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5 Simple Ways to Improve as a Church Leader – Rainer on Leadership #366

Podcast Episode #366

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Growing as a leader is important to grow in ministry. Today, we discuss a post by Sam Rainer on the five ways you can grow as a leader in the church.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Bad leaders are stingy with knowledge. Good ones share what they know.
One sign of insecurity is withholding information from others.
Don’t expect more effort from those you lead than what you’re willing to put in yourself.
The number one challenge of leaders is having followers.
For church staff members, encouragement from the senior pastor is critical.
Sometimes a leader needs to be a fire marshal, not a fire fighter.
Too much of church life is “fire fighting.”

The five ways you can improve as a church leader that we cover in this episode are:

By sharing your knowledge.


By raising the bar of expectations.


By shifting from a discouraging posture to an encouraging posture.


By becoming proactive change agents instead of reactive change agents.


By encouraging cooperation rather than competition.




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

SamRainer.com
Why Every Leader Should Consider Having a Coach – Rainer on Leadership #365

The Top Ten Sources of Discouragement for Pastors

“Is this valley I am going through normal for pastors?”

The question came to me directly from a pastor who was relatively new to his church. He was surprised how abruptly discouragement hit him. More than anything, he was seeking assurance that his situation was not an aberration, that he was not alone.

I hear from pastors and other church leaders thousands of times a year. Using this massive amount of information, I aggregated many of the comments related to discouragement. I attempted to quantify them and list them in order of frequency.

Here are the top ten sources of discouragement for pastors, recognizing some overlap among them. I included a direct quote from a pastor for each source.

Conflict and criticism from church members. “I had no idea the number of critics would be so many. And some of them are really mean.”
Members leaving the church. “It seems the more I invest in church members, the more likely they are to leave. It really hurts when they tell me they are going to another church that meets their needs better.”
Church decline. “We have been in gradual decline for eight years. I wish I knew what to do to reverse it.”
Staff conflict. “There are few things that hurt me more than staff conflict. These are the men and women I work with every day. I hate it when we don’t get along.”
Family pressures. “I wish I could get it right with my family. I always feel tugged in so many directions at the church that I fear I am neglecting them.”
Members who are resistant to change. “Every single change I try to lead is met with opposition. I mean it. Every single time.”
Personal financial pressures. “We bought a six-year old car with over 75,000 miles on it. We’ve already had three church members complain that we are living extravagantly. No, we are barely paying our bills with the salary I get from the church.”
The comparison factor. “I know I shouldn’t compare myself to other pastors, but it can hurt when they seem to do so well while I am struggling so much. My wife told me to stop looking at Facebook.”
Church financial pressures. “Our budget receipts have declined to the point where we are barely paying our bills. We don’t have any funds for ministry, and we will probably have to lay off the part-time assistant at the church. I didn’t learn how to deal with these kinds of financial pressures at seminary.”
Facility challenges. “Most of our facilities are old and in need of a lot of work. Our sanctuary is too big, and our foyer is too small. I am embarrassed when guests go into our restrooms. There is so much to do and not enough money. It’s depressing.”

Pastors have pressures. These are the top ten from the interactions we have. But I am certain there are more.

Probably a lot more.

Pray for Reynolda Church

Location: Clemmons, North Carolina

Pastor: Brandon Williams

Weekly Worship: 10:00 AM, Eastern

Fast Facts: Reynolda Church is a 100 year old church that has transitioned to a multi-site church that is reaching the Triad region in North Carolina. Reynolda Church is launching its third campus today. Their new Clemmons Campus launches today, Sunday, September 24th at 10:00 AM at the Jerry Long YMCA in Clemmons, North Carolina. Please pray that many people who are far from Jesus will come to know His grace and affection because of the Clemmons Campus.

Website: ReynoldaChurch.org/Clemmons

“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..

Notable Voices and the Week in Review: September 23, 2017

Earlier this week at ThomRainer.com:

Seven Ways To Overcome the Overcommitted Church
10 Mistakes Churches Make in Evaluating Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #364
Seven Deadly Statements of Church Members
How to Handle Negative Facebook Comments about Your Church
Why Every Leader Should Consider Having a Coach – Rainer on Leadership #365

 

7 Surefire Ways to Kill Momentum in Your Church — Chris Hefner

I’m afraid that churches today often either can’t get traction or keep the momentum of God’s movement in their lives. Momentum in the life of the church can come in several ways. Maybe several people have recently been baptized. Maybe you’ve completed a necessary building or renovation project. Maybe you’ve hired a new staff member or pastor. Maybe God has given you a season of repentance and revival. Maybe you’ve just completed an influential preaching series in the life of the church. Maybe you’ve witnessed the benefit of a program or ministry that has had a great impact. Whatever the momentum builder, don’t fall prey to these surefire momentum killers.

 

10 Indicators You’ve Stopped Growing as a Leader — Chuck Lawless

Leaders who stop growing lose their edge as a leader. They become stale, even if others may not readily recognize it. See if your life reflects any of these indications that you’ve stopped growing as a leader:

 

7 Good Reasons to Leave a Church — Brett McCracken

In our consumer society, where prevailing wisdom says we should be loyal to products or brands only insofar as our needs and tastes are satisfied, it can be easy for churchgoers to have a very low threshold for leaving a church. The preaching loses some luster. The children’s ministry isn’t as fun as it could be. The worship leader’s hairstyle becomes bothersome. There are lots of bad reasons for leaving a church. But what are some legitimate reasons for leaving a church? Here are seven:

 

Pastors Must Increase Activity on Social Media — Chris Martin

Christians should not avoid using social media entirely out of fear just because some people abuse the tool. In particular, pastors and church leaders must consider what they lose when they refuse to engage with their communities in the digital space.

 

5 Pastoral Emergencies That Aren’t Emergencies — Carey Nieuwhof

One step you can take is to decide whether something is actually an emergency. Just because it’s an emergency to them doesn’t mean it has to be an emergency for you. While there are some pastoral emergencies that are true emergencies, here are 5 pastoral emergencies that may not be.

 

The Biggest Hindrance to a Leader’s Growth — Eric Geiger

Ben Franklin wrote, There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self. Will Mancini, who serves on our team at LifeWay and leads Auxano, recently told me that a lack of self-awareness is the biggest hindrance to a leader’s development. When we are not self-aware, we greatly hinder our own growth for three reasons:

 

Why Every Leader Should Consider Having a Coach – Rainer on Leadership #365

Podcast Episode #365

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio

Leaders in the church often struggle on their own. They are at their most effective when they have someone coaching them and pushing them to realize their full potential.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

“Ministry leadership is some of the most complex and challenging leadership environments we will find ourselves in.”
“Leadership is all about people.”
“We see leadership coaching relationships all throughout Scripture.”
“Every great leader needs a coach.”
“If you’re going to work with people, you’re going to have to love them and lead them.”

Joining us today on the podcast is Jenni Catron:

Jenni Catron is a writer, speaker, and leadership expert committed to helping others lead from their extraordinary best. Jenni’s passion is to lead well and to inspire, equip and encourage others to do the same. She speaks at conferences and churches nationwide, seeking to help others develop their leadership gifts and lead confidently in the different spheres of influence God has granted them. Additionally, she consults with individuals and teams on leadership and organizational health.

About The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership

In The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership, Jenni Catron, executive church leader and author of Clout, reveals the secrets to standout leadership found in the Great Commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Weaving a winsome narrative filled with inspiring real-life stories, hard-won wisdom, and practical applications, Catron unpacks four essential aspects of growing more influential: your heart for relational leadership, your soul for spiritual leadership, your mind for managerial leadership, and your strength for visionary leadership.

Leadership isn’t easy, but it is possible to move from ordinary to extraordinary. Jenni Catron shows the way.

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

The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership
JenniCatron.com
Get4Sight.com
BELAY

How to Handle Negative Facebook Comments about Your Church

By Jonathan Howe

When churches have Facebook pages, negative comments will come your way. Whether it’s a former church member, someone from the community, or an online troll, it’s likely that at some point someone will comment negatively about your church on Facebook.

So what do you do? Do you defend the church? Do you just delete the comment and move on?

How you respond depends on three things, mainly.

Is this a legitimate concern? If the concern is legitimate, respond courteously to the commenter and ask to follow up with them via email, on the phone, or in person. Most likely, they want to know they’ve been heard. By taking the conversation offline, you can have an informative conversation in the right context. Because of the lack of context online, discussions can unintentionally become inflammatory in nature. By going offline, cooler heads often prevail and the concern can be adequately addressed. It also allows you to gather appropriate information to provide a fully informed answer.
Is the commenter uninformed or inappropriate? This is a judgment call you have to make. Your response depends on the situation. However, whatever your response, it should not be to engage in a public argument with the commenter. If you decide to respond, remember that your explanation should be done professionally and courteously. If more discussion is needed after your first response, offer to move the discussion offline to a phone call, email, or meeting.
Is the commenter an online troll? If the commenter is just trolling you or making a baseless comment, then simply delete the comment, ban the person, and move on. Nothing positive comes from fighting online with a troll.

Have you had to deal with this type of issue? Do you have a plan for when it happens to you?

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.

Seven Deadly Statements of Church Members

Words have meaning. And if church members start articulating words consistently, those words begin to reflect the priorities and passions of the church.

I wrote a little book (I Will) on statements church members make that can move a church toward Great Commission and Great Commandment greatness. But there are some sentences that can prove harmful, even deadly, to a congregation. Here are seven of the most deadly statements:

“I like our church just the way it is.” When you begin to hear this statement expressed among church members, you can be certain there is no Great Commission heartbeat. We should never want our church to stay just like it is; we should be constantly seeking to reach new people with the gospel.
“My pastor doesn’t visit me enough.” There are so many things wrong with this statement. First, it reflects a ministry where there is expectation that the pastor is to do most of the ministry, instead of equipping others to do the work of ministry. Second, it reflects a dependence and self-centered ministry on the part of church members.
“I always vote ‘no’ just to keep the leadership in check.” This person is the disrupter I described in an earlier post. He or she really wants the focus on self. Attention seeking and self-focus are characteristics of this person. They are toxic to churches.
“I just can’t worship with our style of music.” The worship wars aren’t over. These church members could never be missionaries because their indigenous people group probably wouldn’t be singing hymns from the hymnals. There is no sense of worship with these church members; they are all about their own preferences and desires.
“People know where our church is if they want to come.” This statement reflects deadly ecclesiology and deadly missiology. It assumes that the church is a place; and it assumes that the Great Commission is, “Y’all come.”
“I love you pastor, but . . . “ This statement reflects a church member who is both deceitful and deadly. He or she tells leaders they love them, but puts a metaphorical knife in their backs at the first opportunity. These members tear churches apart.
“I pay my tithes here, so I deserve . . .” This church member sees his or her offerings as conditional. So, in a real sense, they aren’t offerings as much as they are country club dues. They will continue to pay their way as long as they get their way.

To be clear, most church members do not make these statements nor do they reflect these attitudes. But healthier church members should and must speak up when they hear other members making such destructive statements.

Otherwise, the naysayers, cartels, critics, and bullies will have their way in the church. And the church will soon cease being the church.

10 Mistakes Churches Make in Evaluating Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #364

Podcast Episode #364

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play • iHeart Radio

Pastors and church staff are often evaluated poorly. This often stems from a lack of clarity as to what the job actually entails. So today we walk through a post from Chuck Lawless on mistakes churches often make when evaluating pastors and staff.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Everyone needs evaluating in their job.
Usually people evaluating the pastor do not see what happens day to day.
Metrics should not be all that a pastor is evaluated on.
Don’t evaluate a pastor or staff just on the basis of growth and giving.
Staff evaluations are not just for telling someone what they are doing poorly.
Your family is your first line of ministry.
Pastors, when was your last gospel conversation?

The ten mistakes we cover in this episode are:

Not evaluating the pastors at all.


Evaluating without established expectations on a written job description.


Evaluating them only when the church is struggling.


Evaluating on only the basis of growth and giving.


Including uninvolved church members in the evaluation process.


Emphasizing only the negative.


Pointing out concerns, but offering no helpful corrective steps.


Evaluating on the basis of hours in the office.


Failing to ask about the pastors’ spiritual walk.


Failing to check out available resources for evaluation.


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, one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America, exists to train leaders For The Church. The local church is God’s “Plan A” for the proclamation of the gospel, and there is no Plan B. And this is Midwestern’s vision and heartbeat—equipping pastors and other ministry leaders who are called to expand God’s mission in the world through the local church. At Midwestern Seminary: they train leaders ‘For The Church.’

Visit them online at MBTS.edu and start your ministry training today.

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

ChuckLawless.com
EvangelismRenewal.com

Seven Ways To Overcome the Overcommitted Church

Can an overcommitted church become a balanced church?

Can a complex church become a simple church?

The answer to the questions is an unequivocal “yes,” but it won’t be easy in most churches. In my previous post, I identified some of the reasons our congregations have become so overcommitted. Now here are seven realistic but challenging approaches toward simplicity and balance:

Don’t say add without subtracting. Is your church too busy? Are many of your members overcommitted? If so, don’t even think about adding a ministry, event, activity, or program without taking at least one away. At least your complexity will not become more complex.
Do a zero-based ministry budget every year. Before you begin your financial budgeting process each year, conduct a zero-based ministry budget. With this exercise, you go through a total do-over process. You ask what ministries, activities, and programs you would have if you started from scratch. You may not be able to eliminate as many as you like, but it will at least get your leaders thinking in this direction.
Determine the essentials. The essentials of my church are stated in three words: Belong. Thrive. Go. Those words are both our vision statement and our minimal expectations. We are to participate in a weekly worship service (Belong). We are to grow as disciples in a community group (Thrive). And we are to be involved in at least one ministry of the church each year (Go). We keep it simple, and thus we keep our busyness to a minimum.
Evaluate all meetings. Some churches have committee meetings, business meetings, and program meetings because that’s the way they’ve always done it. Evaluate all those meetings ruthlessly. Would the church fall apart if you eliminated a few? Do you really need a monthly business meeting?
Make heroes of those connecting beyond the church buildings. We rightly praise and express gratitude to those volunteers who do ministry inside the walls of the church. But do we recognize well those who are connecting outside the walls and having meaningful gospel conversations?
Merge ministries and programs. Your church may have some redundancy in its ministries and programs. Merge them. See if you can be just as effective with one ministry instead of two or three.
Become a simple church. Eric Geiger and I wrote the book Simple Church first to describe how churches could have a clearly articulated process of discipleship. One of the steps in the process of discipleship is “focus,” which means eliminate those activities that don’t align with the vision and the process of discipleship. I would encourage you to read our book if you are a part of a complex and busy church.

Busy churches may not be effective churches. Indeed busy churches may be the very thing that’s keeping our members from connecting in the community and having meaningful gospel conversations.

Pray for The Church at Windance

Location: Gulfport, Mississippi

Pastor: John Morris

Weekly Worship: 10:00 AM, Central

Fast Facts: The Church at Windance is a church restart in Gulfport, MS, that began meeting in February of 2016 with fifteen people and after 19 months is running 60-70 each Sunday. They meet in a previously closed church building that has plenty of educational space for growth and discipleship for the church restart. The Church at Windance just completed a successful Back2School event for the children in the community. A Fall Festival is currently is currently being planned and future plans include beginning dual worship services between now and January 1. Pray that as they grow through people coming to know Jesus as their Savior, that the church will be able to help them become mature Christian disciples. Also pray that the leadership will continue their own maturation process in the Christian walk.

Website: Facebook.com/TheChurchAtWindance

“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..