In this episode we explain what our format will beas we review important church reports once a month. Today we will look into The Unstuck Group's Q3 2025 Church Health Report. This data-driven conversation challenges common assumptions about church decline and reveals encouraging trends that every church leader needs to understand.

We explore surprising findings from 250 churchesranging from 100 to 12,000 in weekend attendance, uncovering insights that contradict popular narratives about the state of the American church. From the 11% increase in weekly attendance to the rising engagement of Gen Z churchgoers, this episode provides a reality check grounded in hard data rather than anecdotal stories.

Key topics include the shift in worship styles across growing churches, the critical importance of online presence as a"lead indicator" for growth, and the unexpected relationship between church staffing levels and growth. The discussion also tackles sensitive subjects like generational giving patterns, the role of debt in church growth, and why younger generations care more about ministry impact than building aesthetics.

We have included The Unstuck Group's Q3 2025 Church Health Report here https://2343950.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2343950/Unstuck%20Church%20Report/The%20Unstuck%20Church%20Report_Q3%202025.pdf . As well as  the Barna Article

https://www.barna.com/trends/church-attendance-women-men/ for any of those that would like to access what wehave discussed on today’s episode!

00:00 - Welcome & Introduction to New Format

02:30 - Why Data Matters for Ministry Decisions

05:00 - The Unstuck Group Report Overview (Q3 2025)

07:15 - MAJOR FINDING: 11% Increase in Weekly Attendance

10:00 - Gen Z Coming Back to Church Discussion

12:30 - Reality Check: Matching Our Stories to Data

14:45 - Church Size Breakdown (What This Means for Smaller Churches)

18:00 - Online Service Views Up 22% - Why This Matters

21:30 - Online Presence as a "Lead Indicator" for Growth

24:00 - The Great Worship Style Debate: Contemporary vs Traditional

29:15 - Are We Married to Methods or Mission?

32:00 - Small Groups & Ministry Connection Trends

36:30 - Future Church Concept: Home Groups vs Building Programs

42:00 - Volunteer Engagement Rising to 37%

45:26 - SHOCKING: The Staffing Myth Debunked

50:00 - Ministry Finances & The Giving Crisis

53:13 - The Inflation Factor: Are You Really Growing?

57:00 - Younger Generations: Impact Over Infrastructure

01:00:15 - Final Thoughts & Encouragement

Be sure to join us here every Friday to hear the latest episode from 'Desert Well'! You can also watch this week's episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/0bAvDayQXOI. You can listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/desert-well/id1823028492.