AN UNSTUCK MASTERCLASS

TO ALIGN YOURSTRATEGY AND YOUR TEAM

4 KEYS

AN UNSTUCK MASTERCLASS

Welcome to 4 Keys to Align Your Strategy and Your Team An Unstuck Masterclass

Your team and your strategy play a critical role in the health and growth of yourchurch. Alignment is essential for both of those.

Over the past 12 years working with 500+ churches, we’ve seen lack ofalignment often makes churches stuck.

And now as the dust of the pandemic is clearing and church leaders are looking tothe future, alignment is more important than ever. Roles have shifted. Ministrystrategies have changed. People jumped into jobs they’ve never done before.Some strategies and roles became obsolete.

A lot of pastors and church leadership teams have reached out to us about howto align their strategy and team for greater ministry impact. And we want toequip you with the practical tools and strategies to do exactly that.

We’ve specifically designed this masterclass to help bring clarity and equip youwith the practical strategies and tools you need to build alignment. We’re soglad you’re here.

We’re cheering you on,

Tony Morgan Founder and Lead Strategist of The Unstuck Group

AN UNSTUCK MASTERCLASS

CLARIFYDIRECTION &DEFINE THEWIN

S E S S I O N 1

LESSON ONE | CLARIFY DIRECTION & DEFINE THE WIN

What is alignment?Everyone knows and agrees with why we exist (our purpose), the direction we areheading (our future), what needs to get done (our plan) and their role (our part).

The two key ingredients of alignment: clarity + buy-in.

When an organization is aligned, the organization is focused.

We talked about some of the benefits of alignment, but what other benefits come toyour mind?

M A I N P O I N T

Alignment happens when we ALL know ourpurpose, our plan and our part as we pursue

our future...together.

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K E Y T A K E A W A Y S

You must embrace the “define the reality” moments if you are going to achieve alignment.

We do not have to wait for certainty to get clarity on our foundation, our direction, andour action plans.

If you don’t have alignment in your:Foundation… then, how you do church becomes more important than why. Direction… then, anything is a win because nothing is a priority.Action Plan... then, your time will get consumed by the “whirlwind” of doing ministry.

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T H E C H U R C HL I F E C Y C L E

LESSON ONE | CLARIFY DIRECTION & DEFINE THE WIN

LESSON ONE | CLARIFY DIRECTION & DEFINE THE WIN

Clarity needs to move beyond the pastor’s mind and the pastor’s messages. Your directionis only an idea until you document it, confirm it, and put it into action.

Direction answers these questions: Where are we going? What does success look like? (What’s the goal?) How are we going to get there?

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LESSON ONE | CLARIFY DIRECTION & DEFINE THE WIN

Sun Valley’s slide deck of “Who We Are”

The Unstuck Podcast Series on AlignmentFoundationDirectionAction

High Impact Teams by Lance Witt

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A C T I O N S T E P S + D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S

Do your results feel accurate to what you’re seeing and experiencing as a leader inyour church?

1. Invite your team into a conversation with questions around purpose, future, plan, andeach person’s part.

2. Walk through the Strategic Alignment Pyramid with your leadership team and seewhere you are (Red/Yellow/Green).

3. Take our free Unstuck Church Assessment and see where your church sits today in thetypical church lifecycle.

R E C O M M E M D E D R E S O U R C E S

LESSON ONE | CLARIFY DIRECTION & DEFINE THE WIN

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NOTES

LESSON ONE | CLARIFY DIRECTION & DEFINE THE WIN

AN UNSTUCK MASTERCLASS

GET THERIGHT PEOPLEIN THE RIGHTROLES

S E S S I O N 2

M A I N P O I N T

Traditionally, churches structure their teams aroundministries and programs. Churches need to shift to structure

teams around their strategies.

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K E Y T A K E A W A Y S

Start with a TEAM at the top rather than a collection of individual leaders leadingindependent ministries and programs. If the leadership isn’t aligned, the rest of the teamwon’t be aligned.

Start from the top and work your way down: Find the leaders who will help you find other leaders and build teams.Key way we empower other leaders: Let them drive building their teams.

We talked about “The Rule of 8”. What other challenges have you noticed when too manypeople are invited to meetings?

Who you put on this team is more important than their job description or title.

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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Ministry silos. (Stronger leaders build bigger silos, which can lead to competition andconflict.) Independent leaders build independent ministries.Churches that structure around individual ministries and programs tend to attract leaderswho “agree” with the church’s overall mission and direction... but then often all of theirenergy and focus is directed toward the health and success of their individual ministry.

Common Issues with Structuring Around Ministries

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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S T R U C T U R E A R O U N D S T R A T E G Y

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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L A R G E R L E A D E R S H I P S T R U C T U R E

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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E X A M P L E O R G C H A R T

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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E X A M P L E O R G C H A R T

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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E X A M P L E O R G C H A R T

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

Instead, churches should structure around ministry strategies. These are the four big“buckets” to hire around:

Reaching new people Helping adults grow spirituallyHelping kids and teens grow spirituallyProviding ministry support to the team

By eliminating the structural walls between independent ministry teams, you can startbuilding one team where everyone owns their part of the church’s mission and direction.

When you structure around strategy, everyone has to give up control in order to prioritizethe mission and strategic direction of the ministry as a whole.

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

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3 Keys to an Effective Church Board (Webinar Replay)

How to Create an Effective Church Board Q&A with Tony Morgan

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1. Look at your church’s organization structure. Is it built around specific ministries or ministry strategies? What needs to shift? What role does your church board play? Is it healthy?

2. Look at your staff team and volunteer roles.What new roles does your team need? What old roles might need to be eliminated or changed?

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

A C T I O N S T E P S + D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S

R E C O M M E M D E D R E S O U R C E S

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NOTES

LESSON TWO | GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT ROLES

AN UNSTUCK MASTERCLASS

GAINTRACTION BYEMBRACINGNEW SYSTEMS

S E S S I O N 3

M A I N P O I N T

A plan is worthless without the systems and accountability to work your plan.

In many churches, everything is a priority because: We’re helping people! We tend to hire “people” people, and tasks aren’t naturally their strength. Lead Pastors tend to be optimists and faster-paced. That can be a dangerouscombination. In their minds, everything can be accomplished, and it all should havebeen completed yesterday.

Once we help churches firm up their FOUNDATION and set their DIRECTION, we helpthem build a long list of EVERYTHING that needs to get done. But we separate that intotwo categories:

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K E Y T A K E A W A Y S

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

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Gaining traction begins by investing all your resources on the priority initiatives first.Build the long list of initiativesPrioritize the initiatives (what should we focus on first?)Ideally narrow down to 1-3 initiatives at a time.

New priorities will surface. That’s why strategic planning needs to become a rhythm foryour team rather than a once every 3-5 years event.

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

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Once a year, revisit the full strategic alignmentpyramid

Confirm your foundation and directionBuild a new list of priority initiatives

Keep the whirlwind of ministry to 80% of your time.Invest the remaining 20% percent on these priorityinitiatives.

80%TheW

hirlwind

ofMinistry

20%

Prio

rit

y Initiatives

Put strategic planning on your calendar every year. Ministry plans should drive budget plans rather thanthe other way around.90-Day “Sprints.” 30-days to review and refresh plans.Schedule 30-day windows around the major holidaysand the busy ministry seasons (December, April,August).Find a good online solution to help you manageinitiatives (Monday, Asana, etc.) Add project managers to your team. Start with “I don’t know” and always do your research.Lead Pastors: Stick to your plan. When the next crisis hits, put the action plans on pause.

7 System Strategies to Embrace

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

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E X A M P L E S T R E N G T H S W H E E L

Four Disciplines of Execution by Sean Covey

Developing an Effective Ministry Planning Rhythm

3 New Keys to Staffing and Structure for a Hybrid Church

Making Organizational Pivots

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Write a long list of initiatives Prioritize the top 1-3

Identify a champion for each initiative Build a team around each initiative Create a scope document Set your first 90-day action plan

1. What initiative is your church focused on?

2. Build Your Action Plans

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

A C T I O N S T E P S + D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S

R E C O M M E M D E D R E S O U R C E S

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NOTES

LESSON THREE | GAIN TRACTION BY EMBRACING NEW SYSTEMS

AN UNSTUCK MASTERCLASS

LEADCOLLABORATIVELYTO ELIMINATESILOS

S E S S I O N 4

M A I N P O I N T

The answer isn’t more collaboration. The answer begins with more clarity.

Scarcity mindset around resources

Redundancy throughout the organization

Lack of collaboration

Internal communication issues

Conflicting goals

Common Indicators of Ministry Silos in Churches

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K E Y T A K E A W A Y S

LESSON FOUR | LEAD COLLABORATIVELY TO ELIMINATE SILOS

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LESSON FOUR | LEAD COLLABORATIVELY TO ELIMINATE SILOS

LESSON FOUR | LEAD COLLABORATIVELY TO ELIMINATE SILOS

We have to agree on the destination before we can work together to figure out how we’regoing to get there.Start with more collaboration around setting the direction and strategy and thenempower individuals and teams as you shift towards execution. We have to create one scoreboard so that everyone on the team can see whether or notwe are winning.Find the right rhythm for team meetings to keep everyone aligned moving forward.

What leading collaboratively looks like:

Without a clear direction, more voices weighing in on what you should be doing is just going tocreate more noise.

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Liquid Teams: Focus on Relationships and Results

Leading the Most Difficult Person You Know

Exactly What Not to Say When You’re Leading People Through Change

6 Crucial Behaviors of Collaborative Leaders

8 Principles for a Healthy Team Dynamic

Clarifying Decision Rights

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Look out the window and think: “Maybe I have the wrong people on my team.”Instead, look in the mirror and consider: “Maybe I have the right people on my team,but I haven’t given them a clear direction. Maybe I haven’t defined the win.”What are some instances when this has happened or might be currently happening?

Who has decision rights on your team? What needs clarification? Who might be missing from the team?

1. When conflict happens, leaders tend to:

2. Walk through the Decision Rights Model

LESSON FOUR | LEAD COLLABORATIVELY TO ELIMINATE SILOS

A C T I O N S T E P S + D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S

R E C O M M E M D E D R E S O U R C E S

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NOTES

LESSON FOUR | LEAD COLLABORATIVELY TO ELIMINATE SILOS

T H A N K Y O U F O R J O I N I N G

Thank you so much for being a part of this masterclass! Wehope that the practical tools and strategies will help you

build alignment on your team and grow your ministryimpact. We want to see your church thriving.

And if you need help getting there, let's talk.