
This week, I challenge you to ask one of your associate staff members this simple but powerful question:
"What's something about your experience here at the church that you don't think I fully understand?"
Then—and this is crucial—don't defend. Don't explain. Don't justify. Just listen.
That 25-point gap in staff health won't close with new programs or initiatives. It closes with awareness, intentionality, and genuine care for the people who serve alongside you in ministry.
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Taking Action This Week
The second-chair crisis isn't inevitable, but addressing it requires intentional leadership. Your associate staff didn't sign up for ministry to be overlooked, undervalued, or burned out in service to a vision they barely understand.
They signed up to make a difference. To serve God. To be part of something meaningful. The question is: are we creating an environment where that's actually possible?
Action Steps for This Week:
- Schedule individual 15-minute check-ins with each team member—not about projects, but about wellbeing
- Ask one second-chair leader the question above
- Identify one administrative task that could be reassigned to better balance workloads
- Create a simple way for staff to request support without feeling like they're failing
Remember: the view from the top chair might be good, but make sure you know what it looks like from the second chair too.
This insight comes from our comprehensive Church Staff Health Assessment, featuring data from over 3,400 church staff members. Want to dive deeper into all ten discoveries? Download our free 200+ page report at ChurchStaffHealth.com.
What's your experience with the second-chair struggle? Have you seen this gap in your own church? I'd love to hear your thoughts—send them to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com.
