The Unstuck Church Podcast with Amy Anderson Brand New Data on Church Staffing Trends: Q2 2025 Unstuck Church Report - Episode 398
May 28, 2025
William Vanderbloemen, the founder of Vanderbloemen Search Group, shares insight into the latest church staffing trends. He discusses the significant challenges many churches face due to financial constraints and a shifting focus toward fewer, highly skilled staff members. The conversation reveals troubling increases in adult ministry roles and a decline in volunteer engagement. Vanderbloemen also emphasizes the importance of internal leadership development and adapting recruiting strategies to tackle the current staffing crisis in churches.
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Financial Constraints Challenge Staffing
- Churches face significant financial constraints making it hard to pay competitive wages and retain staff.
- Smart churches spend more on fewer people skilled at recruiting and leading volunteers to multiply ministry efforts.
Shift in Staffing Roles
- Adult ministry staffing significantly increased, possibly as churches hire doers instead of volunteer leaders.
- Administrative roles also inflate staffing, with 13% on average in administrative positions not building volunteer teams.
Structure and Organizational Challenges
- Churches struggle with organizational structure, often feeling overstaffed in some areas and understaffed in others.
- Growth and refreshed vision force teams to restructure to align staff with new ministry directions.
