Why Creative Employees are Leaving their Church Jobs.
Why are creative people leaving their church jobs in droves right now?
As someone who loves Jesus, loves His church, and loves creative people I cannot help but notice a massive shift taking place right now. Creative people who work for churches are making an exodus right now. There are many reasons for this, but here are a few of the main factors that I have heard while listening to many young creative people on why they are packing up and bailing on working for their church.
Getting paid to be spiritual is weird.
Creatives don’t want their employer to also be their spiritual leader. It’s awkward.
“We love you and you’re part of the family.
Also don’t screw up or you’re fired. But keep coming to church!”What a weird dynamic!? While I don’t believe this is spiritual manipulation it can be received that way. This environment makes it awkward and creative people hate awkward environments. I had an interview with a young man, a very talented individual who was just burnt out by what he experienced. “Seeing my employer behind the scenes as a super intense micromanager made me feel weird. Then, on Sundays I have to sit and listen to him tell everyone how much they are loved. I got the opposite experience and it has just made my job and my walk with the Lord feel really blurred, like, how do I separate those things?” he said.
Creative people are seen as less spiritual.
Church leaders treat creative people as less spiritual than the other ministry staff. They are valued less because their role is not in ministry. They are seen as support to the ministry and not as impact makers themselves. This is wrong. This proves that many churches are trying to function too much like a business when they should be discipling their employees. This goes back to point one above in that it becomes awkward and confusing as to where the line of employment ends and the line of discipleship begins. Are you an employee or a disciple? Or both? No one knows and this becomes a missed opportunity for churches to really shape creatives into spiritual leaders.
Creatives are underpaid.
Most pastors and pastoral staff make near to, or over six figures, while the creatives are vastly underpaid. The creatives are the ones who make everything look great, sound great, and run smoothly but compared to the same positions at secular businesses they don’t make near enough money. A graphic designer making 50K at a secular business will make 35-40K at a church. This is actually almost criminal. These creatives are leaving because they realize they are worth more to a business than to a ministry and in many cases they are correct. This isn’t about money or greed. This is about just making enough to live and in many cases start a family. I worked on contract with a large church in TN where the creative director for the entire church had to have a massive side hustle to support his family. This is a massive network of churches paying a creative director way under six figures. This guy did everything, and then some and was still underpaid and undervalued.
Creative people aren’t growing.
Creative people working for churches are promised discipleship, but beyond that there is no real path to growing in their gifting. There is no environment for them to grow as leaders, creators, or people. They are seen as box checkers and task do-ers. They know they are made for more and so they are leaving because they actually want to grow and transform and sadly most businesses are better at growing people than churches are. Businesses put together growth plans for their people and invest in them outside of work. Churches want to operate like businesses in terms of revenue but then fail to do the very thing they should be better than any business at–growing and transforming people.
Creative people are bored.
“Churchianity” can be monotonous, especially in evangelical circles. It’s the same thing every week, month, quarter, and year. Creative people want to be challenged. They want to be stretched. Creative people are bored out of their minds working for churches and so they are leaving. They are starting their own businesses or finding fun startups to work for. They want to belong to something that’s attached to a vision bigger than getting butts in seats. The gospel should be a big enough vision for them to stick around, right? Maybe some of our churches have moved the goalposts and are now using the gospel to grow our churches instead of using the church to advance our gospel? Creative people can smell this a mile a way and it’s not a vision they want to aim for.
Hear me out: I am not bashing the church. Here’s what I think creative people are missing by leaving their jobs at churches.
Community
While it may be awkward, working for a church for most creatives is the only form of community they will ever know. By leaving the church, creative people miss out on this very real need in their life and often replace it with a kind of community that actually pulls them away from having a healthy, godly community to do life with. Social media won’t replace this, and neither will a new job. If creatives are going to leave their church job, then churches and creative people need to work together to find a way to keep the relationship intact and continue having community.
Creative Education
Working for a church can be an amazing start to a career. You can learn skills and develop your talents in a really safe place (if the culture is healthy). Churches can be incubators for creative people if they stick it out and respond the right way. No one has a perfect job when they are starting out, and no one is perfect at what they do yet. Some creatives leave for the wrong reasons when in reality staying at the church for another season is probably what they need in order to sharpen their skills and become a more complete version of themselves.
Discipleship
Like I mentioned on point no. 2, most churches are missing the opportunity to disciple their employees. After all, you are a church! Discipleship should be a priority for everyone. But some churches ARE getting this right. As believers, sometimes working for a church can be a great way to learn, make money, and get discipled. By leaving, many believers remove themselves from an environment of discipleship they seriously need. After all, that’s how we become more like Jesus.
Healthy workplace culture
Let’s face it, while a lot of businesses are better at growing people, paying their staff, and offering a fun environment than most churches, the business world can be ruthless. It can be dark. It can be scary. Churches can be just as toxic as well, but the business world is a whole different monster. I empathize with those who take safer jobs at ministries because at least they know they won’t have to sell their soul or surround themselves with culture that takes their eyes off the lord.
My advice for creative people and church leaders:
Times are changing. I don’t think churches operating like businesses are the wineskin needed to steward creative people in how they need to be stewarded. Unless your church has a massive creative department, with an art director, and resources to truly sharpen and refine creative people, they may actually be better out in the market place, learning, being challenged and getting better at what they do.
If you’re a pastor and your creative people are leaving, be sure to stay connected to them. They still need you. They still need discipled!
If you’re a creative person who is feeling the pull to leave the church bubble and be a light in the market place, then don’t go alone. Stay connected to a spiritual family that you trust. Remember, you’re called to make Jesus known wherever you go.
Whoever you are in this scenario, do you best to part ways on good terms, and in a way that is honoring to everyone involved.
For Glory & Beauty,
-Brandon T
