Podcast Summary

unSeminary Podcast

Episode: From Attenders to Engaged Disciples: Building Ownership in Your Church in 2026
Host: Rich Birch
Guest: Kyra Montañez, Executive Pastor at Liquid Church, NJ
Date: January 14, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the changing landscape of church engagement and discipleship, focusing on how Liquid Church has adapted its systems to move people from mere attenders to truly engaged disciples. Kyra Montañez shares practical steps her team has taken to foster belonging, cultivate engagement, tackle the challenges of post-pandemic church life, and integrate technology for outreach. The conversation is packed with actionable insights, honest reflections, and innovative strategies for church leaders wrestling with similar issues.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Diagnosing the Attendance vs. Engagement Gap

Context: [03:24-07:24]

• National Trends: Many executive pastors are concerned about how to deepen discipleship and ensure volunteer sustainability. A significant portion also cite a lack of visibility into congregation engagement data.
• Persistent Gaps:
  • Attending vs. Belonging: People show up at church (physically or online) but rarely join “people systems” like groups or teams.
  • Digital vs. Relational: Online services make access easier but perpetuate anonymity unless clear relational bridges are present.
  • Event-Driven Attendees: Some only come for major events (Christmas, Easter) without forming regular engagement habits.
  • Hesitance to Serve: Many are curious about serving but reluctant to commit.
• Quote:

  “They come in person, they come online, but they don’t actually join any kind of people system.”
  – Kyra Montañez [04:37]

2. Rethinking On-Ramps: From Prescribed Paths to Choose-Your-Own-Adventure

Context: [07:24-12:32]

• Mario Brothers vs. Zelda Analogy:
  In the past, churches followed the "Mario" model: rigid, sequential steps to get involved. Now, the "Zelda" model prevails: multiple options, personalized based on individual needs and interests.

• Shift at Liquid Church:

  • Transitioned from strict pathways to a diversified, interest-based engagement strategy.
  • Monthly “Connect and Conversation” events allow newcomers and unattached people to express needs/interests over a meal and receive personalized follow-up.
  • Approach is high-touch, with facilitators taking notes and tailoring next steps.

• Quote:

  “Tell us what you want to do and we’re going to help you.”
  – Kyra Montañez [07:59]

• Guest Experience:
  Facilitated tables (5-6 people each) with relational icebreakers, discussion about needs/interests, and a strong follow-up system. Results are measured and correlated with increased engagement.

• Quote:

  “It’s very high level, concierge kind of follow-up.”
  – Kyra Montañez [08:30]

3. Small Groups: Flipping the Script

Context: [14:39-18:48]

• Challenge:
  Small group participation remains low (20% post-pandemic).
• Insight from Surveys:
  Contrary to past assumptions, the number one desire in groups is for biblical literacy, not just relational connection.
• Response:
  • Pivoted from “life together” groups towards Bible literacy as the main driver.
  • Piloted “Deep Dive” Bible studies—short-term, high-commitment, content-rich (e.g., 10-week studies through difficult books like Revelation).
  • Designed for all ages, including concurrent parent-teen studies.
• Quote:

  “For the first time ever, we’ve uncoupled relational connection from biblical literacy… Our new tagline is to know the word of God so that you can love the God of the word.”
  – Kyra Montañez [15:31]

4. Rebuilding Volunteer Culture with “Try Before You Buy”

Context: [20:19-27:46]

• The Problem:
  Growth outpaced volunteer sign-ups, leading to closed ministry rooms due to lack of workers.

• The Solution:

  • Launched the “For The One” campaign, inviting people to serve short-term without full initial onboarding (“try before you buy”).
  • New volunteers received exclusive swag (hoodies) after repeated service—gamifying engagement.
  • The process preserved safety/background checks, especially in children’s ministry, by parallel-processing onboarding requirements alongside initial service.

• Quote:

  “We did like a try before you buy… You’re not going to go through the whole background pipeline… because we need people now and we need them quick.”
  – Kyra Montañez [21:11]

• Results:
  Over 400 new people signed up, showing the power of incentives and immediate involvement.

• Key Lesson:
  Ongoing cultural investment (celebration, gratitude, vision-casting) is necessary alongside tactical solutions for short-term crunches.

5. Diagnosing and Improving Engagement Pipelines

Context: [28:13-31:32]

• Diagnostic Steps:

  • Track conversion rates from new attenders to first next step within 30 days.
  • Measure percentage who join “people systems” (teams, groups, deep dives) within 60-90 days.
  • Use these metrics to pinpoint friction: Are pathways unclear or cumbersome? Is the first-serve experience lacking?

• Quote:

  “If you do that, you’re gonna find the blockage… is it that we have unclear onramps, or are our processes too high friction?”
  – Kyra Montañez [28:52]

• Newcomer Focus:
  Liquid sends custom follow-ups and surveys to all first-time guests, leading to personalized next-step invitations.

6. Innovating with Technology: The Spanish AI Service

Context: [33:07-36:09]

• Experiment:
  Liquid Church now provides a Spanish service where live worship and hosting occur in Spanish, and the message is delivered using AI (HeyGen) to generate a virtual translation by the original preacher.
• Impact:
  The approach reaches multigenerational families and leverages technology for effective outreach.
• Quote:

  “We pass [the message] through an AI service called HeyGen… they will preach it in Spanish… people get to hear the gospel and the message in their language.”
  – Kyra Montañez [34:14]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Approach Shift

  “We used to be Mario Brothers… Now we’ve shifted over the past two years into—hey, we have a lot of things that we can offer you. There are many different things, depending on your season of life, on your felt needs, on what makes your heart beat.”
  – Kyra Montañez [01:02, 07:59]

• On Volunteer Culture

  “The best way I can explain it is… ‘try before you buy.’”
  – Kyra Montañez [21:11]

• On Data-Driven Engagement

  “If you found the first serve experience wasn’t sticky enough, wasn’t welcoming… then you have a different problem.”
  – Kyra Montañez [28:52]

• On AI-Powered Outreach

  “As a Spanish [speaker] myself, would I go to a service where the message wasn’t actually authentic Spanish?… I believe in the quality of our communication so much that I have to say yes, I would.”
  – Kyra Montañez [34:46]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:24] — Gaps between attending and engaging explained
• [07:24] — Gaming analogy: shifting from prescribed to personalized engagement
• [08:30] — “Connect and Conversation” event strategy
• [13:08] — Measuring impact: correlation, not causation
• [14:39] — Rethinking small groups: prioritizing Bible literacy
• [20:19] — Volunteer crunch and “for the one” campaign
• [21:11] — “Try before you buy” model for volunteers
• [28:13] — Data diagnostics for engagement pipelines
• [33:07] — Spanish ministry using AI-powered message translation

Reflections for 2026 and Beyond

• Kyra is focused on seeing the results of uncoupling relational connection and biblical literacy in discipleship, and is keen to evaluate the growth and effectiveness of both their new small group strategy and their technology-driven Spanish service.
• The conversation highlights that engagement, especially post-pandemic, is an ongoing challenge requiring both bold innovation and careful measurement.
• Emphasizes the critical role of personalized connection and flexible pathways in building true engagement and church ownership as we look towards the future.

Connect with Kyra Montañez / Liquid Church:
Email: kyra@liquidchurch.com
Website: LiquidChurch.com