The Unstuck Church Podcast

This summer, we're changing things up. You're on vacation; we're on vacation. We all know how this goes. You probably have road trips, plane trips, maybe a sabbatical or some conferences to attend this month. But ministry and leadership are still happening! So this month, we are replaying the "hits" from the last six months: the best episodes. We'll be back with fresh content in August, and we kno...

This summer, we're changing things up. You're on vacation; we're on vacation. We all know how this goes. You probably have road trips, plane trips, maybe a sabbatical or some conferences to attend this month. But ministry and leadership are still happening! So this month, we are replaying the "hits" from the last six months: the best episodes. We'll be back with fresh content in August, and we kno...

This summer, we're changing things up. You're on vacation; we're on vacation. We all know how this goes. You probably have road trips, plane trips, maybe a sabbatical or some conferences to attend this month. But ministry and leadership are still happening! So this month, we are replaying the "hits" from the last six months: the best episodes. We'll be back with fresh content in August, and we kno...

This summer we're changing things up. You're on vacation; we're on vacation. We all know how this goes. You probably have road trips, plane trips, maybe a sabbatical or some conferences to attend this month. But ministry and leadership are still happening! So this month, we are replaying the "hits" from the last six months: the best episodes. We'll be back with fresh content in August, and we know...

When a church slips into the maintenance phase, pastors often wrestle with all kinds of  fears —worrying about rocking the boat, messing up, dealing with conflict or just burning out. But what if those very fears are the thing standing between your church and its next season of growth and impact? In the final episode of our "Just Maintaining" series, Sean and Amy dive into one of the most simple,...

It's easy to focus on what the church needs to change when growth slows—programs, strategies, systems. But often, the real breakthrough starts with the leader . A particularly challenging part of leading through the maintenance phase? Adjusting your leadership approach. In Part 3 of our "Just Maintaining" series, Sean and Amy discuss what churches need to be thinking about when it comes to their l...

Your church isn't declining … but it's not growing either. You might be stuck in " maintenance mode ." Many aspects of ministry look healthy, but growth has slowed. You're not really reaching new guests, and fewer people are crossing the line of faith. What now?  In Part 2 of our "Just Maintaining" series, Sean and Amy talk about what you actually need to do to change course. They'll cover what it...

Has your church's growth slowed down or hit a plateau? Maybe you're financially stable, and everything seems fine on the surface, but something feels off from your perspective as the leader. There are telltale signs your church is drifting away from sustained health. In this candid series, we'll explore why churches unconsciously slip into "maintenance mode," what it costs them and, most important...

The newest edition of The Unstuck Church Report is here! Every quarter, The Unstuck Group compiles all the data we've collected to monitor trends in churches in the United States. Our Q2 report focuses on current  staffing data and trends in North American churches. For this quarter's report, we received survey responses from 251 churches, giving us valuable insights into current church trends. Th...

Live teaching or video teaching? It's one of the most debated questions in any multisite conversation. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion, but the best choice isn't always the most obvious. In this episode, Sean and Amy answer this age-old question with proven data and real stories. They also outline what to consider when making this decision (including technology) and offer practical strateg...

If you've ever tried to launch a second campus, you know the struggle is real. Turns out, most churches get their staffing and structure wrong from day one, but we're here to save you from those painful missteps. In this episode, Amy and Sean dive into the math behind multisite staffing (hint: your ratios probably need to change), why rushing to build a massive central team is a recipe for disaste...

If you've got multiple locations and your team feels divided, this episode is for you. The dreaded "us vs. them" mentality can creep into any multisite church, creating unhealthy competition and fractured relationships between campus and central teams. Amy, Sean and special guest Carlos Cardenas, from Christ Fellowship Church in Miami, share their battle-tested wisdom on preventing and addressing...

In this episode, Amy sits down with Doug Turner, President of GenerosityOS, to talk about how church giving strategies have evolved (spoiler alert: episodic capital campaigns are so 2004). Doug brings decades of experience from helping churches like Willow Creek and Redeemer Presbyterian fund their vision, and he's got some fresh insights on why year-round generosity and vision clarity are the new...

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...