Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 205
February 9, 2017
Four Steps to Make Your Church Communications More Efficient
By Jonathan Howe
Bigger. Stronger. Faster.
It’s a mantra you hear from professional athletes and coaches all the time. Successful athletes and teams are often the ones who simply can do more than their opponents. That typically works in sports. But does it translate to other areas of life? Not always.
When it comes to business, efficiencies are often more important than being the biggest, strongest, or fastest. It doesn’t always matter if your sales are the greatest or if you have more customers. If your margins are low and your overhead is eating away your profits, efficiency can mean much more than size.
But what about churches?
More specifically, what about church communications?
I would suggest that instead of being concerned with simply communicating more, churches should be focused on communicating more efficiently and effectively. These four steps will help your church determine what efficient communications look like in your context.
Determine what works best for your people. There’s no one-size-fits all communications plan for any church. Different churches need different methods of communication. If you listen to your congregants, ask for their input, and pay attention to what seems to resonate with them, you can determine what you should stop doing, keep doing, or start doing.
Don’t be afraid to try new methods. Unsure if your congregation would respond to an email newsletter? Try sending one per month for a few months and see what the response is. Find champions for new technology in the church to help you spread the word about the benefits of different communications methods.
Be persistent, but not stubborn or wasteful. Give a new communication initiative a few months before throwing it out. But don’t be afraid to kill something if it doesn’t take, even if you like it, or if you want people to like it. Don’t stick with a communication method just for your own benefit or pleasure. If it isn’t working, don’t continue to waste time and energy on ineffective communications.
Use tools that foster efficiency. Software—both online and computer-based—is widely available for communications. You have templates in Mailchimp, design templates for Canva, and social media auto-schedulers like Buffer and Hootsuite, dedicated social media apps for on-the-go posting. Use tools that work for your workflow and messages. Finding the right tool, or even a better one, can make a huge difference in the efficient use of your time and your message’s effectiveness.
Do you feel your church communications are efficient and effective? Or are you just trying to outshout the world to get your message out? What tools have helped you communicate more efficiently and effectively?
Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources, 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.
February 8, 2017
Five Principles to Help Pastors and Staff Know When to Compromise
“I’ll never compromise!”
“It’s a matter of principle. I’m sticking to my guns!”
Some of the most painful wounds in ministry are self-inflicted. But, sometimes, compromise is in order.
Compromise. Ugh.
I know. We don’t like that word. It sounds like we are weak. It connotes a person without conviction, leaders who are yielding their leadership mantle.
It’s especially problematic for those who serve in local church ministry. You have been trained to be a person of conviction. You proclaim the Word of God without compromise. You don’t yield. Ever.
But compromising is indeed a necessary trait for leaders, even leaders in the local church. Perhaps especially for those in ministry.
Allow me then to offer five basic principles of compromising for those who serve the local church.
Decide at the onset of your ministry the doctrinal issues you will not compromise. I will never compromise my ministry to accept any way of salvation other than through Christ. I believe without yielding that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross. But I won’t get into a mud-slinging debate over the exact timing of Christ’s return. And, yes, I will accept a brother or sister in Christ who counts more petals of the tulip than I do.
Make certain you are fighting for principle over preference. We who are in leadership sometimes fight for issues that are nothing more than what we want, without regard for what is best for the body of Christ, her ministry, and her Great Commission focus. Ultimately, ministry is not about us; but that reality is easy to forget.
Discern if the disunity of the congregation is worth the battle. The common question often asked is, “Is it a hill worth dying on?” Most of the really divisive church fights and splits have been over largely inconsequential issues. One example is a church that split over an argument about getting pews or chairs. Yes. Really.
Maintain a longer-term perspective. Sometimes leaders are ready to go to battle because they have a short-term perspective. Many of the divisive issues will take care of themselves over time. And leaders should never start a battle where they will not be around to see it to conclusion. The ‘fight and flee” syndrome has seriously wounded many congregations.
Discern if the issue is personal. If you have an issue that affects you personally, you are more likely to go to battle over it. Sometimes leaders have to endure a season of personal pain for the sake of the unity of the congregation. But it is really tempting to enter the fray when you feel pain, barbs, or criticisms. It takes a strong leader to put the needs of the church first.
I am convinced that local church leadership is one of the most difficult positions a person can have. It takes prayer, calling, discernment, thick skin, patience, and a willingness to compromise on the less critical issues.
February 7, 2017
What to Include in a Visitor Welcome Packet and Other Listener Questions – Rainer on Leadership #300
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We celebrate episode 300 with cupcakes and listener questions. We cover everything from welcome packets to marketplace pastors to Bible Belt churches and refusing members or money.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
It’s good to include member stories in your guest welcome packet to tell how God is moving in your church.
You can have church bullies at any level—they can be lay leaders, staff members, or even pastors.
What someone may claim as a pastor being a bully could actually be a member just not getting his/her way.
Don’t cater to every whim of church members to please people. It will burn you out.
I have turned down money from church members for one main reason—it had strings attached.
Churches should be selective in membership; churches need to know someone beforehe/she joins the church.
In the Bible Belt, there are people in the church who will not face the reality that they are not saved.
The questions we answer are:
From Wayne
What training do you believe is necessary for serving as a marketplace pastor? Since marketplace pastors are are limited in the amount of time they can realistically serve (I’m thinking primarily ministerial and administrative tasks), would it be best for them to serve on a team of “pastors/elders” or perhaps in a larger setting?
From Julie
What should my church include in our visitor welcome gift/packet?
From Lisa
I understand that some churches do have bully cartels. But some also have leaders who do not allow to be questioned by the church. What advice would you have for members in those churches?
From Joe
In the 2 years I have been ministering with my church, we have seen a shift in the average age of our congregation to a younger one. Along with this can come a shift in how we do ministry. We give more attention to families and our Sunday worship times have a more modern feel than before. None of this is exactly intentional, it’s just kind of developing on its own like that. Unfortunately, we have some within our older crowd who are feeling neglected and left out. How can we effectively minister to them and with them without just creating a social group?
From Bill
Under what circumstances, if any, is it appropriate for a church to turn down someone asking to join the church?Under what circumstances, if any, is it appropriate for a church to turn down a contribution?
From Todd
Montana: 14.9 members for 1 baptism ratio
New York: 15.4 members for 1 baptism ratio
New England: 15.5 members for 1 baptism ratio
Dakota: 15.7 members for 1 baptism ratio
Iowa: 15.7 members for 1 baptism ratio
Pennsylvania-South Jersey: 16.9 members for 1 baptism ratio
Alabama: 59.2 members for 1 baptism ratio
North Carolina: 59.3 members for 1 baptism ratio
Texas: 65.2 members for 1 baptism ratio
So my question is why do you think this phenomenon is occurring? In what ways does the spiritually harsher climate outside of the Bible belt actually aid in advancement of the Great Commission? Are there lessons to be learned from these non-Bible belt churches as the Bible belt becomes increasingly secular?
From Greg
The crisis has occurred, the old pastor is gone. Conflict was the reason he left. There are hurt and hard feelings between some that remain. What steps are required for healing to occur in the congregation?
From Renee
We are aware of the difficulty within our church as a dying church. There is little to no evangelistic effort – no new non-churched members over the past 5 years. Any growth over the past 3 years has been transfer growth. The majority of our congregation is in denial about the path our church is on without change. The opponents are preserving the church to the point of death. How do we reach/teach/enable/encourage the congregation of the necessity for change?
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
Marketplace Bivocational Ministry, featuring Jimmy Scroggins – Rainer on Leadership #294
February 6, 2017
When the Pastor Has an Affair
It happens too frequently.
It can be the lead pastor or any church staff member.
And too many churches do not handle such tragedy well.
But many churches do. Allow me to share some of the best responses I have heard from churches that have gone through this tragic time.
Terminate with compassion. Almost without exception, the pastor is terminated. But termination does not have to be without compassion. The pastor’s family will need financial provisions; thus many churches provide compassionate severances. And though pastors have full responsibility for their sins, they are hurting as well. Tough love and compassionate love are in order here.
Don’t forget the pastor’s family. They have felt the greatest amount of betrayal. They are humiliated and hurt. This person they likely held in high esteem has fallen hard. The family needs compassion, love, attention, and counseling. Many church members do not know what to say, so they say nothing. I know one church member who sent the spouse and the children a simple handwritten note: “I have not forgotten you. I am here for you. I am praying for you.” It made all the difference in the world.
Be forthright with the congregation. The rumors are often worse than reality. You don’t have to give the sordid details. But the church needs to know the pastor was terminated because of moral failure. Speak to the congregation succinctly, honestly, and compassionately.
Provide resources for reconciliation. God’s ideal plan is for the couple to stay together—to make it through this terrible ordeal. The church can be an instrument of that process back to reconciliation. The church can provide the resources so that the couple can get strong Christian counseling. The process should also be one that seeks restoration for the pastor. That restoration may not mean that pastors are restored to their former office; it does mean the path should include a way to be restored to the congregation.
Don’t forget the pain of the congregation. Many of them feel betrayed. Most of them feel hurt. Find ways to minister to the members for the next several months as they deal with this issue.
Begin a ministry of prayer for this situation. I have been so encouraged to see some churches actually deal with this issue through a specific prayer ministry. One church offered a prayer and reconciliation time after every service. It only lasted a few minutes, and attendance was totally voluntary. But the responses were incredible, both in numbers attending and in the way people were impacted. The church began this ministry with a stated goal of continuing it for three months. It made a huge difference in the healing impact on the church.
When the pastor has an affair, it is a tragedy of huge proportions. But the church can respond biblically, redemptively, and compassionately.
It the midst of this awful situation, the church has the opportunity truly to be the body of Christ.
February 5, 2017
Pray for Jordan Valley Church
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Pastor: Jonathan Stoddard
Weekly Worship: 9:45 AM, Mountain
Fast Facts: Jordan Valley Church is located in a suburb of Salt Lake City. About 40% of the church used to be members of the Mormon Church and many of their families still are. While the church is small, there are people from every age group and background attending. January 2017 marked the beginning of a new phase for the church as they unveiled an updated vision and changed the name from Jordan Presbyterian Church to Jordan Valley Church. April 16 is the official launch for the church with its new name and vision. They are updating the sanctuary, repainting, adding screens and new signage, and doing much more in preparation for the relaunch. Please pray that the work would be done by April and that God would use all they are doing to draw more people to Him. Also pray that the congregation will continue to be accepting of the changes and remain excited about what is happening.
Website: JordanValleyChurch.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..
February 4, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: February 4, 2017
Five Reasons You Should Use Goal Setting for Evangelism
Why Greeters Are Important in Getting Guests to Return – Rainer on Leadership #298
Five Reasons the 11:00 AM Worship Service Is Disappearing
4 Simple Steps to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Online Sermons
Leading Change in an Established Church, featuring Jimmy Scroggins – Rainer on Leadership #299
Five Ways For Your Marriage To Thrive In Ministry — Kevin Campbell
My wife and I married over fifteen years ago and we’ve had our share of ups and downs. Throw in having four kids and starting a church, and we’ve had many days we felt our marriage was surviving instead of thriving. Over the years, we’ve had to make many adjustments to reconnect and grow in our relationship together. The enemy will do everything to destroy your marriage in hopes to stop your ministry. We all know that in theory; but in practice it’s easy to forsake or take for granted your relationship with your spouse. Here are five ways for your marriage to survive and thrive in ministry:
5 Reasons Money Issues Cause Marital Stress — Art Rainer
Statistics revealing the relationship between financial stress and marital stress are all too common. Financial stress causes fights. And financial stress is sadly also known to be a reason for divorce. But why? Why does this happen? What is it about money that creates marital stress? Because of money’s impact on marriage, these are questions worth considering. Here are a few thoughts:
How To (Finally) Stop Giving In To The Pressure To Add More Ministries In Your Church — Carey Nieuwhof
Most local church leaders feel a deep pressure to do everything they read about in the Bible in their church. After all, you lead a church. But should you? You shouldn’t. And here’s why.
15 Stats That Show Americans Are More Pro-Life Than You Think — Aaron Earls
In 2015, Gallup found that 50% of Americans called themselves pro-choice, compared with 44% who said they were pro-life. Yet when you examine many of the specifics, pro-life Americans can find much with which to be pleased.
Only 1 in 7 Senior Pastors Is Under 40 — Kate Shellnutt
American pastors aren’t as young as they used to be. As clergy live longer and stay in ministry longer, the average age of Protestant senior pastors has risen to 54—a decade older than 25 years before, when the average age was 44. Now, just 1 in 7 pastors leading congregations is under 40, according to Barna Group’s 2017 State of Pastors project.
7 Questions to Ask Before Posting about Politics on Social Media — Scott Slayton
When you consider how divisive politics can be and how often we say things in the heat of a moment that can influence the way people view Jesus and the Gospel, Christians must spend time in careful thought before they post about politics on social media. In fact, I would suggest that there are seven questions you should ask yourself before you post about politics or share a link to an article about a political issue.
February 3, 2017
Leading Change in an Established Church, featuring Jimmy Scroggins – Rainer on Leadership #299
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play
Jimmy Scroggins joins us again and leads us through the major changes he had to make at Family Church as well as what he learned in the process.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
“Don’t waste a good crisis.”
“When you have the crunch of a crisis, people give you more latitude to make hard decisions.”
“The toughest change we had to make was cancelling the singing Christmas tree.”
A multi-site strategy can sometimes drive a name-change for a church.
“Don’t let the structure of your polity crush your pursuit of vision.”
“Your church polity should give the pastor and leaders the ability to pursue and lead vision.”
“Multi-site lets you try out things at other sites that you’d like to do at your main site.”
“An outward-focused evangelistic culture is the most important development we’ve seen in our church.”
About Jimmy Scroggins
Jimmy is husband to Kristin, father to eight, and lead pastor of Family Church—a network of neighborhood churches dedicated to reaching families in South Florida with the gospel.
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
Multi-Site Church for the Rest of Us, featuring Jimmy Scroggins – Rainer on Leadership #287
Marketplace Bivocational Ministry, featuring Jimmy Scroggins – Rainer on Leadership #294
Three Circles App
February 2, 2017
4 Simple Steps to Improve the Effectiveness of Your Online Sermons
By Jonathan Howe
Online sermons have become ubiquitous with churches. What used to be an added bonus for members of large churches has now become standard in churches of any size. Thanks to technology improvements and the rise of the iPod and smartphones, sermon podcasts are now a commonplace.
However, there is one small issue with online sermons—there is typically nothing to accompany them online. Most churches simply upload sermon audio to their site, feed it to iTunes, and move on. While not everyone may want or need anything more than the audio, here are four tips to get more out of your online sermons:
Create a new post on your site for each sermon post. With WordPress and other blog-based sites, you can easily create a new post for each sermon. You can then organize sermon series into categories to help group them together. Creating a new post for each sermon instead of listing them all on one page helps for a variety of reasons. First, you can share the sermon individually on social media sites. Second, you can attach a featured image of your sermon artwork to help it get noticed when shared on Facebook or Twitter. Finally, you have room for sermon notes to go with each sermon, which brings us to…
Upload sermon notes for each sermon. Almost every pastor has some kind of notes for each sermon. Maybe it’s a manuscript; maybe it’s just a bare bones outline. Either way, consider posting the pastor’s notes with each sermon. Simply upload a PDF of the notes and provide a link to download them. This allows listeners the opportunity to have something to reference if a sermon is particularly meaningful or insightful to them.
Include the text reference in the title. For example, a Christmas sermon title might look like “The Birth of a King — Luke 2:1-20.” This is important not only because it provides a reference for listeners in their podcast app or online, but it also helps with search engine optimization. Now, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) might not be a major concern for you, but every little bit helps. Having a high SEO score could make the difference to someone choosing your church in a list of search results. Higher scores are listed closer to the top of the page. So a high SEO score means people could potentially see your church before others.
Identify the speaker in the post. Churches who have multiple teaching pastors or campuses should clearly identify whose sermon audio is online. Even churches with one pastor should list this information. There might be a guest preacher instead of the pastor. Providing the speaker’s name just helps clear up any confusion that may arise because preachers rarely introduce themselves at the beginning of a sermon. The average listener may not know who’s speaking if they aren’t identified in the post.
These may seem like simple points for online sermon audio, but check your church’s online sermon feed. Does it have all four of these? Would you add anything to this list?
Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources, 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.
February 1, 2017
Five Reasons the 11:00 AM Worship Service Is Disappearing
I wish I knew the specific reason most churches offered an 11:00 AM service on Sunday for decades.
The possible theories are many, but none have been substantiated with historical research. The most plausible is the agrarian theory. That perspective holds that churches accommodated the farmers in the community. The farmers had multiple chores that had to be done in the morning. They would get the chores done and then go to church. They often followed the single service with a potluck meal on the grounds.
But the 11:00 AM service is disappearing.
Rather than spend time trying to discover the origin of the 11:00 AM service, I decided to ask several church leaders why they discontinued the service in their churches. Five common themes emerged.
When a church moved from one service to two, the 11:00 AM slot no longer made sense. As churches began scheduling additional services, the 11:00 AM time did not fit a good schedule for traffic, flow, and length of service. Some churches also had to schedule Sunday school or groups around the new times. The demise of the 11:00 AM service likely is related to churches that moved to multiple services more than any one other reason.
Churches with one service began to realize the disadvantages of the 11:00 AM service. Most of these church leaders could offer no cogent explanation for a single service with such a late time. Most people had been awake for hours, even if they attended a group or class before the service. And the worship service inevitably runs into lunchtime.
More people choose a mid-morning time if they have a choice. I have led teams to conduct a number of congregational surveys. The plurality of respondents chose a worship time beginning between 9:00 and 10:30 AM. Rarely do people say they want to attend an 11:00 AM service unless they are strong traditionalists.
Millennials are particularly averse to 11:00 AM services. They are the most populous generation in America’s history. If they decide to attend a service, it will not likely be at 11:00 AM. It’s difficult to nail down a specific reason for their aversion. If you ask them, you are likely to get to get a question to your question: Why should we attend a service at that time?
Some people perceive a church with a lone 11:00 AM service to be too traditional and out-of-touch. The leaders therefore change the service to a time that not only makes more sense, but is also perceived to be more relevant to the members and the community.
What are your times of service? Does your church still have an 11:00 AM service? What is the most attended service time?
Let me hear from you.
January 31, 2017
Why Greeters Are Important in Getting Guests to Return – Rainer on Leadership #298
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play
Greeters are important to the first impression your church makes with guests. So, today, we talk about where greeters should be, what they should do, and how to train them.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Every church may think they have greeters, but many actually don’t.
If I led a church, I would have greeters in the parking lot.
Door greeters are an extension of your church security because they are the first line of defense.
Greeters should be able to recognize guests and help them find their way when they arrive.
Consistency of greeters helps them to know members and recognize guests.
The worship center greeter may be the most important one because typically guests sit down and no one talks to them.
Greeters need training. They need more than just to say hello and shake a hand.
Greeters are a part of your church’s outreach, hospitality, and evangelism efforts.
The eight points we make about the importance of greeters are:
The Parking Lot Greeter
The Door Greeter
Trained to See the Stranger
The Forgotten Worship Center Greeter
Train Your Greeters
Keep the Ministry Fresh
Stay Late
The Second Greeter Greeting
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
Leading Change in the Church
Mere Church
Church Answers
