Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 18

Where Is the Bible Belt: Alabama or Washington State? A Church Answers Research Report

If you hear the name “Bible Belt,” you likely think of the deep South and cities like Birmingham, Nashville, or Jackson, Mississippi. For sure, those places have historically had more churches and more church members. Even today, you will likely see several churches when you take a short drive.

I am a native of the Bible Belt. I’ve spent most of my life in deep South states. Ironically, I was an unchurched teenager during some of my most formative years. And, yes, I can attest that the cliché, “a church on every corner,” is not too far from reality.

But the Bible Belt is changing dramatically. Its religious demographics are shifting toward secularism and nominal Christianity. To demonstrate that reality, I chose two counties with similar populations, one in Alabama and one in Washington State, and compared their religious demographics over ten years.

A Tale of Two Counties

I began

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Should Churches Celebrate July 4th? (And How Much)

Independence Day is a unique holiday for the American church. An overt Christian connection does not exist like with Christmas or Easter. July 4th is also specific to the United States, so churches outside of our country—as expected—would not recognize the holiday.

Four predominant views exist concerning whether American churches should recognize the holiday in a worship service. These views are on a spectrum, and godly people can have widely differing perspectives.

Display of patriotism. Churches should embrace the Independence Day holiday and celebrate it with much fanfare in worship services. Leaders should encourage activities in worship like the Pledge of Allegiance, singing the Star-Spangled Banner, and recognizing politicians in the service. America is a Christian nation, and churches are essential to preserving this vital part of our identity.Draw for the community. Churches should use the holiday to invite people to church. The celebration becomes an outreach tool. Some patriotic elements will be in the service, but the greater focus is using an after-church activity like a block party or kids’ event to encourage guests to be on your campus.Distraction from the purpose of worship. Churches should avoid celebrating July 4th because it confuses people and wrongly conflates God’s mission with patriotism. Christ should be central in all aspects of worship, not America. The priority is not loyalty to country but rather God’s glory. While a church may acknowledge the holiday, no part of the worship experience should be patriotic.Distortion of the gospel. Churches should condemn the use of patriotic elements in a worship service. Mixing patriotism with Christianity creates a false religion, and worship that includes elements of July 4th is likely idolatrous. America is not a Christian nation, and the church has no allegiance to any country.

Personally, I fall into the second category, and I believe the July 4th holiday is an excellent outreach opportunity to draw the community to your church campus. What are some ways to maintain balance with the holiday celebration?

Recognize context while keeping Jesus central. If I’m in another country, I expect the churches in those contexts to reflect elements of the culture. The local language, dress, customs, and celebrations will be present in the church. The American church can be contextual without losing the centrality of Christ. As a holiday, Independence Day is often ranked third by Americans as their favorite, behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. You are missing an opportunity if you ignore July 4th.

Minimize politics while acknowledging themes of loyalty and freedom. I never mention individual politicians from the pulpit, so I don’t like the idea of recognizing in worship a “special guest” who happens to be a local politician up for re-election. However, there are some excellent biblical themes to pull from the principles of July 4th, like freedom and loyalty. In the same way historical illustrations can complement biblical texts in sermons, the backdrop of Independence Day can highlight God’s truth.

Introduce elements of patriotism without changing the normal rhythm of worship. The ideal is to keep patriotism contextual without it veering into idolatry. I admit this balance is difficult. For those who believe patriotic displays in church are dangerously close to idolatry, I acknowledge the slippery slope exists. However, an entrenchment mentality is just as dangerous and, in my view, more likely to cause churches to neglect the Great Commission.

One way to maintain balance is to avoid special patriotic worship services and instead add a few patriotic elements to your normal flow of worship. Many churches already have this strategy for holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The same approach can work for a July 4th worship service.

Hold any special activities after the worship service. A few years ago, our leadership team strategically decided to utilize the Sunday closest to Independence Day as an opportunity for outreach. Historically, the Sunday around July 4th was one of our lowest attended of the year. Rather than give up and write off the Sunday, we strategically invested in it by holding a big block party event on our campus after worship. We encourage our members to invite their friends. The Sunday is now our highest attended of the summer.

How much churches should celebrate July 4th is a controversial subject. I’ve given my perspective, but I would enjoy reading your take in the comments.

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How to Hold Church Staff Accountable in a Hybrid Work-from-Home Arrangement

I’ve written previously about why required office hours may not be the best arrangement for church staff. Jesus didn’t say, “Stay in the church building.” He said, “Go.” It is much harder to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission from a desk.

Additionally, I have cautioned about the pendulum swinging too far the other way. For example, it would be unwise if every church staff person worked from home and rarely came into the office. A couple of office days are essential. For my church team, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are when almost everyone is onsite.

Where is the balance? How do you hold staff accountable without being too rigid with required office hours?

First, you need at least one support person (paid or volunteer) at the church for regular office hours. Someone should be at the church during the week. Second, if your accountability system is limited to the church building, you need a new one. Just because people are onsite and in an office does not mean good work is occurring. Third, a hybrid arrangement will be best for most churches.

What’s expected in today’s hybrid work environment? Among hybrid workers, a majority (63%) report that their employers mandate in-office presence for a specified number of days per week or month. Furthermore, approximately 59% of these hybrid workers indicate that they work from home for three or more days during a typical week. Conversely, 41% of hybrid employees work two days or fewer from home each week.

So, asking your church staff to be onsite two or three days a week is reasonable. What’s best for you? Every church is different. Every context is different. And there are many different ways to staff a church. I will give general guidelines on accountability because it’s impossible to create universal metrics for staff accountability.

When holding staff accountable, start by considering the following three concepts:

Scope of the job. Scope includes the number of job responsibilities. For instance, someone overseeing technology may have a large job scope—lots of tasks to complete every week to keep church operations running smoothly. A teaching pastor with the single responsibility of delivering a weekend message has a small job scope.Footprint in church. Footprint includes the number of people managed. The children’s minister typically has one of the largest footprints in the church—a fact often unnoticed by top leaders in the church. Both small group ministry and children’s ministry often have the most significant footprint in the church—lots of people to manage on an ongoing basis.Visibility to the church. Does the job require the staff member to connect regularly with a large portion of the church? Teaching pastors and worship pastors have high visibility positions, and there is a certain pressure that comes with these positions unlike other positions in the church.

After considering scope, footprint, and visibility, then create a system of accountability specific to the staff person:

If the staff person has a large ministry scope, then he or she needs task-oriented accountability. This person must be efficient and quick. Unlike someone with a large footprint or high visibility, this person’s personality and demeanor are less important. What is more important is the ability to multi-task with excellence. Hold them accountable for tasks, efficiency, and excellence.If the staff person has a large ministry footprint, then a high EQ and managerial skills are essential. Unlike someone with high visibility, stage presence is less important. However, the ability to mobilize people is crucial with a large ministry footprint. Hold them accountable for building relationships and having managerial aptitude.If the staff person has high visibility, then he or she needs to command a large audience and endear themselves to people. In short, they need to be likable. They also need to maintain a high energy level. They may not have as many tasks as the person with a large scope, and they may not have as much managerial oversight as the person with a large footprint, but the entire church will likely know them. Hold this person accountable for creating a compelling vision and the ability to inspire others.

If required office hours are the way you create a system of accountability, then you will not likely draw or keep staff with abilities of scope, footprint, or visibility. In fact, required office hours are the way to kill all three. Like many other work environments, however, churches likely need at least a couple of assigned days per week where everyone is in the office together.

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Removing the Like Button from Churches

I guess like buttons have their place in social media, blogs, podcasts, and other methods of communication. I pray, though, that I will avoid the temptation to see the various aspects of my church as a place where I can determine whether it meets my needs and gets my “like” affirmation.

I pray that I will not evaluate the music style in my church with a like button. Instead, I pray that I will be grateful to those who give of themselves every week to provide us with worshipful music.I pray I will not evaluate preaching in my church with a like button. Instead of deciding if the length is best for me and the exposition precisely as I would prefer, I pray that I will be thankful for a pastor who faithfully prepares and preaches a message every week. I pray that I will not evaluate the pastoral care in my church with a like button. Instead, I pray I will realize fully that we don’t pay our staff to do all the ministry; their primary work is to equip us for the work of ministry. I pray that I will not evaluate the order of worship in my church with a like button. Instead, I pray that I will demonstrate gratitude that I have the freedom to worship in my church and that I will not be so petty to insist on an order of worship the way I prefer. I pray I will not evaluate our church budget and spending with a like button. Instead, I pray that I will be grateful for those who give and for a church that seeks to be the best steward of those gifts. I pray I will not evaluate volunteers in my church with a like button. Instead, I pray I will have a heart of gratitude that they give freely of themselves without pay and most of them without recognition. I pray I will not evaluate my church overall with a like button. Indeed, I pray that I will not see my church as a place to get my needs and preferences met.

My church is not a social media channel built upon likes and up-and-down votes. My church is built upon the sacrifice and work of Christ. He labored for me. He prayed for me. He died for me. The least I can do is to love his bride, the church, as he loves her. The least I can do is to seek unity and be a source of unity in the church. 

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourself united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future (Ephesians 4:1-4, NLT).

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The Coming Silver Tsunami: A Volunteer Crisis in Aging Congregations

I have a friend who works in the long-term care industry. They operate facilities for older people who need help living independently. Their services range from assisted living, which requires three meals a day and some basic housekeeping services, to full nursing care, which requires round-the-clock support from a highly trained medical staff.

In our conversation, he used a term that I have been thinking about a lot: the silver tsunami. Tens of millions of Americans will be moving into the last stage of their lives in the next several years, and there just aren’t enough beds and trained staff to meet the rising demands of an aging population.

The church is facing its own type of silver tsunami right now regarding the kinds of folks who shoulder the volunteer burden of the church. In many small and medium-sized churches, members organize events, generate financial reports, and do essential maintenance

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What Should Pastors Do When They Must Lead People They Don’t Trust

Pastors must trust their churches for God’s mission to be accomplished. And congregants must trust their leaders for church culture to be healthy.

Blind trust is unwise.Trust is granted more than earned.When pastors do not grant trust to anyone, they become paranoid tyrants.

Trust between individuals is derived from reliability, confidence, and truthfulness. People become trustworthy when you rely on them confidently because they are honest. 

You may not trust someone for several reasons, many of which are rooted in unreliability, betrayal, and dishonesty. In the context of a local church, discipline may be required depending on the severity. However, a lack of trust may exist for reasons that are not negative. For this article, I will focus on the more benign reasons why pastors may not trust people in their church.

They want to teach, but their ability or doctrine is in doubt.They want to serve children but are brand new to the church.They are making an odd claim, but it’s not corroborated.They aspire to a leadership position but don’t want to go through the normal process.They consistently complain about other pastors and churches with good reputations.They are the only ones claiming a crisis exists.

In these examples, someone may have integrity or may not. The unknown produces a level of distrust. As a church leader, you will face situations where you must lead people you can’t completely trust. Typically, time will reveal the truth, but it could take a while. How should a pastor operate in the meantime?

Identify the exact source of mistrust. Don’t make the mistake of believing trust comes on all-or-nothing terms. Research shows that trust has three components: competency, consistency, and character. You may trust someone’s character but have doubts about their competency. Maybe they can do the job well, but you wonder if they will be consistent. If you do not trust someone, it is your responsibility to pinpoint precisely why. Trust cannot be built when the reasons for distrust are vague.

Avoid the temptation to micromanage. Many task-oriented pastors will revert to micromanagement when they do not trust the people around them. Those being micromanaged can respond with their own level of distrust of leadership. A vicious cycle then forms, and distrust unnecessarily grows between both parties.

Give someone a low-risk assignment where trust can be granted. Don’t place an unfair burden on people based on your internal perceptions. You must give people opportunities to gain your trust. Your mistrust may be unfounded, and a simple task could reveal your error. In most cases, you don’t need to have a serious meeting with them if mistrust is merely based on intuition. A low-risk assignment is a good place to start.

Set clear expectations and guidelines. Trustworthy people honor boundaries. For example, our church campus is a collection of five buildings built over five decades. What we lack in easy navigation, we gain with charm and character. Since the campus has an odd layout, we tell our people certain bathrooms and hallways are designated for children only. Everyone honors the request because they understand child safety is paramount. We know who to trust because we’ve set clear expectations and guidelines. It’s harder to identify untrustworthy people when lots of exceptions are made and expectations are unclear.

Take the initiative to demonstrate trust. Pastors become more anxious and paranoid when distrust grows. In the church, however, the burden of building trust is first on pastors. Leaders must show the way. You must first demonstrate your own trustworthiness before expecting the trust of others. The more people trust you, the more likely you are to return trust to them.

Trust is one of the most valuable components of relationships. Every pastor will be tasked with leading others when trust is not present, but trust can be granted and built without being overbearing as a leader.

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A Quick Overview of the Triple Nones

I remember my surprise at the response to a book I wrote in 2001, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched. The fact that I remember something that took place almost a quarter of a century ago is a testament to its indelible mark on my memory.

My research team studied the formerly unchurched, persons who had been out of the church for a long time (or their entire lives) and later became a part of a local congregation. Because of our large number of surveys and because our research team interviewed many of them in person, we ended up with a treasure trove of insights. We learned so much about why people who had rejected the church decided to come to a local congregation.

But my surprise occurred when the book started selling well, and I got more speaking requests than I could ever handle. Church leaders were fascinated by this research. That fascination of why people attend or leave church continues today.

But it is the latest research that should garner a lot of attention.

The Burge Factor

Ryan Burge is my favorite religion researcher. We are thrilled to have his insights and fun personality on the Church Answers team.

What Burge does that is unique is that he researches research. He looks at the massive amounts of data other major firms produce and discerns patterns and trends. His regular content is aptly named Graphs about Religion.

Burge points out that many church leaders regularly assume they know the precise definitions of terms related to religion. For example, if you ask a church leader who “the Nones” are, you might get a blank stare or an incorrect answer. Ryan Burge, more than anyone else, introduced us to the Nones.

The Three Perspectives

Burge reminds us that there are at least three ways to measure religiosity. Here’s how he explains it:

The most widely accepted approach is called the three B’s:

Behavior – This is almost always measured by religious attendance.

Belief – This is measured in various ways, including views of the Bible, belief in angels, demons, God, heaven, hell, etc.

Belonging – This is what group you identify with on a survey – Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, No Religion, etc. (Burge, What Does it Mean to be ‘Religious’?).

Burge notes, for example, that our data on the Nones come from the singular category of “belonging.” However, when we look at attendance statistics, we need to look at the category of “behavior.” The research shifts to “belief” when, for example, we seek to discover what people think about the doctrines of Scripture.

While church leaders often confuse these categories by assigning attributes and data to the wrong category, hardly any of us, myself included, knew about the “triples nones.” We can now grasp a new category in religious data thanks to Burge.

Meet the Triple Nones

Let’s move quickly to the definition of a triple none by looking at the three perspectives noted above. Simply put, a person has to pass three tests to be a triple none. 

Behavior. They never attend churchBelief. They have no beliefs about God other than they doubt or deny his existence. In other words, they are agnostics or atheists.Belonging. They claim no religious affiliation or preference.

The most notable data Burge produced in this aspect was the number of Americans that fit all three categories. Only eight percent of Americans are triple nones, meaning that they never attend church; they have no beliefs about God; and they claim no religious affiliation or preference.

So, what does that mean for churches and Christians? Frankly, I’m not sure. I don’t know how it relates to how I approach those who don’t follow Christ and those who don’t attend church. Until I can get my head around this information, I will continue sharing the gospel wherever God gives me an opportunity.

But the triple nones fascinate me. There is a lot more to come. What do you think?

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Unknown Leaders

She was a desperate woman. She’d been sick with a blood disease for twelve years, making her an unclean member of her society. Even though she had spent all her money seeking a cure, no doctor had an answer. Every day that she survived, her hope disappeared by the time she lay down that night. Day after day, month after month, year after year, one decade into the second one . . .  the agony continued.

We don’t even know her name—but, God did, and He did something about this woman’s desperate condition.

Somehow, you see, this woman heard something about Jesus (Mark 5:27). Somebody said to her something like, “I’ve heard Jesus is coming through your town. You’ve got to get to Him.” Perhaps he or she added something like, “I’ve heard He can give legs to the lame, sight to the blind, and hearing to the deaf. I’ve even heard that He can raise the dead. I repeat: you’ve got to get to Him.”

We don’t know that witness’ name, either. Whoever it was, though, was God’s instrument to change a woman’s life.

The woman did indeed get to Jesus, despite her having to break social mores to touch the garment of the rabbi—and her life would never be the same. Jesus did in an instant what no other doctor could do in over a decade. He alone could provide physical healing and spiritual cleansing, and His name has been magnified through that miracle to this day. Our neighbors and the nations who read this story in the Gospels today will once again hear of the power of Jesus in the recorded text.

The story speaks of two people whose names are not included in the record: a hurting woman and a Jesus-proclaimer. Both are critical to the story, but neither is the center of that story. No, the focus of the story is the one whose name is included—Jesus, the Son of God. After all, He’s always been the story.

What does this story mean for us today? We have the global responsibility and privilege of getting the gospel to non-believers among 8 billion people in the world—most whose names we do not yet know, and whose names will likely never be recorded in history books. They need Jesus, however, and we get to play a role through serving as missionaries or supporting those who go. The nations may never know our names or our contributions, but that must be okay with us. We are still not the story.

Closer to home, we live out our callings by shepherding people whose names we do know, and who view us as their spiritual leader. The danger we face is that we will fall into the trap of leadership pride, seeking recognition and delighting when others know our name and recognize our work. The danger is that we will want our names in the story even when we say we don’t.

Our Church Answers team is delighted to offer you the best resources so you will be the strongest leader you can be for God’s church. It is our prayer for you and for ourselves, though, that all of us will minister to others without concern that our names get recognition in the process. The story is still about Him.

And, it always will be.

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Fifteen Questions to Ask of Every Sermon Before Preaching

Writing sermons is a challenge for many reasons. For one, I never feel like my sermons are quite complete! But Sunday is coming, and the writing process must end at some point. Then begin again.

These questions are designed to help you quickly review your sermons before you deliver them. Use this checklist to evaluate your sermon’s content, tone, and application.

Is the good news of Jesus in my outline or manuscript?How will this sermon please and glorify God?Who is my audience? Am I preaching to people I know or not?Was my sermon guided by the Holy Spirit through prayer?How much time do I have? Is my sermon too long or too short?Has anything major occurred in the culture this week? Should my sermon address it in some way?Is there something in my sermon that may cause confusion? Should I modify my sermon to be clearer?Do my illustrations highlight the text? Will listeners naturally make the connection, or should I be more overt?What is the most memorable part of my sermon? If someone were to remember only one thing from my sermon, what would I want it to be?What questions may people have about the text after I preach? Should I address these questions in my sermon?How will most people feel after I preach? What do I want them to feel?Do I call people to action? What is this action? Am I upfront and clear about what they should do?Is this sermon going to be available for public consumption? How might a non-believer react after hearing or watching the sermon?What is my desired tone? Will I say anything that might detract from how I want to be perceived?What are my expectations of this sermon? What are my expectations of those engaging with the sermon? Is there any part of my sermon that might interfere with these expectations?

Check this out! Church Answers just released a brand-new Certification in Expository Preaching. Dr. Chuck Lawless, Dr. Matt McCraw, and I team up to bring you comprehensive and in-depth training to become a better expository preacher.

This certification will equip you to be a better expositor of God’s Word. Whether you are beginning to preach or have many years of experience, this training will give you a greater passion and understanding of the best preaching techniques, methods of preparation, and sermon delivery.

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A Challenge to Lead from Weakness (And a Bonus Sermon Manuscript to Help You)

Christian leaders must lead. In a Christian way.

I live in a world of preparing gospel leaders. I have the privilege of equipping future ministers and missionaries in my various capacities, and I’m humbled by this responsibility. I want my graduates and our missionaries to be the best equipped, best prepared generation ever to do the work we’re called to do. I long for them to know how to interpret, preach, and apply the Word. I want them to know their theology. It is my prayer they have grounding to address some of the critical issues – often unexpected ones – they will face in ministry. I want them to have dependence that leads them to pray to God and interpersonal skills that help them relate to others.

I want them to be as ready as they can be for the task at hand. At the same time, though, I’m

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