The Unstuck Church Podcast

What can you do TODAY?  Many pastors are asking us, "When do you think we'll be able to reopen our churches?" But that's the wrong question. The question we need to be asking is, "How must the church change for a new normal?" I t will be too easy to go back to doing church the way we've always done church when we're safe to gather again. But if we do, we will have missed the opportunity of capital...

Response-Mode. That's where churches have been for the last several weeks. We surveyed more than 500 churches—ranging from under 100 in attendance to more than 20,000—between April 2 and 6. Generally, the data shows that larger churches were better prepared for this crisis than smaller churches. That's probably not a surprise. However, it's encouraging to see how quickly churches of all sizes have...

Money. If it was a challenging topic for church leaders before, it feels all-out tricky right now. The coronavirus crisis quickly brought many financial challenges to churches, and talking about and managing money has gotten increasingly difficult. In this episode, Tony and Amy host a conversation with Rick Holliday from North Point Ministries (Alpharetta, GA), David Vaughan from Whitewater Crossi...

First ever. How often do we get the chance to do something in a way it's never been done before? There's no doubt this Easter season will be the first time in our history so many churches will gather online for their celebrations. We have a great opportunity to share the message of Jesus, but is there a risk to relying on the ways we've always done Easter in a moment when nothing is as usual? In t...

You've managed your initial response to the coronavirus crisis. You've canceled church services, moved online, deployed virtual small groups, started working remotely, ramped up communication via email and social media... You're figuring out how to manage the day-to-day. The crisis is still escalating. "Back to normal" is just a wish. Easter is a few weeks away. Have you caught your breath yet? We...

Will you redeem the time? While events around the world have brought on growing fear and anxiety, the Church stands on the edge of an incredible opportunity to bring hope. If your church won't be holding weekend services or other large gatherings in the coming weeks, your team actually may have more time on their hand than ever before. How will you redeem the time for good? In this episode, Tony a...

Needless to say, a lot has changed in our world in the last 48 hours. While the world around us pauses and isolates to try to combat the spread of the coronavirus,  I believe the opportunity has never been greater for the church to shine. And because of that, I think you and your church are uniquely positioned to impact your community.  Even though worship gatherings will likely pause at your chur...

Secret shopper data from the work we do with 100s of churches each year shows us some interesting trends... Even churches who are clear on their mission field develop blind spots over time. We get used to the way we do things. We don't see the "dust" anymore, so it becomes harder for us to really see what an outsider sees. In this last episode of our series on creating compelling weekend services,...

Overestimating the effectiveness of the weekend? Every church wants its weekend services to help people grow closer to Christ. But if you're not planning well, great ideas get left on the table. You're likely missing opportunities to get the best from your team and to lead the people in your seats towards their next steps in faith. In this episode, Tony and Amy discuss simple adjustments you can m...

Boring. Invisible. Unremarkable. Words we'd rather people not use to describe about our church services. But what are we really doing to make the weekend more compelling? In her book An Hour on Sunday , Nance Beach said, "The hour can simply be sixty minutes for attenders to survive; a time for minds to wander aimlessly and hearts go untouched. Or maybe, the hour on Sunday can be a time of wonder,...

Ever heard the phrase " the manager relies on control while the leader inspires trust"?  Over the last several decades, resources and teaching on leadership thrived. But management? It's often been minimized (at best) or even ridiculed or disparaged (at worst). It's no wonder organizations often have a difficult time managing the day-to-day execution of their vision and strategy. In this episode,...

Everyone wants to be more productive, and there's an exploding industry of apps, journals and resources that promises to help. But what if there were a few simple (and free!) steps that could increase your team's productivity by 30 percent? In this episode, Tony, Amy and Lance share 3 questions to ask in every meeting that could radically impact how your staff gets things done. For the full episod...

Think of culture as gasoline and your ministry as an engine. It's not enough to have high-quality gasoline. Gasoline is purposeful; it is for powering the engine. A high-octane gas and a powerful engine will get traction quickly.  
 Organizational DNA, or culture, is really about the way your team operates. It's how you do what you do. And if you don't shape culture intentionally, you might not li...

Team dysfunction. You feel it when you're in it, but can you see it coming? Can you be intentional about the culture you're building so the team stays focused on both relationships and  results? Churches can be clear on mission, vision and how they believe God has called them to operate, and yet... Something can still be broken. That brokenness often falls into one of two extremes: Either the team...

Taboo. When personal evangelism seems taboo, it's no surprise that invitations to new guests have decreased in many churches. In 2019 research, Barna Group found that nearly half of practicing Christian millennials felt it is wrong to share their faith. But what if there were a way to train and equip people to have a better understanding of why and how to talk about church? In this episode, Tony t...

What if all of your ministry planning was aimed at the wrong objectives?   It's important to regularly check in on your church's movement in the typical life cycle so you can develop ministry plans that help you continue up the slope towards sustained health— or reverse the decline that has already begun . In this last episode of our ministry planning series, Tony and Amy review the typical life c...

Repetition—It's the key to building strong muscles. It takes repetition to see stronger results. That's because it's the key to getting better at execution , too. Good planning helps us make the right investment in the right ministry at the right time. And organizational planning tends to be a new muscle for church leaders to develop. That is, the staff, the pastor and the senior leadership team h...

Possibilities. With the turning of the calendar, there's often a renewed sense of hope and a dream of what could be. We all tend to believe this is the year things will be different. Too often, though, leaders hold onto this hope without a plan to achieve it. In this episode, Tony and Amy explain why hope is not a strategy for your church and explore some practical ways that you can create a plan...

We're still on a high from a gathering we had in Phoenix a few weeks ago. The Unstuck Group 's team members—about 30 of us—got together for our annual meet-up. Tony shared highlights from the last 12 months of helping churches get unstuck, which included celebrating 10 years of The Unstuck Group, serving our 400th church , kicking off a merger-succession to join Jim Tomberlin's MultiSite Solutions...

The results are pretty predictable… vision stalls out, staff teams can get dysfunctional, and tension can develop in the relationship with the lead pastor. All because the wins for the Executive Pastor role aren't 100% clear. In our recent webinar, Dan Reiland, Jenni Catron and Paul Alexander joined Tony for a practical conversation how to get an XP firing on all cylinders. When an Executive Pasto...

When people see their church being led intentionally and efficiently with wise financial decision making, they will become incredibly generous. Unfortunately, many churches make unwise decisions when it comes to budgeting and planning that result in regular cuts and spending freezes. Churches can operate with enough healthy margin that will prepare them for some of the amazing opportunities God wi...

When churches plan their finances strategically, they can fund even the biggest visions and dreams from God. Unfortunately, poor financial planning can lead to money dictating ministry instead of driving it. This week on the podcast we continue our four part series on financial challenges that churches face today. Jill Mutimer from the Strategic Consulting Group joins me to talk about how churches...

Churches today are facing more challenges than ever when it comes to their finances.  Discipling givers, managing money and creating annual budgets are complicated issues that every church has to navigate.    This week on the podcast we continue a four part series on the specific issues churches face when it comes to money.   In this episode, Tony is joined by Dan Dorner from In Rhythm Consulting...

I think most church leaders would agree that they're experiencing some shifts in giving. And while it's not always easy to talk about money, financial means resource our ministry and our church. In the past 15 years, the percentage of households giving to charity has dropped 18%. Research says that the number one corollary to generosity is being a Christian. With trends showing a significant decre...

How do we develop great leaders? This seems to be the golden question of church leaders today. But the truth is no organization can thrive without great leadership. And it's not likely that you'll stumble upon enough great leaders to maintain the health and growth of your ministry.  When we work with churches, we consistently see a tension with how to not only find potential leaders, but how to de...