The Unstuck Church Podcast

Do you wish your church could have more financial margin for ministry? Are your people struggling with debt and low giving? In this episode of The Unstuck Church Podcast, Sean interviews George Kamel from Ramsey Solutions about how Financial Peace University is helping churches break free from financial stress.  We're shooting straight with these questions. Why are so few churchgoers tithing regul...

Talking about money in church can feel like walking on eggshells while juggling chainsaws. (Okay, that may be a bit dramatic, but are we wrong?) What if it didn't have to be that way? In this episode, Pastor Jason Anderson (yes, that Anderson—he's Amy's husband and somehow still agreed to be on our podcast!) from Crossroads Church shares how he turned potentially awkward "money talks" into powerfu...

Feeling uneasy when it comes to church finances? You're not alone. In this week's episode, Sean and Amy dive deep into something that's close to their hearts—creating a funding plan that actually supports your church's vision. We're not just talking spreadsheets and budgets here (though those are important!). We're talking about aligning your resources with God's mission for your church. We'll exp...

Budgeting. Giving. Financial health. Money is often a taboo topic in churches. But what if we flipped the script? Money shouldn't be a source of anxiety—it should be a tool for mission. In this new series, Amy and Sean and some special guests will help church leaders develop a healthier relationship with church finances. From practical budgeting strategies to creating a culture of biblical generos...

It's an oft-overlooked but crucial aspect of retention: engaging people in their calling. In this final episode of our series called "Reach & Retain Strategies," Amy interviews Noah Herrin, lead pastor of Way Church in Nashville, who shares insights from the remarkable journey of growing a church plant to 800 people in just 16 months while primarily reaching Gen Z and Millennials. Noah shares how...

In this episode of The Unstuck Church Podcast, Sean and Amy continue their series on reach and retain strategies, featuring a compelling conversation with Doug Dameron from Orchard Church in Brighton, CO, about crafting effective next steps for new attendees. Doug shares how his team transformed their follow-up process, leading to dramatic improvements in engagement—from just 5% of new believers b...

In this episode of The Unstuck Church Podcast, Amy and Sean dive into part two of our conversation on reach and retain strategies, focusing on how churches can leverage their weekend services as effective "front doors" for connecting with new people. From common misses like poor signage and untrained volunteers to practical solutions that create excellent guest experiences, Amy and Sean unpack wha...

Frustrated by the persistent tug between pleasing your core people and reaching new guests? In this episode, Sean and Amy explore why reaching new people requires focus and how lack of clarity about who you're trying to reach leads to ineffective ministry. We're discussing how churches get stuck trying to be everything to everyone, what Scripture teaches us about having a clear mission field and p...

In this quarter's edition of The Unstuck Church Report, Amy Anderson unpacks the latest trends showing both encouraging growth and engagement challenges in churches across America. While attendance numbers are increasing, the data reveals churches are grappling with engagement metrics that aren't keeping pace. From small group participation to per capita giving, the numbers tell a story of churche...

We're wrapping up our series on church staffing oxymorons by tackling perhaps the most challenging one yet: the perfect staff structure for never. Many churches find themselves caught in a structure that doesn't work for today's needs and definitely won't support tomorrow's vision. It's that nagging feeling that something's off—workloads are uneven, decision-making is unclear and leadership gaps a...

In Part 2 of our church staffing series, Sean and Amy tackle another challenging oxymoron: having the right wrong people on your team. In this episode, we unpack: How to assess your current staff leaders beyond basic performance metrics Understanding the four levels of leadership capacity (10s, 50s, 100s, 1000s) The importance of evaluating roles separately from the people in them Tools and assess...

In Part 1 of a new series we're calling "Church Staffing Oxymorons," Sean and Amy explore a common staffing oxymoron that all too many churches face: teams that are simultaneously understaffed and overstaffed. In this episode we unpack: Why churches often end up with misaligned staffing What this tension feels like for different ministry areas Common but ineffective solutions churches try How to p...

The '90s called again, and they want their 3-ring binder back. In Part 4 of our series, Sean and Amy explore: Why documenting a strategy isn't the same as creating aligned action How churches sometimes use planning to avoid significant change The difference between treating symptoms vs. solving root problems What true organizational alignment looks like and why it matters Practical steps for movin...

The '90s called, and they want their core values back. In Part 3 of our series, Sean and Amy discuss how churches can move beyond generic "permission to play" values to define authentic, culture-shaping behaviors that drive real organizational change. They cover: Why traditional church core values often end up as meaningless wall art The difference between "permission to play" values and true cult...

The '90s called again, and they want their 10-year visions back. In Part 2 of our series, Amy and Sean explore how churches can move beyond outdated vision-setting approaches to create more focused, time-bound visions that actually drive change. In this episode, we discuss: Why the 10-year vision approach from the '90s no longer works in today's fast-changing world How to start with identifying th...

The '90s called, and they want their strategic planning process back. That binder that's still on the shelf. The 10-year vision that has come and gone. So many churches are still doing vision, planning and strategy following an old playbook—a 30+ year-old playbook. Is there a more modern way to unify your church body around your vision? In this series, Amy and Sean will kick off 2025 by helping yo...

Wow, 2024, what a year of highs and lows. If there were ever a year to pause and look back, this is the one for us. In this episode, Sean and Amy are joined by Tiffany Deluccia, the third member of The Unstuck Group's leadership team. We reflect on God's faithfulness in 2024 and preview some of what's to come in 2025. For the full episode transcript, visit this episode's Show Notes at  theunstuckg...

We have covered the things that can start to feel like crises related to the people side of growth, and we've covered the challenges you can expect related to the emotional side of growth. But there's one more area that contains a lot of practical, preventable challenges in a growing church: the systems and structure side of growth.  In this episode, we're talking all about the logistics. The prac...

Continued growth can feel like an engine.  As a leader, you're seeing results. You're running on the high of seeing the fruits of all the effort, intention and faithfulness. You and the team have been on mission, and you've sensed God's blessing and hand on the ministry. And then it all starts taking a toll, and if you're not careful, things can go sideways. In part two of our series "Predicable C...

When your church is in a season of growth, there are certain challenges that you are bound to run into. The good news is these challenges are predictable. But just because they are predictable doesn't mean they are easy to navigate . In fact, some of the pastors going through a season of big momentum would tell you it's one of the hardest seasons they've led through, but it's also extremely reward...

It's the most wonderful time of the year... time for The Unstuck Church Report! Every quarter, The Unstuck Group compiles all the data we've collected to monitor trends in churches in the United States. Our Q4 report focuses on current data and trends in multisite churches specifically. We received data from over 100 multisite churches ranging from fewer than 500 people in physical attendance to m...

In this series, we've talked about how to evaluate your in-person weekend experience. But there is another aspect to the weekend that we don't want to overlook— the online service experience. Evaluating your online service can be tricky; it's both part of the weekend and not. How do we measure the quality of it? In this episode, Sean and Amy close out our Weekend Quality Check series by discussing...

You're ready for first-time guests. You've planned your sermon series. You've prepared your message. But how do you know if it's working? How do you evaluate your weekend experience? Throughout the "Weekend Quality Check" series, we've shared some practical ways you can increase the quality of your weekend planning, preparation and execution. Now, it's time to evaluate it.  In this episode, Sean a...

How do you teach in a way that engages insiders without alienating the outsiders? How do you develop teachings that are relevant, relatable and truly transformational? Sean and Amy address these questions and more in Part 3 of the "Weekend Quality Check" series. In this episode, we dig into the core tensions pastors face in developing transformational messages that engage both insiders and outside...

Weekend quality is about more than creative excellence. It's about how well you leverage that time to engage both insiders and outsiders— for people who know Jesus and people who don't . The sermon is a core component of any weekend experience. In this episode, Sean and Amy break down strategies for planning a sermon series that really connects with both church-goers and newcomers. Joel Thomas fro...