The Slow Drift: 6 Subtle Behaviors That Tear Church Leadership Teams Apart | Chris Sonksen
Release Date: 08/18/2026
The Slow Drift: 6 Subtle Behaviors That Tear Church Leadership Teams Apart | Chris Sonksen
Phil Cooke Podcast
What happens when a church leadership team begins to slowly drift? The warning signs may be subtle—but over time, they can damage trust, create division, and undermine the health of the entire church. In this interview, Phil Cooke sits down with Chris Sonksen, founding pastor of SouthHills Church and founder of ChurchBOOM, to uncover six subtle behaviors that can tear leadership teams apart—and what senior pastors can do before small issues become major problems. Chris shares practical wisdom on how to recognize leadership drift, including pride in your leadership team, artificial harmony...
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info_outlineWhat happens when a church leadership team begins to slowly drift? The warning signs may be subtle—but over time, they can damage trust, create division, and undermine the health of the entire church. In this interview, Phil Cooke https://philcooke.com sits down with Chris Sonksen, founding pastor of SouthHills Church and founder of ChurchBOOM, to uncover six subtle behaviors that can tear leadership teams apart—and what senior pastors can do before small issues become major problems.
Chris shares practical wisdom on how to recognize leadership drift, including pride in your leadership team, artificial harmony in lieu of true loyalty, the danger signs of isolation, when a critical spirit replaces a constructive one, and the gradual shutdown of a leader on your team. Leaders will gain wisdom in managing tensions while mindfully building towards a healthy church that can thrive.
👉 Listen now and transform your leadership career! Like, comment, and subscribe for more tips on faith, media and culture.
Phil Cooke, Ph.D. — Strategic Advisor | Cultural Influence & Crisis Leadership
Phil Cooke, Ph.D., is a strategic advisor to church, nonprofit, and media leaders navigating crisis, credibility, and cultural influence in a rapidly changing digital world. Founder of Cooke Media Group in Los Angeles and Nashville, he works with senior leadership teams globally to strengthen reputation and clarify mission. Author of “Church on Trial” and several other books on leadership and creativity, he has produced award winning media projects seen worldwide.
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**More About This Episode** The Slow Drift: 6 Subtle Behaviors That Tear Church Leadership Teams Apart | Chris Sonksen
Chris is the founder of SouthHills Church, a thriving, multi-site church in many locations around the nation. He is also the founder of ChurchBOOM, a coaching organization for pastors that also focuses on rescuing churches. He is the author of several books, including “When Your Church Feels Stuck,” “Quit Church,” “Traction,” and his latest book “Making Vision Happen.”
Learn more about Chris Sonksen and ChurchBOOM: https://www.chrissonksen.com/
https://churchboom.org/
Read the Article: "The Slow Drift: When What You Tolerate Turns Toxic" https://www.theartofleadership.com/blog/the-slow-drift
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⏰ Timecodes ⏰
00:00 Phil Cooke introduces the topic: helping leaders avoid drift.
01:00 Meet Chris Sonksen, Founding Pastor, SouthHills Church/ChurchBoom
04:06 Help for small churches to keep them from shutting down.
06:22 Keys to church growth.
07:56 Church Rescue for churches less than 100 in attendance.
09:00 Leadership article: The Slow Drift: When What You Tolerate Turns Toxic
12:36 The key word for leaders to remember: subtle.
14:18 Artificial harmony versus true church health.
16:09 Isolation masquerading as maturity can lead to church splits.
23:00 Recognizing and dealing with a critical spirit.
27:28 Competing visions and how they lead to division.
30:42 The danger of gradual shutdown.
33:45 Accountability of leaders and the importance of awareness.
35:30 Who the enemy goes after in a church.
39:24 Find more leadership resources at https://philcooke.com and support The Influence Lab at https://influencelab.com
Send this conversation to a pastor or church leader who needs to hear it.
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