Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 153
July 9, 2018
Three Ways Churches Will Be Impacted in the Revitalization Wave That Is Coming
Yes, I tend to be an optimist.
I am not, however, that type of optimist who refuses to face reality. If you have been a reader of my blog or listener to my podcasts, you know I am not hesitant to face harsh realities head on.
So, when I say a revitalization wave is about to come to our churches, I am serious about it. Indeed, I am obnoxiously optimistic about the future of congregations. In this post, I will address how churches will be impacted from a high-level perspective. In my post on Wednesday, I will share why I see this major trend on the horizon.
First, let’s agree there are 350,000 churches in North America. You can quibble with our estimates. Some say less; some say more. The exact number is not that important.
Second, let’s also agree there are 300,000, or 85%, of all churches needing some level of revitalization, from modest to radical revitalization. Bear with me until my Wednesday post where I make my case for these numbers.
So, how will these 300,000 churches in need of revitalization be impacted by the wave that is coming? Let’s look at three major categories.
About one-third of these churches will revitalize organically. I wish you could see what I am seeing. Never in my life or ministry have I seen church leaders seeking a path of revitalization for their churches. I wish you could see on a smaller scale how many of these churches are using the Church Health Report
for their congregations. I wish you could see the hunger, the desire, and the willingness to pay the price to revitalize. About 100,000 congregations will likely revitalize organically. In other words, their revitalization will take place from within, rather than from a merger or being acquired.About one-third of these churches will revitalize through replanting and/or being acquired. Another 100,000 churches will not be able to revitalize organically, but they will have the faith and sacrificial attitude to give their facilities and other assets to another church for a church replant or acquisition or both. Frankly, this new attitude and willingness was largely unheard of just a few years ago.
About one-third of these churches will decline and die. Unfortunately, 100,000 of the churches will not revitalize organically, nor will they be willing to give away their assets to another church. Some of these church leaders and members are in denial. Others have just given up. They give new meaning to the hymn, “I Surrender All.”
I get it. The near-term closure of 100,000 churches is not good news. But look at the other side. Two of three churches, around 200,000, will revitalize organically or through replanting. That’s incredible news!
If you want to see what many churches are using as first-step tools for revitalization, see the Church Health Report or join us at Church Answers where we are growing healthy churches together.
It’s an exciting time. It’s a hopeful time. It is my prayer God will use many of us as His instruments for a mighty wave of revival and revitalization in our churches.
Let me hear your thoughts.
July 8, 2018
Pray for The Storehouse Community
Location: Greencastle, Pennsylvania
Pastor: John Bartlett
Weekly Worship: 10:00 AM, Eastern
Fast Facts: The Storehouse, originally Calvary Bible Church, went through a drastic decline following the death of the original pastor in 2009. From approximately 375 members, the church dropped to around 40 in 2015. Pastor Bartlett come in June of 2015 and has helped the church transition from an inward focused church to one that’s focused on getting into its community. Storehouse operates a food bank, and primarily ministers to men and women caught in the substance use epidemic that’s hit our nation. God has positioned Storehouse with partnerships with county government and other agencies to help bring hope to those struggling in this substance abuse. Please pray as they move forward to be faithful to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Also pray for their partnership with Noah’s House and Gracie’s Place in Chambersburg. These are faith based homes for men and women wanting out of substance abuse. Storehouse’s desire is to have more homes like these in its county.
Website: ExploreSHC.com
“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..
July 7, 2018
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: July 7, 2018
Why Vacation Bible School is as Important Now as Ever — Sam Rainer
He’s older now. Retired, but not done. He doesn’t move quickly, and his hearing is not great. For thirty years he shepherded our church. Now he leads a Life Group. We call him “Brother Bob.” All of Bradenton calls him that. He’s a passionate evangelist for evangelism. Give him a minute of your time, and you’ll hear him share the gospel. Boldly. Without apology. He was at Vacation Bible School every day last week. He brought three children. Two of them accepted Christ. In fact, seventeen total children accepted Christ, along with two parents. Countless gospel seeds were planted. What other program or event bears this kind of fruit in a one-week timeframe? VBS is a local mission trip that just about any church can do.
What Religious Group Fears Death the Most? — Facts & Trends
The afterlife seems to be an overwhelmingly dead end for one particular people group—and it’s not the nonreligious. Tibetan Buddhist monastics—a community of Buddhist monks and nuns—are reported to fear death the most when compared to several other people groups: nonreligious Westerners, Hindus, Christians, lay Tibetans, and lay Bhutanese. The studies were conducted by Harvard Divinity School, the University of Arizona’s department of Philosophy, and other institutions.
How Should a Pastor or Church Leader View Parachurch Ministries? — Dave Harvey
I’m a pastor. Cut me and I bleed local church. Cut the church and I’m spoilin’ to protect her. As a pastor, even the threat of a cut can evoke a negative or reflexive reaction. Which leads me to parachurch ministry. As a younger pastor, I saw parachurch ministries as ‘cutting’ the church. These works were the ‘alternative church’ – reaching for the church’s partnership, resources, and credibility while excising the corresponding organization, care and accountability that attended it. Parachurch was, in my opinion, a drain to the local church; legitimate only inasmuch as their existence revealed where the local church had failed to apply herself. They were the unpaid debt of the local church. Not anymore.
Sunday School as the Key to Fulfilling the Great Commission — Allan Taylor
Anything worth accomplishing has a strategy. Is the Great Commission worth accomplishing? You bet it is! It is so grand that we call it the GREAT Commission. Therefore, it deserves our careful attention and planning. I believe that Sunday School should be the church’s strategy. Sunday School is the How behind the What. Sunday School is the way we go about accomplishing the Great Commission—one class at a time, one person at a time. This article cannot cover all the reasons for that, but let’s look at the three components of a strategy.
This Week at ThomRainer.com:
Three Ways Churches Think They Are Known in Their Communities
Many of our churches are doing an incredible job connecting with and ministering to the communities in which they are located. And though I am certainly glad to see many church members excited about what is taking place on their church campuses, I fear many members think that community ministry means, “Y’all come to us, and we will minister to you.”..READ MORE
Five Examples of Effective Prayer Ministries
Prayer over the facilities
Senior adult/retirees guided prayer ministries
Worship service prayer ministry
Prayer over guest cards
24/7 prayer ministry
How to Deal With an Angry Church Member
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode446.mp3
Seven Ways to Adapt to Changes in Church Attendance
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode447.mp3
The Five Greatest Fears of Replanting a Church
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Revitalize & Replant
http://media.blubrry.com/revitalizereplant/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/RevitalizeReplant/RR-Episode048.mp3
July 6, 2018
Seven Ways to Adapt to Changes in Church Attendance – Rainer on Leadership #447
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Jim Sheppard, CEO of Generis, joins us today to talk about a new, free eBook (The Big Shift) and to discuss how your church can best adapt to the changing patterns in church member attendance.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
When church members attend less frequently, you have to maximize every minute they do attend.
Inadvertently, most churches send the message that they’re only open from 9-12 on Sunday mornings.
Live streaming of church services is available to almost any church.
Attendance and giving are not the only scorecards to measure church member engagement.
The seven steps we discuss today are:
Take full advantage of every minute.
Consider flexibility in worship times that you’ve never thought of before.
Make the sermons easily accessible.
Put more emphasis on those who serve.
Develop consistency in small groups.
Employ all giving options.
Teach a proper view of church and Sabbath.
About Jim Sheppard
Jim Sheppard is CEO & Principal of Generis, a consulting firm passionate about helping Churches inspire and cultivate generosity through giving development, coaching and strategy. For the last 23 years, he has devoted his life to coaching pastors and understands the financial challenges that churches face today-annual giving, debt, capital projects and planned giving-and is a positive force in bridging these needs with the power of spiritually motivated stewardship. Cumulatively, Jim has partnered with his clients to raise over $1.3 billion for local church ministry. Jim and his wife Nancy live in the Atlanta, GA area and they have two daughters.
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.
Applications are now open for Vanderbloemen’s fall pastor coaching network at their Houston headquarters in September and November. There are two networks – one for Lead Pastors and one for Executive Pastors. Each group is limited to 16 people. It’s a roundtable, close-knit network where you will grow as a leader so that you can grow your team and ultimately grow your church.
If you’re interested in joining, visit vanderbloemen.com/coaching for more information.
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.
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
Generis
Contagious Generosity
The Big Shift – Free eBook
July 5, 2018
The Five Greatest Fears of Replanting a Church – Revitalize & Replant #048
Mark Clifton joins us to discuss the most common fears pastors in revitalizations and replants have.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM CLYDE
Our church once had a pastor who walked on eggshells all the time. He was afraid of upsetting people both in the community and in the church. He was paralyzed by fear. Is that something that’s common with those in church revitalization? What fears do pastors have when trying to revitalize or replant a church?
Episode Highlights:
No pastor wants to be the last pastor of a church.
If God has placed you as pastor at a church, He’s got a reason for you to be there at that specific time.
Pastors shouldn’t play the blame game if the church they lead doesn’t have what they would consider adequate resources.
Daniel slept in the lions’ den, so can you.
If you’re pastoring in a revitalization, you need to preach, pray, love, and stay.
The five fears we discuss are:
Fear of failure. What happens if the church fails?
Fear of inadequate resources
Fear of my family not adjusting
Fear of burnout
Fear of the long-term commitment required
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
ChurchReplanters.com
ChurchAnswers.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.
July 4, 2018
Five Examples of Effective Prayer Ministries
Prayer over the facilities
Senior adult/retirees guided prayer ministries
Worship service prayer ministry
Prayer over guest cards
24/7 prayer ministry
Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:
Rote, perfunctory prayers are not the signs of an effective prayer ministry.
Get senior adults involved in the prayer ministry of the church—don’t just entertain them.
Prayer should be foundational to everything a church does.
Having a prayer ministry coordinator helps to make prayer an emphasis in the church.
July 3, 2018
How to Deal With an Angry Church Member – Rainer on Leadership #446
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
I get asked this question on nearly a daily basis. Pastors from all over are wanting to know how to deal with angry church members.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Responding to anger with more anger just escalates the situation.
Sometimes people who are lashing out in anger just want to know they’ve been heard.
Social media is not the place to try to end a heated argument.
The visceral reaction is to argue with someone who is angry with us—the spiritual reaction is to pray for them.
Sometimes pastors make decisions that make church members angry. It happens.
The seven ways you can deal with an angry church member are:
Don’t respond in anger.
Listen and repeat.
Consider bringing in a third party.
Try to determine the source of the anger.
Dispel any factual errors calmly.
Offer possible solutions.
Pray with the person.
Episode Sponsors
Applications are now open for Vanderbloemen’s fall pastor coaching network at their Houston headquarters in September and November. There are two networks – one for Lead Pastors and one for Executive Pastors. Each group is limited to 16 people. It’s a roundtable, close-knit network where you will grow as a leader so that you can grow your team and ultimately grow your church.
If you’re interested in joining, visit vanderbloemen.com/coaching for more information.
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 Becoming a Welcoming Church.
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
Dave Miller GoFundMe Drive
July 2, 2018
Three Ways Churches Think They Are Known in Their Communities
Usually when I ask a question on social media, I expect a decent number of responses. Church leaders and members are typically gracious to me and share their opinions readily.
But when I asked a question about the reputation of their churches in the community, I was inundated with responses. Many wanted to share the good and the bad. Perhaps the most intriguing facet of the study was the three distinct groups in which the responses fell.
The question was simple: “What is your church known for in its community?”
Within a few minutes of my post, many responses came forth. After I read and added all of them, I saw three patterns emerge.
About one-half of the churches are known for ministries that require the community to come to the church itself. Great preaching. Incredible worship services. A friendly church. Great events at the church. How our members care for one another. You get the picture. These are all great responses, but they require the community to come to the church. If community members do not set foot on the church’s campus, they will never know about the ministries of the church. For the majority of the churches, the idea of community ministry is “you come to us.”
About one-fourth of the churches cited great ministries in and to the community. Partnering with schools in the community. Serving the community with food and clothes. Medical and dental ministries. Ministries to families, parents, and children in the community. The list goes on and on. It was exciting to read how many churches demonstrate their love for their community by actually going into the community.
About one-fourth of the churches said they were known for negative reasons. Preacher-eater churches. Congregational fights and splits. Legalism. Unfriendliness. One church leader said his church was known for two murders that occurred a few years apart on the church site. Ouch.
The social media poll did encourage me in many ways. Many of our churches are doing an incredible job connecting with and ministering to the communities in which they are located. And though I am certainly glad to see many church members excited about what is taking place on their church campuses, I fear many members think that community ministry means, “Y’all come to us, and we will minister to you.”
Of course, I am concerned, but not necessarily surprised, about the negative perceptions of some churches in the community. I pray those churches will begin to make a positive impact in the locations where they serve.
What is your church known for in the community? What are your members actually doing in the community and for the community? Let me hear from you.
July 1, 2018
Pray for Fairfields Baptist Church
Location: Burgess, Virginia
Pastor: Pastor Randy McCollum
Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM, Eastern
Fast Facts: Fairfields Baptist is located on the Northern Neck between the Rappahannock and Potomac Rivers on the Chesapeake Bay. As a rural church, its ministries are focused on farmers and watermen. The heart of Fairfields is to truly be a lighthouse reaching into its community giving hope to the hopeless, love to the unloved, and faith to the faithless for the kingdom of God. They have recently started men and women’s ministries and have partnered with a local women’s shelter and will be partnering to help families with home repairs in the future. Pray that God will open doors to reach the unsaved through these ministries.
Website: Church Facebook Page
“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..
June 30, 2018
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: June 30, 2018
How to Put Financial Stress On Your Marriage Before You Even Say “I Do” — Art Rainer
Without question, these are exciting times for you and your fiancé. Each day, you seem to learn more and more about the one you are marrying. The conversations go deeper than before. You are no longer talking about “me” or “you.” You are talking about “us.” And while the conversations take many thrilling turns, the topic of money is often left out. Why ruin the mood? Unfortunately, the lack of financial communication before marriage can lead to financial stress during marriage. So let’s consider how you create a financially stressful marriage before you even say “I do.”
New Tax Law Could Cost Churches, Non-Profits a Billion Dollars — Facts & Trends
A new tax law could cost churches and other nonprofits a bundle. As in a billion dollars—just for offering free parking and other benefits to employees. Last year’s tax reform bill changed the law so for-profit businesses could no longer write off such benefits. Unfortunately, says Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), that change affects churches and other nonprofits.
9 Ways to Get Outside the Christian Bubble — Chuck Lawless
I’m convinced that many Christians don’t do much evangelism because they don’t really know many non-believers in the first place. They live inside the Christian bubble and wait for lost persons to come their way. The gospel, though, is about a God who came to a non-believing world; He initiated the conversation. Here are some ways we can be more Christlike and get outside the bubble:
Food, Comfort, and the Gospel — Cam Hyde
It may be gluttony, it may be idolatry—and it is probably both—but I believe that this is one of the greatest unspoken sins facing the church in America today. We have exchanged the glory of God for cheap, temporary comfort readily available at the nearest convenience store or drive thru. We are so entrenched in it that it is rarely spoken of or preached from the pulpit. Our gods are our bellies and we’ve turned a blind eye.
This Week at ThomRainer.com:
How and Why I Could Fall
Leaders with hubris never think they are or will be leaders with hubris. It sure is easy to talk about others who are self-serving egotists. But it is incredibly difficult to accept that I can go down that very same path…READ MORE
Six Important Church Metrics We Often Ignore
Conversion trends
Ministry involvement trends
Small group attendance trends
Total giving trends
Budget giving trends
Weekly per capita giving
Six Ways the #MeToo Movement Has Affected Local Church Life
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode444.mp3
Four Steps for Dealing with a #MeToo Moment in Your Church
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode445.mp3
The Power of Celebrating in Church Revitalization
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Revitalize & Replant
http://media.blubrry.com/revitalizereplant/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/RevitalizeReplant/RR-Episode047.mp3
