The Unstuck Church Podcast

Churches are telling us that there's no shortage of new people walking through their doors each weekend—but they're struggling with how to connect and mobilize them into next steps. In the first episode of our new series, Tony and Amy explain how to use (and how not to use) strategic events to reach new people.  Free Webinar: Reaching & Connecting New People in 2024 In this free webinar, ministry...

Pride can sometimes cause us to think that we won't make the same mistakes that others have made or that we can be the exception to the rule. We did this series because we hope that the church leaders who are listening will be willing to learn from the mistakes of others and not go down these paths.  In the final episode of our series, Tony and Amy discuss more miscellaneous stupid church tricks,...

Most churches start out on fire for their mission: to reach new people for Jesus. But as "new people" turn into "church people," the voices on the inside of the church often become louder. In this episode, Tony and Amy discuss the ways churches get off mission and become insider-focused and offer advice and inspiration on how to reverse this trajectory. This Episode is Sponsored by PlainJoe Studio...

Often, well-intentioned churches add more programs believing it will lead to more growth. In reality, competing priorities ultimately lead to more complexity and a lack of alignment.  In this episode, Tony and Amy continue our series on Stupid Church Tricks—explaining what we can learn from them and how to avoid them. This Episode is Sponsored by PlainJoe Studios PlainJoe: A Storyland Studio partn...

Churches don't try to sabotage their ministries on purpose. But these "stupid church tricks" are things we see happening in real churches all the time that we can't believe are still happening. In this episode, Tony and Amy unpack some of the stupid church tricks we've come across related to church leadership and staffing. This Episode is Sponsored by PlainJoe Studios PlainJoe: A Storyland Studio...

As we served over 100 churches on-site in 2023, several commons themes rose to the surface. So, for our first episode of 2024, Tony sat down with the Unstuck team to recap what we've seen and learned this last year, as well as what we're looking forward to in the new year.  This Episode is Sponsored by PlainJoe Studios PlainJoe: A Storyland Studio partners with churches, nonprofits, faith-based or...

As 2023 comes to a close, we're revisiting some of the most popular episodes of The Unstuck Church Podcast this year. In this popular episode, Tony sits down with Pastor Chad Hunt for a practical conversation around how churches can create an intentional guest services experience. This Episode is Sponsored by Ministry Brands Introducing Ministry Brands' brand new flagship solution, Ministry Brands...

As 2023 comes to a close, we're revisiting some of the most popular episodes of The Unstuck Church Podcast this year. In this popular episode, Tony and Amy discuss breaking the 2-3,000 attendance barrier by exploring the common challenges that hold large churches back from future growth with some practical ideas on how to approach them. This Episode is Sponsored by Ministry Brands Introducing Mini...

As 2023 comes to a close, we're revisiting some of the most popular episodes of The Unstuck Church Podcast this year. How does a church know when it's ready to go multisite? In this popular episode, Tony and Amy discuss the key indicators that you are ready to expand through multisite—and one key indicator that you aren't. Free Webinar: 3 Shifts to Turn Momentum Into Strategic Growth We've helped...

As 2023 comes to a close, we're revisiting some of the most popular episodes of The Unstuck Church Podcast this year. The research is clear: Encouraging people to engage in more programs and church activity doesn't produce spiritual growth. In this popular episode, Tony and Amy get practical on the steps churches must take in order to identify the programs and events they need to stop or pause. Fr...

Every quarter, The Unstuck Group compiles all the data we've collected to monitor trends in churches in the United States. For this Q4 2023 report, we are specifically focusing on trends in multisite churches .  In this episode, Tony and Amy break down new data on multisite churches and explain why some multisite strategies succeed and others fail. You can subscribe to receive the quarterly report...

Churches who succeed in their bold moves make an action plan and structure their team to implement that plan. In this episode, Tony and Amy discuss why many churches struggle to implement bold moves, offer tips for making your bold moves actionable, and explain how to structure your team to successfully implement your bold moves. This Episode is Sponsored by  Planning Center A lot of people in min...

Your church staff team is the greatest asset you have for accomplishing your vision. So, when hiring new staff for your team, how can you find (and become) the standouts—the unicorns—with the traits that only the best of the best have? In this bonus episode, Tony sits down with William Vanderbloemen to discuss how the findings in his new book, Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate th...

The right bold moves will help your church reach more people for Jesus. In this episode, Tony and Amy walk through four examples of successful bold moves that have led real churches to experience health and growth—and explain the common reasons why some bold moves fail. Free Webinar:  4 Bold Moves for Churches & How to Make Them Happen Ready to make a bold move in 2024? Join the Unstuck team and g...

When it comes to the future of our church, we all want to pursue God-sized dreams.  In this episode, Tony and Amy explain how to clarify your next bold move—including how to know if your goal is too bold or not bold enough—and how to begin communicating your bold moves once you've defined them. Free Webinar:  4 Bold Moves for Churches & How to Make Them Happen Ready to make a bold move in 2024? Jo...

Having a clear bold move in front of us is the opposite of being stuck as a church. It's how vision becomes actionable and the church continues to move forward. In this episode, Tony and Amy discuss what a bold move is and why many churches fail to embrace them.  Free Webinar:  4 Bold Moves for Churches & How to Make Them Happen Ready to make a bold move in 2024? Join the Unstuck team and guests D...

Even after a senior leadership team has been established, it's expected that this team will shift and change as the church grows. In this episode, Tony and Amy explain how your senior leadership meetings should change as your church grows and offer advice for navigating personnel changes on your team. This Episode is Sponsored by  Ministry Brands Introducing Ministry Brands' brand new flagship sol...

The effectiveness of the senior leadership team impacts every aspect of the ministry. In this episode, Tony and Amy outline the seven key roles of a senior leadership team and offer six tips for empowering your leaders. This Episode is Sponsored by Ministry Brands Introducing Ministry Brands' brand new flagship solution, Ministry Brands Amplify: a cutting-edge all-in-one Church Ops solution helpin...

Often when churches are building a senior leadership team, the tendency is to invite team members based on their title or tenure—but the criteria for a healthy and effective senior leadership team goes much deeper than that.  In this episode, Tony and Amy offer practical guidelines and defining questions to help you identify the right leaders for your senior leadership team. This Episode is Sponso...

The people who hold the senior leadership positions of your church are the best chance your church has to achieve the vision and mission God designed your church to accomplish at this moment in time. In this episode, Tony and Amy dive into the importance of developing a healthy and effective senior leadership team on your church staff. This Episode is Sponsored by Ministry Brands Introducing Minis...

25 years ago, Tony Morgan left his job in city management to enter full-time ministry.  In this bonus episode, Tony shares the story of how he got started in ministry, the people who encouraged him along in this path, the challenges he faced, and his biggest takeaway from 25 years in ministry. For the full episode transcript, visit this episode's Show Notes here . Join the Live Conversation on Soc...

Gen Z is now a crucial part of the workforce and on the front lines of ministry. So how can we effectively raise up Gen Z leaders for both ministry and leadership? In the final episode of our series, Tony sits down with Chris Hodges (Lead Pastor of Church of the Highlands) and Mark Pettus (President of Highlands College ) to discuss their strategies and advice for identifying and empowering the ne...

The more leaders in the church can work together and learn from each other, the more opportunity grows for effective multi-generational ministry. In this episode, Tony sits down with Carlos Cardenas, the Executive Pastor of Christ Fellowship Miami , to discuss what makes Millennials in leadership unique and how generations in the church can work together. Free Webinar:  How to Structure Your Staff...

Developing the next generation is not just about having a program—it's a mindset. In this episode, Tony sits down with Executive Pastor Dan Zimbardi and People and Culture Director Tim Hawley from Sandals Church (Riverside, CA) to discover how their team has created a successful leadership development model to raise up the next generation.  Free Webinar:  How to Structure Your Staff to Develop Nex...

Developing the next generation of leaders seems to be one of the most pressing challenges churches are facing today. That's why we're kicking off a brand new series all about how we can intentionally raise up and empower the next generation of leaders in our ministries. In this episode, Tony sits down with Tim Elmore, Founder and CEO of  Growing Leaders and author of A New Kind of Diversity: Makin...