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
237 episodes
230 | Are You Measuring the Wrong Things?
Episode 230 of Fly on the Wall is here.When your church feels stuck, how do you know what’s actually causing it?Is it a church problem? A strategy problem? Or could the real issue be leadership?In this episode, I sit down w...
229 | How to Transition Leadership Without Losing What You Built
Every pastor will eventually face transition.But when you’ve spent decades building a church, developing its culture, earning the trust of your people, and carrying the vision, handing leadership to someone else is about far more than ch...
228 | The Lead Goal That Actually Grows Your Church
Most churches think attendance is the goal.But what if attendance is actually the result of something else?In Episode 228 of Fly on the Wall, I sat down with my friend Bobby from Missouri to talk about practical ch...
227 | What Can the American Church Learn From the Global Church?
What can the American church learn from the global church?And just as importantly, what can the global church learn from us?In Episode 217 of Fly on the Wall, I sat down with Pastor Norman Gray, who helps lead a ne...
226 | The Blind Spots Every Leader Needs to See
Every leader has blind spots.The problem is, if you could see them yourself, they wouldn’t be blind spots.In Episode 226 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sat down with my good friend Pastor T.W. Norman for a practical conversat...
225 | Don't Let Critics Determine Your Direction
Every leader will face criticism.The question isn't if it will happen.The question is whether you'll allow criticism to shape your leadership—or simply sharpen it.In Episode 225 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast
224 | What Has to Change Before Your Church Can Grow?
Growth is exciting.But growth also asks something of us.The systems that supported yesterday's ministry often won't sustain tomorrow's. If we want to lead our churches to the next level, we have to be willing to grow before the ch...
223 | Hire for Progress, Not Relief
One of the biggest leadership mistakes churches make isn't hiring too late.It's hiring for the wrong reason.When ministry gets busy, it's natural to want more help. But adding people simply to relieve pressure isn't the same as bu...
222 | Don't Let Your Calling Become a Career
Most pastors don't wake up one day and decide to become complacent.It happens slowly.The passion that once fueled the calling begins to feel more like routine. The dreams get replaced with responsibilities. Before long, ministry c...
221 | The Leadership Systems That Actually Grow a Church
Growing a church isn’t usually about finding the next big idea.More often, it’s about building the right systems, developing the right leaders, and creating a culture where people move from simply attending to fully engaging in the missi...
220 | The Secret to Finding—and Keeping—Great Leaders
Every pastor wants great leaders.The challenge is finding them.And even when you do find them, how do you keep them engaged, growing, and committed to the vision God has given your church?In Episode 220 of the Fly on the...
219 | Why Some Leaders Stay Stuck While Others Keep Growing
What separates good leaders from great leaders?Is it talent? Experience? Opportunity?Or is it something deeper?In Episode 219 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sit down with my friend Greg for a fascinating ...
218 | Leadership Mistakes Every Pastor Makes (and How to Avoid Them)
What if the biggest thing holding your church back... isn't your strategy, your budget, or your attendance?What if it's a leadership blind spot you don't even realize you have?In Episode 218 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sat d...
217 | You Don’t Have to Be Type A to Build Something Great
Not every great leader is loud.And not every thriving church is built by a hyper-competitive, type-A personality.In Episode 217 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris sits down with Pastor Rob for an incredibly honest conversation ...
216 | The Mistake That Keeps Churches Stuck
A lot of churches don’t fail because they lack passion.They fail because they lose focus.In Episode 216 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris sits down with Josh from Denver for one of the most practical conversations we’ve had ye...
215 | Streamline What Matters Most
Busy doesn’t always mean effective.In Episode 215 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, Chris sits down with Pastor Daryl for a conversation every pastor—especially bivocational leaders—needs to hear.Because one of the biggest mistakes ...
214 | Preparing Your Church for the Next Season of Growth
What happens when momentum starts building—but your systems, leadership structure, and culture aren’t fully ready for what’s next?In Episode 214 of the Fly on the Wall Podcast, I sit down with my friend RJ Johnson for a p...
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...