Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 172
December 26, 2017
How to Handle a Church Staff Financial Crisis (and other listener questions) – Rainer on Leadership #392
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As we close out 2017, we answer a few questions from listeners. Like many questions we receive, these have a great deal to do with the changing church landscape.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
When it comes to church finances, you have to put the good of the church ahead of any particular staff.
As a pastor, you have to be willing to stand up for yourself against church bullies.
A church is not a church if it’s not fulfilling the Great Commission.
Corporate worship should be something you look forward to, not something you dread.
The listener questions we answer today are:
TRUDY
Our Tithes and Offerings are way down and the percentage of Compensation vs Income is at 86%. We are trying to find ways to generate income. We have Investments of about $250,000.00 and want to use the dividends and capital gains to offset this high percentage. Is that something we can do legally?
JOE
How do you stand up for yourself when church bullies are seeking to destroy you and get you run off. How do you protect yourself, family and the church when you as a person do not like confrontation. In fact you shy away from confrontation and are very uneasy about it. Any help, direction on this matter would be appreciated.
MIKE
I am 36 and I’m in my first pastorate. It has been a year and a half. It has been tough. I pastor a small baptist church. We are older and on a good day, we may have 25 people. My wife and I have met resistance from the start. They focus so much on money. I recently did a sermon and my points were “Healthy churches are Christ-centered and others-focused”. Next week, we are hosting a big youth outreach event. A bigger church is coming to town to help us and my church is in charge of food prep and serving. All the details have been worked out but yet they keep complaining. They tell me I’m the first pastor to do outreach. I was screamed at after my sermon this Sunday. I love these people and love being a pastor but I’m hurting. They are not use to not having control over every detail of events. I’m doing my best to admit mistakes and be transparent but it is getting tougher to try new things when I’m face with critics. I need advice.
ALICE
My church is in serious decline. We are that typical, mid-sized SBC church that couldn’t grow beyond a certain point, had no sense of urgency, no commitment to our community, members moved out to suburbs, etc. The pastoral staff consists of four full-time pastors, three of them are over 60. They aren’t old enough to retire and don’t have current job skills to do anything else. From what I’ve read, there are so many churches in this position. In our situation, I think about 65% of our budget is being used to pay their salaries. We have low building debt but at some point we will have to give up at least one of them to have any money at all for ministry. Our church elders do not understand that we have this looming crisis. That things are not going to get better with this staff but at some point we simply won’t be able to pay our bills. What happens to pastors in this situation?
MATT
What to do if the church is boring? We’ve been attending for about a year now and nothing has changed a lot not much growth maybe a couple families. The preaching is expository style but it’s more of a verbal commentary with not much application. Not many kids, not enough to have bible studies because the ages are so wide, no greeters you will walk into an empty sanctuary. they have a high view of God’s Word, and that’s what keeps us continuing. It’s causing some division in the household because one wants to go, and the rest of the family wants to visit other churches.
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
SBC This Week
December 24, 2017
Ten Christmas Gifts for You
Merry Christmas!
I am so grateful for you readers. You have enriched my ministry beyond description.
A reader asked me about a month ago if I would provide some of my most popular blog posts over the past several years. I am happy to do so! Over three million people viewed these ten posts. Consider them my gifts to you.
Top Ten Ways Churches Drive Away First-time Guests
14 Things You Shouldn’t Say to Your Pastor
One Sentence That Pastors and Church Staff Hate to Hear
Seven Things Pastors Would Like Church Members to Know about Their Children
Nine Traits of Church Bullies
What Worship Style Attracts the Millennials
Twenty-five Really Weird Things Said to Pastors and Other Church Leaders
Urgent Church: Nine Changes We Must Make or Die
Seven Ways to Hurt Your Pastor
Six Observations about Speaking to Pastors Right Before They Preach
Pray for Our Shepherd Lutheran Church
Location: Birmingham, Michigan
Pastor: Stephen Woodfin
Weekly Worship: 6:00 PM Saturday; 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Sunday, Eastern
Fast Facts: Our Shepherd is a church focused on the next generation. Their weekend and mid-week children’s ministries are growing every week. Please pray for the church as they focus on bringing the Kingdom to their community. They are currently going through the Simple Church process, guided by the book with the same name. They desire to be a church that builds up disciples, true followers of Jesus who want to become more and more like Him, and who speak the Gospel into their communities of family, friends, work, neighborhood, and leisure. Pray for God to use Our Shepherd to bring nonbelievers to a saving faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Website: OurShepherd.net
“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 23, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: December 23, 2017
Eight Reflections on 40 Years of Marriage
Ten Important Trends for Churches in 2018 – Rainer on Leadership #390
Zero-Based Church Scheduling
Nine Essential Qualities Found in Replant Leaders – Revitalize & Replant #020
Finding the Right Rhythm in Your Preaching Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #391
God is faithful — Elizabeth Hyndman
When we’re still waiting, when the ring finger remains empty, when the diagnosis means pain, when the job goes to someone else, when there’s no plus sign on the pregnancy test, when there’s an empty seat at our table, God is faithful. He is faithfully with us, to the end of the age.
4 Uncomfortable Church Trends — Landon Coleman
these are trends I don’t quite understand. They’re trends I would not want to uncritically embrace at Immanuel. And if I were searching for a church for my family, these practices would probably prevent me from joining a particular church. Enough disclaimers and explanations. Here are 4 church trends that make me uncomfortable:
Four Essentials of a Great Christmas Eve Service — Sam Rainer
Your Christmas Eve service is worth the effort. Families are often together during this time. That uncle who refuses to go to church will often capitulate and go to a Christmas Eve service, since the rest of the family is going together. Those who are detached from the church will often return for sentimental reasons. Additionally, the unchurched will recognize many of the Christmas songs, so they are more likely to participate. If the New Year is all about resolve, then Christmas is all about hope. Christmas is one of the few traditions in our culture that is universally accepted. With these thoughts in mind, there are four essentials of a great Christmas Eve service.
10 Mistakes Churches Make at Christmastime — Jonathan Howe
Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. Some would even say it’s the most wonderful time of the year. While it still has its wonderment, Christmastime has a tendency to be stressful as well—especially in the church. Unfortunately stress can lead churches to plan poorly and make unnecessary mistakes. Here are ten such mistakes to avoid in your church this Christmas:
Why Take a Short-term International Mission Trip? — Rob Hurtgen
The Lord has been incredibly gracious allowing me to travel and serve him in some unique places around the world. These short-term mission trips have not only impacted my faith but have shaped me as a pastor. On occasion I have been asked, “Why, when it is so expensive to travel and there are so many needs here should anyone take a short-term mission trip?” I would like briefly offer some reasons as to why you should consider taking a short-term mission trip in 2018.
3 Qualities Of Outstanding Church Volunteers — Meredith Mohr
So how do you get from needing a solid base of volunteers to having a volunteer team that maximizes the work of ministry or organization is doing? As you’re building a team of volunteers, look for some of these key traits below.
December 22, 2017
Finding the Right Rhythm in Your Preaching Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #391
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
One of the most frequently asked questions I get deals with how to find time for sermon preparation. The key if finding a rhythm in your prep. Today we discuss how.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
The amount of time needed for sermon preparation differs based on a pastor’s skill sets.
Always anticipate that it will take more time to prepare a sermon than you initially think.
Don’t get frustrated with brain locks in sermon prep. It’s normal. It happens.
Stewardship is not only about money—it can be about time, too.
Sharing the pulpit on a regular basis can help keep a pastor refreshed and recharged.
Many pastors can exegete Scripture, but can’t exegete their congregation.
Pastors who don’t shepherd, don’t exegete their congregation well.
The eight keys to finidng your preaching rhythm are:
Know how long it really takes to prepare a sermon
Allocate that time plus 25% on your calendar
Don’t get frustrated with brain locks
Don’t get frustrated with ministry interruptions
Plan your sermons ahead
If possible, share the pulpit occasionally
Understand the powerful principle of text + context
Seek a prayer warrior or two for sermon preparation
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
ChurchAnswers.com
December 21, 2017
Nine Essential Qualities Found in Replant Leaders – Revitalize & Replant #020
Raising up leaders in a replant situation is important. Today we highlight nine characteristics to look for in potential replant leaders.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM MARCO
As I have begun to develop leaders, what character qualities should you look for in potential leaders that are not only walking alongside of you in a replant but previous to replanting this church, have seen hurt and pain in the church? How can you help to develop confidence as we move forward?
Episode Highlights:
When you are replanting a church, you don’t need a pipeline as much as you need a lifeline.
Church leaders should have a love for the church—even in all its disfunction.
Church leaders shouldn’t only want to lead people, but shepherd them as well.
“Church members will follow your leadership to the degree they trust your shepherding.”
The more that someone is praying, the less they are likely to be critical.
The bar for how we should love is how Christ loved the Church.
The nine characteristics you should look for in leaders are:
Emotional intelligence
Deep love for the church
A shepherd’s heart
Committed to prayer
Able to keep confidence
Supporting spouse
Able to teach
Exemplary lifestyle
Prioritizes family
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.
December 20, 2017
Zero-Based Church Scheduling
Your church may be too busy.
Indeed your church calendar may be so full you have rendered much of the activity of the members ineffective. It’s time to start fresh.
I am proposing you dump everything on your church calendar. Okay, I’m not serious. But I am serious about your hypothetically cleaning the calendar. Let me give you my argument in a few bullet points:
Most churches have too many activities and programs and ministries for their members. Indeed most of their members are too busy to do ministry in the real world.
Over the years, those churches have added many things to the calendar without subtracting many or any. Those churches have a bloated calendar.
Attempt this exercise. Start with a blank calendar. We call that zero-based church scheduling. For now, it’s only a hypothetical exercise.
Now, fill in the calendar with only those activities you feel will really move the church forward. Keep it simple. Keep it basic.
Look at those activities that didn’t make the cut. See if the church is ready to reduce or eliminate the commitment to them. If not, you can make certain you don’t invest more money or time in the activity.
If you do this every year, your leadership will become more and more aware of how precious the resource of time is for your members. They will become more cautious before adding even more stress or activities to your members.
In too many of our churches, we have become so busy doing activities, our members have little or no time to do real ministry outside the walls of the church.
We need effective churches, not busy churches.
We need simple churches, not complex churches.
As you move into a new year, consider your church calendar. Be willing to consider reducing or eliminating those activities that lead to busyness but not effectiveness.
It could be the best New Year’s resolution you make.
December 19, 2017
Ten Important Trends for Churches in 2018 – Rainer on Leadership #390
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Every year, we take a look a the trends we expect to see in the new year. Today, we look at the trends for 2018.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
People are listening to more audio for learning purposes than ever before.
The boomer retirement crisis is two-fold: a lot are about to retire, but some will hang on too long.
The retail bust could be big for churches looking for space. More commercial space than ever before is coming available.
Every church should be a church for its neighborhood.
If you are not learning, you are not leading.
Too many churches overbuilt their worship space in the past.
The ten 2018 trends we cover are:
The audio revolution.
Boomer retirement crisis.
The deferred maintenance crisis in church facilities.
Churches moving into retail spaces.
Ongoing church closures.
The rise of the neighborhood church.
The learning revolution of the best church leaders.
Downsizing of worship centers/sanctuaries.
The rise of networks.
More Great Commission intentionality.
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
10 Keys to Maximizing Your Church Facility
December 18, 2017
Eight Reflections on 40 Years of Marriage
True to form in our marriage, Nellie Jo and I spent our 40th anniversary yesterday in simple fashion. We went to church and heard our son/pastor preach. Then we went to the elegant Cracker Barrel for lunch.
To be sure, we celebrated our anniversary earlier with trips to Mystic, Connecticut, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and our first geographical love, Florida. But the time at church and Cracker Barrel reflects more poignantly the simplicity and joys of our marriage.
What have I learned in 40 years of marriage? I have learned the cliché, “Time flies,” is more a reality than a cliché. I married my girlfriend when I was 22. I am now 62. Those four decades have been a blur. I have also learned than referring to my wife jokingly as “the better half” is not a joke at all. Nellie Jo is one of the most selfless people I have ever known. She is truly so much the better person in our marriage.
But I did want to share with you readers eight of the most powerful lessons I have learned in 40 years of marriage. I am neither the font of wisdom nor the personification of the good husband. But I have learned some things. Perhaps the lessons can be helpful to some of you.
Marriage is an incredible gift. I have taken the gift for granted too many times. I have taken Nellie Jo for granted too many times. But, with each passing year, I see more clearly what an incredible gift marriage is from God, and what an incredible gift Nellie Jo is to me.
The “for worse” moments” are some of the most powerful moments in marriage. We have embraced and cried with each other in the deaths of three of our parents and our grandson. I cried countless tears when Nellie Jo was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer at age 49. I thought I might lose her. I can’t imagine walking those paths alone without her.
Arguments are normal. I have learned begrudgingly how to fight fairly in marriage. Nellie Jo and I have had our share of arguments in 40 years. My problem is that my competitive nature wanted to win those arguments. In my latter years, I am learning that winning is really losing. I am still learning that the words, “I’m sorry,” are more powerful than, “I’m right.”
I have learned that “the church” and “my family” are false dichotomies. Yep, I’ve been one of those pastors and Christian leaders who proudly said, “My priorities are God, my family, and my church.” The problem with that statement is that it puts family and church in competition with each other. I have learned that when I truly follow God faithfully, I realize that my family is part of the church, and they are the first who receive my love, attention, and ministry.
The next generations are God’s blessings on a marriage. I love my three sons with an unbridled joy. They have become the men they are by the grace of God and the faithful love and attention of their mother. They have given us ten grandchildren, nine of whom we enjoy today, and one with whom we will reunite when we go to heaven.
My marriage is always stronger when I pray with my wife. I have been inconsistent in praying with Nellie Jo. My inconsistency is stupid because our marriage is always stronger when I pray with her.
I have learned to let my wife be herself. Nellie Jo is a free spirit and an artist. Too many times I have tried to shape her in my image. But I love the joy she now has just being herself. As a husband, I have learned every day that God has shaped and gifted Nellie Jo uniquely, and I celebrate the unique person she is.
I am blessed man. After 40 years of marriage, I love my wife more deeply than ever. Nellie Jo is a gift from God to me. I don’t deserve her. We are now in our fourth quarter of life, headed toward the “till death do you part” phase of marriage. My salvation is a gift. My family is a gift. And the love of my wife is a gift. I deserve none, but I am grateful to God for all.
Thank you, readers, for allowing me this detour from my usual articles. Above all, thank you, Nellie Jo, for saying “yes” 40 years ago. I am truly a blessed man. And I love you, girlfriend, so very much.
December 17, 2017
Pray for Olivet Baptist Church
Location: Honolulu, Hawaii
Pastor: Jamie McElrath
Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM, Hawaiian
Fast Facts: Olivet Baptist Church was founded 91 years ago as Mission Church. God displayed His blessings in many ways in those early days. Even as the shadows of the impending conflict of World War 2 grew longer and longer, God blessed Mission Church and many others throughout the islands when missionaries returning from China and Japan stopped off in Hawaii to continue their work. Mission Church called one of these missionaries to be their pastor, joined the Southern Baptist Convention, and changed their name to Olivet Baptist Church. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Olivet Baptist Church was one of the few places where the community could come together, and the church grew tremendously.
God fulfilled the legacy of their original name and vision, “Mission Church,” and in those early decades around 10 churches were planted by Olivet in Honolulu and elsewhere on the island of Oahu. Please pray that God will again fulfill the church’s first love—sharing the gospel and planting multiplying churches. Like many churches, the community around the church and the demographics have changed. Please pray the leadership will do whatever it takes to equip God’s people to obey God’s call. Please that they might be outwardly focused and sensitive to both welcome and share their faith in Christ during the Christmas season. Please pray that God will clearly direct their current search for various ministry leadership needs. Finally, please pray that they might follow the Lord’s leading in complete faithfulness, celebrating their heritage and faithful members while also embarking on the next chapter in the life of Olivet Baptist Church.
Website: OlivetBaptist.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..
