Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 180
October 14, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: October 14, 2017
Nine Common Types of Church Cowards
Five Small Shifts That That Will Transform Your Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #370
Seven Common Reasons Pastors Get Cold Feet
Eight Characteristics of an Effective Church Replanter – Revitalize & Replant #003
Ten Ways to Fund a Church Replant – Revitalize & Replant #004
Six Ways to Lose Church Volunteers – Rainer on Leadership #371
10 Social Media Commandments for Pastors — Chris Martin
Social media is not going away anytime soon. For a long time, many pastors and church leaders ignored social media, labeling it as a fad or a trend that would pass as quickly as it came onto the scene. This is not the case. So, what guidelines should pastors and church leaders consider as they plan their social media strategy? To that end, here are 10 social media commandments for pastors:
Five Questions to Ask at the Two-Year Mark in Your Tenure — Sam Rainer
Expectations tend to be more shared among the congregation. In fact, expectations may be explicitly stated to the church by whatever group is searching for the pastor. People can have different expectations of you, they are not as unique as the individual projections cast upon you. You might think, What can I do to control someone’s projections of me? Clearly, you can’t get into everyone’s heads, but you can ask some questions to help mitigate the risk of collapsing projections, especially at the two-year mark.
7 Ways Church Leaders Hurt Themselves — Chuck Lawless
Believe it or not, I write this post to introduce you to a bird—a beautiful cardinal. I haven’t named him, but I know him well because he’s been hitting our window for hours each day. He flies into the window, retreats, hits it again, retreats, and then repeats the pattern. For hours. Literally. A Google search tells me that he thinks he sees another bird of his own kind in his reflection, and he’s protecting his territory. It’s his turf, and he doesn’t want another bird on it. What’s foolish to me is that, in his desire to protect his own turf, he hurts only himself. Over and over again. It’s crazy. Even more crazy to me, though, is when Christians act the same way:
Why Churches Should Have Meaningful Membership — Erik Raymond
Church membership is a concept that while not explicitly articulated in the Scriptures is assumed and supported. Many of the New Testament letters were written to local congregations with instructions as to how they were to deal with their life together (for example, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Philippians). Even though church membership is common in churches today and throughout history, I’ve found it helpful to broaden out the answer to help fill out my reasons for why we have church membership. Is church membership biblical? Is it important? Yes, I believe so. Here are four main reasons why.
5 Great Things That Happen When Leaders Get Out of Their Offices — Eric Geiger
It takes a love for the people and the work, coupled with a discipline to throw oneself into the work, for leaders to leave their offices. The pull to stay in your office can be strong. There are plenty of emails and plenty of meetings to keep leaders stuck in their offices. But wise leaders get out of their offices; here are five great things that happen when they do:
7 High Costs of Leadership Every Leader Should Pay — Ron Edmondson
Leadership should be expensive. If we desire to be leaders it should cost us something. Leadership is a stewardship. It’s the keeping of a valuable trust others place in you. Cheap leadership is never good leadership.
October 13, 2017
Six Ways to Lose Church Volunteers – Rainer on Leadership #371
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Volunteers are important for churches. And it’s even more important to keep them. Today, we discuss six ways churches often lose volunteers.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
If you continue to get a volunteer’s name wrong, it gives the perception that you don’t care about them.
Poor grammar distracts from your message and hurts your credibility.
Everyone, regardless of how busy you are, can respond to calls and emails.
Want to keep volunteers? Make them the heroes and heroines.
The six common ways churches lose volunteers are:
Calling a volunteer the wrong name.
Using poor grammar and spelling.
Making it difficult on the volunteer.
Waiting until the last minute.
Not returning calls or emails.
Delegating important communication to your assistant.
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
Revitalize & Replant with Thom Rainer
October 12, 2017
Ten Ways to Fund a Church Replant – Revitalize & Replant #004
Funds are often tight in dying churches. So when you’re replanting, how do you come up with the funds needed to turn things around? Today, we discuss 10 simple ways.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM JUAN
I came to my church about 6 months ago as the bi-vo pastor at a church in an economically depressed area. I guess you could call it a replant or revitalization effort. Anyway, God has shown us favor, and we’ve grown from just under 40 to more than 60 over the past few months. But we are starting to have budget problems now. I think I know what needs to be done to keep the momentum going, but the funds to match the vision just aren’t there right now. How can I find more funds to continue the work God is doing here?
Episode Highlights:
“When financially squeezed, you have to determine where good dollars are going and where they’re being wasted.”
“Success is not making people in a church happy. It’s making disciples and reaching your community.”
Churches often spend a lot of money on things that don’t accomplish much.
Growth in giving nearly always lags behind growth in church attendance.
“The widow didn’t designate her mite.”
Funding follows vision.
The ten keys to funding a church replant that we cover in this episode are:
Adjust the existing budget
Review every contract and commitment
Expect losses
Deal with designated funds
Develop ministry partners
Raise personal support
Propose new priorities
Launch multiple giving venues
Cast the vision repeatedly
Trust God
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
ChurchAnswers.com/subscribe
ChurchReplanters.com
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.
Eight Characteristics of an Effective Church Replanter – Revitalize & Replant #003
Because of the great number of dying churches in North America, there is a great need for church replanters. Today, we cover eight characteristics needed in those called to replanting churches.
Today’s Listener Question:
FROM CARL
I’ve been in vocational ministry for a little over 15 years. I love pastoring at established churches, but sometimes I wish for the freedom and excitement church planting brings. But I’m not wired like many of today’s church planters. Is it possible I could be a potential replanter?
Episode Highlights:
“God is moving in the hearts of pastors to embrace dying churches.”
“In a replant, the church will follow your leadership to the degree that they trust you as a shepherd.”
“You can’t see senior adults as a hindrance to your ministry, but as a resource to your ministry.”
“Very seldom do dying churches get low-hanging evangelistic fruit from the neighborhood.”
Many pastors feel pain because they think they are alone.
The eight characteristics that we cover in this episode are:
Visionary shepherding
Tactical patience
Multi-generational ministry
Disciple and disciple-maker
High EQ
High tolerance for pain
Spousal perseverance
Affinity for church’s history and legacy
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
ChurchAnswers.com/subscribe
ChurchReplanters.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.
October 11, 2017
Seven Common Reasons Pastors Get Cold Feet
Many people have this naïve view that a pastor just has to preach and love people.
Not so. Pastors certainly have to give a priority to preaching and ministry to others, but the pastor’s week is filled with unexpected and multifaceted demands.
Many times pastors need to lead the church in a new endeavor, something that gets the members out of their comfort zone. And sometimes it gets pastors out of their comfort zone.
Relocation. A new ministry. A second campus. New staff and changing staff positions. Purchase of property.
These are but a few examples of leadership challenges some pastors have not seen before. These challenges not only require basic leadership skills, they require leadership skills in often-untested areas.
Change leadership. Financial risk-taking. Breaking of routines. New paradigms.
When pastors face these new challenges, it is not unusual for some to get cold feet. They decide the pain is not worth the potential gain. They get cold feet and settle for the status quo. Why? Here are seven of the most common reasons.
The critics. Major change often engenders major criticisms. Too many leaders will stick with the status quo until their churches are on the path to death. They just want to avoid the critics. Remember, the vote to go to the Promised Land lost 10 to 2. They naysayers yielded to the critics, the whiners, and comfort-seekers.
The energy drainers. These are the people ready to vote no before they hear the motion. They always have a better idea. They want to tell you what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. And they will wear the pastors out . . . if the pastors let them.
Lack of knowledge. Pastors are often placed in positions of leadership and relatively large budgets with no preparation. It’s hard to lead a challenging project if you can’t read a financial statement. And while pastors can find more seasoned laypersons to help them, the pastors’ lack of knowledge can be a showstopper.
Prayerlessness. With God all things are possible. But if pastors have gotten too busy for God, they are too busy to lead forward. Frankly, pastors should have cold feet if they have not prayed about their own leadership and the endeavor they are about to lead.
Short-term view. Pastors who don’t plan to hang around long can have cold feet about leading projects that may have a longer view. I have advised many pastors not to move forward on a major endeavor unless they plan to see it through. So cold feet in this case is probably the right temperature.
Inadequate staff and lay leadership. I get this one. I spoke with a pastor this week who expressed concerned about the leadership around him. He was not sure he would have the right team for a major and visionary endeavor. I urged him to look behind his present team and see if God would raise up some other leaders in the church.
Faith-as-idea. It really sounds exciting to take steps of faith . . . until it’s actually time to take those steps. To continue the Promised Land metaphor from point number one, leaders get to the edge of the Promised Land and freeze in their tracks when they see the challenges (see Numbers 13). Any step of faith will have its challenges. The question is: Is your faith bigger than your fears?
We need an army of church leaders who are bold and courageous. We need the spirit of Joshua 1 instead of Numbers 1. I pray for our pastors. I pray they will truly be the courageous people God has called them to be.
We really need to move forward to our Promised Land.
October 10, 2017
Five Small Shifts That That Will Transform Your Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #370
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
Daniel Im joins us to discuss his new book, No Silver Bullets, and five shifts you can make that will radically your ministry.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
“Discipleship is a direction, not a destination.”
Reading your Bible is critical to growing as a disciple.
Focus more on the function of community than the form.
Regardless of how we make our paycheck, we all have the same mission—to make disciples.
The five shifts we cover in this episode are:
From Destination to Direction
From Output to Input
From Sage to Guide
From Form to Function
From Maturity to Missionary
About Daniel Im
Daniel Im is the Director of Church Multiplication for NewChurches.com and LifeWay Christian Resources. He serves as Teaching Pastor at The Fellowship, a multisite church in Nashville, TN. Daniel is the author of No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that will Transform Your Ministry and also the co-author of Planting Missional Churches: Your Guide to Starting Churches that Multiply (2nd ed.) with Ed Stetzer. He has an M.A. in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary and has served and pastored in churches ranging from 100 to 50,000 people in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal, Korea, Edmonton, and Nashville.
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
No Silver Bullets
Planting Missional Churches
Who Moved My Pulpit?
Transformational Discipleship Assessment
Ministry Grid
October 9, 2017
Nine Common Types of Church Cowards
Many pastors and church leaders are miserable because of fewer than five percent of the church members.
Let me state if positively. Over 95 percent of church members are supportive and encouraging.
So pastors and other church leaders need to learn and deal with the reality of church cowards. They are few in number but, like a few bee stings from a hive of hundreds, they can be painful.
Before I suggest a path forward with church cowards, let me identify nine of the most common detractors.
The business meeting aggressor. This person is largely silent until there is a business meeting in the church. At that point, he or she begins to speak with either passive-aggressive language or outright venom. They take comfort and security by speaking in a crowd.
The social media attacker. This coward hides behind the shield of a keyboard. They will not come to the church leader directly, but will gladly make their positions and criticism known digitally.
The “I-love-you-but” hypocrite. This church member prefaces criticisms and diatribes with a disingenuous comment of love and support for the church leader.
The anonymous letter writer. He or she who does not have the courage to identify himself or herself does not deserve an audience.
The absent but critical commanders. These church members have a lot of opinions about the church and the church’s leadership, most of it critical. But they are rarely involved in ministry or showing their support for the church in tangible ways.
The financial withholding hoard. You know these church members. When things do not go their way, they stop giving to the church. After all. It’s not God’s money; it’s their
The nothing good gossiper. This member is happy to spread news about the church, its leaders, and its members – as long as the news is negative, salacious, or false.
The delegating demanders. Their pattern is consistent. If they have a problem or criticism, they go to someone else to communicate the problem. They then expect the receiver of the message to address the situation.
The “silence-is-golden” groupies. Unfortunately in many churches, these members are often the exception to the 95 percent statement I made above. Too many members, far beyond the five percent problem members, remain silent when they see unfair criticisms, bullying, and other toxic behavior. Their silence is a complicit act of cowardice.
So how do pastors deal with church cowards? First, you pray for them. As difficult as it may seem, you do pray for them. Second, you stay vigilant for these members so you can be aware of what is taking place. Third, you remember you are their pastor. Finally, you focus your emotional energies on the members who really want to make a positive difference for the Kingdom.
Church cowards will always be with you.
It’s up to you, in God’s strength, to determine how you will respond.
October 8, 2017
Pray for Rio Mimbres Baptist Church
Location: Mimbres, New Mexico
Pastor: Jeremy Butler
Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM, Mountain
Fast Facts: Rio Mimbres Baptist Church was birthed in 1972 and is located in a Southwestern New Mexico community of about 750 people of which 90 percent are un-churched. Pastor Butler just celebrated his one-year anniversary at the church last Sunday. In that time, the congregation has started a Good News Club for children, grades 1-6, at the local elementary school and a monthly men’s breakfast on the second Saturday of each month. Last weekend, they participated in the community’s annual Harvest Festival and handed out more that 1,000 evangelistic DVDs and 200 copies of the Gospel of John as well as hundreds of personal evangelism tracts. Please pray for those who received the evangelistic material and for the follow-up process in the coming weeks.
Website: Facebook.com/RioMimbresBaptist/
“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..
October 7, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: October 7, 2017
Ten Ways to Bring Joy to Your Pastor
Seven Characteristics of Proactive Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #368
Five Difficult Pastors to Succeed
Why Dying Churches Should Have Hope – Revitalize & Replant #001
Five Pathways for Dying Churches – Revitalize & Replant #002
Three Important Financial Realities Facing Churches Today – Rainer on Leadership #369
A Rural Pastor’s Warning About Megachurches — Jay Sanders
We need to be very careful how we talk about other churches. I get it. There are megachurches that have abandoned the gospel and feel more like shopping malls than the body of Christ. But that isn’t the case with all large churches, not even megachurches. Yet, when we assume that it is, we participate in a form of soft persecution against the body of Christ, all the while assuming that our preferred brand of church is best.
3 Signs of a Childish Christian — Eric Geiger
I have recently been reading some of Andrew Murray’s classic works in the Legacy of Faith Library, which I highly recommend. Murray’s chapter on “carnal Christians” provides great insight on a childish Christian and how we can recognize this in our own hearts (I am taking these three points from Murray). A childish Christian…
On Christian Platforming — Chris Martin
A Christian who has an online platform ultimately is using a gift he or she has been given by God to build up others for the good of the kingdom of God. The Lord has gifted all of us in different ways. Some gifts receive more public attention than others—those who have the gift of teaching are often given more opportunities to platform that gift than people who have the gift of service or the like.
How to Shorten and Sharpen Your Sermons — David Murray
TED speakers are allowed a maximum of 18 minutes. The organizers have found it’s “short enough to hold people’s attention, including on the Internet, and precise enough to be taken seriously. But it’s also long enough to say something that matters.” Now, I’m not advocating for 18 minute sermons (most congregations have been trained well enough to listen for longer), but most preachers would benefit from being forced to preach an 18-minute sermon from time to time.
3 Ways a Gospel-Centered Preacher Can Miss the Gospel — Cole Brown
In recent years, there has been a rapidly growing interest in gospel-centered preaching. With the help of the internet and its resources, many preachers like myself have been transformed by the examples of Tim Keller, Art Azurdia, Anthony Carter, and countless others. We have come to believe, like them, that every sermon should faithfully connect that week’s text and theme to the gospel. Those of us who hold to this philosophy do so because it is consistent with Jesus’s teaching in Luke 24 and with the ministry approach modeled by the apostles throughout the New Testament. Yet, as with any philosophy, it is often easier to believe in theory than to implement in practice. Here are three ways those committed to gospel-centered preaching can unintentionally fail to preach the gospel.
Don’t Use Your Theology as a Weapon — Michael Kelley
When the foundations shake, we can return to what is true regardless of circumstances. We can know, for example, that the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. And we can know, for example, that Jesus is still the authoritative ruler of heaven and earth. And we can know, for example, that God is still, even now, working all things for the good of those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. We know these things. But may I offer an exhortation regarding these theological truths? Christian, don’t use your theology as a weapon.
October 6, 2017
Three Important Financial Realities Facing Churches Today – Rainer on Leadership #369
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio
LifeWay research recently released a study of financial issues in the church. Today, we discuss these three issues and ways churches can better prepare themselves financially.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
26% of churches have cash reserves of seven weeks or less.
Those who give faithfully typically budget their tithe.
Churches need both a facility reserve fund and a cash reserve fund.
Too many churches live for the day financially and do not plan for the future.
The two greatest legal dangers for churches today are child abuse and financial impropriety.
Having an external bookkeeper helps safeguard certain financial liabilities in a church.
The three financial realities we cover in this episode are:
The need for cash reserves
The potential for embezzlement
The need for annual audits
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
LifeWay Research on Church Finances
CoolSolutionsGroup.com
The Importance of Church Facility Stewardship featuring Tim Cool – Rainer on Leadership #317
BELAY
Revitalize & Replant with Thom Rainer
