Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 169
February 1, 2018
Killing Sacred Cows in a Replant – Revitalize & Replant #26
Sacred cows exist in every church, but in dying ones and those in need of replanting, they problem is exacerbated. Today we tackle how to deal with sacred cows in a replant.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM KEVIN
The church I’m replanting has sacred cows everywhere. I know these are landmines in every church. Is there anything specific to replants in dealing with sacred cows?
Episode Highlights:
It’s always better to identify sacred cow landmines in the church before your step on them.
You need to genuinely try to understand why certain sacred cows exist in your church.
Sacred cows are born when members trade their love and affection for Jesus in exchange for love and affection for pews or a parlor.
We don’t ever want people to put their hope and trust in things that are temporal.
Moving someone’s focus from the temporal to the eternal takes time and patience.
The five ways to deal with sacred cows in a replant are:
Identify the sacred cows
Make Jesus the sole object of your worship
Help members understand that there is no joy to be found in protecting temporary and temporal things
Understand the spiritual warfare involved with sacred cows
Help members see that the more they will want what Jesus wants, the less they will want what they desire
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.
January 30, 2018
Five Consistent Sources of Discouragement for Pastors – Rainer Report #1
Today marks the start of a new video series on the blog—Rainer Report. Every Wednesday I’ll provide you with a new video specifically geared toward helping you grow a healthy church. I pray that these will encourage and motivate you in your ministry to your church and its community.
If you have specific topics you’d like to see me cover in future editions of Rainer Report, use the comments below to let me know. Also, be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel so you’ll never miss a new video.
Five Consistent Sources of Discouragement for Pastors
Members fighting with each other
Criticism and bullying
The comparison issue
The expectation of omnipresence
Losing members
Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:
Members fighting with each other can drain a pastor.
If you are not being criticized, you are not leading.
Eight Reasons Denominations Are Struggling – Rainer on Leadership #402
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
We turn our attention to denominations today and examine eight reasons many of them are struggling.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Getting angry about your circumstances never accomplishes anything.
One major reason denominations boomed in the late 20th century was because they were reaching cultural Christians.
Infighting often causes denominations to make up a fight just to make sure there’s a fight going on.
Denominational infighting keeps the denomination from focusing on the Great Commission.
Statistics and numbers are a reflection of denominational reality.
The eight reasons for denominational struggle that we cover are:
The common factor used to be theology
Anger at change
Holding on to the methods of the past
Deflected blame
Infighting
Refusal to see reality
Attempts to change with old wineskins
Failure to see their clear purpose
Episode Sponsors
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. Their Fall Lead Pastor and Executive Pastor Coaching Networks are now open for registration, and our very own Dr. Rainer will be speaking at the Fall Lead Pastor Coaching Network.
So if you’re a Lead Pastor or an Executive Pastor looking for peer roundtable coaching, check it out at vanderbloemen.com/coaching. It’s limited to 16 folks, so apply today before it fills up.
Midwestern Seminary is interested in helping you get to the field faster. And they’re serious about training leaders for the church. That’s why they’ve created the all-new Accelerate Program. In Midwestern’s Accelerate Program, students earn both Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Divinity degree in just 5 years of intensive study. That’s a B.A. and an M.Div. at the same time. This innovative residential program combines rigorous academic training with practical ministry preparation, resulting in one of the most effective programs around, so that you can pursue your ministry calling as soon as possible.
Two degrees in five years – all in one program: Accelerate at Midwestern Seminary. Take the next step by visiting mbts.edu/accelerate.
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 Who Moved My Pulpit?
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
Church Answers
January 29, 2018
The Dangers of Echo Chamber Leadership
We leaders often enjoy the affirmation and adulation of others as we express our ideas, provide direction, and set future courses.
And we sometimes enjoy it so much that we only want people to agree with us and affirm us, even if we are wrong.
It’s called echo chamber leadership. Properly defined, it’s an environment in which leaders encourage and encounter only beliefs or opinions that match their own, so that their existing views are reinforced and alternative ideas and pushback are not considered.
For certain, it’s very dangerous. And Christian leaders are not invulnerable to it, far from it. Indeed the evangelical celebrity culture exacerbates the problem.
What are some key issues that help us leaders not fall into the echo chamber leadership trap? Here are six considerations:
It is the leader’s responsibility to avoid the echo chamber. We can’t lay the blame on the shoulders of those who may be under our leadership. Leaders may have firing or some other type of punitive authority over them. Leaders must take the necessary steps, not the leader’s followers.
Sycophants are extremely dangerous. They take the echo chamber to its extreme to let leaders know how wonderful they are. They gush over them, fawn over them, and seek to please them unendingly. Leaders can really enjoy such adulation and attention. They can make the leader seem the paragon of perfection. Such pride is a forerunner to a fall.
Leaders must seek out people who care enough about them to speak truth to them. A few years ago, Brad Waggoner, the number two leader at LifeWay, said some things to me that really ticked me off. I let him know I was not happy. His response: “I care more about you than the consequences of telling you. Go on and fire me.” Such friends are priceless, especially if they work for you. By the way Brad was right and I was wrong.
Social media and blogs can drive leadership to the echo chamber. Because any critic, naysayer, or nutcase can have a voice in the digital world, leaders can be tempted to withdraw to the seeming comfort and affirmation of the echo chamber. But the echo chamber is actually more dangerous than exposure to the critics and the crazies.
The leader’s response to contrary opinions and criticisms will send a message to the watching world. I was in the room when someone suggested a contrary opinion to the leader. He blew up like an implosion with 1,000 sticks of dynamite. We got the message. Don’t say a word unless we agree with him and can affirm him.
Moral failure is common among leaders who dwell in echo chambers. These leaders are convinced they are God’s gifts to humanity. They are the smartest person in the room. After all, everyone has told them so. They cannot fail. They will not be tempted. Then they are tempted and they fall. And they usually fall hard.
Nathan is one of my heroes of Scripture. He had the courage to speak truth and confront King David (2 Samuel 12). The consequences could have been dire and deadly. But Nathan loved David too much not to speak truth to him.
I am thankful for those who have Nathan-like courage. And, at least in this case, I am thankful for leaders who respond like David.
The echo chamber is a siren song. It leads to failure, destruction, and even death.
None of us leaders are exempt. Stay strong in the Lord.
January 28, 2018
Pray for Hermitage Hills Baptist Church
Location: Hermitage, Tennessee
Pastor: Poly Rouse
Weekly Worship: 9:00 & 10:30 AM, Central
Fast Facts: Hermitage Hills, a church in the Nashville area, suffered devastating water damage recently during an extended time of below-freezing weather when a pipe at the church burst. Water poured into the church foyer, sanctuary, and fellowship hall and seeped through the floor to flood the church offices, choir suite, and education space below. A portion of the building that was damaged was the preschool wing of the newest part of the campus (fewer than two years old). Prayer support from the church congregation and surrounding local pastors has been overwhelming. Many local churches have even offered space for the church to meet.
Fortunately, the old sanctuary—now used as a family life center—was not damaged. The church staff and leadership are finding creative ways to host small groups, and the congregation meets in the former sanctuary during two separate services on Sunday mornings. Please pray for Pastor Poly Rouse and the church staff as they continue to work with clean up crews for the months to come.
Website: HermitageHills.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..
January 27, 2018
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: January 27, 2018
Eleven Specific Ways to Pray for Your Pastor
Four Keys to a Successful Church Year in 2018 – Rainer on Leadership #400
How to Better Use Video in Your Church
What Dying Churches Have in Common – Revitalize & Replant #025
How to Overcome Barriers to the Simple Church Model – Rainer on Leadership #401
Join me Monday, January 29, at 10:00 AM Central
What Two Simple Statistics Reveal about the American Church — Sam Rainer
Two simple statistics help explain the American church. There are other important church stats, but these two may surprise you:
The 8 People Americans Trust More Than Their Local Pastor — Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
Less than half of the country—just two out of every five Americans—believe clergy are honest and have high ethical standards, a recent Gallup poll found.
3 Reasons a Humble Leader Is an Effective Leader — Eric Geiger
Humility is a mark of the Christian faith. We belong to God because He humbled Himself for us, stepped into our world, and suffered a humiliating death for us. We become His when we humble ourselves as children and trust Him fully, knowing we cannot stand before Him in our goodness. We become more like Him as we walk in humility before Him. When it comes to leadership, here are three reasons a humble leader is a more effective leader:
Why Most Churches That Start Small Stay Small — Carey Nieuwhof
If you don’t pay attention to these 5 factors, there is a very good chance your church won’t grow. At least not substantially or sustainably.
8 Reasons Pastors Stay When Ministry Is Tough — Chuck Lawless
Earlier, I posted a blog about why pastors sometimes want to quit in difficult times. Not all of the pastors I’ve talked with actually left their church, however, even when they really wanted to leave. Here are some of the reasons they decided to stay:
Ministering to Millennials in a Secular Age — Derek Rishmawy
Most analysis of millennials likes to focus on what makes them distinct. But a key point to keep in mind is that, in many respects, they’re just like everyone else—but more so. In other words, they reject major trends of the last couple of generations, simply a bit farther down the line of historical and logical progression. Like everybody else, they live in the epistemological and moral atmosphere Charles Taylor dubs the “Nova Effect.”
January 26, 2018
How to Overcome Barriers to the Simple Church Model – Rainer on Leadership #401
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Complexity cripples too many churches. They want to simplify, but don’t know where to start. Today, we identify barriers to simplifying your church.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
What is your church holding onto that is keeping it from moving forward?
It doesn’t matter how great your vision statement is if no one can remember it.
If you want your church to remember its vision statement, if needs to be simple and repeated redundantly.
Fear can stop leaders from casting the vision a church actually needs.
Too many pastors and church leaders are coasting toward either retirement or conflict avoidance.
Don’t let fear paralyze you into inaction.
The five barriers we cover are:
Traditionalism.
Lack of clear vision.
Fear.
Coasting.
Failure to evaluate.
Episode Sponsors
Midwestern Seminary is interested in helping you get to the field faster. And they’re serious about training leaders for the church. That’s why they’ve created the all-new Accelerate Program. In Midwestern’s Accelerate Program, students earn both Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Divinity degree in just 5 years of intensive study. That’s a B.A. and an M.Div. at the same time. This innovative residential program combines rigorous academic training with practical ministry preparation, resulting in one of the most effective programs around, so that you can pursue your ministry calling as soon as possible.
Two degrees in five years – all in one program: Accelerate at Midwestern Seminary. Take the next step by visiting mbts.edu/accelerate.
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds 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.
Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting 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 Who Moved My Pulpit?
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
Simple Church
January 25, 2018
What Dying Churches Have in Common – Revitalize & Replant #025
While not every church is alike, many that are dying often exhibit similar signs. We cover seven of those today.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM CLAYTON
What are some more symptoms you could list (maybe other than some of the ones in Autopsy of a Deceased Church) that might be exhibited in a church on its death bed?
Episode Highlights:
Culture is changing whether we want to accept it or not.
It’s often better to approach change at an individual level before your try to change things at the corporate level.
Healthy churches are often acceptant, excited, and embracing of change.
If nostalgia is the dominant emotion in a church, it’s likely dying.
Holy huddles are serious problems is too many churches.
The seven things dying churches have in common are:
Anger at change
Nostalgia on steroids
Confusion of methods and facilities with the gospel
Little to no interaction with non-Christians
Deflected blame
Refusal to see reality
Very little time left for survival
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.
What Dying Churches Have in Common – Revitalized & Replant #025
While not every church is alike, many that are dying often exhibit similar signs. We cover seven of those today.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM CLAYTON
What are some more symptoms you could list (maybe other than some of the ones in Autopsy of a Deceased Church) that might be exhibited in a church on its death bed?
Episode Highlights:
Culture is changing whether we want to accept it or not.
It’s often better to approach change at an individual level before your try to change things at the corporate level.
Healthy churches are often acceptant, excited, and embracing of change.
If nostalgia is the dominant emotion in a church, it’s likely dying.
Holy huddles are serious problems is too many churches.
The seven things dying churches have in common are:
Anger at change
Nostalgia on steroids
Confusion of methods and facilities with the gospel
Little to no interaction with non-Christians
Deflected blame
Refusal to see reality
Very little time left for survival
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.
January 24, 2018
How to Better Use Video in Your Church
By Jonathan Howe
In my previous post, I discussed why your church should be utilizing video more in 2018. I also promised that I would write about some ways we are seeing churches successfully use video. Here are six such ways:
Simulcast Services. This is probably the most common consideration when it comes to using video in the church. There are several platforms available to churches that want to stream their services online. Everything from free platforms like Facebook Live to more expensive ones that are for more professional setups can be used. Even if the services are not live online, they can be taped and uploaded at a later time for members who may have missed the service that week.
Facebook Live. I’ve seen several churches start to use Facebook Live for special emphases in 2018. One such church local to us in Nashville, The Bridge, is using Facebook Live during their 21-days of prayer to start 2018. They’ve seen an increased engagement in the campaign as a result of using video to complement what members are doing on their own. There are so many ways to use Facebook Live in your church. The possibilities are endless.
Instagram Live Stories. This is similar to Facebook Live, but involves more of a social media aspect and timeliness. Because of their 24-hour lifespan, Instagram Stories can be useful to provide a behind the scenes look at what goes on during the week at the church or for quick reminders.
Video Announcements. Many churches have moved to video announcements over the past couple of years. You have much more control of the content and time when you have video announcements. They’re also super simple to repurpose into a social media post later in the week. Simply upload the video to Facebook or Twitter and your members can see it again or catch what they missed.
Event Recaps. These can help explain why you do what you do. You can show people the results of an outreach event, encourage them to contribute to the event next time, or even inspire members to volunteer.
Testimonies. I’ve seen several churches use video testimonies for baptisms, evangelism encouragement, and stewardship emphases among other things. Video allows for editing and often makes the person providing the testimony more comfortable than standing on stage and speaking.
Does your church use any of these video methods? Does it use something else?
Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources as well as the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week. Jonathan writes weekly at ThomRainer.com on topics ranging from social media to websites and church communications. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter at @Jonathan_Howe.
