Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen · Church Boom

208 | New Growth Requires a New Way of Thinking

April 8, 2026·29 min·2 clips

A mentor told Chris Sonksen that pastors don't have a balance problem—they have an obedience problem.

Growth sounds exciting until it starts changing the pastor's day. Chris talks with Mike about the phrase at the center of the episode: new growth requires a new way of thinking. Mike is honest about the hard part. He is trying to set up systems, depend on other people, and turn the phone off without carrying guilt around afterward. Chris does not treat that guilt like a scandal, but he does press on what sits underneath it. Are you acting from obligation? Maybe. Chris's point is that obedience can still be the right first move, even before the heart feels fully on board. That is where the coaching lands: do the faithful leadership thing before every emotion has voted yes. Then the conversation gets more pointed. A pastor does not grow leaders by passing out tasks and keeping the authority. Tasks help, but authority is what lets someone truly lead. That is the scary part, because it can feel like the lead pastor is walking away from work he is supposed to carry. Chris names that as an internal struggle and stays practical: letting another person lead can be leadership, not neglect. The episode keeps its feet in church life. Phones, systems, shepherding, larger congregations, and relying on other people are not treated like clean management theory. They sound like the stuff pastors actually wrestle with. The close turns back toward community through the Church Boom Network invitation, tying the coaching to the reminder that pastors were not meant to do church alone. The lesson has some weight to it. New growth asks leaders to loosen their grip, trust real authority to others, and obey before the feelings have settled down.

As heard by us

Growth pushes pastors past solo leadership and toward shared authority.

This conversation frames growth as a test for pastoral leadership: it calls for a changed mindset, better systems, and a real willingness to lean on other people.

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Why you'd press play

You are outgrowing the old way of leading alone.

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