It's almost the new year! But before we look forward to what's ahead, we wanted to stop and look back to celebrate what God's been doing at The Unstuck Group and through the churches that we've served over the last 12 months.
Listen in as Tony and Amy recap our team wins from the year and explain why they're optimistic about what's next.
For the full episode transcript and links mentioned during the show visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode225.
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We first posted this conversation back in 2019, and it’s been one of our most downloaded episodes since. Clearly this content is more relevant than ever as churches seek to drive their vision forward toward action.
In this episode, you’ll hear a replay of a webinar all about the roles and responsibilities of an effective executive pastor, featuring Paul Alexander of Sun Valley Church, Jenni Catron of The 4Sight Group, and Dan Reiland of 12Stone Church.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode224.
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Every quarter, The Unstuck Group releases The Unstuck Church Report to help church leaders monitor trends and benchmarks in areas like ministry reach, connection, staffing, leadership, and finances.
In this episode, Tony and Amy are walking through the brand new data from our Q4 2021 report.
You can subscribe to the quarterly report for free, or, if you're subscribed to the podcast show notes, we'll send it out to you for free, as well.
For the full episode transcript, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode223.
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The number of volunteer leaders may be one of the biggest differentiators between healthy and stuck churches.
That's why in the final part of our series on healthy church numbers and metrics, Tony and Amy are explaining how you can identify, measure, and empower leaders in your church.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode222.
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It's Part 2 of our series on "Healthy Church by the Numbers" and we're diving into the front door and connections metrics you should be tracking.
In this episode, Tony and Amy are bringing practical wisdom on how you can effectively track your attendance, online engagement, front door reach, and spiritual growth.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode221.
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We often get questions around what healthy numbers and metrics look like for churches, and we'll be walking through some of those benchmarks in our new podcast series: Healthy Church by the Numbers.
This week, Tony and Amy are starting with staffing and salary—answering your questions about staffing budgets, competing with the marketplace, what the Bible says about compensation, and more.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode220.
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We know the Church is called to unity, but it feels like we’re more divided than ever. How can we lead boldly from a place of unity and peace?
In this episode, hear the replay of a conversation between Tony Morgan and Andy Stanley, Lead Pastor of North Point Community Church, on how to lead a divided church.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode219.
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It's always important to get a clear picture of where we are now before we can make a plan to move forward.
This week, Tony and Amy are breaking down some of the biggest trends in church and non-profit giving, and offering some tips for how churches can connect with new givers and encourage generosity.
FREE WEBINAR: Join Tony Morgan and the team at MortarStone on November 18 for a free webinar on "Giving Trends & Strategies for Church Growth in 2022." Register here!
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode218.
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For the last three weeks, we’ve been discussing the transition into a new leadership role—but this week, we wanted to provide a little bit of a different perspective.
You don’t need a new job to get a fresh start. Instead, Tony and Amy are exploring how you can start fresh with a renewed passion and vision for exactly where God has you now.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode217.
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When entering a new role, it’s easy to be reactive to the opportunities and challenges that come with it. But if you want to experience success, you need to be proactive and intentional about developing a strategy.
In this week's episode, Tony is joined by Chris Surratt of Harvest Church (Riverside, CA) to explore how leaders can define their wins and find success in new leadership roles.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode216.
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This week, we're diving into the unique challenges of moving from an executive role to becoming the Senior Pastor.
Listen in on a conversation between Tony and Jeff Brodie, Lead Pastor of Connexus Church, around making the transition to senior leadership, scaling your team, and delegating what you used to own.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode215.
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We're seeing it in the marketplace and in the church: people are leaving their jobs and making big career shifts. If you've experienced a role change or restructuring, how can you lead well into this next season of ministry?
This week, Tony and Amy are exploring how to lead with a fresh sense of vision when taking on a new role. As uncertainty increases, so does the desire for a clear sense of direction.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode214.
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Most churches are still focused on getting people to return back to their services. And it’s easy to understand why. But are you feeling the call to put your focus forward again?
Last week, Tony Morgan, Amy Anderson, and Sean Bublitz hosted a live webinar on "Finding Church Health Again." Listen in on their conversation as they discuss assessing ministry health, strategic planning for the future, and aligning your structure to accomplish your vision.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode213.
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When it comes to staffing and structure, most teams think about their people, then their structure, then their strategy. But we believe that the opposite should be true.
This week, Tony and Amy are explaining their strategy-first approach for developing an effective staffing structure for churches.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode212.
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There are no shortcuts to becoming a healthy, growing, thriving church. Instead, what we see in the churches experiencing the most success is a consistent determined commitment to ministry planning over an extended period of time.
This week, Tony and Amy are making the case for strategic planning and "consistent strategic obedience" as the key to long-term health and growth.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode211.
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Many pastors want to jump right in to planning and implementing change. But before we can make any progress in moving forward, we need to get a grasp on where we are today.
In Part 1 of our new "Strategic Planning for the Future" series, Tony and Amy are explaining the four key elements to assessing the health of your ministry today.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode210.
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Given what our world has experienced over the last year and a half, we sensed now might be a good time to check in and see how teams are doing. So we surveyed over 1,100 church staff members from churches across the US, Canada, and even the United Kingdom.
This week, Tony and Amy discuss their key findings from the data released in this quarter's special edition of The Unstuck Church Report. You can subscribe to the quarterly report for free, or, if you're subscribed to the podcast show notes, we send it out to you for free, as well.
For the full episode transcript, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode209.
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If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 209] in your post for reference.
A healthy culture can help turbocharge your vision and make progress toward the calling that God has for your church. On the other hand, an unhealthy team culture will actually erode your vision and derail your strategy.
This week, listen in on a conversation between Tony Morgan and Lance Witt on building a healthy organizational culture, taken from our recent "Healthy & High-Performing Teams" masterclass.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode208.
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If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 208] in your post for reference.
The best teams are balanced teams. They aren't strong in one area and weak in another. They have an appropriate focus on both health and high-performance.
This week, Tony and Amy explain an imbalance many teams experience related to their natural strengths, why it matters, and how to fix it.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode207.
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If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 207] in your post for reference.
"On a scale of 0-10, how likely is it that you would recommend a friend or colleague to work on your church team?" You might be surprised by how the people on your staff team would answer that question.
This week, Tony and Amy are diving into what a Net Promoter Score is and how you can use it to improve the health and performance of your team.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode206.
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A lot of stuck churches have stuck teams. But healthy churches need leadership teams that are both healthy and high-performing. In this new podcast series, we’ll be working through three of the signs that your team is stuck.
This week, Tony and Amy are breaking down a recurring theme in team assessment results called the Fundamental Attribution Error, and explaining the effect it has on team health, team performance, and more.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode205.
Upcoming Subscriber Event
Are you a dedicated listener of our podcast? We'd love for you to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Then Tweet, DM, or email us (jordan@theunstuckgroup.com) a screenshot of your review. We'll grab your email address and invite you to our exclusive Podcast Coffee Hour event on August 13.
We recently hosted a virtual roundtable event called RE-ENGAGE: Carrying the Mission Forward in the New Normal where pastors from across North America got together to share the successes and challenges their churches are experiencing as they begin to reopen and re-engage.
In this episode, you'll hear the replay of that roundtable conversation and gain insights in the areas of attendance, giving, serving, political division, soul care, and more.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode204.
Upcoming Subscriber Event
Are you a dedicated listener of our podcast? We'd love for you to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Then Tweet, DM, or email us (jordan@theunstuckgroup.com) a screenshot of your review. We'll grab your email address and invite you to our exclusive Podcast Coffee Hour event on August 13.
Oftentimes in the busyness of our roles, our days get filled with the things that are urgent. We spend a lot of our time trying to do all the work of ministry by ourselves. But in the end, this only serves to stunt the potential growth and impact of our church.
This week, Tony and Amy were joined by Andrea Lathrop, Executive Pastor of Leadership Development at Oaks Church, to discuss the core shifts we need to make to develop and empower our leaders to do the ministry of the church.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode203.
Upcoming Subscriber Event
Are you a dedicated listener of our podcast? We'd love for you to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Then Tweet, DM, or email us (jordan@theunstuckgroup.com) a screenshot of your review. We'll grab your email address and invite you to our exclusive Podcast Coffee Hour event on August 13.
Most churches start with the same mission: reach new people for Jesus. But over time, this mission shifts from reaching the people on the outside to appeasing the people on the inside. Once this shift occurs, the church is headed toward decline.
This week, Tony sat down with Michael Moore, the Executive Pastor at Faith Chapel and consultant at The Unstuck Group, to discuss the ways his church has fought to overcome this internal-focus tendency, and how other church leaders can do the same.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode202.
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Out of the 15,000+ churches that have taken our Unstuck Church Assessment, about 85% self-assessed as being on the declining side of the lifecycle. So if you find yourself in one of these phases, you’re not alone.
This week, in the final part of our Ask This, Not That series, Tony and Amy are discussing the declining side of the lifecycle: maintenance, preservation, and life support. We’ll break down the characteristics of each of these phases, explain why churches often find themselves here, and give next steps for getting back to health.
For the full episode transcript, links mentioned during the show, and to download the Leader Conversation Guide, visit this episode's Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode201.
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