Let me tell you a story, if I may. About 4 years ago, there was a woman who was entering a new job as the Director of Youth Programs for a church. She was very excited and ready to get started — bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as they say. She had grown up in the church, looked up to the leader in this position as a child, always been involved in church leadership, majored in Religion and Philosophy and Youth Ministry with the goal of landing this very job. She was excited to do this work full time, excited to be on a team of 12 staff members; she was even excited about the weekly meeting on Tuesdays at 9:30am. On her first day, her boss emailed to say to be at the staff meeting. She responded with, “Yay! I love meetings.” He laughed in reply and said, “I had to share that response with my wife.” But the fact remained: she did LOVE meetings! That is where people get to know each other, where ideas spark, where collaboration happens.

In her first few months, she made fun Halloween invites for a community event. She walked around the table at the staff meeting, dramatically passing them out and sharing details of the event with the staff. Her energy hung in the air, but there was little response or camaraderie in return.

She pressed on, purposefully being curious and celebratory of other staff members. She asked for help from the staff when planning a big retreat and got zero responses, with remarks of blame that she hadn’t asked far enough in advance. She invited other staff leaders to youth events to build relationships together, yet was the only staff leader in attendance.

By year 2, she reached out for collaboration less and less. Her work was increasingly siloed; it was even said that she ran her own department of one. Conflict was quickly swept under the rug, with little overall communication about it. She joined the majority who went straight to their office in the morning without greeting anyone and left in the afternoon the same way.

She became more and more lonely, less motivated to do the work, and for fear of continued rejection, less likely to reach out to others. The excited, celebratory, curious, collaborative woman that arrived at the job was seen less and less, even though she still loved the work and the congregation.

By Year 3, she started quietly quitting, filling in box after box on job applications and taking all the networking coffees she could in her spare time. On a good day, when she was focused on a project that really excited her, a colleague in a partnering organization said, “Are you ok? I haven’t seen your spark in a long time.” Other people started reflecting the same.

By Year 4, the woman dreaded and actively avoided the weekly staff meetings, realizing this was a point in the week that brought her spirit especially low.

But then something happened.

Because the woman wasn’t the only one feeling this way, an outside consultant was brought in to assess the culture and climate of the organization. The consultant listened. Based on their context, she offered a plan on how to create a more connected, cohesive team and how to confront the conflicts that had built up to be many silent elephants cramped into the conference room. Leadership engaged her plan, and in the coming months, she led the group through off-site, thoughtfully designed workshops building interpersonal skills and prioritizing stories.

Slowly, the woman sitting in her office started hearing more and more greetings from co-workers. And what was once a completely quiet office started having more conversations, more laughter, and even sub-groups brainstorming together and working on shared projects.

By Year 5, the woman wasn’t applying to jobs anymore. She felt like she had a supportive team around her for the first time. She enjoyed the work and mission, right alongside her co-workers. The office went from dead to fully alive; you could feel it as you walked in… like a crackle of excitement, shared purpose, and joy. And the mission of the church began to shift and grow in clear ways.

Now… I have some disappointing news. Sadly, there was no consultant. Things just progressively got worse for the woman. Until finally she quit without having anything else lined up. She watched the programs she had put so much time and heart into start to crumble. The church is still spending time and resources looking for her replacement 10 months later. In 2.5 years with a staff of 12, seven people have left this organization.

The woman in the story is me.

This is not a unique story in a workplace. For 2025, the biggest reasons people left their positions were toxic workplaces and poor company leadership.

I am now on a mission to be the intervention; to be the outside consultant I wish my previous organization would have hired, to help organizations understand where and how they can build a more cohesive, collaborative team that directly affects their wellbeing and mission.

Spark Alignment never would have been created without my experience serving on staff at this church, especially because as I was leaving I was surrounded by an overwhelming amount of affirmation and support. This is the gift of the faith community.

From my experience and the stories of many colleagues, strengthening the staff team in a faith organization is vitally important to create a support system, connections and shared purpose, which turns into more energy and enthusiasm to serve outwards. Congregational staff gives so much to the community they serve. They are tasked with creating intentional community, preparing and cleaning up after that community, following up to minister to individuals who shared something tender during that group life and then starting it all again. Spark Alignment is honored to partner with congregations in building wellness, capacity and a thriving group culture!