unSeminary Podcast

Episode: Staffing for Growth in 2026: When Hiring Works (and When It Doesn’t)

Host: Rich Birch
Guest: Shayla McCormick, Executive Pastor, Coastal Community Church
Release Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the often-overlooked distinctions between hiring for growth and hiring to relieve pressure in churches. Rich Birch and Shayla McCormick, Executive Pastor of Coastal Community Church (a rapidly growing multisite in Florida), discuss the findings of the national executive pastor survey—specifically around church staffing for growth, pitfalls of overstaffing, and the essential role of multiplying and equipping volunteers. Their conversation is filled with practical advice, memorable metaphors, and candid insights into what churches must do differently to lead healthy, sustainable growth as they head into 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Staffing Treadmill: Why Churches Keep Hiring the Same Roles

[04:48]

• Churches historically continue hiring for the same roles (Kids Ministry, Support Roles) year after year, despite changing times.
• Shayla: “We hire to almost relieve pressure, but not really build capacity. … A lot of us hire when it hurts … we end up making these desperation hires rather than hiring to actually build capacity.”
• Most churches default to filling urgent needs instead of investing strategically for future growth.

2. Relief vs. Capacity: The Dangers of “Desperation Hires”

[05:53]

• Shayla distinguishes between equipping (multiplying) leaders vs. filling pressure points with “doers.”
• Shayla: “Our mindset shifts from equipping the saints to almost replacing the saints’ role with a staff member.”

3. Cultivating Multipliers and Rethinking Staff Roles

[07:09]

• At Coastal, the focus is on hiring multipliers—leaders who equip others—instead of doers.
• Their ratio: 25 staff for 5,000 weekend attendees (about 1:200), achieved by a robust volunteer culture.
• Shayla: “We have a very, very high value in equipping our volunteers… There are people in our church that want to do. … We’re saying no for them and then hiring for positions that we could give away in a volunteer capacity.”

4. Making the “Big Ask” of Volunteers

[12:55]

• Churches often assume high-capacity people are too busy, and so never ask them to serve.
• Shayla: “Just because someone seems busy or successful … the reality is, we say no for them before we even ask. … I have people that run million, billion dollar companies serving in my parking team.”
• The need to cast vision and give significant responsibility to volunteers—even if it feels like a “big ask.”

5. Mindset & Structure: How Churches (and Leaders) Limit Volunteer Engagement

[14:19, 15:18]

• Leaders often let volunteers “off the hook” in their own minds before asking; it’s a mindset and structural issue.
• Structuring roles for volunteers allows staff to give away tasks, rather than feeling the need to hire in every situation.
• Shayla: “If your first response to a problem in every situation is to hire, you’re going to get in trouble and end up overstaffed.”

6. The Root Problem: Staffing vs. Discipleship

[16:27]

• QUOTE: “If every solution is to hire, I don’t think the church has a staffing problem. I actually think they probably have a discipleship problem, an equipping problem, because the goal is to multiply leaders faster so that your church grows.” – Shayla [16:27]

7. Risks of Overstaffing

[17:04]

• Overstaffing creates financial risk, stifles volunteer development, and cultivates a “hire for everything” culture.
• Failing to multiply leaders means that if growth plateaus or declines, layoffs or culture drift follow.
• Shayla: “If I haven’t diligently given, again, Ephesians 4, given ministry away … I’m going to hit a season where then I’m letting staff go. … or honestly, culture has become lazy because everybody doesn’t have enough to do.”

8. Discernment: When to Actually Hire

[20:05]

• Example: Adding staff in kids ministry only after a high-capacity leader has built a solid volunteer structure and needs support to multiply further.
• The new hire is both a support and a development pipeline for future campus expansion.

9. Coaching for Stretched Teams

[22:08]

• First question for stretched teams: “What work are you doing that really God never asked you to do?”
• Start by trimming unnecessary activities and intentionally developing two or three potential leaders per team member.
• Regular staff meetings at Coastal include: “Who’s next? You should always be replacing yourself.” [24:26]

10. Leadership Transitions: “Mission Over Position”

[27:11]

• Powerful metaphors: scaffolding in construction (essential in one season, not forever), and rotating tires on a vehicle.
• Shayla: “This is mission over position. Your position may change, your position may rotate, but this is not about your position. This is about your mission.” [27:47]
• Holding leadership with open hands—team members may need to shift roles for the sake of the mission’s success.

11. Navigating Difficult Team Conversations

[30:53]

• Leaders must engage in honest, compassionate performance discussions when a staff member isn’t growing from doer to equipping leader.
• Shayla: “If you’ve been frustrated for a long time but you haven’t said anything, honestly, it’s your fault, right? You’ve allowed it for so long.”
• Framework: Truth and mercy, clear documentation, and explicit action steps.

12. The Year Ahead: Two Guiding Questions

[33:59]

• How can we grow smaller as we grow larger? (Increase the sense of intimacy, care, and intentionality.)

• Are we building a church that can grow without us? (Sustainability and multiplication beyond current leaders.)

• Shayla: “How can we be more intentional as we grow to make a large church feel small? … Are we building a church that can grow without us?” [34:17]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You hire to almost relieve pressure, but not really build capacity.” – Shayla [04:48]
• “If your first response to a problem in every situation is to hire, you’re going to get in big trouble ... you staffed in seasons where attendance was growing ... to relieve that pressure, not thinking multiplication.” – Shayla [16:10]
• “If every solution is to hire, I don’t think the church has a staffing problem. I actually think they probably have a discipleship problem.” – Shayla [16:27]
• “We have a very, very high value in equipping our volunteers ... We’re saying no for them, and then we end up hiring for these positions when it’s something we could actually give away in a volunteer capacity.” – Shayla [08:43]
• “This is mission over position. … If you’re not here because of the mission, then you’re going to be fixated on your position.” – Shayla [27:47]
• “Who’s next? Like, you should always be replacing yourself.” – Shayla [24:26]
• “How can we be more intentional as we grow to make a large church feel small? … Are we building a church that can grow without us?” – Shayla [34:17]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:48] – Why churches hire the same roles; capacity vs. pressure relief.
• [07:09] – Equippers vs. doers; Coastal’s model for volunteer multiplication.
• [12:55] – The “Big Ask” and why we shouldn’t say no on behalf of high-capacity people.
• [16:27] – When hiring signals a discipleship (not staffing) problem.
• [17:04] – Risks of overstaffing and cultural laziness.
• [20:05] – Discernment: when to actually add a staff member.
• [22:08] – Coaching leadership: clearing away the unnecessary, developing new leaders.
• [24:26] – “Who’s next?”—building a pipeline of volunteers and future leaders.
• [27:11] – Mission over position: scaffolding, rotating tires, and letting go of roles.
• [30:53] – Having crucial, compassionate conversations with underperforming staff.
• [33:59] – The guiding questions for 2026: growing smaller, building for sustainability.

Takeaways for Church Leaders

• Don’t default to hiring—build a deep, intentional volunteer culture.
• Regularly challenge your team: “Who are you developing? Who’s next?”
• Structure roles so volunteers can lead in meaningful, high-responsibility ways.
• Prepare your staff for role rotation, prioritizing the mission over positions.
• Ask big questions: How do we stay relational and sustainable as we grow?

Want to connect further?

• Follow Coastal Community Church: @CoastalChurch
• Website: coastalcommunity.tv
• Connect with Shayla: @shaylamccormick