The Unstuck Church Podcast with Amy Anderson

How do we DO this? That's the question we're hearing. The shift from analog to digital ministry is one of the biggest ministry strategy shifts churches are having to make right now.  We reported in our special edition of the Q2 2020 Unstuck Church Report, that 70% of larger churches told us they thinking about how their staffing structure may need to shift permanently to prepare for the new normal. But when we talk to pastors personally, you’re all asking us the same thing: How do we do this? And the hard part is, there aren’t really many examples out there. So as we’ve been helping churches process how to move forward, we’ve come back to a tried-and-true approach to evaluating and implementing any key ministry strategy shift. In this episode, Tony and Amy walk you through 6 steps (and the right sequence of those steps!) to effectively lead your ministry through any major strategy shift, and particularly, from analog to digital. 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/episode151. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 151] in your post for reference.

Annual reviews. Grading on a fuzzy 10-point scale. Infrequent 1-on-1 meetings... we've all be on the receiving end of an ineffective performance management system. Is there a better way? Does performance management even belong on church staff teams? Pastors frequently tell us they weren't taught the skills to lead an organization in seminary. When teams are small, it’s easy to lead the staff and keep everyone on the same page. But as a team gets larger, pastors do need new tools to keep the team aligned, productive and growing in their skills and abilities. In Part 2 of this series on staff leadership issues, Tony and Amy discuss the best system and practices we've seen in churches that effectively manage performance and execute at a high level—and spoiler alert! It's actually very simple. 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/episode150. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 150] in your post for reference.

Frustration, silos, turf wars and inaction... There might just be a fuzzy decison-making process in your organization. The good news? These are all solvable problems with clear decision rights. In moments of crisis, it's wholly appropriate for the leader to make more decisions. But now it's time to start shifting to a more collaborative approach to leadership—or you're going to limit the impact that your organization can have in the months and the years going forward. In Part 1 of a two-part series on staff leadership issues, Tony and Amy discuss this issue of “who gets to make what decisions,” which we find is a challenge with almost every church we coach. 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/episode149. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 149] in your post for reference.

We're back from our brief podcast hiatus! And we've got lots of NEW data and stories to share. We recently partnered with Blackbaud for a special edition of our quarterly research report, The Unstuck Church Report. More than 550 churches shared with us how they're continuing to respond to the coronavirus crisis. There was some good news: Churches seem to be finding themselves in a better financial position than they previously anticipated. Online engagement remains strong compared to pre-pandemic in-person attendance. And, though most churches have not re-opened for in person services, many are planning on reopening their buildings for weekend services soon. But there were also a number of things we found alarming, particularly as we consider the long-term ramifications of what we're experiencing right now. In this episode, Tony and Amy discuss the findings of the survey—along with anecdotal findings from our work helping 50+ churches navigate ministry strategy in the last couple of months—and we share our take on what all of it is telling us about what's coming and how we should be preparing. 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/episode148. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 148] in your post for reference.

Learn about the essential components of creating alignment within a church organization, including maintaining clarity on ministry priorities, setting strategic action plans, and aligning organizational goals with ministry objectives for success.

Explore the importance of church direction in strategic alignment to ensure unity and focus. Learn how to clarify directional levels and adjust as seasons change. Understand the significance of aligning goals with the church's vision for success. Evaluate over-programming, alignment with mission, and cost-effectiveness.

Discover how to build alignment in your church team by defining foundational core beliefs, clarifying mission, and adapting strategies for the digital age. Explore the Strategic Alignment Pyramid tool to unify your team and reignite your ministry methods for a clear mission and priorities.

Overwhelming and confusing—the words pastors have been using when they talk to us about measuring online engagement. It feels like everyone has been talking about what to measure for the last few weeks, and somehow, it's not getting clearer. Here's our take: Churches should give the most attention to tracking things that help them make decisions and lead to wins with the bigger picture ministry goals. Not sure how to do that? In this episode, Tony and Amy interview Tiffany Deluccia, The Unstuck Group’s director of sales and marketing, to shed some light on how to reframe—and simplify—the wins for measuring engagement. 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/episode144. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 144] in your post for reference.

There’s a lot of change happening in our world right now, and likely a lot more to come. As leaders, we have to be ready to change our ministry strategy, while holding true to our responsibilities as leaders. In this episode, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson are diving into the 4 roles a senior pastor can't delegate (ever), and why you need to bring them back into focus TODAY, given what our churches have experienced during recent weeks.  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/episode143. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 143] in your post for reference.

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?” It 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 capitalizing on what God’s teaching us during this interruption. And—this present crisis is accelerating trends related to attendance, giving and engagement we saw emerging before it started.  In this episode, Tony and Amy share seven shifts we think pastors will need to begin leading now for their churches to thrive in the future. 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/episode142. Join the Live Conversation on Social Media If you're listening on Wednesday, when the episode first releases, join the live conversation The Unstuck Group's team will be having on social media about this week's topic. We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on Twitter. Or you can join in on Facebook. Ask your questions and add your comments about the topic. If you're catching this episode later, you can still join in! Just tag us @unstuckgroup or use #unstuckchurch, and include [episode 142] in your post for reference.