The Unstuck Church Podcast with Amy Anderson

Greater impact sometimes requires an outside perspective. Tony and Amy share why so many churches get comfortable with the familiar and how it keeps them from making the necessary changes for growth.

Based on our recent data, there's plenty of room for optimism for today's church! Attendance and baptisms are increasing and many churches are expanding to multiple services and locations. Although these are all positive indicators, there are still some red flags that stuck churches are ignoring. Tony and Amy discuss some key trends and takeaways that churches may be overlooking.

Teaching is just one way to help people take their next steps toward Christ. But churches have a tendency to get stuck in a cycle of teach-promote-teach-promote: Each next step we invite people to take is another teaching environment. In this episode, Tony and Amy discuss some important discipleship elements that will help people put what they are learning into practice.

Our mission is simple—What church doesn't want to grow by helping more people meet Jesus? But structuring a team for growth doesn't necessarily come naturally to most church leaders. In this episode, Tony and Amy share 3 key areas you need to optimize to structure your church for growth.

It's nobody's favorite activity. But unfocused churches have competing events, programs and ministries that pull them in all different directions. Tony and Amy discuss three areas that both healthy and unhealthy churches need to prune.

Meeting dread—It's real. Tony and Amy share principles for meetings that work (aka: meetings that don't waste time and money and actually help create positive action), and a quick formula to self-assess your organization's meeting track record.

Plateaued. Declining. Stuck. Church revitalization isn't easy. In this episode, Tony and Amy share four shifts your church can make now to lead it towards growth and health in the future.

We're seeing a new trend: Churches that were one church in multiple locations are shifting to multiple churches in multiple locations. Is multisite still a great way to grow? Tony and Amy discuss this un-multisiting trend. ____ Check out our new online course—Multisite Unstuck, or learn how we help get churches unstuck at theunstuckgroup.com.

Our culture still embraces Christmas. Churches decorate, plan and hold extra services. But are we really connecting with the people who only come to church during the most wonderful time of the year? Tony and Amy review "the wins" every church can experience during the Christmas season.

It's a simple fact: Before people become Christ followers, they are consumers. Do our sacred spaces create a barrier to sharing the gospel? Tony and Amy discuss what churches could learn from Marriott about serving people through your church facilities.

Did you earn an A in Pastor Math Class? Ok, so that's not be a real seminary course, but every pastor we meet knows the material. Whether you lean towards measuring everything, or eschewing numbers in favor of stories, there is one number you simply cannot ignore -- and it's probably not what you think.

In the weeds. That's where many senior pastors live. It's not usually a pride issue -- more a question of role clarity. Tony and Amy discuss the three roles only the senior pastor can do for a church, and why you should give yourself permission to delegate everything else.

Many churches have figured out how to gather a crowd of people for worship on Sunday but helping them take next steps toward Christ is a whole different challenge. This episode helps you understand the "why" behind leadership development.

God's vision is bigger than just your church. This episode will challenge you to build a relationship with your city by loving and serving your community.

What words would you use to describe your current multisite strategy? Healthy? Replicable? Growing? Effective? Or is it Confusing? Unsustainable? Stagnant? Are you looking to launch or expand your multisite strategy? Check out this episode to learn more.

Does your team spend more time talking about ideas than doing them? Instead of chasing rabbits, maybe it's time to start doing what you say you are going to do. This episode addresses why many church teams struggle with follow-through and provides tools and next steps for making ideas happen.

Is your church all talk and no action? Most teams don't experience a lack of inspiring meetings. Perhaps it's time to buckle down and start following through on your plans. This episode looks at some of the challenges churches face when executing plans and provides practical next steps for making decisions and taking action.

Does choosing a new shade of paint for the lobby require approvals from three different committees at your church? Maybe it's time to start asking if your current structure is the best way to make decisions. This episode addresses challenges that both staff-led and congregation-led churches face and provides clear roles for effective lay leadership boards.

Is your church growing? Healthy? Diminishing? There are 7 stages in a typical church's life cycle that range from the hopeful, optimistic days of launch, to the stagnating last stages of life support. This episode unpacks each phase of the church lifecycle, and offers specific and strategic next steps you can take to find your way to sustained health . . . and finally become unstuck.

What if our volunteers find somewhere better to serve? Are we offering them enough opportunities? Why does it seem like they are just not interested anymore? A scarcity mentality can get your church stuck. Everyone is competing for people's time. Instead of only focusing on how volunteers can fill spots in your church, what would happen if you empowered them to impact the world with their gifts and abilities everyday?

Magnetic. Inspiring. Charismatic. Visionary. God-given personality gifts or problems waiting to happen? Big personalities are attractive, and bad things happen when a church is built more on the big personality of the pastor than Jesus. But actually... that's true of any personality type. Show Links: When Big Personalities Lead Big Churches

Toxic? Empowering? Fear-Driven? Collaborative? The team culture you have is the one you built. But that doesn't mean your impression of it is accurate. What if you're the last to know your church staff culture is not what you thought? In Season 1, Episode 6 of The Leadership Unstuck Podcast, Tony, Ryan and Amy talk about span of care, healthy pace of life in ministry and other practical steps to grow a healthy team... because most lead pastors aren't thinking about staff health. Show Links: 7 Questions that Measure Team Culture Measuring the Health of Your Senior Leadership Team Take Time Off: 4 Guidelines for Establishing Healthy Pace of Life for Staff 7 Warning Signs Your Church Has Ministry Silos 5 Dysfunctions of a Team Resources

Church + effective planning? The two words aren't often found together. Are you making these mistakes in your planning process? In Season 1, Episode 5 of Tony Morgan's Leadership Unstuck Podcast, Tony talks to Shayne O'Brien, Lead Pastor of RockPointe Church in Leander, Texas about how to avoid some of the mistakes churches make in their planning process. Show Links The 4 Phase Planning Process for Church Leaders How to Stick to Your Strategic Plan Why the Key to Flexibility In Leadership Is Planning Developing a Theology of Planning

They're bloated. Over-programmed. Hard to navigate. Why do churches become so complex over time? In Season 1, Episode 4 of Tony Morgan's Leadership Unstuck Podcast, Tony talks to Joe Dobbins, Lead Pastor of Twin Rivers Worship Center in St. Louis, MO about why churches tend to become so complex over time and how to de-program and reduce complexity. Show Links Staff Meetings Unstuck: Reducing Complexity with a Discipleship Path Holiday Food Personality Quiz Complexity: Why Do Churches Become Over Programmed? Complexity: What Ministry Programs Do We Stop? Complexity: Streamlining the Ministry Event Calendar Complexity: How to Bury a Ministry Program 5 Common Myths Program Driven Churches Believe About Effectiveness Learn more about The Unstuck Group

Predictable church services create sleepy, unengaged attendees. In Season 1, Episode 3 of Tony Morgan's Leadership Unstuck Podcast, Tony talks to Gabe Kolstad, Lead Pastor of Westside Community Church in Beaverton, Oregon about the creative process and how to make church services less predictable. Show Links Predictable: It Feels Like I Am Attending the Same Worship Service Every Sunday Predictable: 9 Reasons Your Church Services Are Stuck in a Rut Predictable: 4 Biases to Promote Creativity and Make Services More Engaging 10 Keys to Leading Creative People Why Creativity Matters in the Church Top 2 Creativity Crushers Learn more about The Unstuck Group.

Tradition is powerful. How do you lead a church in a new direction when the motivation for change is low (or nonexistent)? In Season 1, Episode 2 of Tony Morgan's Leadership Unstuck Podcast, Tony talks to Jerry Sweat, Lead Pastor of Beach Church in Jacksonville, Florida about what it takes to lead change. Show Links Leading Change: The Cycle to Expect Do You Have What It Takes To Lead Change? Sacred Cow Tipping Where Your Sacred Cows Come From: Sacred Cow Tipping (Part 2) Why a Leader Often Needs to Be Mean 4 Ways to Navigate Change in Ministry Beach Church Website Learn more about The Unstuck Group.

Trying to reach everyone? That strategy rarely reaches anyone effectively. In Season 1, Episode 1 of Tony Morgan's Leadership Unstuck Podcast, Tony talks to Ty Bean, Senior Pastor of Cowboy Junction Church in Hobbs, New Mexico about why churches should pinpoint the exact kind of person they are trying to reach. Show Links: 4 Reasons Why Churches Become Insider-Focused Churches Do Not Want To Reach New Customers Do You Know Your Customer?: 5 Felt Needs for Reaching Professionals Outside the Faith Who Is Your customer? Why People Like Starbucks More Than Your Church 6 Ways We Ignore Unchurched Guests on Easter 10 Symptoms of an Inwardly-Focused Church Learn more about The Unstuck Group.