Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 137
December 14, 2018
Five Incredible Tools for Better Stewardship in Your Church – Rainer on Leadership #493
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Not a week goes by without me being asked to recommend a resource for some aspect of stewardship in the church. Today, we cover five of the ones we recommend the most.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
When dealing with outside consultants in the church, always get references from other churches. Do your homework and don’t get scammed.
When you introduce a new form of giving, giving in a church almost always goes up.
Personnel as only 50% of the budget is only a guide. There are more factors that go into how much of a church’s budget should be personnel.
Better personal stewardship is a measure of overall discipleship.
The five stewardship tools we cover are:
DIY Stewardship Campaign
Text giving
Budget analysis
Personal stewardship resources
Effective leadership for stewardship
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
Church Answers
resources.ThomRainer.com/preferred
DIY Stewardship Campaigns
Envelope3.com
The Money Challenge
The Marriage Challenge
Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate
Episode Sponsors
The ministry landscape is changing, and the need for biblical training is more necessary than ever. It’s time to get your Master of Divinity degree. The M.Div —Midwestern Seminary’s flagship degree program — is the primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a discipleship culture devoted to the local church and committed to God’s unchanging Word. Why not start your training today?
Find out more at mbts.edu/mdiv.
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped thousands of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.
For more information, visit WeStaffTheChurch.com.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Becoming a Welcoming Church.
December 13, 2018
Three Keys for Worship in a Replant or Revitalization – Revitalize & Replant #071
Mike Harland joins us on Revitalize & Replant to discuss the role worship plays in a revitalization.
Episode Highlights:
The starting place of your worship ministry in a revitalization is who’s in the pews now—not who you wish was in the pews.
The most healthy thing you can do in a worship ministry is to make sure the people in the congregation are engaged in worship.
Talent attracts talent.
A church needs to understand what a healthy worship ministry would look like in the church and then work toward that goal.
The three keys that we discuss are:
Find your “who”
Find your “how”
Set the goal.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
ChurchAnswers.com
WorshipLife.com
Worship Essentials
Revitalize Network
Revitalize Bundle
ChurchReplanters.com
Replanter Assessment
Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Scrappy Church and Reclaiming Glory.
December 12, 2018
Seven Traits of Toxic Leaders
They rarely demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit.
They seek a minimalist structure of accountability.
They expect behavior of others they don’t expect of themselves.
They see almost everyone else as inferior to themselves.
They show favoritism.
They do not allow for pushback or disagreement and surround themselves with sycophants.
They are self-absorbed.
Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:
Toxic leaders keep great things from happening in a church.
Toxic leaders often avoid systems of accountability.
Strong leaders are not only surrounded by those who tell them what they want to hear.
Toxic leaders focus on three people: me, myself, and I.
December 11, 2018
6 Reasons Many Church Leaders Stop Leading Outwardly – Rainer on Leadership #492
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Inward focus is natural for churches. It takes intentional effort and supernatural power to overcome this inward focus. Today, we discuss six reasons why it is so difficult to overcome.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
There are times in every leader’s life when they get comfortable and don’t move forward. It happens, but you must keep pushing.
Churches have to be outwardly focused or their kingdom impact will be minimal.
For churches, inward focus is natural. Outward focus requires supernatural power.
The tyranny of the urgent often keeps us away from fulfilling the Great Commission.
The six reasons we discuss are:
The shift is gradual
Tyranny of the urgent
Demands of church members
Settling into a comfort zone
Lack of guidance or resources
Lack of affirmation
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
Scrappy Church
Becoming a Welcoming Church
16 Quick Adjustments
Invite Your One
Church Answers
Rainer on Leadership is a member of the LifeWay Leadership Podcast Network
Episode Sponsors
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped thousands of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.
For more information, visit WeStaffTheChurch.com.
The ministry landscape is changing, and the need for biblical training is more necessary than ever. It’s time to get your Master of Divinity degree. The M.Div —Midwestern Seminary’s flagship degree program — is the primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a discipleship culture devoted to the local church and committed to God’s unchanging Word. Why not start your training today?
Find out more at mbts.edu/mdiv.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Scrappy Church.
December 10, 2018
Six Considerations Before You Fire Your Pastor This Christmas
Am I the Grinch trying to steal Christmas?
No way. Bah. Humbug.
I simply want to uncover a dark reality of which many church members have little knowledge: many pastors are being fired this Christmas season.
I know. I see it every year. I deal with it every year.
To be clear, I cannot be certain pastor terminations accelerate at Christmas. Perhaps the numbers seem high since the timing is so insidious. Regardless, these considerations apply regardless of the time of year.
Many pastor firings occur because one or a few malcontents are spreading rumors. Please check the sources of these rumors. Please ask people other than the malcontents and bullies.
A number of pastor firings occur due to underhanded actions by other staff. I know of one situation where the executive pastor did not like the leadership of the pastor, so he worked in darkness with the personnel committee to get the pastor fired. The personnel committee never asked for the pastor’s side of the conflict.
Many pastors are fired without any explanation. I am surprised how often this reality transpires. Typically, the personnel committee or similar group tells the pastors they will not get a severance if they challenge them or question them.
Very few pastors get adequate severance when they are fired. It typically takes several months for a pastor to find a job. Severance often runs out before then.
Your church is labeled as a “preacher-eating” church. Your church’s reputation and witness are hurt in the community. You will wonder why other pastors decline to interview for the open position. They know. They’ve heard what you did.
If you had been willing to be patient and Christ-like, pastors would likely seek another job without your firing them. If you let pastors know their job is in jeopardy and give them six to nine months to find another position, many will do so. Pastors can always find another church much easier if they have a church. And the church avoids the pain, conflict, and dirtied reputation that comes with firing a pastor.
So why did I write this article in the midst of the Christmas season? The answer is simple. I am working with three pastors who have been terminated almost identically as the points I noted above. I don’t want to rain on your Christmas parade, but these three families are already hurting deeply. I wanted you to hear the other side of the story.
Let me hear from you.
December 9, 2018
Pray for Landover Hills Baptist Church
Location: Landover Hills, Maryland
Pastor: Rev. David W. Griesemer
Weekly Worship: 10:45, Eastern
Fast Facts: Landover Hills Baptist Church is a smaller SBC church nestled in the DC metro area. The church has been in the community for more than 60 years sharing the gospel in the heart of the nation’s capital. Please pray for their weekly food pantry that reaches more than 200 families a week with basic necessities. A great staff of volunteers with loving hearts minister every week. Through this ministry, many have been saved and have become members of the church. Please pray for this ministry and for revitalization in the church.
Website: LHBCMD.org
“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.
If you would like to have your church featured in the “Pray for…” series, fill out this information form..
December 8, 2018
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: December 8, 2018
How to Promote Yourself without Feeling Gross — Sam Rainer
If you’re a Christian, especially a Christian leader, this promote-yourself-world presents a problem. Promoting yourself can be self-serving, selfish, and annoying. For those of you who have a measure of humility, the thought of marketing your own stuff can feel egotistical. The narcissists out there don’t help either. When others are recommending you, it’s always a good thing! Of course, there are no guarantees that others will speak for you. How do you maintain balance? How do you promote yourself without feeling gross?
20 Mistakes Pastors Make During Christmas — Facts & Trends
When it comes to leading a church throughout the Christmas season, I suppose I’ve made most of the mistakes one can make. The good news is once in a while I got it right; the blessings were enormous. It’s the mistakes that stand out in memory, however. And, human nature being what it is, the failures of others make great reading and, hopefully, great learning experiences without our own trial and error. So, here are my candidates for the top 20 mistakes we preachers make during the Christmas season…
Why the North American Church is Unlikely to Experience Revival — Chuck Lawless
First, a caveat: I strongly believe that revival is the gift of God, and He grants it sovereignly according to His plan. My point with this post, though, is not that we somehow control God’s event calendar; instead, it’s that our church culture doesn’t exhibit some of the characteristics that have preceded God’s great movements. Here’s why I wonder if the North American church will experience revival:
3 Ways Pastors Can Engage Congregants’ Minds — Brandon Smith
Instead of merely lamenting on social media about the current state of theology, pastors should be springing into action. The survey results from 2016-2018 did not change much, however what did change changed for the worst. Theology among evangelicals is not improving, according to the survey. We can blame culture and politics and media or we can first blame ourselves. After all, we are public theologians long before we are counselors, motivators, or organizational leaders. We should expect our congregations to get their theology from elsewhere if not from us. They may love Jesus deeply, but not the Jesus of the Bible; they may love Jesus with their hearts, but not with their minds.
This Week at ThomRainer.com:
American Churches Are at a Tipping Point
If current trajectories continue, American churches will pass a tipping point. Our congregations will begin a likely unstoppable path toward decline that will rival many European churches of the past century…READ MORE
The Five Most Common Ways Churches Guide New Believers
It’s one of the most common questions we get at Church Answers. What resources or approaches do you use for new believers…READ MORE
Primary Factors That Led to a Pastor’s Call to Ministry
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode490.mp3
Five Types of Interventions for Churches Needing Revitalization
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode491.mp3
Five Incredible Tips from a Real Life Bi-Vocational Church Revitalizer
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Revitalize & Replant
http://media.blubrry.com/revitalizereplant/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/RevitalizeReplant/RR-Episode070.mp3
December 7, 2018
Five Types of Interventions for Churches Needing Revitalization – Rainer on Leadership #491
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Interventions can meet a great need in churches—and many churches need them. Today we discuss five types of interventions, and I tell the story of my strangest church consultation moment.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Online coaching has the potential to help pastors and churches in a way we’ve never seen before.
One of the greatest encouragements to pastors is them knowing they are not going through something alone.
Revitalization requires a decision to stop doing what a church has been doing to decline and start doing something else in order to grow.
Knowing when it’s time to pass the baton to the next leader is a difficult decision for a leader to make.
The five intervention types we cover are:
Coaching intervention
Consulting intervention
Community intervention
Relaunching intervention
Leadership intervention
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
Church Answers
Church Answers Gold
Church Answers Consulting
Revitalize Bundle
Revitalize Network
Episode Sponsors
The ministry landscape is changing, and the need for biblical training is more necessary than ever. It’s time to get your Master of Divinity degree. The M.Div —Midwestern Seminary’s flagship degree program — is the primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a discipleship culture devoted to the local church and committed to God’s unchanging Word. Why not start your training today?
Find out more at mbts.edu/mdiv.
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped thousands of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church.
For more information, visit WeStaffTheChurch.com.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Becoming a Welcoming Church.
December 6, 2018
Five Incredible Tips from a Real Life Bi-Vocational Church Revitalizer – Revitalize & Replant #070
iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • Spotify
Bi-vocational pastors are heroes, and the content for this week’s episode comes from Church Answers member—and bi-vocational pastor—Terry Cheek. We are grateful to him for sharing his story of leading a church revitalization as a bi-vocational pastor. These five tips are invaluable.
Episode Highlights:
By preaching the full counsel of God, you teach your people to love the full counsel of God.
There will always be selfish church members. Don’t let them get you down.
Pastors: preach the Word, be obedient to Christ, and let the Spirit work in your church.
We often overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in 10 years.
Only eternity is going to show the total fruit of our labor.
The tips on leading a revitalization effort as a bi-vocational pastor that we cover are:
Equip those willing to be equipped and don’t stress out on those who aren’t willing.
Consider preaching through books of the Bible.
Don’t stress out on the majority of people who don’t grasp your time limitations.
Don’t stress out that most of the members want to be served instead of serving. You will never please everyone.
Accept incremental progress as monumental progress.
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
ChurchAnswers.com
RevitalizeBundle.com
ChurchReplanters.com
Replanter Assessment
Find more resources at the Revitalize & Replant page at ThomRainer.com
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
December 5, 2018
The Five Most Common Ways Churches Guide New Believers
It’s one of the most common questions we get at Church Answers. What resources or approaches do you use for new believers?
My first reaction is one of joy. I am delighted God has used a particular church and its members to reach someone for Christ. My second response is a question. How have you responded in the past? What has been your approach with new believers? Here are the five most common ways churches guide new believers in order of frequency of response:
They do nothing. The majority of churches that have responded do not have any plan of discipleship in place for these new believers. To their credit, they know they must do something, and they are seeking to move forward.
They give them a resource. The resource is typically a book, and there does not seem to be any one book of choice. There are actually several good choices available.
They get them involved in a group. One pastor told me one of his most important tasks is to encourage people to move from the big worship gathering to the new smaller group. Of course, groups have different names in different churches: community groups, life groups, Sunday school, home groups, and others. That same pastor said that he works extra hard to get new believers in groups where they can be discipled and grow spiritually with others.
They send them to a new believer’s class. Many pastors like this idea but have trouble with consistency of schedule and getting a critical mass. “I hate to admit it,” a pastor shared with me, “but we only have six or seven new Christians a year. It’s tough to organize a new believer’s class every quarter with those numbers.”
They assign them a mentor. “That’s our stated process,” one pastor told me. “But it’s more theory than reality.” He was not, however, giving up. “When we do get people involved in one-on-one discipleship, the fruit is amazing. I just wish we could do a better job of making it happen.”
I would love to hear from you. What is your process of discipleship for new believers? How effective do you think it is? What are some of your most pressing challenges?
