If you’ve ever felt like your church has good people… but the results feel inconsistent, this episode will help.

In Episode 203 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sit down with my buddy Alan for a coaching conversation on one of the most important leadership shifts a pastor can make:

Stop relying on programs—and start building systems.

Because at the end of the day, healthy growth isn’t an accident. It’s the result of clarity, accountability, and asking the right questions until you have real answers.

In this episode, we cover:

How to keep staff from “wandering out of their lane” (and why clarity fixes most of it)

The difference between passion drift vs expectation drift

When to build facilities—and why you should only build out of momentum and vision

Why “we shape the building… then the building shapes us”

How to stop hodgepodging programs and start designing discipleship with the end game in mind

Why desperate leaders reach for programs—and growing leaders build processes

The 7 questions every lead pastor and lead team must be able to answer (mission, values, leadership development, volunteers, generosity, etc.)

Why intuition isn’t duplicatable… but systems are

This is one of those practical episodes that will immediately sharpen how you lead your team, build culture, and move your church forward.

🎧 Listen to Episode 203 now and sit in on this coaching conversation.

And as always—make sure you check out churchboom.org.
You’ll find Church Boom University, coaching certification, the Church Boom Network, and tools designed to help you lead with confidence.

You’re not meant to do ministry alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

As Jeremy’s church moves from survival to sustainability—new building, construction, momentum—he asks a question that every growing leader must wrestle with:

Which leadership habits that served me early on still belong in this season… and which ones could now be holding us back?

This conversation is packed with clarity for pastors navigating growth, change, and increasing demands.

In this episode, we talk through:

• Why structure must change when the nature of your church changes
• How momentum can exaggerate strengths while hiding weaknesses
• The danger of measuring only attendance and offering
• How to measure activities that actually predict long-term health
• How to protect your heart as pressure and criticism increase
• The difference between being out of balance vs out of obedience
• Why leaders need both a mentor and a coach—and why they are not the same

If your church is growing—or you’re praying for growth—this episode will help you think more strategically about leadership, culture, and sustainability.

🎧 Listen to Episode 202 now and sit in on this coaching session.

And one more important reminder:

If you’re pastoring a church under 100, we’ve created something specifically for you.

We’re launching a coaching cohort designed to help churches break through the 100 barrier—and it is completely free. Ten months of coaching. A retreat. No cost to you.

If your church is under 100, go to churchboom.org, click on Cohorts, and sign up right away.

We would love to serve you, encourage you, and help you move into a healthy next season.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

When momentum shows up, it feels amazing.
But momentum can also hide what’s about to break.

That’s why Episode 204 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast is such an important conversation.

I sit down with my buddy Nathan (pastoring a great church in Ohio) to talk about how to bring out the best in your team—and how to keep getting better even when things are going well.

Nathan asks a question every leader needs to wrestle with:

How do you keep growing in seasons of momentum… instead of getting comfortable and plateauing again?

In this episode, we cover:

Why asking tough questions is one of the greatest leadership skills you can develop

The “Think Tank” rhythm: setting aside time to improve systems on purpose

A question that exposes weak systems fast: “If we doubled, what would break?”

Why leaders must resist stability and embrace disruption before the bell curve hits

How to raise leaders who stay strong when things get hard—not just when things are easy

Why every leader needs a growth plan (career path + accountability)

The difference between pioneers, builders, and maintainers—and how churches drift into maintenance

Practical framework for running a capital campaign with clarity and momentum

If you’re seeing momentum again—or praying for it—this episode will help you stay ahead of the curve and build leaders who can carry what’s coming next.

🎧 Listen to Episode 204 now and sit in on this coaching conversation.

And before you go—make sure you check out churchboom.org and sign up for Church Boom University.
You’ll get quarterly books, exclusive webinars, and masterclasses designed to help you grow as a leader and build with confidence.

You’re not meant to do ministry alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

How do you know when it’s time to start something new… and when it’s time to finally stop something that isn’t working?

That’s one of the toughest leadership tensions in ministry—because in church world, it’s easy to keep programs alive simply because we’re emotionally attached to them… or because a few influential people are attached to them.

In Episode 201 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I’m joined by my good friend Paul for a practical coaching conversation around a question every pastor eventually faces:

What does successful growth actually look like—and how do you measure it?

And from there, we dive straight into the big issue: When do you keep a ministry going… and when do you shut it down?

In this episode, we cover:

How to measure growth beyond just attendance and offering

Why you should measure the activity that produces results—not just the results

The key metrics that predict future growth: volunteers, leaders, first-time guests, small groups, and unique givers

The difference between being busy and being productive (and how churches confuse the two)

How to know if a ministry has natural momentum or manufactured momentum

Why some programs drain leadership energy with almost no Kingdom return

The “pilot it before you start it” principle (and why it saves you so much pain later)

What a healthy reboot or rebrand actually requires—beyond a name change

This one is full of wisdom for pastors trying to build with clarity, simplify what matters, and make leadership decisions without guilt or pressure.

🎧 Listen to Episode 201 now and sit in on this coaching conversation.

And if you’re a lead pastor who wants a place to belong—and a circle of other leaders to grow with—I want to personally invite you to check out the Church Boom Network at churchboom.org.

When you join the Network, you’ll connect monthly with a small group of pastors over Zoom, get access to live events and special opportunities, and grow alongside leaders who understand the weight you carry.

Leadership was never meant to be done alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

We just hit a major milestone—Episode 200 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast.And before I say anything else, I just want to say thank you.

Whether you’ve listened to one episode or all 200… whether you’ve shared the podcast, sent it to a friend, or applied the leadership principles in your ministry—I’m genuinely grateful. This podcast exists to serve pastors like you, and it’s because of your support that we’ve made it this far.

Now, for Episode 200, we’re tackling something that every leader feels—but not every leader knows how to address:

Have you ever realized you’re making leadership decisions based more on keeping people happy than moving the mission forward?

If so—you’re not alone.

In Episode 200, I’m joined by my good friend Hannah for an honest coaching conversation about one of the most common leadership traps pastors face: people pleasing—and the anxiety that often comes with it.

What I love about this session is Hannah’s transparency. She shares how her people-pleasing tendencies have started shaping her leadership culture—especially as she’s onboarding new leaders. And she asks a question every pastor needs to wrestle with:

How do you overcome people pleasing and anxiety as a lead pastor… without losing your heart for people?

In this episode, we cover:

How people pleasing quietly controls your leadership decisions

Why you’ll never outlive this struggle—you can only outgrow it

The truth about identity: where it really comes from when nobody’s watching

Why “your vision is for sale” when people pleasing takes over

How to discern the source of criticism (and when not to receive it)

Why busyness can create a false sense of productivity in your church

How churches become “busy but not productive”—and what to do instead

The In-N-Out principle: doing a few things exceptionally well instead of everything average

The difference between task-driven ministry and leader-multiplying culture

Why systems—not personality—are what sustain long-term growth

This one is packed with insight, conviction, and practical leadership clarity—especially if you’re leading in a smaller church context where relationships, giving, and criticism can feel personal.

🎧 Listen to Episode 200 now and sit in on this coaching conversation.

And one more time—thank you for being part of the Fly on the Wall Podcast journey. It means more than you know.

Before you go, if you’ve ever thought, “Could I coach pastors and leaders?” I want to personally invite you to check out the Church Boom Coaching Certification Program at churchboom.org.

It’s 100% digital, you go at your own pace, and it’s helping leaders build a second chapter of ministry—and even a second income stream.

You can become a coach. And we’d love to help you do it.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

What do you do when giving is up… but you’re still living week to week?

That’s the exact tension we unpack in this week’s Fly on the Wall Podcast. In this live coaching conversation, I sit down with my good friend Pastor Aaron—who’s experiencing rapid growth and incredible generosity in his church… but is also feeling financial pressure he didn’t expect.

And here’s the twist: the money is coming in. It’s just not landing where it needs to land.

In Episode 198, we talk about how pastors can lead their church into financial health without sounding like, “You’re doing this wrong,” or communicating, “All we want is your money.”

More importantly—we talk about how to build systems that prevent these problems from happening in the first place.

In this episode, we cover:

Why “the battle is won or lost in the resources”

How project-based giving can accidentally replace tithing (even in generous churches)

How to redirect giving without creating mistrust or guilt

Why every church needs a Generosity Calendar (and what it actually looks like)

The power of “one bucket giving” (missions / local / national / global) and why it works

How to “know the state of your flock” and break down giving tiers for better discipleship

Why momentum hides weakness—and how to get ahead of the leadership lid

Developing leaders with a system (not intuition), so your growth doesn’t outpace your structure

This is a practical, honest episode for pastors leading fast-growing churches—and it will absolutely help you think strategically about how to fuel vision without living in financial anxiety.

🎧 Listen to Episode 198 now and sit in on this coaching conversation.

And if you’re craving leadership community and tools that help you build systems like these, I want to personally invite you to check out Church Boom University at churchboom.org.

You’ll get quarterly books sent to you, exclusive webinars, masterclasses, and a platform to connect with other pastors and leaders who are building what God has called them to build—without doing it alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

Have you ever felt the tension of leading others… while still serving someone over you?

In Episode 198 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sit down with my good friend Pastor Joe for a powerful coaching conversation on the tension between the first chair and second chair—and how to build a team culture that balances care and candor.

Because healthy teams don’t just feel supportive… they also tell the truth.

In this episode, we talk through:

• Why every healthy team must balance care + candor
• What happens when you have care without candor (dysfunction)
• What happens when you have candor without care (distance)
• How to have hard conversations without being harsh
• A practical approach to candor that lowers defensiveness and restores alignment
• How to lead up and lead down at the same time
• Why second-chair leaders often carry first-chair responsibility—and the tension that creates
• How to create a culture where your team feels safe to share ideas (best idea wins)
• The difference between compliance and true alignment

If you’re leading in any capacity—lead pastor, associate pastor, staff leader, or key volunteer—this conversation will help you build stronger relationships, a healthier culture, and a better team.

🎧 Listen to Episode 198 now and sit in on this coaching session.

And don’t forget to check out churchboom.org for coaching, Church Boom Network, Church Boom University, and resources designed to help you grow and lead with confidence.

Cheering you on,
Chris Sonksen
CEO & Founder, Church Boom
Host, Fly on the Wall Podcast

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

If you could sit down with a seasoned leader and ask, “What do you wish you had known earlier?”—this episode is exactly that conversation.

In Episode 197 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I’m joined by my good friend Pastor John Martin, Assistant Superintendent for the Southern California Assemblies of God and former lead pastor of a large multi-site church. This is a wisdom-filled, honest discussion shaped by decades of leadership experience.

We talk about the things leaders rarely say out loud—but deeply feel.

In this episode, we cover:

What Pastor John wishes he had known as a younger leader

How to recognize when staff members are losing passion or energy

The difference between spiritual exhaustion and role misalignment

Why passion leaks when calling and assignment drift apart

How to have non-corrective, non-urgent conversations that restore leaders

What to do when churches are growing faster than finances or staffing

Why leadership development—not money—is usually the real bottleneck

How to lower the bar to serve without lowering the bar to lead

We also dive into reframing common leadership problems, shifting from pastoring everyone to pastoring leaders, and building systems that can actually sustain growth.

This episode is thoughtful, practical, and deeply pastoral. If you’re leading people through changing seasons—or navigating one yourself—you’ll walk away encouraged and better equipped.

🎧 Listen to Episode 197 now and sit in on this coaching conversation.

And if you’re craving leadership community and ongoing growth, I want to personally invite you to explore the Church Boom Network at churchboom.org. We gather monthly, grow together, and remind each other that leadership was never meant to be done alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

What do you do when your church feels stuck—and your heart feels tired?

In Episode 196 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sit down with my good friend David Espinoza for a powerful and honest coaching conversation that hits two realities every long-term leader eventually faces: breaking through growth barriers and dealing with the pain that comes with leadership.

David pastors a nearly 100-year-old church and has faithfully led through decades of consistency—but like many leaders, he’s asking the right question: What has to change if we’re going to move forward?

In this episode, we talk through:

Why what got you to 600 won’t get you to 1,000

The leadership shifts required to break growth ceilings

Moving from pastor-led to team- and system-led leadership

The importance of mid-level leaders and defined pathways

How to heal from betrayal, forgive well, and keep your focus on your court

Why delayed conflict always costs more in the end

How obedience—not balance—protects your calling long-term

This conversation is both strategic and deeply pastoral. If you’re carrying the weight of leadership, navigating growth tension, or working through pain you didn’t ask for, this episode will meet you right where you are.

🎧 Listen to Episode 196 now and sit in on this live coaching session.

And if you’re hungry to grow as a leader, be sure to check out everything available at churchboom.org—from coaching to community to leadership development. Leaders are learners, and you don’t have to figure this out alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.

How do you stay spiritually grounded when the weight of leadership feels heavy—and the pressure never really lets up?

In Episode 196 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sit down with my friend Brandon for a rich, honest conversation about the personal and spiritual life of a leader. This episode goes beneath strategies and systems and straight into the inner life that sustains everything else.

We talk about calling, confidence, fear, prayer, gratitude, and what it actually looks like to walk with God when no one else is watching.

In this episode, we explore:

• How leaders first recognize God’s calling on their life—and why others calling it out matters
• Why you can’t wait until pressure hits to get spiritually grounded
• The long, unseen work of becoming rooted before storms come
• How gratitude reshapes prayer and deepens reliance on God
• Why authenticity matters more than performance in today’s church
• What leaders need more of—and less of—in this generation

This conversation is reflective, pastoral, and deeply encouraging. If you’ve ever felt the tension of leadership, wrestled with fear, or wondered how to sustain a healthy inner life over the long haul, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen to Episode 196 now and sit in on this meaningful coaching conversation.

And if you’re longing to grow as a leader—or help other leaders grow—be sure to check out Church Boom University and our Coaching Certification at churchboom.org. Leaders are learners, and you were never meant to lead alone.

👍🏼 Follow us on social media
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/church.boom
+ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mychurchboom
+ Website: https://www.churchboom.org

👋 About Us
Fly on the Wall Podcast, presented by Church Boom, takes pastors into a live coaching session with Chris Sonksen, CEO & Founder of Church Boom. Each episode features a pastor, just like you, as they share the challenges they face and get practical advice on how to overcome them.