When Sara (not her real name) first approached me, she had been on staff for less than six months. She was resourceful and effective in her role as an administrative assistant to one of our pastors. We had hired Sara from within the congregation because she was smart, competent, and a faithful volunteer who loved the church. I was completely unprepared to discover that serving on our staff was damaging her faith.

With emotion welling up in her eyes, she attempted to articulate why this new role was causing a spiritual crisis. She confessed that being on staff had led her to a crisis of faith. Although Sara couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was affecting her so negatively, as we spoke, I realized she was trying to express a sense of loss. She felt like she had lost her church and her pastor. Her experience working on a church staff was nothing like she had imagined it would be, and now she was disillusioned.

I was floored. I couldn’t believe someone on our staff felt that way. I ...