Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen

Church Boom

241 episodes listed below

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Practical coaching for pastors under pressure.

The gist

Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen is built around recorded coaching conversations with pastors facing growth, team, money, succession, and retention problems. Its strength is plain-spoken diagnosis: what looks like a ministry issue often becomes a leadership, delegation, or values issue.

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About Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen

Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen is a church leadership coaching show built around real conversations with pastors. Each episode starts with a concrete ministry pressure point. Growth is happening, but the leader’s thinking has not caught up. Volunteers are serving, but the church has not become a tribe. A pastor wants succession, but the next leader needs more than a title. The show’s pattern is brisk and practical: hear the problem, sharpen the diagnosis, name the leadership move, then push toward a next step. It is not especially interested in theory for its own sake. The recurring concern is what pastors actually do when the church gets larger, more complex, and harder to carry personally. Delegation becomes a question of authority, not just tasks. Leadership selection becomes a question of core values, not only skill. Retention becomes a question of connection speed and team culture, not just better programming. Money issues, first-time visitor flow, ministry starts and stops, and staff development all get treated as leadership problems with spiritual weight. The show also carries a clear Church Boom ecosystem around it, with frequent references to the Church Boom Network, Church Boom University, coaching plans, masterclasses, webinars, books, and pastor groups. That promotional frame is present, but the coaching conversations remain the center of gravity. Chris Sonksen’s style is warm, corrective, and direct, often using role play, lists, and repeated examples to make the point land. The result is best for pastors and church leaders who want plain counsel from someone speaking their ministry language. It is especially useful for leaders navigating momentum, team strain, succession questions, volunteer culture, and the uncomfortable shift from doing everything personally to building people who can lead with real authority.

Made for: Pastors, ministry leaders, and church staff who are managing growth, team development, volunteer culture, succession, and church health. It fits leaders who prefer direct coaching over polished inspiration.

What sets it apart: The show’s edge is its live coaching format, where a pastor’s specific problem becomes a broader leadership lesson. It blends ministry language with concrete operational advice on systems, delegation, values, and people development.

In their own words

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.

Why you'd press play

A real pastor brings the knot; Chris Sonksen helps you find the thread without pretending leadership is tidy.

Press play if you want

to hear real leadership dilemmas coached in the room, not polished into hindsight
practical language for transferring trust and authority before handing over the title

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

church growth and retentiondelegating authoritydeveloping leaderssuccession planningvolunteer culturecore values and loyaltychurch financesmeasuring ministry health

Talks about

Business & Finance

Best episodes of Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen

Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.

208 | New Growth Requires a New Way of ThinkingApr 8, 2026

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.

207 | Leadership Pain, Loyalty, and Finding the Right LeadersApr 1, 2026

Talent matters, but shared values and behavior decide whether someone fits the team.

It keeps the leadership question grounded in practical judgment rather than theory. Chris frames the problem around what to value in a leader when talent, loyalty, and values do not line up.

206 | Developing Leaders and Planning for What’s NextMar 25, 2026

Succession is treated as stewardship, not sentiment.

The episode treats succession as stewardship: spotting possible leaders, building their capacity, and making room for a handoff with enough time to do it well. Its strongest note is the practical pressure behind that counsel.

205 | Why Churches Grow… But People Don’t StayMar 18, 2026

Retention starts when volunteer leadership becomes a monthly practice of recruitment and connection.

Church growth is only the starting point here. The sharper question is what happens after people arrive, and the conversation follows the host as he coaches Sheldon, a pastor in Springfield, Missouri, toward a retention plan rooted in quicker volunteer engagement.

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Find your next episode

About Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen

In their own words

Why you'd press play

Talks about

Best episodes of Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen

Podcasts like Fly on the Wall Podcast With Chris Sonksen

Episodes

234 | Are You Hiring for Where You’re Going?

233 | Your Best Team Member Might Not Be a Leader

232 | Growth Creates Pain Points. Are You Ready for Them?

231 | You Only Get One Chance to Get Transition Right

230 | Are You Measuring the Wrong Things?

228 | The Lead Goal That Actually Grows Your Church

227 | What Can the American Church Learn From the Global Church?

226 | The Blind Spots Every Leader Needs to See

225 | Don't Let Critics Determine Your Direction

224 | What Has to Change Before Your Church Can Grow?

223 | Hire for Progress, Not Relief

222 | Don't Let Your Calling Become a Career

221 | The Leadership Systems That Actually Grow a Church

220 | The Secret to Finding—and Keeping—Great Leaders

219 | Why Some Leaders Stay Stuck While Others Keep Growing

218 | Leadership Mistakes Every Pastor Makes (and How to Avoid Them)

217 | You Don’t Have to Be Type A to Build Something Great

216 | The Mistake That Keeps Churches Stuck

215 | Streamline What Matters Most

214 | Preparing Your Church for the Next Season of Growth

213 | How to Shape the Culture of Your Church

212 | Change Your Thinking, Change Your Ministry

211 | The Real Reason Your Church Feels Stuck

210 | What Thriving Churches Are Actually Doing Differently

209 | The Courage to Grow Into Your Next Level

208 | New Growth Requires a New Way of Thinking

207 | Leadership Pain, Loyalty, and Finding the Right Leaders

206 | Developing Leaders and Planning for What’s Next

205 | Why Churches Grow… But People Don’t Stay

204 | Resist Stability—Embrace Disruption

203 | Systems Beat Programs—Every Time

202 | The Changes Required to Reach the Next Level

204 | Resist Stability—Embrace Disruption

201 | When to Start Ministries—and When to Stop Them

200 | Overcoming People Pleasing as a Leader

199 | Solving Your Church’s Money Issues

198 | Leading Well in the Second Chair

197 | What I Wish I’d Known Sooner as a Leader

196 | Breaking Growth Barriers—and Healing Leadership Pain

195 | Staying Grounded When Leadership Gets Heavy

REPLAY: Episode 173 | Coaching That Builds Culture, Not Just Teams

REPLAY: Episode 162 | Building Leaders and Streamlining Staff

REPLAY: Episode 180 | What Growing Churches Often Miss—and Stuck Churches Must Fix

REPLAY: Episode 181| Want More First-Time Guests? Start Here.

REPLAY: Episode 148 | Enhancing Church Assimilation Strategies

REPLAY: Episode 164 | The Secret to Becoming Indispensable in Your Community

194 | Supporting Your Leaders—and Growing Through It

193 | When Growth Demands Change

192 | Coaching + Vision: What Every Pastor Needs

191 | The #1 Factor That Determines Your Church's Future Growth

190 | Building a Leadership Engine That Actually Lasts

189 | Preparing for the Future—And Healing from Ministry Hurt

188 | Unlock Your Church’s Unique Strategic Position

187 | Why Volunteers Quit—and How to Get Them to Stay

186 | What Are Great Pastors Doing That Others Aren’t?

185 | Leadership Isn’t Just About Direction—It’s About Correction

184 | Living Up To Your God-given Potential

183 | Pastoring Through Tension & Financial Strategy

182 | Is Your Sunday Experience Losing Its Edge?

181 | Want More First-Time Guests? Start Here.

180 | What Growing Churches Often Miss—and Stuck Churches Must Fix

179 | Hitting a Growth Wall? Here's What to Expect Next

178 | What Should Really Be on Your To-Do List?

177 | How to Lead Through Change Without Blowing Things Up

176 | How To Have A Small Church Leave A Big Impact

175 | Are Your Staff Meetings Wasting Time—or Building Momentum?

174 | Church Momentum Isn't Dead—Here's How to Find It Again

173 | Coaching That Builds Culture, Not Just Teams

172 | The Blind Spots Leaders Often Miss—And How to Catch Them

171 | Leading Through Political Tension Without Losing Focus

170 | Build the Pathways Before You Need Them.

169 | Is Your Church Stuck—Again? Here’s What to Do Next.