Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 207
January 20, 2017
Six Statements That Could Kill a Church – Rainer on Leadership #295
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play
When you hear these statements often as a pastor, you should be concerned. These statements are often lead indicators of church death.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Evangelism should be an outgrowth of who we are in Jesus Christ.
Evangelism is not necessarily a program or technique. It should be a way of life.
When we give money as an offering to our church, we are saying “This is God’s money.”
Churches should focus on meeting true needs, not catering to member preferences.
Threats to withhold tithes and offerings are a personal attack on the church staff.
Change has always happened in churches, but now change is happening more rapidly.
Every generation needs to ask “What can I do to serve the Body of Christ?”
The six statements that can kill a church which we cover today are:
“We pay our pastor to do evangelism.”
“Without our money, this church would be in trouble.”
“This church is not meeting my needs.”
“We pay the salary of the pastor and staff, so they should listen to us.”
“We will let the next generation deal with change.”
“I was here years before the pastor came; I’ll be here years after he’s gone.”
Episode Sponsors
Are you getting prepared for the changing ministry landscape? Get your Master of Divinity degree at Midwestern Seminary. The M.Div—Midwestern’s flagship degree program—is their primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a new culture of discipleship devoted to the local church and committed to taking God’s unchanging Word into a rapidly changing world. Join the movement today.
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 Statements That Can Kill a Church
January 19, 2017
Six Reasons to Consider Avoiding Cute Sermon Series Titles
By Jonathan Howe
I’m not sure when this trend started, but like many trends, it likely has innocent beginnings. A pastor heard the name of a popular new book, movie, or album, and decided it would be a great sermon series title.
Maybe the pastor thought it was catchy. And maybe it was. Maybe the congregation appreciated the play on words. It’s highly likely.
Then other pastors started imitating the pastor. They started doing the same—taking pop culture references and morphing them into sermon series titles. And things spiraled out of control.
Now, to be fair, there is nothing wrong with a catchy sermon series title. There is nothing wrong with one that’s not catchy, either. But the cute, pop culture-y, pun-tastic sermon series titles really should be rethought, and here are six reasons why:
Not everyone understands the reference. As mainstream as you may think a TV show or game, or movie is, there will still be a large group in your congregation who simply will not get the reference. A sermon series title I saw recently was based on the wildly popular game, Pokémon Go. However, it was likely lost on senior adults who have no idea what a Pokémon is or where you go to catch them. And for those of us who do, it can seem like a bit of a stretch to be culturally relevant.
These titles make the Bible seem old or outdated. By stretching to make the Bible relevant, we can sometimes forget that the Bible doesn’t need our help to do so. It’s completely relevant to our lives just the way it is. Your sermon series shouldn’t require a cute pop culture title for your congregation to see the application of the Bible in their everyday lives.
They sometimes verge on copyright infringement (or at least the appearance of it). I’m obviously not a trademark lawyer, but when you use a company’s registered brand or tagline to promote your product, that’s quite close to stealing (if not actual theft of intellectual property). And do we really want our churches to be known for “baptizing” secular companies and taglines? I know that’s not often the intent, but intent and perception are often two different things. And negative perception can hurt a church and a pastor even if the intent is well-meaning.
The start of the sermon series often lags well behind the popularity of its inspiration. Because sermon series are often planned in advance, there is a high probability that by the time your pop culture-based series starts, its inspiration is already declining in popularity. Churches already take (often unwarranted) criticism for being behind the times. Cute sermon series titles often reinforce that perception.
Cute sermon series titles can veil the distinctiveness of Christianity. Do sermon series titles based on pop culture references really communicate “in the world, and not of the world”? You might be able to make a case for it. If so, feel free to do so in the comment section below. But are we really communicating that Christianity is distinct from culture when we are compelled to use culture to market it?
Cute sermon series titles can obfuscate the message of the actual sermon. Finally, it’s quite possible that by using these titles we are drawing more attention to cute turns of phrase than the Word of God. This is obviously not the case in all instances, but I can see how easy it could be for a pastor to study a text looking more for how it can be molded into a sermon series title than how it can mold listeners more into the shape of Christ.
Again, am I saying you shouldn’t have a memorable sermon series title? No. Am I saying you should avoid all pop culture references in your preaching? No.
Every church is different, and every congregation is different. But I have a strong feeling that if your sermon series titles were based more on the actual biblical text and not on a pop culture reference, your congregation might appreciate that just as much, if not more.
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.
January 18, 2017
Should a Staff Person Fill the Pulpit When There Is No Pastor?
The pastor has resigned or retired.
That pastor was in the pulpit 45 times a year.
Should a staff person become the interim preacher until the new pastor arrives?
Like many other situations in a church, the non-answer is, “It depends.”
Rather than provide definitive guidelines, here are some questions to consider:
Does the staff member have a capacity to preach on a regular basis? You would assume the staff member already has full-time responsibilities. If sermon preparation takes fifteen to twenty hours a week, from where will those hours come?
Is the staff member already taking on other additional responsibilities in the absence of a pastor? This issue is again one of capacity. The pastoral vacancy means that someone not only has to take care of the preaching, but others have to take care of all the other responsibilities of the pastor.
Will the staff member become a candidate to be the pastor? In most cases, we recommend that whoever is filling the pulpit should not be a candidate for pastor. The weekly presence of that person can cause many church members to default to the staff member instead of seriously considering other candidates.
Are there serious financial problems in the church? Perhaps the church was barely meeting budget before the pastor left. Now the congregation has some financial breathing room without the personnel costs associated with the former pastor. Perhaps it is best to have a staff member preach, assuming that person will result in no increase or a modest increase in expenses to the church.
Is the staff member a capable preacher? The preaching of the Word is too important to settle for mediocrity.
Are there an abundance of capable interim pastors or preachers in the area? Because of some of the issues noted thus far, it might be best to let someone outside the church fill the pulpit.
Is the pastoral vacancy expected to be long-term? Of course, this question cannot always be answered definitively. But if there are expectations that it will be many months before a new pastor arrives, it might be best to secure an outside interim preacher instead of wearing out the current staff.
Many churches, but not all churches, follow these guidelines. I would love to hear any stories or insights you might have.
January 17, 2017
Marketplace Bivocational Ministry, featuring Jimmy Scroggins – Rainer on Leadership #294
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play
Jimmy Scroggins returns to talk bivocational marketplace ministry and church-based ministry training.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
If you’re going to reach every neighborhood, you’re going to need multiple models of church planting.
The economics of urban church planting often do not work for the “launch large” model.
“There are a lot of people in our churches who feel called to pastoral ministry but don’t see a pathway for it.”
“Most pastors would be shocked at the number of people in their church who feel called to ministry.”
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
Are you getting prepared for the changing ministry landscape? Get your Master of Divinity degree at Midwestern Seminary. The M.Div—Midwestern’s flagship degree program—is their primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a new culture of discipleship devoted to the local church and committed to taking God’s unchanging Word into a rapidly changing world. Join the movement today.
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 – Rainer on Leadership #287
January 16, 2017
Seven Questions to Ask if You Barely Receive a Positive Vote to Go to a Church
The scenario is both common and painful.
You are being considered by a church to become the pastor or to fill a staff position. The church’s bylaws require a congregational vote to affirm you. According to those bylaws, the vote to affirm you must be at least 70 percent of those present and voting.
You receive a vote of 72 percent.
Should you go to that church?
It depends (I know; that sentence does not help at all).
Your first impulse might be to decline the offer quickly. And you may be right. But there are seven questions you might ask before you make a hasty decision.
Was the vote secret ballot or open vote? Secret ballot votes tend to be lower than show of hands or verbal affirmations.
What is the history of the church in voting to call pastors and staff? If the church’s recent history was three votes of 95 percent or more, your lower vote does not portend well for your future. But some churches just have more ornery members than others. They vote negatively because they can.
Are you replacing a well-loved pastor or staff member? It’s hard to follow a legend. And some church members can’t conceive of anyone being there but the person who left. They take out their angst on you through a negative vote.
Is the position new to many people? I am aware of a situation where a campus pastor was barely voted affirmatively by the church. His vote was just one percentage point above the minimum required. As people began to discuss the vote, one common theme emerged: “What does a campus pastor do?” The problem was not the person as much as it was lack of clarity about a new position.
How long has the position been vacant? The shorter the vacancy, the more likely the candidate will get negative votes. Church members have not separated themselves emotionally from the former pastor or staff person. That does not mean a church should drag a process out. It does mean they don’t need to jump at the first available candidate.
Are there factions and conflict in the church? Sometimes the negative vote has nothing to do with the candidate. It could be one group in the church trying to get back at another group in the church. Such situations are sadly common.
Were there internal candidates who did not get the position? This scenario is too common. Instead of getting an outside person to fill the pulpit, the church let the executive pastor and the student pastor alternate. Both of them eventually decided they wanted to be considered as pastor. The search committee affirmed neither of them. So when an outside candidate was presented to the church, factions for each of the two internal candidates voted negatively. It had little to do with the candidate himself.
It is not always clear cut that a low affirmative vote is a rejection of the candidate. And though that could very well be the case, it helps to ask these seven questions before declining.
You just might be glad you said “yes.”
January 15, 2017
Pray for St. Thomas Church
Location: Bernville, Pennsylvania
Pastor: Dr. Daniel Lute
Weekly Worship: 8:00 and 10:30 AM, Eastern
Fast Facts: St. Thomas is a historic church established in 1830. Over the years it has transitioned from German Reformed to United Congregational and now to the Evangelical Association of Churches. It has kept the great traditions that make it unique but has constantly sought to keep the the gospel clear and relevant to each generation. Please pray for Dr. Daniel Lute and the church family at St. Thomas. He has just assumed the senior pastor role upon the retirement of the previous pastor. Pray that his adjustment will go well and that both the pastor and the congregation will work together for the glory and praise of the Lord. Pray that he will have wisdom to shepherd the congregation well and to have a deep and abiding love for the people in the church as well as the community.
Website: StThomasBernville.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..
January 14, 2017
Notable Voices and the Week in Review: January 14, 2017
Six Statements That Can Kill a Church
How to Renew Evangelistic Growth in Your Church – Rainer on Leadership #292
Fifteen Top Responses to the Word “Baptist”
Five Church Communications Questions for the New Year
How to Adjust When Church Giving Decreases – Rainer on Leadership #293
3 Ways to Recognize Workaholism in Ministry — Eric Geiger
Ministry leaders, like all leaders, are prone to either laziness or workaholism. On your worst days, on days when you are not living in submission to Christ, you either move toward being lazy or move toward finding your meaning in work. By God’s grace, we don’t need to live in either. But how do we recognize workaholism in ministry? What does it look like in our hearts? Here are three indicators:
The Challenge and Blessing of a Multicultural Leadership Team — Daniel Hyun
One of our desires when we started our church was to reflect our increasingly multicultural world through the beauty of a multicultural church community. We still have many areas to grow and many things to learn in these efforts but we’ve been blessed to experience a growing diversity of cultures represented by the people who are our church. I think diverse leadership has been an essential factor in cultivating these dynamics. However, a collaborative leadership model was not in our DNA when we started the church. This led to some early missteps.
The Necessity of Prayer in Sermon Prep — Erik Raymond
Do we give our study proportional prayer? I often hear ministers ask for prayer for their preaching, but rarely do I hear requests for their study. I am guilty of doing this very thing. Furthermore, we tend to weight our own prayer for the sermon towards the delivery of it. Why do we do this? As I consider this a few reasons come to mind.
For the Pastor with a Bad Case of ‘The Mondays’ — Jared Wilson
There is water for you today, whether you push through on these difficult Mondays in the quiet of your study or the busyness of the visitation route or whether you take these Mondays off to recuperate at home. There is water for you at every moment, living water flowing freely from the pierced bosom of Christ. It is water to satisfy your thirsty soul, water to heal your ministry wounds, water to cool your heels, water to cheer your “Monday face.” Don’t look for it anywhere but in Jesus.
Does Sermon Prep Get Easier? — Richard Caldwell
The right kind of experience is always a good thing. We have all known what it is to try something for the first time and to feel like we’re all thumbs. Then, with a little practice, whatever it was that seemed so difficult becomes second nature. Is it like that with sermon preparation? Can I expect that the longer I preach, and the more times that I prepare sermons, the easier it will become to be ready by Sunday?
3 Simple Words That Can Help Your Sermons Stick — Karl Vaters
A few years ago I had one of those “aha” moments in which I realized that despite all the work, prayer and study to prepare my Sunday messages, there was one step I was missing that could really make them stick. And that step can be stated in three simple words.
January 13, 2017
How to Adjust When Church Giving Decreases – Rainer on Leadership #293
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio • Google Play
Last week we discussed how to respond when church giving increases. Today, we look at the other side of the coin—decreased giving. Unfortunately, of these too scenarios, this one is far more common.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
You have to know why church giving has decreased before you can respond strategically.
Pastors, be transparent with the staff when facing financial decline in the church.
Don’t try to hide bad news when you’re pastoring a church.
There should be ongoing staff discussions throughout the year about budget spending.
When budgets get tight, you find out what’s essential and what’s not.
If you don’t make budget adjustments throughout the year, you’re likely to have a budget battle at the end of the year.
The #1 budget question to ask: what is best for the church moving forward?
Church budgets should be vision-driven.
The vision of the church should drive the budget of the church.
The seven responses to decreased giving that we cover today are:
Find out why
Determine if it is ongoing or temporary
Be transparent
Find out where unspent budget possibilities lie
Determine: essential, important, optional
Make adjustments before year end
Create an accurate next-year budget
Episode Sponsors
Are you getting prepared for the changing ministry landscape? Get your Master of Divinity degree at Midwestern Seminary. The M.Div—Midwestern’s flagship degree program—is their primary track for ministry preparation. At just 81 hours, the Midwestern M.Div offers a complete foundation for full-time ministry leaders, offering everything you need, and nothing you don’t. Join other students in vibrant Kansas City as you train in a unique collaborative environment focused on the local church or study online in your current ministry context. Midwestern Seminary is developing a new culture of discipleship devoted to the local church and committed to taking God’s unchanging Word into a rapidly changing world. Join the movement today.
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
BELAY Solutions
January 12, 2017
Five Church Communications Questions for the New Year
By Jonathan Howe
Annual evaluation is commonplace in work, in school, and in life. A new year presents the opportunity for us to take a moment to evaluate where we are at the beginning of the year, where we want to be at the end of the year, and how we can get from A to B during the year.
The same can be said for churches and church communications. With the speed of technology increasing every year, it’s good practice to evaluate your communications efforts to ensure you’re communicating efficiently and effectively with your members and guests.
With that in mind, here are five questions you can use to evaluate your church communications efforts and plan for growth in 2017.
Is our website current with its information and presentation? Church websites are often neglected because there is so much static content on the site. Service times, class info, weekly schedules, and staff bios are often some of the most neglected content on a church website. Things change in the church and members know it because they see it each week. But the website fails to be updated because people either forget the information is on the site or don’t visit it enough to recognize changes need to be made. Also, check for broken links, missing images, or outdated graphics. Those tend to linger on church websites as well.
Are our social media accounts up to date and active? If your church has a social media account that’s being neglected, ask if it’s needed. Most of the time, the answer is still “yes.” The problem is not having a plan or schedule for the platform. It’s always good to check your account details each year just to make sure everything is still accurate. Plan regular reviews of service times, logos, links, and passwords on your social media accounts, and update these items accordingly.
Would our members and guests be better served by a new form of communication? Maybe you still print monthly newsletters. Would an email newsletter be better for members? It’s likely that some would still like a printed version, but most churches who are printing newsletters could save quite a bit of money and cut their production efforts by 75% while adding a low-cost electronic version. Maybe your church doesn’t have a website—get one. Talk to the folks at Mere Church. They are there to help. Maybe you need to get started on social media—start with Facebook.
Should we upgrade the communications tools we already have? Maybe you have a church website, but it’s old and unattractive. Again, talk to Mere Church or a similar company. Let them help you. Maybe you’re still using an old email client. Check with your church management system provider to see if there are email options that can tie into your existing database. Consider Hootsuite or Buffer to help manage and schedule social media accounts.
What technology are we not using as a church that we really should? While not related specifically to church communications, there are several technologies emerging that need to be considered by many churches. Online giving portals, church management software, project management apps, computerized check-in software, and wireless networks are just a few of these technologies. They are in fact becoming standard technologies in many churches.
How might these questions help you in your church? What other questions would you add?
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.
January 11, 2017
Fifteen Top Responses to the Word “Baptist”
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Baptist”?
That is the question I asked in the Twitterverse. And many responded. Many responded quickly and frequently.
Of course, it is only an informal poll. It’s not scientific. It does not have clearly measured margins of error. It is, nevertheless, informative.
In the future, I will try other words like “Presbyterian,” Methodist,” and “church.”
But for now, it’s “Baptist.”
Here are the top fifteen responses in order of frequency.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Baptist”?
Legalism
Potluck
Immersion
John the Baptist
Traditional
Bible
Outdated
Southern
Boring
Conservative
Sound theologically
Fundamentalism
Hymns
Suits and ties
Missions
Here are some responses that just missed the top fifteen: fighting; inerrancy; business meetings; men only; eternal security; Sunday school; Republican; religious liberty; pre-millennial; choirs, no alcohol; no dancing, and altar calls.
Though it only had one mention, I must note one of my favorites: grape juice.
You will notice I did not comment on any of the responses. I will leave that with you.
