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    Quarterly Unstuck Church Report

Similar to the other phases on the right side of the life cycle of a church, the Maintenance Phase is hard to confirm and even more difficult to accept.

In fact, our most recent data shows 60% of churches who took the team version of the Unstuck Church Assessment (which eliminates personal bias) landed in Maintenance Phase, compared to just 20% of churches when the pastor took the individual assessment (which calculates the result based on his or her opinion-based responses).

That means as many as 40% of churches are in Maintenance Phase without realizing it. That should concern us.

maintenance phase

Once your church has identified with the Maintenance Phase, you probably have one question: how do we get out?

Getting out of Maintenance Phase can be incredibly challenging—but it’s also the first necessary move towards Sustained Health.

Here are two steps you can take to begin to move your way back to church health:

1. Renew Your Vision

First, a disclaimer – mission statements and vision statements are not the same thing.

The mission is a short statement (usually 12 words or less) that rarely changes. The vision, however, is a bit longer and tends to map out a church’s plan for the next 3-5 years. Because of this, it needs to be updated and refreshed.

Unfortunately, most churches don’t take a second look at their vision because they don’t realize they need to.

It’s easy to assume that an attendance plateau or a little bit of decline is not a big deal, and short-term at best.

Oftentimes, giving even remains strong as churches enter the Maintenance Phase, something Tony Morgan describes as “The Giving Lag” in his book, The Unstuck Church. Without close attention, you could be in Maintenance Phase and totally miss it.

If you want to return to health before the real pain sets in, begin with renewing your vision and establishing a clear picture of your church’s future.

2. Curtail the Complexity Creep

An unclear and outdated vision often leads to complexity in the church.

Unfortunately, complexity is a surefire way to ensure your church stays in the Maintenance Phase or drifts into Preservation. Without a clear strategy to execute your established vision, complexity creeps in, takes root, and drags your church down.

Of course, adding a new program to your church schedule in an attempt to fill unmet needs is much simpler than redefining your strategy and asking tough questions.

Strategy requires vision, time, commitment, and may offend some people in your church. Programs usually don’t. Over-programming simply guarantees your church members stay busy and your staff stays drained.

Strategy requires vision, time, commitment, and may offend some people in your church. Programs usually don’t. Click To Tweet

If you find yourself bogged down by programs and stuck in Maintenance Phase, a clear strategy is what your church is longing for.


Most importantly, strategy and vision are simply a means to one goal: that more people would encounter and grow in relationship with Jesus Christ.

To learn more about Maintenance Phase, the church life cycle, and getting your church unstuck, check out Tony Morgan’s most recent book, The Unstuck Church: Equipping Churches to Reach Sustained Health.

To find out where your church sits in the typical church life cycle, we developed a free tool you can use—the Unstuck Church Assessment. Click below to take the survey!

Assess Your Church

Jordan An

Jordan is our Digital Marketing Manager. She graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University and, prior to joining The Unstuck Group, worked in social media and marketing communications for a Christian non-profit media ministry. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband Sam, and enjoys leading worship at her local church.

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