Why do churches get stuck? Tony Morgan visits dozens of stuck churches every year and helps them get unstuck. He shares his findings and shares some top learnings on how to get your church moving again.
Welcome to Episode 108 of the Podcast.
Guest Links: Tony Morgan
Tony on Facebook.
Tony on Twitter.
Tony Morgan Live (Tony’s website)
The Unstuck Group (Tony’s organization)
The Unstuck Group on Facebook.
The Unstuck Group on Twitter.
Links Mentioned
High-Impact Church Boards: How to Develop Healthy, Intentional, and Empowered Church Leaders by T.J. Addington
3 Things from this Episode
Tony has found a few surprises in his analysis of how the church is operating. For one, there is more than one way to do church, and two, larger churches are making a positive difference in communities.
At some point, however, the megachurch will start to plateau because people will gravitate toward smaller gatherings where there is a higher perceived value on relationship.
Tony tells us what churches can do to prevent becoming “stuck.”
- Identify your target audience. When you can hone in on who you want to attract to your church, you become intentional about who you want to reach. Focusing a specific demographic doesn’t create an exclusive church thought. It actually reaches the friends and families of that intended targeted. But you need to start with one focused audience first.
- Find balance between discipleship and evangelism. This has traditionally been polarizing among churches, but a blend of these produces healthy outlook. Every church is going to be different, but a church needs to define their position up front and re-visit their strategy, where people are in the church within each path and if their outcomes are matching their strategy. Churches that focus more on evangelism than discipleship tend to be more effective.
- Focus on these five concepts. Tony says there are five concepts that are common among churches that are stuck.
- They lack clarity. It’s more than having a mission statement; you must have a vision and strategy. There is usually a gap around a specific clarity around where God is calling your church 5 years from now.
- There’s no clear discipleship path. It’s going to look different in every church, but it’s important that there’s a well established path.
- They’re inward focused. They focus on who’s already in the church rather than who’s outside of the faith.
- They’re complex. Churches who are stuck tend to be more complex. Healthier churches have more focus.
- They have weak leadership. People without the leadership gift are in positions of leadership, yet there are gifted leaders who aren’t empowered to lead. To be more effective, reverse that.
Quotes from this Episode
CNLP 108: Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck…and How to Get Your Church Moving Again Click To Tweet
CNLP 108: Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck…and How to Get Your Church Moving Again Click To Tweet
CNLP 108: Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck…and How to Get Your Church Moving Again Click To Tweet
CNLP 108: Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck…and How to Get Your Church Moving Again Click To Tweet
CNLP 108: Tony Morgan on Why Churches Get Stuck…and How to Get Your Church Moving Again Click To Tweet
The Lasting Impact Team Edition
The team edition is a compilation of eight videos designed to allow the teams in your church follow along as a supplement to the book. I highlight key points from the material and discuss additional hot topics that relate to your ministry.
