"Where did all our momentum go?"

We hear this question often from the multisite churches we serve. It is so common for a multisite church to get stuck at three locations. Having three locations is amazing and exciting, but if you are continuing to grow, it can suddenly feel very frustrating if your multisite model becomes the barrier to making room for new people.

In this episode, Sean and Amy break down a growth barrier that isn’t discussed often: the “MultiStuck” barrier. They talk about the common tensions multisite churches feel when they get stuck at two or three campuses and start to lose momentum, and they provide solutions to break through the barrier to move toward sustained health. 

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center:

Are you struggling to keep your church organized and connected?

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software that solves your administrative challenges. You can effortlessly track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules, and create easy ways for your congregation to get involved—all from a single platform. Whether you need a check-in system, event signups, or an online giving solution, Planning Center helps you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

Crossing the 2000 barrier isn’t just about adding more seats on Sunday.

This barrier represents a significant shift in how a church needs to operate. At this size, it’s common to see ministry silos develop and a realization that your leadership structure needs to evolve. As the leaders of the church, you have to make some changes to your mindset and to how you lead.

In this episode, Amy and Sean dig into what makes the 2000 barrier so challenging and why so many leaders feel the weight of it. They focus on helping you own your role by unpacking the mindset shifts that senior pastors, executive pastors and boards must make to lead effectively at this stage.

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center:

Are you struggling to keep your church organized and connected?

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software that solves your administrative challenges. You can effortlessly track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules, and create easy ways for your congregation to get involved—all from a single platform. Whether you need a check-in system, event signups, or an online giving solution, Planning Center helps you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

"I've never led a church this size before..."

If you are a senior pastor, executive pastor or board member, you’re not alone in thinking this. We hear church leaders say it all the time, as they wonder how they’re going to break through the next growth barrier.

We’re continuing our series on breaking common growth barriers, specifically helping church leaders in key seats to own their roles in getting the church over that next hurdle. In this episode, Amy and Sean talk about one of the hardest barriers to break through: the 1000 barrier. If you feel stuck around the 700 or 800 attendance mark and are ready for healthy, sustained growth, this episode is for you.

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center:

Are you struggling to keep your church organized and connected?

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software that solves your administrative challenges. You can effortlessly track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules, and create easy ways for your congregation to get involved—all from a single platform. Whether you need a check-in system, event signups, or an online giving solution, Planning Center helps you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

You know the story: the numbers rise then stall. Two steps forward, one step back. Maybe your church has a history of hovering around a number—a familiar attendance line you just can’t seem to cross. Or maybe a rapid growth season occurs, but eventually, something—people, systems, culture—plateaus the momentum and drifts you right back to where you started.

Sound familiar?

In this new series, we tackle the real reasons churches stall out and what it takes to lead past them. We’ll help you push past the barrier you’re facing now, and the one after that, by equipping the senior leaders of your church (lead pastor, executive pastor and board members) to own their unique roles. 

In this episode, the focus is on the 200 and 500 attendance barriers. Amy and Sean are joined by Chad Hunt, who has been on our consulting team since 2015 and has helped hundreds of churches navigate these barriers, to discuss how each senior leader can be equipped to break through.

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center:

Are you struggling to keep your church organized and connected?

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software that solves your administrative challenges. You can effortlessly track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules, and create easy ways for your congregation to get involved—all from a single platform. Whether you need a check-in system, event signups, or an online giving solution, Planning Center helps you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

The newest edition of The Unstuck Church Report is here! Over the past few years, our Unstuck Church Reports have told a pretty encouraging story. On average, churches are seeing double-digit growth. In fact, if you look back at the last 13 quarters, attendance growth has landed somewhere between 13% and 30%. Incredible!

But let’s be honest: not every church is experiencing that kind of momentum. Some are still stuck or even losing ground. In this episode, Sean and Amy explore what sets healthy, growing churches apart by breaking  down each section of the report: reach, connection, staffing & structure, and finances.

This Episode is Sponsored by MortarStone

MortarStone equips churches with actionable giving insights that drive real ministry impact.

Generosity is more than numbers—it’s discipleship, spiritual formation, and lasting Kingdom work. MortarStone combines powerful analytics, custom dashboards and real-time reporting to help you understand and grow your church’s giving. Confidently build budgets, forecast with accuracy and make informed decisions with tools designed for ministry. Plus, you’ll partner with a dedicated coach to create a tailored, data-informed strategy that supports your unique mission and goals.

Learn more and get started at mortarstone.com.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

As followers of Jesus, we're called to reach people outside of the faith. But doing so requires a strategy—both in the church and in your personal life.  We're wrapping up our series on communication challenges for churches with a conversation about communicating with outsiders—people outside the church and outside the faith. 

In this episode, Sean and Amy share some reality checks about outreach strategies. Plus, Amy catches up with Phil Taylor at PlainJoe about best practices in storytelling and branding through the lens of what connects with people outside the church. 

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center

Do the visitors at your church know exactly where to go and what to do when they visit for the first time? If you’re struggling to keep your church organized and connected, you need to check out Planning Center.

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software to  help you solve your church’s administrative challenges. You can easily do things like track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules and create ways for your congregation to get involved—all using a single platform. If you need a check-in system, event signups or an online giving solution, Planning Center can help you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

We’re getting into that busy back-to-school and ministry ramp-up season. If you have communication issues as a ministry, they will start showing up big time this time of year. 

When it comes to church communication, most leaders just try to reach everyone. But the truth is, you actually have two distinct audiences: insiders and outsiders. 

This week, we’re talking about your communication with your insiders—your congregation. 

In this episode, Amy caught up with Blue Van Dyke at Studio C. They talked about the need for churches to get better at communicating with insiders (especially at large churches where it can go so wrong) and shared practical ways it can get better. 

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center

Do the visitors at your church know exactly where to go and what to do when they visit for the first time? If you’re struggling to keep your church organized and connected, you need to check out Planning Center.

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software to  help you solve your church’s administrative challenges. You can easily do things like track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules and create ways for your congregation to get involved—all using a single platform. If you need a check-in system, event signups or an online giving solution, Planning Center can help you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

When you think August, you think busy.

For most churches, the ministry season ramps up as people return to church after the summer. It’s back-to-school for families, and people are getting overloaded by communication—from the schools, teachers, doctors, teams and YOU.

In this series, we’re tackling three areas where we believe churches could take it up a notch and be the best-in-class organization when it comes to how you communicate with both insiders and outsiders.

We’re kicking off this series by talking about internal communication. If staff/team communication is a mess, it’s nearly impossible to become excellent at communicating with the congregation, volunteers or people in the community. In this episode, Amy and Sean share areas where churches could improve communication with their staff. 

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center

Do the visitors at your church know exactly where to go and what to do when they visit for the first time? If you’re struggling to keep your church organized and connected, you need to check out Planning Center.

Planning Center is the all-in-one church management software to  help you solve your church’s administrative challenges. You can easily do things like track first-time guests, manage volunteer schedules and create ways for your congregation to get involved—all using a single platform. If you need a check-in system, event signups or an online giving solution, Planning Center can help you nurture your community and keep people connected.

Visit planningcenter.com to get started for free.

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

This summer, we’re changing things up. You’re on vacation; we’re on vacation. We all know how this goes. You probably have road trips, plane trips, maybe a sabbatical or some conferences to attend this month.

But ministry and leadership are still happening!

So this month, we are replaying the “hits” from the last six months: the best episodes. We’ll be back with fresh content next week, and we know you’ll be gearing up for back-to-school busyness. See you on the other side! We hope you enjoy these favorites from the first half of the year.

In this episode from our “Reach & Retain Strategies” series, Noah Herrin, lead pastor of Way Church in Nashville, shares insights from the remarkable journey of growing a church plant that primarily reaches Gen Z and Millennials. Noah shares how Way Church is addressing the crisis of meaning and purpose among younger generations through intentional community building and helping people discover their unique contributions to the church’s mission.

This Episode is Sponsored By: PlainJoe

Do the visitors at your church know exactly where to go and what to do when they visit for the first time?

If you don’t already have clear, beautifully designed wayfinding graphics and signage in your building, now is the time. The creative and talented team at PlainJoe, a Storyland Studio, are experts at creating placemaking signs and wayfinding markers that will tell your church’s unique story and point your people in the right direction – from the moment they arrive at your campus.

Learn more at plainjoestudios.com

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram. 

This summer, we’re changing things up. You’re on vacation; we’re on vacation. We all know how this goes. You probably have road trips, plane trips, maybe a sabbatical or some conferences to attend this month.

But ministry and leadership are still happening!

So this month, we are replaying the “hits” from the last six months: the best episodes. We’ll be back with fresh content in August, and we know you’ll be gearing up for back-to-school busyness. See you on the other side! We hope you enjoy these favorites from the first half of the year.

In this episode, Amy and Sean explore a common staffing oxymoron that all too many churches face: teams that are simultaneously understaffed and overstaffed. They unpack why churches often end up with misaligned staffing, what this tension feels like for different ministry areas and practical next steps for evaluating and addressing staffing imbalances.

This Episode is Sponsored By: PlainJoe

Do the visitors at your church know exactly where to go and what to do when they visit for the first time?

If you don’t already have clear, beautifully designed wayfinding graphics and signage in your building, now is the time. The creative and talented team at PlainJoe, a Storyland Studio, are experts at creating placemaking signs and wayfinding markers that will tell your church’s unique story and point your people in the right direction – from the moment they arrive at your campus.

Learn more at plainjoestudios.com

We use hashtag #unstuckchurch on X and on Instagram.