Through all the disruptions we’ve experienced in 2020, I count it a privilege to serve you and your ministries.
Given what we’ve experienced in 2020, it kind of feels like I’m on one of those long journeys in the way, way back of my dad’s Chevy Impala station wagon. We’ve been on the road for hours. I’m too young to understand where we’re going and how long it will take to get there. Even though the car is still moving and we obviously haven’t arrived, I’m still left asking the only question that seems logical, “Are we there yet?”
That’s what 2020 feels like to me.
The road keeps going and going and going. Since this is my first pandemic, there’s a lot of uncertainty about the journey ahead. I don’t understand where we’re going and how long it will take to get there. Just when I think the end may be in sight, there’s another detour. I keep looking at the calendar hoping 2021 might bring some relief. Are we there yet?
That said, it’s usually this time of year that I look back at all that our team has accomplished in the previous 12 months. Typically, I share this summary with our team at our annual gathering. Last year, we were all together in Phoenix. (We had so much fun at Culinary Dropout.) That feels like forever ago. This week our team gathered in Zoom. Welcome to 2020.
It was actually a helpful exercise to look back at the last 12 months. It made me realize that in the midst of the biggest disruption I’ve/we’ve ever experienced, a lot of good has come out of this season. Let me share some of the highlights.
I hope you’ve noticed, but my team has done a ton of work to create content specific to the challenges churches have been facing throughout the Covid pandemic.
The vast majority of that content we, of course, give away for free to equip leaders and help churches get unstuck. What we know, though, is that when we give away quality content that addresses the felt needs of church leaders, more church leaders engage with our content. (That may sound obvious to you, but it should also challenge you to be more intentional about your church’s content strategy.)
As a result of that investment, we’ve experienced a number of positive wins:
- Our overall email lists have grown by 25% over the last couple of years.
- The traffic to our websites has increased by over 40% in the last 12 months.
- Our podcast continues to take off with more than a 30% increase in downloads over the last year. (By the way, there does seem to be more traction with podcast content over written content when it comes to engagement with the people we hope to reach.)
All of that has led to the opportunity to provide Unstuck consulting to nearly 100 churches in the last 12 months…in the middle of a pandemic! That included 50 brand new relationships with churches for our team.
We love providing resources and creating content to support church leaders, but the real Kingdom impact is happening through the consulting engagements we have with churches. It’s been so rewarding to serve churches in this way particularly in the challenging season of ministry that we’re all experiencing.
On top of all of that, my team has worked hard to make a number of critical pivots to move our mission forward in 2020. That has included:
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Creating the “Unstuck Church Staff” online course
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Releasing the 4 Roles a Senior Pastor Can’t Delegate ebook
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Refreshing our Vital Signs assessment which feeds the data we include in our quarterly Unstuck Church Report
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Launching our first quarterly masterclasses including our latest one on expanding your church’s front door with digital strategies
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Developing a new strategy to help churches navigate mergers with other congregations
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Designing a strategic planning process to help churches create their own digital ministry strategies, and
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Developing an Online Learning Hub for church leaders
You may want to consider one or more of those opportunities for your church, but my primary reason for sharing that list is to brag on my team. You know all too well the challenges we’ve faced in 2020. Like you, I have teammates who have been juggling their jobs, recovering from Covid, navigating remote learning with their kids, caring for aging parents, dealing with lockdowns and all the other curveballs 2020 has thrown us. But, through it all, they have worked harder than ever to serve you and your churches. I’m so proud of my team!
If you haven’t already, I challenge you to go through this same exercise.
Look back at the last twelve months. Note everything God has done through your ministry. Celebrate the good news with your team. If there’s ever been a time when we need more celebration, this has to be it.
Yes, I’m hopeful that 2021 brings healing in more ways than one. I’m hopeful “there” will finally arrive. In the meantime, through all the disruptions we’ve experienced in 2020, I count it a privilege to serve you and your ministries.
