Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen
Be a “Fly on the Wall” as Chris Sonksen takes you behind the scenes on a coaching call with a ministry leader. In each episode, you’ll get to hear how a coaching call happens, practical tips on how to grow your ministry, and what it takes to be a healthy leader in today's culture. You'll get to be a "fly on the wall" and listen to a live coaching session between Chris and a church leader like yourself.
Episodes
220 episodes
213 | How to Shape the Culture of Your Church
Culture isn’t built by accident.It’s shaped—intentionally or unintentionally—by what you emphasize every single week.In Episode 213 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris sits down with Brent to tackle one of the most important (...
212 | Change Your Thinking, Change Your Ministry
If nothing changes… nothing changes.That sounds obvious—but it’s exactly where a lot of churches get stuck.In Episode 212 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris sits down with JJ to talk about something deeper than strategy, syst...
211 | The Real Reason Your Church Feels Stuck
Ever feel like your church is growing… but not actually moving forward?You see new people come.You feel momentum building.And then somehow… it slips back again.In Episode 211 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris si...
210 | What Thriving Churches Are Actually Doing Differently
What separates churches that are truly thriving… from those that are just getting by?In Episode 210 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris sits down with Justin to unpack what he’s seeing across churches of every size—and the patte...
209 | The Courage to Grow Into Your Next Level
Growth doesn’t just require new strategy… it requires new courage.Because the very things that helped you grow early on can quietly become the things that hold you back from your next level.That’s what we unpack in Episode 209 ...
208 | New Growth Requires a New Way of Thinking
Growth is exciting… but it also creates new challenges you can’t solve with old thinking.Because what got you here won’t always get you to where you’re going next.That’s the focus of Episode 208 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast
207 | Leadership Pain, Loyalty, and Finding the Right Leaders
Leadership can be incredibly rewarding… and incredibly painful.Because if you’ve led long enough, you’ve experienced it—people you invested in walk away, criticism hits harder than expected, and it becomes tempting to pull back inste...
206 | Developing Leaders and Planning for What’s Next
You don’t build a great church by accident—you build it by developing the right leaders.And just as important… knowing what happens next.That’s the focus of Episode 206 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, where I sit d...
205 | Why Churches Grow… But People Don’t Stay
Growth is exciting… but retention is where health is proven.Because once your church starts attracting people, the next question becomes:How do you close the back door—so people don’t drift out as fast as they came in?T...
204 | Resist Stability—Embrace Disruption
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 g...
203 | Systems Beat Programs—Every Time
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 ...
202 | The Changes Required to Reach the Next Level
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… an...
204 | Resist Stability—Embrace Disruption
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 g...
201 | When to Start Ministries—and When to Stop 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 ...
200 | Overcoming People Pleasing as a Leader
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 fri...
199 | Solving Your Church’s Money Issues
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 expe...
198 | Leading Well in the Second Chair
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 ...
197 | What I Wish I’d Known Sooner as a Leader
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, As...
196 | Breaking Growth Barriers—and Healing Leadership Pain
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 ...
195 | Staying Grounded When Leadership Gets Heavy
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 conversatio...
REPLAY: Episode 173 | Coaching That Builds Culture, Not Just Teams
We’re revisiting one of the most listened-to episodes of the entire year on the Fly on the Wall Podcast—because it hit a nerve in the best way.In Episode 173, Chris Sonksen sits down with Pastor Rob for a powerful, behind-the-scen...
REPLAY: Episode 162 | Building Leaders and Streamlining Staff
Join Chris Sonksen for one of the most listened-to episodes of the year on the Fly on the Wall Podcast, featuring a powerful deep dive into leadership development and effective hiring strategies with special guest, Pastor Vince Cooper. T...
REPLAY: Episode 180 | What Growing Churches Often Miss—and Stuck Churches Must Fix
Momentum is a powerful gift—but it can also be deceiving.That’s why we’re bringing back one of the most listened-to episodes of the entire year on the Fly on the Wall Podcast. In Episode 180, I sit down with my good friend Chris N...
REPLAY: Episode 181| Want More First-Time Guests? Start Here.
You’re doing the work. Preaching your heart out. Leading your team. Pouring into your people.But if your first-time guest numbers are low, you may be fighting a quiet drift—and growth can stall before you even realize it.That’s wh...
REPLAY: Episode 148 | Enhancing Church Assimilation Strategies
Don’t miss one of our most listened-to episodes of the year on the Fly On The Wall Podcast! In this powerful conversation, Chris Sonksen and Jeremiah Semmler dive into proven, practical assimilation strategies that are helping churches a...