Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 185

Six Traits of a Church Disrupter

He is almost in every church.

In fact, the “he” may be a “she,” but I’ll use the masculine pronoun for simplicity.

He is the church disrupter. Unlike church bullies, the disrupter rarely attacks leaders directly. He is good about stirring up dissension, but he seems to always feel like “God led me to do it.” He can have a gregarious and pleasant personality (unlike the typical church bully), and can thus attract a following for a season.

The disrupter is just that. He disrupts the unity of the church. He disrupts the outward focus of the church. And he disrupts the plans of church leadership. So what are some key traits to watch in church disrupters? Here are six:

He often seeks positions in the church so he can get attention. So be wary if he asks to lead the student group or the praise team or become chairman of the finance committee. He loves to exert his negative influence through key and visible positions.
He often votes “no” in business meetings. Again, this tactic is yet another attempt to get attention.
He loves to say, “People are saying . . .” He wants you to think his issue is more widespread than it really is. Another approach is “If we had a secret ballot vote, there would be a lot more dissenters.”
He tries to get followers at the church for his cause of the moment. That is another reason he seeks positions of influence in the church.
He often assures the pastor and other church leaders how much he loves them and supports them. And then he goes and stabs them in the back.
He loves to use “facts’ loosely for his case or cause. Accuracy is neither required nor expected.

So how should pastors and other church leaders address the problem of church disrupters? Allow me to suggest a few ideas.

Determine you will love them as Christ loves you and them. It’s tough, but it can be done in Christ’s strength.
Pray for them. Seriously.
Be on the watch for them. They can be manipulative and deceptive; they can cause chaos before you see it coming.
Get other leaders to help you address the disrupters and their disruption. But, be aware, they will be shocked you perceive them that way.
As soon as possible, get them out of key leadership positions. They are a problem now, but they can become toxic later.

I have my theories on why church disrupters act the way they do, but that is a topic for another post. In the meantime, be wary of church disrupters. But love them and pray for them anyway.

That is the way Christ would respond.

Pray for Buck Creek Baptist Church

Location: Richton, Mississippi

Pastor: Rev. Troy Fagan

Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM, Central

Fast Facts: Rev. Fagan recently celebrated his two year anniversary as pastor. In those two years, ministry has been an almost total regrowth with a heavy emphasis on discipleship. Please pray for their upcoming associational block party on September 30. Buck Creek is also planning monthly outreach at their local homeless shelter and nursing home. Finally, please pray that God will rise up or send leaders help in the church.

Website: Facebook.com/BuckCreekBaptChurch/

“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: August 26, 2017

Earlier this week at ThomRainer.com:

Why It Takes Five to Seven Years to Become the Pastor of a Church
10 Keys to Creating Passionate Volunteers – Rainer on Leadership #356
Before You Fire Your Pastor
Seven Qualities of an Effective Church Communications Coordinator
Five Surprising Insights about Growing Churches – Rainer on Leadership #357

 

Three Ways to Help Your Worship Leader — Dean Inserra

I truly feel bad for a pastor who believes that if his church simply changes the style of its worship service, unbelievers are going to start coming on Sunday morning. For many, this has and continues to be a type of strategy to get non-Christians to church. While I am all for seeing unbelievers come to hear the gospel and just the thought of it excites me, I have never understood the logic behind efforts to attract those who are non-Christians to come to a church service.

 

Three Reasons to Keep Going in Ministry — Kevin Campbell

All throughout life and ministry, we face moments that make us think “Why bother?” You take a stand in your world, and it seems to have no effect. You pray for an unsaved or wayward loved one, but there is no change. You spend a lot of time and effort investing in someone who turns against you. You pray and labor but there seems to be no increase in your ministry. You are tempted to quit.

 

5 Reasons Why Pastors Avoid Church Member Giving Records — Art Rainer

The question of whether or not pastors should know their church members’ giving records is frequently discussed. Some pastors consider it wise to have access to members’ giving as it helps guide discipleship and lay leader efforts. For example, they use giving records to help determine whether or not a church member is suitable to lead a finance committee (a group that provides accountability for the management of the church’s financial resources). While some pastors do have access to giving records, primarily for discipleship and leadership selection, many pastors shy away from viewing church members’ giving records. Here are a few reasons why:

 

6 Reasons to Sit in a Different Seat at Church This Weekend — Chuck Lawless

I know some readers won’t like this post. Most of us have a habit of sitting in the same place in church on Sunday, and I realize that nobody else is calling for changing this pattern. Nevertheless, I press on with my reasons that you and I should sit in a different place at church this weekend.

 

10 Common but Illegitimate Reasons to Divorce — Tim Challies

It is clear in the Bible that God’s intention for marriage is that it remain in effect until the death of one spouse. I believe it is also quite clear that God has provided a limited set of circumstances in which a marriage can legitimately be severed. However, many people—even Christians—offer reasons to divorce that are not sanctioned by God. Jim Newheiser helpfully outlines a number of these in his book Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage: Critical Questions and Answers. Here are 10 common but illegitimate reasons to divorce.

 

4 Practical Reasons Character Must Trump Competence — Eric Geiger

When inviting others to join your team, both character and competence matter. They are both important. A person of integrity who is not skilled for the role will only grow frustrated while frustrating everyone else. So competence is important, but character is more so, and here are four reasons why:

 

Five Surprising Insights about Growing Churches – Rainer on Leadership #357

Podcast Episode #357

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

We continue our focus on evangelism and churches by revealing five surprising insights that were found in the research on effective evangelistic churches.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

If a church is growing, it’s highly likely that it’s growing faster than its community.
By definition, there aren’t many effective evangelistic churches.
Church leaders outside of what’s left of the Bible Belt know they have to be intentionally evangelistic.
Membership is a meaningless stat in many churches.

The five insights we cover in this episode are:

Over one-third of the churches are growing.
If a church is growing, it is highly likely to be growing faster than the community in which it is located.
There is a good representation of churches that are both growing and are evangelistically effective.
Growth and evangelistic effectiveness are not limited to any one geographic area.
We can no longer use membership in our metrics for churches.


Episode Sponsors

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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

EvangelismRenewal.com
Five Surprising Discoveries about Growing Churches
Surprising Insights from the Unchurched
The Unchurched Next Door
I Am a Church Member
Dutch version of I Am a Church Member

Seven Qualities of an Effective Church Communications Coordinator

By Jonathan Howe

Church communications is a burgeoning field. And the position of church communications director/manager/coordinator has become ubiquitous in many large churches. But it’s not just the large churches that are looking to fill this role. Mid-size and small churches are realizing the importance of having a singular person responsible for their church’s communications and social media.

So what should a church look for when finding a full-time, part-time, or volunteer communications coordinator? These seven qualities should be evident in that person:

An understanding of the church. This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen churches hire people unfamiliar with church dynamics or even outsource their communications work to generic companies. Subtlety is lost, language gets obfuscated, and the message just doesn’t come out correctly. Having someone who knows church life is always preferred.
Grammar knowledge. Typos will invariably still happen, but hiring someone who knows grammar and understands how to write well will raise the level of everything your church produces online and in print.
A desire to constantly learn. Social media is a fast-paced world. Effective communications directors will be on the cutting edge of what’s next in the digital space. They will have a desire to stay informed and to constantly move your church forward with its communications.
An eye for design. Most churches don’t have the funds to have everything professionally designed. Smaller projects will require in-house design and direction. Having at least a basic knowledge of what constitutes good design is necessary.
An ability to adapt. Church life is ever changing—especially in churches that are growing quickly. The ability to adapt when new initiatives are started is critical. You can’t keep doing what you’ve always done and expect to be effective with your church communications.
Social savvy. As the importance and usage of social media increase, so does the importance of knowing what constitutes effective social media content. Each channel has different features, different audiences, and prefers different content. Having the necessary savvy to navigate each channel is invaluable.
A passion for the lost. This quality has little to do with the actual duties of a communications coordinator. But if you’re going to hire someone to serve at a church, that person needs to be invested and passionate about the mission of the church. Kingdom work—no matter the job title—is a calling. Don’t bring someone on the team who doesn’t have that calling.

What would you add to this list? What other qualities have you seen in church communications coordinators that make them effective?

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.

Before You Fire Your Pastor

It happened again this week.

A pastor contacted me to let me know his deacons asked for his resignation. The reason? No one was really clear about it. The best I can discern the issue was change, or the pace of change.

The church is known in the area unflatteringly as a “preacher-eater church.” They figuratively eat pastors and spit them out. And it is happening again.

I understand. The fault does not always reside with the church. Pastors aren’t perfect, and many of them have done some things that may deserve firing. But that is not the case with the vast majority of churches where I have details and good familiarity.

Stated simply, too many pastors are getting fired. It feels like an epidemic.

So, please church leader, consider these words before you fire your pastor. Please take a breath and see if any of my admonitions hit home.

Pray more fervently. You are about to make a decision that will shape your church, the pastor, and the pastor’s family for years to come. Make certain you have prayed and prayed and prayed about this decision.
Understand fully the consequence to your congregation. A church is marked once it fires a pastor. Members leave. Potential guests stay away. Morale is decimated. The church has to go through a prolonged period of healing where it cannot have much of an outward focus.
Listen to other voices. Many times personnel committees, deacons, or elders decide to fire a pastor because they listen to a few malcontents. I know one church with a weak personnel committee that fired a pastor after listening to an executive pastor and a bully deacon. And they never asked to hear the pastor’s side of the story.
Consider the church’s reputation in the community. You are about to receive the label: “The church that fired their pastor.” That will be your identity for some time.
Seek mediation. There are some very good mediation sources available. Why not at least give it a shot before you make a rash and often uninformed decision?
Let your pastor know why. Look at number three again. That church never told the pastor why he was being fired. Seriously. I guess it’s hard to explain that the deacon and the executive pastor have orchestrated a successful coup. I am amazed how many pastors have no idea why they are being let go. That is cowardly. That is not Christ-like.
Consider a transition plan. Another church approached their situation with greater wisdom and Christian action. They shared sadly with the pastor that the chemistry was just not working between him and many parts of the congregation. But, instead of firing him, they let him stay on for up to one year to find another church. It’s always easier to find a church if you have a church.
Be generous. If your church does make the decision to fire your pastor, please be generous with severance and benefits. Don’t treat your pastor like a secular organization might treat an employee. Show the world Christian compassion and generosity.

Forced terminations of pastors are sadly common. Please consider these eight thoughts before your church makes such a serious and long-lasting decision.

10 Keys to Creating Passionate Volunteers – Rainer on Leadership #356

Podcast Episode #356

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

Ministries run on the backs of volunteers. Here are ten ways you can invest in your volunteers to create passionate servants in your ministry.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

You are more likely to recruit a volunteer with vision than with responsibilities.
Having an end date or break times built in will help with recruiting volunteers.
There are so many ways to honor volunteers and make them feel appreciated.
If something is going to get done, someone needs to be responsible for getting it done.
Healthy relationships have healthy communication.
Don’t guilt trip volunteers into staying.
When a volunteer quits, find out why.

The 10 keys we discuss for creating passionate volunteers are:

Tie their work to the vision of the church.
Consider recruiting with specific end dates.
Recruit toward a member’s passion.
Honor your volunteers at least once a month.
Volunteer recruitment and retention should be the priority of the pastor.
Get your best leaders to oversee volunteer recruitment and retention.
Communicate openly and frequently with volunteers.
Recruit through relationships.
Provide periodic checkups.
Allow volunteers to quit honorably.


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.

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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

Church Answers

Why It Takes Five to Seven Years to Become the Pastor of a Church

You are the new pastor of the church. Expectations are high on your part and on the members’ part. Perhaps you celebrate with some type of installation service.

You are ready to lead and move the church forward. After all, you are the pastor. Right?

Wrong.

In most established churches, there is a prolonged period before the church members as a whole will truly embrace you as pastor. When that time comes, most pastors enjoy their greatest and most joyous years of ministry.

But the majority of pastors never make it to year five, much less year seven. So why does it take five to seven years to be embraced as the pastor of most established churches? Here are seven common reasons.

It takes a long time to break into established relationship patterns. Many of the members have been around for decades. They have their friends, family members, and relationship groups. Pastors will not meaningfully enter into many of those relationships for several years.
You are creating new ways of doing things. You may not think you are a major change agent, but your presence as the pastor changes things significantly. You lead differently. You preach differently. Your family is different. The church has to adjust to all the changes you bring before they begin to embrace you fully as pastor.
Most relationships do not establish fully until they go through one or two major conflicts. The first year or two are your honeymoon years. The church thinks you are absolutely great. Then you do something, lead something, or change something that goes counter to their expectations. Conflict ensues. You are no longer the best. So you have two years of honeymoon, one to two years of conflict, and one to two years to get on the other side of conflict. Then you become the pastor in five to seven years.
The church is accustomed to short-term pastorates. Many churches rarely see a pastor make it to the fifth, sixth, or seventh year. They never fully accept the pastor, because they don’t believe the leader will make it past the first major conflict.
Previous pastors wounded some church members. There are many reasons for this reality, some understandable and some not. In either case, a previous pastor hurt some church members, and the members take several years to accept a new pastor and learn to trust again.
Trust is cumulative, not immediate. This reality is especially true in established churches. Regardless of how the ministry unfolds, it simply takes time before church members are willing to say with conviction, “That is my pastor.”

I know. I wish we could snap our fingers and enjoy immediate trust. But, in most churches, it just is not going to happen quickly. It will take five to seven years.

Are you willing to stick around to enjoy the fruit of a long-term pastorate?

Pray for Siloam Baptist Church

Location: Simms, Texas

Pastor: James K. Ross

Weekly Worship:11:00 AM, Central

Fast Facts: Siloam Baptist Church is located in the crossroads between two small towns. It’s a rural church, and full of hope for the future. Almost 65 years ago the church began, and now they are reassessing and reaching for the future. God has blessed, and they have seen salvations and new growth recently. Pray for them to be able to make needed changes and focus on reaching the harvest that is all around them. Please pray for those from the church who will be sharing Christ at two festivals in their neighboring cities in August and October. Also pray that they will impact their local school with the love of Jesus and the gospel. Finally, pray for Pastor James, who is new to the church, as he seeks to share his vision for the future and for the church family as they seek to step out in faith to make needed changes to mobilize for growth for the future.

Website: SiloamBaptist-Church.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..

Notable Voices and the Week in Review: August 19, 2017

Earlier this week at ThomRainer.com:

Why Many of Our Churches Are Still One Color
Growing Churches, Evangelism Renewal, and You – Rainer on Leadership #354
Seven Characteristics of Reactionary Pastors
Six Communications Blunders That Will Cost You Volunteers
Four Paths for Church Revitalization – Rainer on Leadership #355

 

Three Ways to Help Your Worship Leader — Matthew Westerholm

Over the twenty years that I have led worship for a local church, I have received thousands of post-service reactions. Sometimes the reactions have been wonderful — insightful, helpful, and encouraging. Other times, they have been . . . well, worse. People have tried to be encouraging, but for a number of reasons, their efforts have failed. Here are three ways to encourage the worship leader at your church this weekend.

 

Balancing the Tensions of Leading an Established Church — Sam Rainer

As you lead an established church to greater health, you will have to demonstrate a great deal of balance. Being an established church pastor is an exercise in paradox. Look at a few of the tensions you must keep in balance.

 

Grow Your Own Leaders — Adam D. Swift

Choosing leadership for a church ministry is a tricky business. Pastoral search committees and hiring new staff members can be one of the most sanctifying experiences for churches. As you wade through dozens of resumes piled up on your desk, you feel overwhelmed by the sea of potential candidates for the job. You wonder if the person will possess the skills necessary for the ministry or be a “good fit” for the family, and you pray you do not hire a clown who simply knew how to interview well. All these fears could be avoided if you could choose leadership from within your church. What if it wasn’t necessary to look outside for leaders because you sufficiently discipled and grew leaders from within your congregation?

 

6 Words That Will Help the Dreaded Staff Meeting — Todd Wright

One of the team members begins our meetings with a 10-15 minute discussion-based Bible study that addresses an area of leadership. We pray for wisdom and then allow the following six words guide our agenda.

 

Don’t Waste Your Commute — Nick Batzig

I spend a great deal of my days driving from place to place. Two to three days a week, I am up early to drive my sons to school 30 minutes from our house. Then, I am driving to visit members in the hospital, to Presbytery meetings, to lunch and dinner appointments, to events in the church, to events in the community, to my sons sporting events, to the gym, etc. If I could calculate the hours that I spend in a car each and every week, I am sure that it would come out to somewhere between 15-20 hours/wk. This means that I need to be purposeful about utilizing the time in commute to feed my own soul and the souls of my children–not simply to be on the phone doing more work (which is what I often find myself doing). Here are four very tangible things that we can work toward as we attempt to redeem the time on our commutes:

 

4 Bible Reading Strategies for Reading Plan Quitters — Scott Slayton

I used to create a load of guilt in my heart because I would get stuck in the middle of really good Bible reading plans. It’s happened to me with some great Bible reading plans– Robert Murray McCheyene, the Bible Eater, and Dr. Horner’s Bible reading plan. All of these plans are built around solid strategies for reading the Bible, but in my personal weakness, I struggle to persevere. I doubt that I am the only person who has this struggle. If you struggle like I do, here is the advice that I would offer– change it up. Instead of choosing one Bible reading plan, choose a strategy for reading the Bible and then change what you are doing when you find yourself getting stale. After all, what matters is not that we are sticking to a plan, but that we are reading the Bible and being changed by it. Here are four strategies for changing up the way that you read the Bible.