The Unstuck Church Podcast

A personality might draw a weekend crowd, but it takes a team to create the healthy systems that foster sustained growth—that's the role of the Senior Leadership Team . Without it, you're depending on heroism at the top. If the SLT is structured well, you can take the lid off your church and create space for sustained health. If it's not, you'll keep funneling everything back to the top.  In this...

Pastoral burnout is one of the most critical issues facing church leaders today. And it's not just about overwork or lack of boundaries: Your structure might be the very thing that's creating the conditions for burnout—for both you and your staff . We're seeing this pattern play out in churches everywhere. Lead pastors are drowning under impossible spans of care, unclear role definitions and organ...

Ever wonder how your church's metrics, wins and challenges compare to other like-minded churches? This quarter's Unstuck Church Report shows what the "Big C Church" is looking like in 2026 so far. The data covers the biggest barriers churches are facing when it comes to growth, gives perspectives on finances, informs how well churches are helping people engage in their churches, and many other int...

You can start multisite for all the right reasons: healthy momentum, strong mission and a genuine desire to reach more people. But then a few years in, you find yourself looking around thinking, "Wait… is this actually producing what we hoped it would?" Alignment feels harder. Decision-making feels heavier. Outcomes aren't quite matching the vision you had in mind when you started. And that's wher...

No one goes into multisite thinking, "This model isn't going to work."  Everyone starts for the right reasons: more people reached and more communities engaged. But over time, tensions begin to show up. But it's not just normal complexity; it's the kind that starts to impact clarity and limit effectiveness if you don't pay attention to it. Last week, Sean and Amy interviewed three leaders about th...

"Are we doing multisite right? " The truth is that many churches launch multisite with great intentions but eventually find themselves stuck—operationally overwhelmed, financially strained or culturally fragmented across locations. In this series, we're pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to build a healthy, sustainable multisite strategy. We're starting with something a little differ...

We're trying something different on The Unstuck Church Podcast.  It's our first ever "Ask Anything" episode! The idea for this came from our free webinars, where we typically save time at the end for live Q&A. Some of the best takeaways from those events often happen in that live conversation, and we wanted to bring that fun and magic to the podcast. In this episode, Sean and Amy respond to questi...

​​Two common issues in churches tend to show up together, even though at first glance they don't feel related at all: first engagement steps and physical capacity . On the surface, they sound like two completely different problems. But, in reality, they're way more connected than most leaders realize. You can't grow sustainably if you're not engaging people well, and you can't engage people well i...

Churches everywhere, no matter the size, are struggling with this: the lack of a deep leadership bench.  One of the most common pain points we see in churches is not having enough leaders in the pipeline. This puts them in a constant reactive mode, often filling positions out of desperation rather than developing leaders intentionally. New leaders don't identify themselves; you won't drift into su...

After serving more than 750 churches, we've noticed a clear pattern: No matter the size, style, or model, many churches wrestle with a similar set of challenges . They show up in different ways, but the root issues are surprisingly common across the board. That's good news for pastors and ministry leaders—because if the challenges are common, the solutions can be too. You're not alone. And you're...

For years, the narrative in Canada was slow decline, polite disengagement and post-Christian skepticism. But that's not the story they're living right now. There are people from every background actually exploring faith and showing up at church. What's going on in Canada? We're doing something a little different in this episode of the podcast. Sean and Amy invited our Canadian consultants, Jonatha...

So far in this series, we've talked about how to clarify vision and how to build strong strategies. But even when leaders feel really good about those pieces, there's still a sticking point: getting the whole team aligned and moving together . This is where you might hit a wall. There's a gap between defining your vision and actually making it happen. So it's time to move. In the final episode of...

In January, you have permission to slow down enough to be intentional about the rest of your year. The goal isn't perfection; it's progress. And progress starts with planning . In the next part of our series, "How to Not Waste January," we're moving from reflection to talking about what's next. It's time to refocus by creating plans and establishing rhythms for the new year.  In this episode, Amy...

January can feel like a throwaway month. If you didn't get strategic planning scheduled early, it can feel like a few weeks of just drifting. Despite all the "New Year, New You" energy our culture puts out, hibernating is often more appealing. But you're leading a church, and you still have a live event every week. You might be leading your church through a season of fasting and prayer or getting...

What's really going on with Gen Z?  Gen Z is the most engaged generation right now: Research shows that they are going to church more than anyone else. However, their questions, their expectations and how they explore belief are unlike any other generation, leaving church leaders feeling puzzled.  What's resonating with Gen Z? What's falling flat? How should church leaders respond with wisdom, hum...

Our culture is experiencing a massive shift fueled by one piece of technology: artificial intelligence. Yep, we're going there. How might AI impact ministry? How are churches adapting to (or resisting) the AI movement? What does AI even have to do with church? In this episode, Amy and Sean are joined by Paul Alexander, Executive Pastor at Sun Valley Community Church in Arizona and a member of the...

Burnout is something we hear about constantly when we're working with churches. This topic is incredibly timely and personal for a lot of pastors. Burnout is not just about being tired or having a busy season—it's much deeper than that. It affects leaders physically, emotionally and spiritually, and it impacts their team and church in ways they might not even realize. In this episode, Sean and Amy...

December is the busiest season in the church world. Between Christmas services, end-of-year wrap-up and planning for 2026, you probably don't have the time or mental bandwidth to digest a content-heavy podcast series. So this month, we're doing something fun. We're focusing on some "hot topics"—things every church leader is talking about and thinking about right now.  What better way to kick off t...

The success of a new campus hinges on one critical hire: the campus pastor. In this episode, Amy Anderson and Sean Bublitz break down the five essential traits every campus pastor needs to thrive— especially in churches that use video teaching. Whether you're launching your first campus or refining your multisite strategy, this conversation will help you identify the right leader who can carry you...

Growth always brings complexity, and multisite is no exception. As churches grow, it's easy to slip into reactive mode. But with intentional planning, multisite can create a sustainable path forward and ultimately reach more people with the hope of Jesus. We're wrapping up our series on "Growing Church Problems" with a conversation about multisite . In this episode, Sean and Amy talk about the dif...

Systems are one of those things we can be reluctant to change.  Most churches outgrow their systems without even realizing it. What worked then suddenly doesn't work now . And churches get stuck using old systems that are beyond their usefulness, all while hoping for different results. When you're in seasons of growth, you have to get more intentional about scaling up the systems that have started...

As churches grow, one of their biggest challenges is finding the right people to add to their team . On paper, it may look like they have enough staff, but they often find themselves with a shortage of strategic leaders on their team . We're continuing our series on "Growing Church Problems" with an important topic that impacts every expanding ministry: structure and finding the right staff . In t...

Church growth is exciting…until it creates problems you've never had to solve before. This is the tension of leadership: growth always brings complexity. And yet, when you're prepared, growth doesn't have to lead to burnout or stuckness. With the right decisions about space, staff, systems and strategy, you can create a sustainable path forward. We're kicking off a new series called "Growing Churc...

Gen Z's interest in church is rising. Most churches want to reach the next generation, but they often lack the practical tools and strategies to make it happen. Russ Ewell from Bay Area Christian Church is helping young men and women step into leadership and faith, and he has a valuable perspective to share.   In this bonus episode, Amy had the chance to connect with Russ about Gen Z's interest in...

Many of us in ministry are responsible for leading other people. It's hard to lead others well without good management skills . Management is something that, just like any other specialty, needs to be trained and developed. But, historically, churches have not been good developers of managers. Effective manager training is crucial to building a culture of health and high performance on a church st...