Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 193
June 9, 2017
The Money Challenge featuring Art Rainer – Rainer on Leadership #335
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Art Rainer joins us to talk about generosity and money matters related to his new book The Money Challenge.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
God has designed us not as hoarders but as conduits through which His generosity flows.
Debt cripples your ability to live generously.
Pastors are often hesitant to preach on finances as a way to avoid conflict that may result.
When we give, we should have an eternal perspective for our sacrifice.
When we are financially healthy, we have a greater ability to be generous for the Kingdom.
Social media has made “keeping up with the Joneses” exponentially worse.
Give generously. Save Wisely. Live Appropriately.
About Art Rainer:
Art Rainer is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University and an MBA from the University of Kentucky. Art lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina with his wife, Sarah, and their three children.
Episode Sponsors
The Timothy Track, from Midwestern Seminary, offers select residential M.Div. students placement in internship positions in a local church in the area. Now you can complement your studies with in-the-field ministry experience. In addition, all Timothy Track students will receive up to 12 credit hours for the internship and a 50% tuition scholarship for the first year.
Find out more at mbts.edu/TimothyTrack.
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 Money Challenge
June 8, 2017
Seven Summer Social Media Ideas for Churches
By Jonathan Howe
Last week on the blog, I tackled ways your church can maintain momentum throughout the summer. While there will be an expected summer dip, I covered ways to mitigate that summer slump. One particular example was through the use of social media.
As is the case the rest of the year, social media is a simple tool churches can use to stay in touch with their congregation—no matter where church members and guests happen to be for the summer.
Here are seven specific ways your church can use social media this summer to help build and maintain momentum:
Facebook Live. Churches have SO MANY opportunities to use Facebook Live in the summer to update members on events. You could host live reports from mission trips, provide live updates from VBS, and stream worship services from student camp or kids camp. Depending on what you’ve got going on at your church, the opportunities to utilize Facebook Live have never been more abundant.
Instagram Stories. As with Facebook Live, Instagram stories are perfect for updating members about what’s going on with summer church events. With the addition of filters and the option of video or still shots, Instagram stories can serve as an immersive media experience for parents and friends back at home.
Sharable graphics. Create graphics for upcoming events or as prayer prompts. Take VBS for example. You know what the focus of each day will be. Post a graphic each morning about the focus and list a specific way to pray for the kids and teachers at VBS. You can do the same with camps or mission trips—it just takes planning.
Scheduled tweets. Summer calendars often differ from the rest of the year. Use Hootsuite, Buffer, or another social media scheduler to provide regular reminders about changes in the church schedule or any special events you may be hosting.
Special social series. Develop a theme for a social media series for the summer. Maybe it’s “Favorite Summer Reads” or “Favorite Summer Movies” from your staff members. Every week, highlight one of the favorites on your Facebook page or Twitter account. This can be used to help congregants get to know the staff better.
Special meet-ups. Announce a spontaneous lunch outing on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. It could be a youth group lunch or a nursery worker coffee break. For those who show up, buy their lunch or coffee as a way of saying “thank you.” Do this once or twice and people will start paying close attention to them. No one wants to miss out on a free gift.
Scavenger hunts. Use your Instagram account to post a picture of a free gift. It can be a gift card, a book, a CD, or anything else. Post a pic of where you’ve left it and give people a hint as to where they can find it.
There are so many ways to use social media to stay connected in the summer. What are some that you would add? Have you done any of these?
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.
June 7, 2017
Seven Personality Types of Sick Churches
Sick churches become dying churches.
Dying churches become closed churches.
Those statements are factual unless some type of change or intervention takes place. But intervention or change is unlikely unless the church recognizes that it is sick.
In simple terms, we must first be aware that many of our churches are sick.
In order to help create greater awareness, I have described illustratively seven personality types of sick churches. For certain, no one church is a perfect illustration of any one type. But I am confident you will recognize churches that have taken on one of these seven as a dominant personality type.
The Denier. Several years ago I did a consultation at a church in the Midwest. The church’s worship attendance had declined by over 60 percent the past ten years, but most of the members I interviewed told me the church was fine. That church will be “fine” all the way to its closing.
The Deflector. In these churches you hear constant complaints about what others outside the church are doing wrong. It’s the denomination’s fault. It’s the culture’s fault. It’s the young people’s fault. And, too many times, it’s always the pastor’s fault. Thus the church’s pattern is a series of short-term pastorates.
The Cool Kid. These churches are rarely viewed as sick. They are typically growing numerically, and often are seen as the cool church in town. But their growth is largely tied to a single ministry, like bus ministries of the past, or to a charismatic leader. When the charismatic leader or the hot ministry goes away, the church declines dramatically. This illness is particularly dangerous because of its superficial appearance of robust health.
The Nostalgic. The nostalgic church lives in the past. It longs for “Brother Bill,” the pastor of thirty years ago. The members are convinced if they would just return to music styles and programs of the past, everything would be fine. These churches grow increasingly unhealthy because they exert so much effort to resist change.
The Street Fighter. These churches are downright mean. Their business meetings are more like a street fight. Bullies and critics often control the church, while the majority of the members remain silent in cowardly fear. The healthier members exit quickly, exacerbating the sickness of the mean church.
The Autopilot. These churches do things they way they’ve always done them because they know of no other way. They don’t necessarily resist change, because they don’t even see the need for change. As long as we do the church the way we did it in 1974, we will be fine.
The Living Dead. There are few active members left in these churches. Most of the members recognize the church is sick, because the worship center is 83 percent vacant. Often the remaining members become desperate and somewhat open to change. Unfortunately, it is usually too late to do anything. The church is on the precipice of death.
I share these less-than-pleasant realities with the prayerful hope they could be used by God as a wake-up call to leaders and members of sick churches. And in my next post, I will share the dismal topic of the six stages of church death with that same hope and prayer.
June 6, 2017
Why So Many Churches Are Too Busy – Rainer on Leadership #334
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Nearly every pastor I talk with says their church is just too busy. So why does this happen? Why do we let it become like this? Today, we tackle eight reasons.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
In the past, churches looked to programs to grow the church. That’s not the case today.
There’s nothing wrong with programs as long as they are the means, not the end.
Program-driven churches give the appearance of growth, but programs aren’t a good measure of church health.
More church activities do not necessarily mean more church ministry.
We shouldn’t settle for mediocrity in the church.
Simple Church is not all about cutting programs. It’s about having a process of discipleship.
Churches naturally gravitate toward silo behavior.
Silo behavior adds to the busyness in churches.
It’s always easier to say “yes” and add programs than to say “no” and delete them.
The eight reasons we discuss are:
Activities became synonymous with ministry.
Programs and ministries are added regularly, but few or none are ever deleted.
Programs and ministries become sacred cows.
The alignment question is not asked on the front end.
Silo behavior among the different ministries of the church.
Lack of an evaluation process.
Ministry becomes facility-centered.
Lack of courageous leadership.
Episode Sponsors
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.
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
Search by William Vanderbloemen
PerceptGroup.com
Simple Church
Breakout Churches
How to Kill an Ineffective Program or Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #288
June 5, 2017
Six Attitudes That Kill Evangelism in the Church
Here are my notes from an interview I did with a church member recently.
Question: Do you believe evangelism should be a priority in the church?
“Absolutely.”
Question: Is evangelism a priority in your church?
“Not really. Our pastor doesn’t do much about it. And we get no help from our denomination.”
Question: What are you doing personally to be more evangelistic?
——————-
I won’t bore you with statistics about declining evangelism in our churches. You don’t need me to convince you most churches are not reaching our communities with the gospel. You don’t need me to provide data that shows our churches are reaching fewer people today than just a few years ago.
But why are our churches less evangelistic today?
That question could be answered from a number of perspectives. But one of the key explanations is simply an attitude problem. There are several dangerous and debilitating attitudes in churches that are killing evangelism. Here are six of them:
“That’s what we pay our pastor to do.” The hired-hand attitude toward the Great Commission is debilitating. It emanates from an attitude of comfort and entitlement among church members. And, above all, it is totally unbiblical.
“Our church members are just not evangelistic.” This quote comes from pastors and other church leaders. It is the other side of the coin of the blame game noted in number one above. Pastors who make those comments typically aren’t evangelistic themselves. And the number one correlative factor of an evangelistic church is an evangelistic pastor. If pastors are serious about their churches becoming Great Commission instruments, they must begin by looking in the mirror.
“Our denomination does not help us.” This attitude is a continuation of the blame and deflection issue. Evangelistic churches do not depend on denominations to lead them to share the gospel. They see the Great Commission as primarily an issue of local church responsibility.
“We emphasize evangelism once a year in our church.” If evangelism is just another emphasis in the church, it is dead on arrival. It must be an ongoing priority of the church. The Great Commission is not just another event; it is living the priority of sharing the gospel.
“I don’t know anyone well who is not a Christian.” This attitude is part of the greater issue of the holy huddle in many churches. If the church members are not intentionally developing relationships with people who are not Christians, evangelism just won’t happen. Here is a test to consider. How many of the groups or classes in your church are regularly seeking to connect with unbelievers?
“We don’t have the resources.” The most effective evangelistic churches depend on two key resources: prayer and obedience.
The decline in evangelism in our churches comes down to just a few key issues. Too many believers see evangelism as the responsibility of someone else. Closely related to that issue is the matter of blame. It’s the pastor’s fault. It’s the church members’ fault. It’s the denomination’s fault.
I have seen churches make dramatic turnarounds when just one person decided to be radically obedient to the Great Commission.
The question should not be: “What about them?”
The question should be: “What about me?”
June 4, 2017
Pray for Bono Baptist Church
Location: Greenbrier, Arkansas
Pastor: Bro. Marty Sikes
Weekly Worship: Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30am, Sunday Morning Worship 10:45am, Wednesday Evening Children and Adult Bible Study 6:15/7:00, Central Time Zone
Fast Facts: Bono Baptist Church is located in a small community in Greenbrier, Arkansas, and is celebrating its 100th anniversary today, June 4, 2017. Bono Baptist Church was established in 1917 by a group of charter members that were inspired by the preaching of J. E. Claunch during a tent meeting, and the first church building was built in 1923. Over the years, the church has moved steadily forward under the leadership of dedicated pastors and the personal efforts and sacrifices of devoted members. The congregation of Bono Baptist Church, former pastors and members, and members of the community will gather today to celebrate a very special milestone in their rich Christian history—their 100th anniversary. They will have special guest speaker Dr. Emil Turner. Senator Jason Rapert of Arkansas will be in attendance to present the church with a Senate Citation honoring their 100th anniversary. Bono hopes to continue another 100 years to spread the Gospel in its small community in hopes of touching the world.
Website: BonoBaptist.com
“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..
June 3, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: June 3, 2017
Five Reasons Why Stability Is Bad for a Church
The Pastor and Church Revitalization featuring Andrew Davis – Rainer on Leadership #332/a>
Four Useful Ministries by Deacons
Six Ways to Keep Your Church’s Momentum Going This Summer
How to Reverse a Negative Church Environment – Rainer on Leadership #333
10 Keys to Being a Better Writer for an Internet Audience — Marty Duren
Many pastors and other church leaders have found another voice—as writers—by which they can expand their Kingdom influence online. Whether personal blogs, church websites, or articles for collaborative websites, many have experienced satisfaction through encouraging and teaching others through the written word. If you are a pastor or church leader with a burden, passion, or passing interest in writing, I hope you will find these ten keys to being a better writer for an internet audience helpful.
7 Things That Get Harder As Your Church Grows — Carey Nieuwhof
Your struggles as a leader or as a church don’t go away when your church or organization starts to grow. They simply change. Here are 7 things every leader of a growing church or organization struggles with.
5 Things to Look For in a Church — Justin Huffman
Whether you are moving across the state or to the other side of the globe, don’t just look for a church that is like the churches you have already been acquainted with—for preachers with the same personality or gifts, for practices that are alike in every way, or for similar size or economic status or ethnic makeup. But of course do feel free to contact godly pastors, counselors, and friends you have been blessed by in the past, as a resource for decision-making and discernment in the future. Having said that, here are some similarities that all healthy, sound churches will have in common. Look for these things when you are looking for a new church:
The Real Root of Sexual Sin — Jon Bloom
What does the Bible diagnose as the root of human sexual perversion — what we often and rightly call sexual brokenness? We can see it clearly in Romans 1:21–26…
How Mr. Rogers Became Chuck Norris — Aaron Earls
Our culture has grown increasingly partisan and unfailingly angry. Social media is no longer characterized by fun, but by outrage and shrillness. In this moment, we turn to another person whose most outstanding characteristics we are exaggerating to mythical levels because it’s what we need right now. Instead of the knockout artist Chuck Norris, we are turning to the neighborly Mr. Rogers.
The Money Challenge — Tim Challies
The Money Challenge is an excellent, short, readable introduction to a biblical view of financial management. It may be an excellent first choice for those who have never read a book on money, and it may be an excellent refresher for those who have. In either case, you’ll learn that God “does not provide wealth for hoarding. He gives wealth to share. He gives wealth for generosity. He gives wealth to invest in eternal treasures. He gives wealth to advance His mission.” Ultimately, he gives money for our joy and his glory.
June 2, 2017
How to Reverse a Negative Church Environment – Rainer on Leadership #333
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Churches often find themselves in a rut or a case of the doldrums. Today, we cover five ways your church can snap out of a negative spiral.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
It’s hard to stay mad at someone if you’re praying for that person.
Ongoing ministry and missions should be taking place in the local community of a church.
Some leaders have too much pride to admit they’ve made a mistake.
People see straight through inauthentic apologies.
Outside eyes can help you see things you otherwise would not see.
The healthiest leaders are those who get ongoing training and coaching.
Church members and other staff can totally tell when a staff member or pastor has checked out.
The five ways to reverse negative sentiment that we discuss are:
Call for a time of prayer.
Lead a major ministry or service effort in the community.
Ask for forgiveness.
Get a fresh perspective.
Make a commitment to stay.
Episode Sponsors
The Timothy Track, from Midwestern Seminary, offers select residential M.Div. students placement in internship positions in a local church in the area. Now you can complement your studies with in-the-field ministry experience. In addition, all Timothy Track students will receive up to 12 credit hours for the internship and a 50% tuition scholarship for the first year.
Find out more at mbts.edu/TimothyTrack.
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
Pastoral Leadership, Prayer, and Church Health
Five Imminent Dangers in Churches
Facility Audit
ChurchAnswers.com
For the Church at the SBC Annual Meeting
June 1, 2017
Six Ways to Keep Your Church’s Momentum Going This Summer
By Jonathan Howe
Summer often means vacation time and travel for many church members. It also means lower attendance and participation numbers in many churches.
While you’ll likely experience some summer lull, you can help minimize this by utilizing one or more of these tips for engaging your church members this summer.
Create a weekly prayer emphasis. Summer is a busy time for most student ministries and children’s ministries. You likely have camps, mission trips, and Vacation Bible School going throughout the summer. Highlight these events with a weekly prayer emphasis spotlight in the service and in your church newsletter.
Report on the results of your summer activities. After your church has prayed for an event, be sure to celebrate how God answered those prayers. These reports can help carry ministry momentum through the summer into the fall when you kick things off again.
Consider hosting special events each month and emphasize inviting others. Maybe you have a potluck at church or an ice cream social at a local park. Outside, summer-themed events can easily be used to invite friends and neighbors to church-related events.
Participate in summer community events. Nearly every town in America does something for July 4 (or July 1 for our Canadian readers). It’s great that some churches have the resources to host a community celebration, but 99% can’t. If you’re in the 99%, make an attempt to be involved in the local community gathering this summer.
Try something new. Use the summer as a test kitchen for something you’d like to implement on an ongoing basis. Maybe it’s a a more casual dress code or style change. Maybe it’s some new songs or stage setup. By telling your congregation that it’s only for the summer, you’ll have more acceptance of something new. I wouldn’t necessarily use the summer to change something core to the identity of the church. Start with fringe ideas and work toward bigger change down the road.
Focus on social media. Because the summer is typically busier, use social media to keep the congregation updated. Next week, I’ll focus more on this item, but brainstorm a few creative uses for Instagram, Facebook Live, Twitter, and blogs for your church to try out.
Summer doesn’t have to be a dry spell in a church. In many instances, it’s the busiest part of the year. Use that to your advantage and keep the momentum going.
What else would you add to this list?
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.
May 31, 2017
Four Useful Ministries by Deacons
Deacons are a mystery in many churches.
In some churches, they act more like elders or a board of directors. Other churches attempt to focus their role on servant ministry, but there is confusion how that should take place in churches.
We know more about the qualifications of deacons than we do the functions of deacons. Indeed, 1 Timothy 3:8-13 includes some of those very specific qualifications.
But what is a deacon supposed to do? For certain we know that the term “deacon” means servant. But how does a servant ministry manifest itself? Perhaps we could look to Acts 6:1-7 as the origin or the forerunner of deacon ministry. If we believe that to be the case, deacons are to serve widows and maintain unity in the church.
But the Bible is not abundantly clear on how deacon roles should be carried out practically day-by-day. I have enjoyed interacting with hundreds of pastors who have shared with me how their church’s deacon ministry plays out. Here are four of the more common themes.
Pastoral care and ministry. In this approach, deacons are an extension of the ministry of the pastor and staff. They visit the hospital. Some may counsel. And, in many churches, the idea of deacon family ministry grew from this expectation of deacons.
Maintaining unity in the church. The seven men noted in Acts 6:1-7 were appointed in the midst of a conflict in the church. The servant role they assumed helped the widows in the church, and helped maintain unity in the church. I am familiar with several churches where the deacons deal with critics, conflict, and bullies. They take that burden off the pastor and church staff.
Guest/first impression ministries. In recent years, I have heard of more cases where some of the deacons serve the church by leading the ministry to guests, often called first impressions. They, in a servant-like manner, represent the church hospitably to those who visit.
Security and protection. It is becoming more common for churches to use some of their deacons as security personnel, especially during worship services. The deacons serve the church and the pastor by protecting them.
I know of at least one church that utilizes the deacon ministry in all four approaches. The deacons choose the area that best fits their gifts and passions.
How does your church handle its deacon ministry? I would love to get your stories and thoughts.
