Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 201
March 21, 2017
12 Metrics for Church Assessment – Rainer on Leadership #312
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Churches can measure so many things—giving, attendance, involvement and much more. But what should they measure? Today, we talk assessments, lead metrics, lag metrics, and how churches can more effectively assess what’s going on in their church.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Try to do a secret guest survey at your church at least once a year.
General attendance trends are a critical lag metric for churches to use.
Worship attendance is a lead metric for financial giving in the church.
The reason many downtown churches decline is because demographics change and the churches don’t adjust.
When you begin to reach a different demographic community, a church has to change what it does and how it does things.
One of the least measured metrics in churches is conversion growth.
What gets measured gets rewarded.
Small group attendance is the bridge between worship attendance and ministry involvement.
The 12 metrics for church assessment which we discuss are:
Secret guest survey
General attendance trends
Demographic trends for same period
Racial/ethnic composition of the church vs. the community
Conversion trends
Ministry involvement trends
Small group attendance trends
Total giving trends
Budget giving trends
Weekly per capita giving
Facility audit
Children
Preschool
Restrooms
Signage
Exterior appearance
Parking
Incredible value of member interviews
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
Secret Guest Survey
Percept Group
Facility Audit
March 20, 2017
Five Things the Traditional Church Is Doing Well
The email stung me. The writer spoke of my negativity about local churches, about how much of my writings are about problems in local congregations.
But there was truth in his critique. A lot of my writings do indeed express my concerns about the health and future of congregations. I admit my desire to help church leaders and laypersons confront reality.
But balance is needed.
There are many traditional or established churches doing things well. And though we can’t make categorical statements about any group of churches, it is indeed true that there are some elements in traditional churches we need to celebrate. Here are five of them.
The members have a deep love and concern for one another. Go into many traditional churches and you will see members caring for one another, taking meals to each other, and praying consistently for one another.
They are loyal to the institution. I have argued in other articles that institutional loyalty taken to an extreme is unhealthy. But the inverse is true as well. Members with no institutional loyalty will move from one church to another with little concern. Traditional church members tend to be fiercely loyal to the churches where they are members.
They are passionate about giving to missions. It seems to be in the congregational DNA of many traditional churches. If there is a mission cause put before the church, these members often give abundantly.
They offer stability to the congregation. Because of their loyalty and devotion to their church, traditional church members offer stability and steadiness to local congregations. They will continue to give, to serve, and to care for others even in challenging times in the church.
The members have a historical perspective that can be healthy for the church. Many of them have seen the best of times and the worst of times. The traditional church member has a healthy perspective that realizes God is above the crisis or the situation of the moment. Sometimes just hearing from these members about how the church survived a crisis in the past can be encouragement for the congregation to move to the future.
If you have read or heard me in recent years, I have cried out to churches, “Change or die!” I will continue to sound that warning without hesitation.
But, in my efforts to sound warnings, I can overlook the good things taking place in many churches, including traditional churches.
This article is my apology for being shortsighted toward traditional churches. And it is my opportunity to thank the millions of church members in these congregations for their faithfulness though the years.
March 19, 2017
Pray for Harmontown Baptist Church
Location: Como, Mississippi
Pastor: Jim Pinkerton
Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM, Central
Fast Facts: Harmontown Baptist Church is an old country church that ministers to the North Sardis Lake area of Northern Mississippi. The church of nearly 100 has focused on increasing activities for children and families. This includes a bus ministry for Wednesday night programming. Please pray for the church and church people so that their church and community will experience revival—where they reach people in the community with the gospel and the members work for the glory of God in all things.
Website: N/A
“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..
March 18, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: March 18, 2017
Five Reasons Growth May Be More Difficult in Your Church
Missions & Church Planting in North America, with Kevin Ezell – Rainer on Leadership #310
Six Reasons Pastoral Tenure May Be Increasing
Seven Reasons Your Church Members Aren’t Using Your Church Website
Six Traits of Preacher Eater Churches – Rainer on Leadership #311
Three Keys For A Flourishing Kids’ Ministry — Jennifer Winge
The truth is there is no “secret sauce,” but there are several key things I see consistently in the leaders of flourishing Children’s Ministries.
How a Lack of Sleep is Affecting Your Work — Art Rainer
Each of our bodies are different. Some of our bodies need more sleep, while others need less. Research continues to show that depriving your body of its sleep requirements for the sake of productivity is actually counterproductive. Sleepiness will slow you down. Here is how it affects you at work:
How to Leave a Church — Adam McClendon
Recently, two men that I appreciate have resigned their churches and left abruptly. Both men love Jesus deeply and both left a large wake and a lot of hurt in the process. Their ministries were going well. There was not a major scandal. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was the way they left, so here are 7 tips to help someone transition and leave a church well.
Battling Burnout as a Pastor’s Wife — Erin Wheeler
Sometimes, the old adage “The days are long but the years are short” begins to feel more like “The days are long and the years are long.” What do we do as pastor’s wives when the never-ending demands pummel us? In many ways our calling is the same as every Christian’s—we’re to take up our cross daily, and follow him (Luke 9:23). And often the cross we bear is a call to give out of poverty, not abundance.
What Are Good Sources for Sermon Illustrations? — Marty Duren
Illustration can be serious, reflective, humorous, personal, abstract, visual, verbal, physical, or interactive. They are what help the listener move from the broad to the specific, from “out there” to “right here,” from the theoretical to the practical. What are some good sources of illustrations that will help listeners understand the truths we are presenting? Here are six:
Five Misconceptions About Pastors — Eric Geiger
Here are five misconceptions about pastors, some of which are dangerous and greatly impede the ministry of a local church. In other words, they are not insignificant misconceptions.
March 17, 2017
Six Traits of Preacher Eater Churches – Rainer on Leadership #311
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I hear far too often about the very real problem of preacher eating churches. We cover six traits that are found in these churches and how to remedy them.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Many times, church members are unaware that pastoral tenure is an issue in their church.
There are bullies and power groups in nearly every church.
Perpetual church conflict works against the Great Commission.
If you are catering to a handful of families,whoever comes after you could be less successful because of it.
Too many pastors are expected to know needs about which they haven’t been told.
Many pastors and staff are woefully under-compensated.
Before taking a new pastorate, talk to pastors in the area about the church.
The six traits of preacher eater churches we discuss are:
Their pastors don’t stick around long.
The church has bullies and power groups.
The church is in perpetual conflict.
The church has non-biblical expectations of the pastor.
The church does not believe pastors should be compensated adequately.
The pastor’s family is not supported.
Episode Sponsors
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Find out more at mbts.edu/mdiv.
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
Six Main Traits of Preacher Eater Churches
CareyNieuwhof.com
VSG Blog
March 16, 2017
Seven Reasons Your Church Members Aren’t Using Your Church Website
By Jonathan Howe
As we’ve stated countless times here at ThomRainer.com, your church’s website is the front door to your church. I’ve written about why your website needs to be guest friendly, but I haven’t written much about how it should interface with your members.
Needless to say, your church’s website should serve your members as well.
The problem is that too many church websites don’t. Some churches put so much effort into guest information, that they overlook information and features that would appeal to members and have them use the site more. These are the seven most common reasons church members don’t use your church’s website:
You don’t have a church calendar. Almost every church management software includes a church calendar in its functionality. You can embed it on your website or use another calendar tool to keep event information in front of your members. Google Calendar or a calendar plugin on your website are the most common alternate methods churches use to place event information and schedules online.
You’re not using social media well. Your members are the ones who are most likely to engage with your church on social media. If you’re not using social media well, you’re not going to engage your members well. When you provide sharable content on social media, you will draw members and guests alike to your church’s website.
You don’t provide media to consume. Church members miss services from time to time. Many want to catch up on what they missed. Therefore, if you don’t have sermon videos or sermon podcasts on your church’s site, they can’t watch or listen to what they miss. A full media offering will draw more members to your website, and is a great resource for guests wanting to get to know more about your church.
You don’t have online giving or online registration. Both of these tools allow members to make easy payments on your site. Obviously, online giving is much more than a payment, but if you don’t offer it, that is just one fewer reason for members to visit your site. Online registration for upcoming events and the ability to pay for any associated costs is also simple to install and helpful to members.
You don’t publicize your church website. When you have information, event registration, and church-related media on your website, it will lead you to talk more about it. If every event you host requires (or strongly encourages) online registration, your church members will use your website more than if the event registration is a clipboard in the fellowship hall.
You don’t have a church website. There is really no excuse here. A Facebook page is not a substitute for a website.
You don’t have analytics or stats to know if church members are using the site or not. If you don’t have data about what pages are being accessed on your site, you’ll never know who’s using it or what they’re using it for. You’ve got to have data to make informed decisions about what to emphasize.
Do your church members use your church’s website more or less than you would want? What 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.
March 15, 2017
Six Reasons Pastoral Tenure May Be Increasing
The young pastor, at least by my perspective, impressed me. Though only 34 years old, he had a maturity and wisdom about him that went beyond his chronological age.
The most surprising aspect of my conversation with him was his response to my basic question, “How long have you been pastor of this church?” I was stunned to hear him say, “I just celebrated my 10th anniversary.”
This pastor came to the church out of college when he was 24 years old. He completed an online seminary degree in his tenure. And he had led the church from 75 in average attendance to 180.
His parting comment to me was most telling, “I hope God lets me stay here all my life.”
He is one of many pastors who are staying at their churches longer. Contrary to the conventional wisdom among many, pastoral tenure is not decreasing. In fact, it is likely increasing.
I looked at three bodies of data to see the trends in pastoral tenure. The folks at LifeWay Research would prefer I not make comparisons where the studies are not consistent (they call it “noise” when comparing two or more different types of data). With that caution, I compared the median tenure of full-time pastors over six different years:
Year
Median Tenure
Research Group
1996
3.6 years
Rainer Group/Effective Evangelistic Churches
2004
4.0 years
LifeWay Research/Annual Church Profile
2008
4.0 years
LifeWay Research/Annual Church Profile
2012
6.0 years
LifeWay Research/GuideStone/Comp Study
2014
6.0 years
LifeWay Research/GuideStone/Comp Study
2016
6.0 years
LifeWay Research/GuideStone/Comp Study
What, then, are the reasons for the potential increase in pastoral tenure? I see six real possibilities:
Baby boomer pastors are delaying retirement. Some are doing so because they are still in good health and good mind. Others are waiting simply because they don’t have the financial means to retire.
Moving to larger churches is no longer considered a career path by many pastors. My generation as a whole viewed “bigger as better” as a career path. If you did well at one church, you would quickly get “promoted” to a larger church. Many Gen X and Millennial pastors do not have that perspective.
More pastors feel called to a community as well as a church. With this perspective, the pastors and their families settle into a church and a community with a view toward making a long-term impact.
Financial insecurities impact the mobility of some pastors. Many of them saw their retirement funds severely diminished in the Great Recession. If they are at a church that is caring for them and their families financially, they are less prone to move.
Many pastors are less likely to move for family reasons. Some younger pastors are staying at their churches because they feel a strong commitment to provide stability for their families. Some older pastors are staying because they have moved aging parents to be near them.
More pastors understand the benefit of staying at one place longer. I have heard from many pastors who cite my research and others as a reason not to move. They understand the early years at one church are often the most difficult, and that the tenure past five years is often the most fruitful. They are thus willing to endure short-term pain for long-term gain.
Overall, these trends encourage me. They bode well for the future of our congregations. I indeed pray that longer tenure will result in healthier churches.
March 14, 2017
Missions & Church Planting in North America, with Kevin Ezell – Rainer on Leadership #310
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Kevin Ezell joins us to discuss trends in church planting, relief ministry, and missions in North America, as well as the Send North America Conference.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Church planting takes more than a planter. It takes a team.
“Every believer is called to be on mission.”
“There are needs to be met right in the shadow of our own steeple. But we don’t see them.”
“Find a need. Meet the need.”
“Some churches are dying and either don’t know it or won’t admit it.”
“Just because you’re a church plant doesn’t mean you can replant. Replanting is a specialty.”
“I never saw a problem in the local church that an hour at Cracker Barrel couldn’t solve.”
“When people know you love them and that you work hard, they’ll forgive a lot of things.”
“If you really love someone, you’re going to pray for them.”
About Kevin Ezell & NAMB:
Dr. Kevin Ezell serves as the President of the North American Mission Board, providing strategic vision, direction, and leadership as NAMB works to reach North America through evangelism and church planting.
The North American Mission Board exists to work with churches, associations and state conventions in mobilizing Southern Baptists as a missional force to impact North America with the gospel of Jesus Christ through evangelism and church planting. They accomplish this goal through Send North America, their national strategy for mobilizing churches to plant churches and mobilizing church planters and other missionaries to assist with those efforts.
About the Send North America Conference:
The Send North America Conference is a two-day gathering of the church in North America. The heart of this gathering is to see a movement of people from within the church living out the mission of God in their everyday lives.
SendConference.com
Dallas – May 19-20, 2017
Orlando – July 25-26, 2017
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
Send Relief
Send Cities
Bi-vocational church planter Marino Martinez
March 13, 2017
Five Reasons Growth May Be More Difficult in Your Church
Every year another two million American adults become less receptive to the gospel, and less receptive to churches.
Every year.
That is one of the nuggets I took from the Pew Research work on the “Nones” when they first released the data in 2012. Pew has continued to follow the religious commitment level of Americans. From 2007 to 2014, over 12 million American adults have moved from a high level of religious commitment to a low level of commitment. They just skipped the medium level of commitment altogether.
Cultural Christianity is dying.
One no longer has to be a Christian or in a church to be accepted by society. That relatively easy pool of prospective attendees for our churches is disappearing.
But most churches keep doing what they’ve always done.
As a consequence, they are reaching fewer. They are declining.
Why?
The answer to that question is too complex for a simple blog post, but let me provide five high-level responses for now.
Church members are not being intentionally relational with those who are not in church. The old way of church outreach was more transactional; today it requires the development of relationships. Most church members will not take that step. Many don’t know how to take that step.
Many churches are stuck in the past. While we never compromise the gospel and the Word, our methodologies must reflect an awareness of our culture, and a willingness to be missionaries to that culture. Sadly, too many church members are unwilling to make changes. Church, for them, is about their needs and their preferences.
Church members are not regularly inviting people to church. Yes, it can be that simple. Many of the religiously unaffiliated will come to church if we invite them. But it’s difficult for them to respond to an invitation if they never get one.
Many church members fail to act like Christians on social media. Unbelievers are watching us on Facebook and Twitter. And many of us are more likely to show our rear ends than Christian love. Social media is where the unchurched reside. And they constantly see our petty quarrels, our venomous politics, and our self-serving attitudes. Look at this blog post about what non-Christians think about us. I wrote it in 2013, but the comments still come in from unbelievers.
If they come to church, they only have a mediocre experience. The religiously unaffiliated do visit our churches from time to time. But, more often than not, they see our holy huddles and our lukewarm greetings. Most will not return.
Growth is indeed more difficult in most of our churches today. We no longer have the large pool of cultural Christians from which to draw. But we can reach them. We must reach them.
We will have to treat our membership in our churches as missionaries to the community instead of country club membership. Biblical membership is not about getting our perks, privileges, and preferences. It’s about sacrificing self for the gospel.
Then, and only then, will we see our churches start growing again.
March 12, 2017
Pray for First Southern Baptist Church
Location: Liberal, Kansas
Pastor: Dr. Jack M. Jacob
Weekly Worship: 10:45 AM, Central
Fast Facts: First Southern Baptist Church is a 60+ year old congregation that has recently gone through a time of rapid growth, however slowing agriculture and oil-based economies in the area have become a challenge. Due to the economic issues, they have seen several families and leaders relocate for employment reasons. Please pray for their upcoming summer outreach events which include block parties, community service projects, park ministries, and a youth mission trip in the US as well a mission trip to engage an unreached people group in Thailand in later in 2017. Finally, be in prayer for their re-visioning process and that it will help members catch the vision for being Jesus’ ambassadors to the community.
Website: FSBCLiberal.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..
