The Unstuck Church Podcast with Amy Anderson – Details, episodes & analysis

Many of you have already heard of Tony Morgan's passing on the morning of Wednesday, September 4, 2024, after suffering a heart attack two days before and battling with all his strength.

But we wanted you to hear it from our voices.

This is a tribute to the best boss we ever had, the leader who practiced what he preached, and the man who loved Jesus and His church. In this short episode, Sean, Tiffany, and Amy share the statement released by The Unstuck Group, along with some updates on the future of the podcast. 

It's been an unspeakably difficult week. Thank you for all your kind words and prayers. Please continue to lift up Emily and all of Tony's kids in prayer, and the Unstuck team too. 

The Morgan family has published Tony's obituary and asked us to share it with you. 

We will be celebrating the life and the legacy that Tony lived on September 19th at 11:00 am Eastern at his church, North Point Community Church.

If you choose to attend, please wear anything but black clothes, because this is a celebration—celebration of the life he lived and the impact that we will continue to carry throughout our lives.

If you plan to attend the service, please bring a handwritten or typed note with a memory of Tony or a description of the impact he had on your life. Notes will be displayed on a memory board at the reception following the service, and treasured forever by the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that you make a donation in support of a cause close to Tony’s heart: developing the next generation to lead unstuck churches. You can donate here to a fund established to provide scholarships for young pastors to participate in leadership training through The Unstuck Group.

If a church is engaging young families, it’s pretty easy to see. What’s less obvious to the outside observer is all the decisions they have made to become a church that parents and kids want to attend—what it really takes.

There’s much more to it than curriculum, facilities or finding the right staff, and through this series, we are going to unpack all of what goes into it.

In this first episode, we explore why reaching young families needs to be a priority and the tensions we know pastors are feeling around it.

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/episode364.

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center:

An all-in-one software to help you organize your ministries and care for your church.

With an easy-to-use platform of products, you can bring people together with event signups, room and resource reservations, automatic volunteer scheduling, and much more.

Start using it for free now at planningcenter.com.

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 X. Or you can join in on Facebook.

Before the pandemic, we typically saw 45% to 50% of all adults and students serving on a volunteer team at least monthly. Our most recent data shows churches reporting only 35% are serving today.

In the first episode of this series on "Serving as Spiritual Formation," we talked about some of the most common mistakes churches make with their volunteer engagement strategy that are contributing to that shortage of volunteers. But in this second episode, we’re going to look at the structural mistakes churches make that lead to low volunteer engagement.

Tony and Amy talk about the structure of churches that engage the most volunteers in serving roles, and specifically, how this needs to be considered a spiritual formation issue.

This episode is brought to you by Planning Center:

An all-in-one software to help you organize your ministries and care for your church.

With an easy-to-use platform of products, you can bring people together with event signups, room and resource reservations, automatic volunteer scheduling, and much more.

Start using for free now at planningcenter.com.

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 X. Or you can join in on Facebook.

Bylaws and board policies may not be the most exciting topic, but they do play a key role in helping your church board operate effectively. 

In this episode, David Middlebrook from The Church Lawyers joins us to discuss common governance mistakes churches make, the three fiduciary duties of a church board member, and encouragement for making positive change in your church.

This Episode is Sponsored by BELAY

BELAY’s modern staffing solutions have been helping busy church leaders delegate important details for over a decade. BELAY is offering its latest book, Lead Anyone From Anywhere, to our listeners for free. To learn more, visit belaysolutions.com.

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.

The best volunteer engagement strategies will only work within the right governance framework.

In this episode, Sean and Tony unpack three strategies to tackle governance problems and encourage more people to move from meetings into ministry. 

Webinar: How to Get Your Church Governance Unstuck

On December 1, Tony Morgan, Amy Anderson, and special guests will help you identify the governance issues that may be holding your church back from healthy growth in 2023. Register for free now!

This Episode is Sponsored by BELAY

BELAY’s modern staffing solutions have been helping busy church leaders delegate important details for over a decade. BELAY is offering its latest book, Lead Anyone From Anywhere, to our listeners for free. To learn more, visit belaysolutions.com. 

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/episode271.

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.

More often than not, when a church is stuck because of their governance model, the issues come back to lack of role clarity for both the board and the staff. 

This week, we’ll discuss how churches can empower their pastor and staff by clarifying the qualifications for board members and role of the board itself.

Webinar: How to Get Your Church Governance Unstuck

On December 1, Tony Morgan, Amy Anderson, and special guests will help you identify the governance issues that may be holding your church back from healthy growth in 2023. Register for free now!

This Episode is Sponsored by Horizons Stewardship

Horizons Stewardship is a team of generosity specialists, coaching professionals, and ministry strategists. Their data-informed strategies have helped thousands of churches raise billions for over three decades. Visit nextlevelgenerosity.com today to learn more.

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/episode270.

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.

In our work with hundreds of churches, we’ve found time and time again that poor governance structures lead to stuck churches.

In part one of our new series on "Effective Church Boards & Governance Models," Tony and Amy will be unpacking four common church board mistakes—and explaining how boards and governance models can instead be designed to encourage unity rather than division. 

Webinar: How to Get Your Church Governance Unstuck

On December 1, Tony Morgan, Amy Anderson, and special guests will help you identify the governance issues that may be holding your church back from healthy growth in 2023. Register for free now!

This Episode is Sponsored by ServeHQ

ServeHQ has simple video training courses to help you equip volunteers and develop leaders. You can create your own training or use their video library, and you can even automate next steps to onboard new people. Check it out at ServeHQ.church.

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/episode269.

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 269] in your post for reference.

Most of us don't need more teaching and study on what Jesus modeled for us—we need more opportunities to put into practice what we've already learned.

In this episode, Tony and Amy explain why (rather than focusing on providing more education) the healthiest churches balance both reach and discipleship strategies—and share some practical ideas of how your church can, too.

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center

Planning Center is all-in-one church management software where you can organize your ministries and give your congregants a place to connect and get involved. Learn what else you can do at planningcenter.com and get a 30-day free trial to start exploring for yourself!

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/episode268.

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 268] in your post for reference.

While clarifying direction for the future is critical to the health of your church, traditional vision statements are not always helpful—especially in this particular season.

In this episode, Tony and Amy explain why most church vision statements fall short and offer something more important if you want to get unstuck and move the mission forward.

Register for "Finding Momentum" on October 20

At this free one-hour event, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson will teach you how to kickstart momentum and healthy growth in your church in 2023. It's not too late—Register now!

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center

Planning Center is all-in-one church management software where you can organize your ministries and give your congregants a place to connect and get involved. Learn what else you can do at planningcenter.com and get a 30-day free trial to start exploring for yourself!

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/episode267.

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 267] in your post for reference.

Your culture will do more to impact the fulfillment of your mission than whether or not you have clearly articulated core values.

In Part 2 of our series, Tony and Amy discuss their experience with church core values statements—and explain a much more critical foundation for creating healthy, thriving churches.

Register NOW for "Finding Momentum" on October 20

At this free one-hour event, Tony Morgan and Amy Anderson will teach you how to kickstart momentum and healthy growth in your church in 2023. Register now.

This Episode is Sponsored by Planning Center

Planning Center is all-in-one church management software where you can organize your ministries and give your congregants a place to connect and get involved. Learn what else you can do at planningcenter.com and get a 30-day free trial to start exploring for yourself!

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/episode266.

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 266] in your post for reference.