The Unstuck Church Podcast with Amy Anderson
The Unstuck Group
With THE UNSTUCK CHURCH PODCAST, we invite you into the real-time conversations our team is having about church leadership every week.
Hosted by Amy Anderson, this podcast explores common challenges in ministry and practical steps for tackling them. It's like getting to be a fly on the wall of our staff meetings.
Tune in weekly for:
Insights, observations and trends for church leaders from the Unstuck team.
Benchmarks in church growth and health from The Unstuck Group's work serving hundreds churches across North America each year.
Practical advice to help you lead your church towards sustained health.
We think that after listening to The Unstuck Church Podcast, you'll want to start these discussions with your own team at your next staff meeting.
Add your thoughts to the conversation on social media using #unstuckchurch.
Hosted by Amy Anderson, this podcast explores common challenges in ministry and practical steps for tackling them. It's like getting to be a fly on the wall of our staff meetings.
Tune in weekly for:
Insights, observations and trends for church leaders from the Unstuck team.
Benchmarks in church growth and health from The Unstuck Group's work serving hundreds churches across North America each year.
Practical advice to help you lead your church towards sustained health.
We think that after listening to The Unstuck Church Podcast, you'll want to start these discussions with your own team at your next staff meeting.
Add your thoughts to the conversation on social media using #unstuckchurch.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Aug 29, 2018 • 25min
Become a Church That Gets Stuff Done - Episode 57
Sunday's always coming. You've heard it said. You may have said it yourself, frustrated with the lack of progress your team makes on the ministry's plans. But is it just that? Or is it that another meeting's always coming? Or that decision rights are confused? Or that key members of the team manage projects with Post-It Notes instead of an effective system? In this episode, Tony and Amy outline 4 proactive steps taken by teams that execute really well. (And there's a bonus fifth thing those teams DON'T do.) This episode shares a ton of resources that will help you get more stuff done. Don't miss out! Find the resources from Episode 57, including links to the tools mentioned during the show, in the Episode Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/episode57.
Aug 28, 2018 • 25min
Carey Nieuwhof: The Cynicism Problem & Antidote - Episode 56
We get into ministry full of hope. But something happens along the way, and we don't see it coming: We become cynical leaders. We let ourselves project past failures onto the future. We get stuck in our own heads. In this bonus episode, Tony Morgan interviews Carey Nieuwhof about leadership setbacks, ministry burnout, and a wonderful aspect of life we give up when we let ourselves become cynics. Find more resources from Episode 56, including links mentioned during the episode and bonus material, in the Episode Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/56.
Aug 22, 2018 • 18min
Thom Rainer on How to Become a Welcoming Church - Episode 55
Friendly, but not welcoming. That's how Thom Rainer describes the situation at a lot of churches. And he would know—as the current CEO of Lifeway, in addition to his time leading Rainer Group, pastoring a church, serving as a dean at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and authoring more than two dozen books, he has a unique vantage point. Tony and Thom discuss common barriers preventing churches from becoming welcoming, why small churches have a welcoming advantage, and how to better serve first-timers in the moment when they feel most awkward at church. Find more resources from Episode 55, including links mentioned during the episode and bonus material, in the Episode Show Notes at theunstuckgroup.com/55.
Aug 15, 2018 • 15min
5 Ways to Help the Driver Drive | The Unstuck Church Podcast | Episode 54
How do you adjust to whoever is leading your team? Do you refuse to change your leadership style? Or do you lean into what that leader has for you? In this episode, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson switch places as Tony interviews Amy about what it's like to work for someone with a "driver" personality. She explains five ways to adjust to these types of leaders and why being adaptable ultimately strengthens your church.
Aug 8, 2018 • 16min
When the Lead Pastor Sits in the Driver's Seat | Episode 53
Do you have a driver in the driver's seat? In Episode 47, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson described the 4 types of leaders they often see on church staff teams. This week they take a deeper look into what it means to have someone wired as a "driver" serving as the lead pastor, and how it affects both that leader and the rest of the people on the team. Tony also shares some common blindspots for drivers, and 3 practical tips for overcoming them to lead a healthier team.
Aug 1, 2018 • 20min
6 Ways to Solve Your Communication Problems | Episode 52
Whenever our team at The Unstuck Group is working with a church, the churches almost always mention their problems with internal communication. Over the years we have found that if you think you're having a communication issue, it's probably just masking a different problem that your church is facing. In this episode of The Unstuck Church Podcast, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson discuss what these root issues are and how to solve them.
Jul 25, 2018 • 20min
The Greatest Hits - Episode 51
50 episodes of The Unstuck Church Podcast, in the books. We're taking a look back at the 5 most downloaded episodes to date, and Tony and Amy share a few new thoughts on those most popular topics. 3 Roles a Senior Pastor Can't Delegate - Episode 16 How to End Mediocre Weekend Experiences - Episode 28 Church Structure: Optimizing for Growth - Episode 24 Pruning: 3 Ministry Areas to Tackle - Episode 23 4 Shifts to Revitalize a Church - Episode 21
Jul 18, 2018 • 16min
Put Your Money Where Your Crowd Is | Episode 50
When planning your annual budget, it can be easy to want to give all of your ministry areas the same amount of funding. However, like Tony points out in this week's episode, "life isn't fair." When planning your budget, you need to strategically plan where you're going to allocate funds and how much you want to spend. In the 50th episode of The Unstuck Church Podcast, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson explain the Biblical principles behind budgeting and how to utilize them in your church.
Jul 11, 2018 • 17min
4 Barriers to Engaging Your Volunteers | Episode 49
The Bible teaches church leaders that they must equip God's people to do His work. A church that is not properly engaging with its volunteers is a church not walking in its full God-given calling. In this episode, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson discuss the four main barriers they see in churches when it comes to enlisting, utilizing and equipping healthy volunteers within the church body.
Jul 5, 2018 • 17min
How to Increase Your Leadership Capacity | Episode 48
While it's not something we like to admit, at some point we have to face the facts: God did not create everyone to be a leader. And for those of us who are leaders, we are gifted to lead in various capacities. However, God gives us opportunities to grow and stretch our leadership abilities. In this week's episode, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson explain how to identify, label and increase your staff's leadership capacities.
