Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 157
May 30, 2018
Why Church Members Are Attending Less Frequently
They are more mobile.
They are more affluent.
They have more options.
They consider church optional.
They have not been challenged.
They are likely not active in a small group.
Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:
Those who are more affluent have more options to do things other than attend church on the weekend.
Too many church members consider corporate worship optional.
Raising the bar of expectations for church members is key to higher attendance frequency.
The more involved people are in small groups, the more involved they will be in the life of the church.
May 29, 2018
Legal Issues Facing Churches Today – Rainer on Leadership #436
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Legal expert and lawyer Josh Bryant joins us to discuss the five most important legal issues facing churches today.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Church security is way more detailed than who should carry a gun.
You’re way more likely to have other types of security issues at your church than you are to have an active shooter.
When a church’s bylaws are not followed or they are a mess, there is potential for major legal issues for a church.
Churches need to make sure they have the right type of insurance coverage and the right amount of insurance coverage.
The five legal issues we cover on this episode are:
Church Security Issues
Bylaws in Disarray
Property and Zoning Issues
Insurance Disputes
Child Protection and Mandated Reporting
About Josh Bryant
Josh Bryant is the Managing Attorney at Church General Counsel. He seeks to help churches bolster church growth and ministry needs with legal compliance and best risk management practices. After earning his Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville, Arkansas he spent five years as a litigation attorney. Only a month into his legal career, God saw fit to call he and his wife into ministry. They spent the next five years preparing for that before he became the Pastor of Adult Discipleship at First Baptist Church in Rogers Arkansas. He did that for around five years but also spent a significant amount of time helping his and other churches with the legalities of operating a church. He now does that full time, helping churches and pastors around the country grow their ministries with the law.
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
Becoming a Welcoming Church
We Want You Here
Church General Counsel
Six Common Problems with Church Bylaws
May 28, 2018
Fake Flowers and Churches
I love the community at Church Answers! We received this question from one of our Australian community members. With some minor changes to protect confidentiality, here is the question in full:
This may categorize as vastly different cultural norms, but as an Australian who has recently spent a few months in the US I couldn’t help but notice the amount of effort, and no doubt coin, churches seem to invest in floral arrangements. Many of these are fake flowers (and the church provides a storeroom or two for these to be housed) and many have fresh flowers, every single week.
I have nothing against flowers, in fact I love fresh flowers but it’s just not something we generally have in Australian churches, and certainly not on a regular basis. Coming from a church that has a very limited budget, where quite literally every dollar counts, the main objection I found myself having was in keeping first things first, wondering how the money invested into these ‘beautification projects’ were enhancing the presentation of the gospel to help save souls and further the kingdom?
Some arrangements were tasteful and lovely, and some not so (I realise beauty is subjective, but these fake flowers looked like they hadn’t aged very well at all in the last 20 years). I was given the impression that there were whole committees dedicated to this task and that it would cause great offence to perhaps a number of people to even suggest to have ‘less flowers’ so that funds might be used elsewhere (namely, I was thinking for outreach and evangelism purposes).
So, please forgive my ignorance, but can you help me understand more about church beautification and the emphasis on floral arrangements? Is it just a cultural norm and generally expected? Is it helpful in pointing church goers to Christ? And what’s been your experience if you have ever suggested to spend less money on flowers?
How Would Your Respond to Our Australian friend?
Does your church spend time and money on flowers?
Is it worth the time, money, and effort?
Do you have some ugly fake flowers in your church?
Do you have flower committees that spends more time on flowers than the church does on evangelism in the community?
What other input do you have?
Outside Eyes and Stewardship
It is fascinating to hear from someone who has a totally outside perspective and wonders why many of our churches do what they do. In this case, the outsider seemed perplexed with our churches’ abundant emphasis on flowers.
How would you respond? Let me hear from you.
May 27, 2018
Pray for Verona Baptist Church
Location: Blue Ridge, Texas
Pastor: Darryl Lewis
Weekly Worship: 10:50 AM, Central
Fast Facts: Verona Baptist Church has been active in the Blue Ridge community for more than 140 years. This summer, they will be installing a new playground to better accommodate the preschoolers and kids in the church. Please be in prayer for their upcoming Vacation Bible School that will be held in late June. Also pray for continued church growth and revitalization as they continue to seek The Lord’s will the better reach their community.
Website: VeronaBaptist.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..
May 26, 2018
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: May 26, 2018
10 Reasons to Do Announcements via Video — Chuck Lawless
I’ve previously written about ways to improve announcements in your church, and I briefly mentioned there why I like video-recorded announcements. Here are my other reasons for taking this approach:
7 Things to Never Say at a Funeral — Facts & Trends
Though we all are confronted with death and must deal with personal loss, we never seem to know what to say to someone else going through grief. Sometimes, even if we have the best intentions, we can say something that is emotionally hurtful or theologically off-base. Here are seven things to avoid saying at a funeral or to someone grieving the loss of a loved one.
Leading Your Church to Care for Orphans — Craig Thompson
Not everyone can or should adopt. Not everyone can or should be foster parents, but every church should look for how they can be involved in care for orphans. May is National Foster Care Month and in honor of that, here are ways that you, as a pastor, can lead your church to engage children in foster care.
3 Cruel Christian Clichés for Graduates — Eric Geiger
It’s graduation season and your mailbox is likely filled with graduation invitations and pictures. Your church has likely asked graduates to stand and be recognized or marched them across the stage as proud family members took photos and celebrated/mourned the ending of an important season in their lives. It is an exciting time for graduates. College or work plans are coming together, and more responsibility is being enjoyed. In the midst of all the celebrations, graduates hear some untrue and worthless advice. The clichés tossed around are inaccurate at best and often cruel because of where they can lead. Here are three clichés we should not be giving to the graduates in our lives.
This Week at ThomRainer.com:
Three Accidents That Did Not Happen at Your Church
Allow me to give you three reminders. It is my prayer these three brief points will be a source of encouragement and hope for you. It is my prayer they will be used by God to encourage you to keep pressing on…READ MORE
Four Things You Need to Know about Gen Z
You can’t know them for certain at this point.
They will be a large generation.
They may be more receptive to the gospel than preceding generations.
Now is the time to reach many of them.
Six Reasons to Love the Established Church
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode434.mp3
Challenges Church Personnel Committees (or Similar Groups) Face
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode435.mp3
Why Dying Churches Blame Everyone But Themselves
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Revitalize & Replant
http://media.blubrry.com/revitalizereplant/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/RevitalizeReplant/RR-Episode042.mp3
May 25, 2018
Challenges Church Personnel Committees (or Similar Groups) Face – Rainer on Leadership #435
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Personnel teams at churches have a difficult job because they’re often tasked with oversight of people they don’t see but a few times a week. Today we discuss some of the challenges they face.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
To accurately assess someone’s work performance, you need to have regular oversight of their work.
Pastors, make sure you’re in regular communication with your personnel team.
All personnel confrontations and decisions should be well documented.
Office hours are often the most misunderstood aspect of vocational ministry.
Vocational ministry doesn’t have an off switch.
The seven challenges we cover are:
The biggest: not being there every day
Listening to only one side of the story
Being unduly influenced by power groups or individuals
Showing favoritism to a staff person
Failing to document their work and conversations
Not fully understanding vocational ministry
Not fully understanding compensation and benefit issues
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
LifeWay Compensation Study
Compensation Handbook
Becoming a Welcoming Church
We Want You Here
May 24, 2018
Why Dying Churches Blame Everyone But Themselves – Revitalize & Replant #042
There is plenty of blame to go around in dying churches. Unfortunately, they rarely look in the mirror and instead blame others. Today we discuss why that is wrong and how to combat it.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM MANUEL
I currently serve as an associate pastor but am about to take on a replant. My pastor has mentored me well, and often talks about how he has to manage blame coming from the church when anything goes not according to plan. What are some frequent objects of blame in replants?
Episode Highlights:
One of the death wheezes of a church is when it begins to resent the people in its community.
When a new pastor comes, members should ask “what can I do to help the new pastor succeed?”
You can’t revitalize a church if there is a spirit of bitterness in the church.
You will lose the next generation of leadership in your church if you don’t give them opportunities to lead.
God is under no obligation to resource your plans for His church.
The five objects of blame we discuss are:
The community won’t come to our church!
It’s the fault of the (past or present) pastor!
Those members should have never left us!
The denomination won’t help us!
Younger families are too snobby to visit us!
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.
May 23, 2018
Four Things You Need to Know about Gen Z
You can’t know them for certain at this point.
They will be a large generation.
They may be more receptive to the gospel than preceding generations.
Now is the time to reach many of them.
Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:
Gen Z is a great unknown.
Gen Z will be a large generation, and will be critical to reach with the gospel.
Get Z is likely to be more receptive to the gospel than Millennials.
Because of their age, the greatest opportunity to reach Gen Z with the gospel is now.
May 22, 2018
Six Reasons to Love the Established Church – Rainer on Leadership #434
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Sam Rainer joins us to talk about the established church and why pastors should love them. We also highlight an upcoming conference for pastors of established churches.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
After a church has been around for more than a decade, it becomes an established church.
When you inherit an established church, you often inherit 4-5 generations in a church.
A healthy established church will have people who are involved and integrated into the health of the community.
Not only do established churches have buildings, they are often in strategic locations in their town.
The six reasons we cover on this episode are:
They are often multigenerational
The have generations of gospel stories
They are often anchors in their community
Many of them have buildings in strategic locations
Many of them have stable finances
Then have a history worth saving
Episode Sponsors
Our friends at Vanderbloemen Search Group help churches and ministries build great teams by finding their key staff, but did you know they have a ton of resources around team building? Their newest addition is The Culture Tool, a free comprehensive staff engagement survey to help you build, run, and keep a great team. It’s brand new and still in beta, so check out TheCultureTool.com to be on the cutting edge of this new tool that will help you improve your church staff culture.
Visit TheCultureTool.com to learn more.
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
Becoming a Welcoming Church
We Want You Here
Est. Church Podcast
Est. Church Conference
May 21, 2018
Three Accidents That Did Not Happen at Your Church
If you are the pastor I met in Richmond, Virginia recently, thank you.
Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for your faithfulness. And thank you for your wise words about pastors and struggles: “It is good to know I am not alone.” Your words were meaningful. Your words were powerful.
You were speaking about the thousands of church leaders at Church Answers. You were speaking about the number one benefit you get from being in this safe community. You see the vulnerability, the lack of pretense, and the acknowledgments of struggles among other pastors and church leaders. It is a constant and encouraging reminder you are not alone.
I want to share those same words with the community who reads this blog post. I want you to know you are not alone. Ministry can be tough. Ministry can be frustrating. Ministry can even be depressing. But ministry in the local church can also be one of the greatest joys you’ve ever known.
Allow me to give you three reminders. It is my prayer these three brief points will be a source of encouragement and hope for you. It is my prayer they will be used by God to encourage you to keep pressing on. I simply call them the three accidents that did not happen at your church.
Your church address is not an accident. God placed your church where it is for a reason. You might be dealing with deferred maintenance issues in your building. You might be wishing your facility was up to 1980 standards. You might long for a faster-growing demographic. You might desire a more visible location. But God put you at your church address for very specific reasons. Celebrate your location. Celebrate your place in the world God has called you to minister.
Your community is not an accident. Perhaps there was a day when the community surrounding your church looked more like the people in your church. Perhaps the community was much younger than it is today. Perhaps the community members eagerly attended your church in the past, but not today. Keep in mind, the community where God has your church located today is not an accident. He put the people there, and he wants your church to embrace them, love them, and reach them. Don’t bemoan your community. Celebrate your community.
Your calling is not an accident. God called you to salvation. God called you to ministry. And God called you to the church where you are serving. God does not have accidents. Your calling is not an accident. He has you at your church for specific and powerful reasons. Love the church you have now instead of the church you wish was there. You have been called to them. It is an incredible opportunity. It is an incredible ministry.
You are not alone in your ministry challenges. Thousands upon thousands of church leaders experience the same challenges every day and every week.
Even more, you are not alone because God is with you. Your church address is not an accident. Your community is not an accident. And your calling is not an accident. God is in it all. God is the power of it all.
Celebrate these realities. You were called to this specific church in this specific community at this specific time.
It is truly a God-given opportunity.
