Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 23

10 True-False Statements on the State of Churches and Denominations in America

This week we will have a major announcement about Church Answers taking a bigger step into the world of Christian and church research. Stay tuned for it.

In the meantime, let’s look at ten statements connected with current research on Christianity, churches, and denominations. Before you look at the answers, see how many you get correctly.

1. American non-denominational churches combined are larger than all mainline denominations combined.

2. The biggest contributor to church attendance decline can best be explained by the number of people who have joined the “Nones” (those who say they have no religious preference).

3. The median average worship attendance of churches in America is 90.

4. Over 20 percent of the regular participants in a church in the United States are under the age of 18.

5. Over 5,000 congregations left the United Methodist denomination in 2023 alone.

6. Over two-thirds of the active participants in churches are female.

7. Since the late 1980s to today, two denominations have grown, the Assemblies of God and the Presbyterian Church of America.

8. The decline in the Southern Baptist Convention in terms of numbers of members is the largest in the history of denominations in America.

9. Nearly seven of ten active church members live within 15 minutes of their church.

10. The median tenure of a solo/lead/senior pastor In America is just over three years.

While you may have been tempted to look at the answers below, I wonder how many you got right if you did not peek. Here are the answers:

1. True. Non-denominational church members account for 13% of American adults, more than all mainline denominations combined. (Ryan Burge: graphsaboutreligion.com)

2. False. For certain, the Nones have grown in number significantly. Depending on your research source, they account for about 30% of people in America. That’s a big number! While some church participants have moved into the None category (no religious preference), the greatest decline comes from the decreasing attendance frequency of church members. (ChurchAnswers.com, Ryan Burge: graphsaboutreligion.com)

3. False. The median average worship attendance is 65. (faithcommunitiestoday.org, the FACT 2020 Study)

4. True. 22.7% of church participants are under the age of 18. (faithcommunitiestoday.org, the FACT 2020 Study)

5. True. 5,643 congregations left the United Methodist Church in 2023 alone. (umnews.org)

6. False. But females do account for a majority (56%) of active participants in churches. (faithcommunitiestoday.org, the FACT 2020 Study)

7. True. But the Assemblies of God growth rate continues to decrease. It is near zero today. The Presbyterian Church of America has grown, but it remains a relatively small denomination with fewer than 400,000 members. (Ryan Burge: graphsaboutreligion.com)

8. True. The Southern Baptist Convention lost 1.32 million members in just three years (2020 to 2022), more than any denomination in history for such a short period. However, with over 5,600 disaffiliations in 2023 alone, the United Methodist Church will also have a dramatic decline in membership. (Ryan Burge: graphsaboutreligion.com, umnews.org)

9. True. 68% of church members live within 15 minutes of their congregations location. (faithcommunitiestoday.org, the FACT 2020 Study)

10. False. The median tenure is 7 years. (faithcommunitiestoday.org, the FACT 2020 Study)

I would love to hear your perspectives on these data points. Did any of the ten statements surprise you? What do these numbers tell you about the state of churches and Christianity in America today?

Let me hear from you.

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Staying Put: The Increasing Significance (and Growing Desire) of Longer-Term Pastorates

During the 1800s frontier era of church expansion in the United States, a one-year contract to pastor a church was relatively common. If the church liked the pastor, an extension might be granted for another year but not much beyond. As America expanded westward, communities grew, and new churches popped up. Moving on after a couple of years was commonplace.

I assume most people don’t want to return to the frontier era of church methodology. Indoor plumbing, internet access, and long-tenured pastors are good to have. Even though this one-and-two-year cycle of pastors no longer happens formally, the culture of short-tenured pastors remains in many churches. But a shift is beginning to occur. Longer-tenured pastors are more critical than ever, and more of them want to stay at their churches longer.

The Life Cycle of a Pastor and the Dangerous Fourth Year

In the post-pandemic era, the life cycle of a pastor has shifted. The honeymoon phase is shorter, and the conflict phase is longer, peaking for most pastors around the fourth year. Before the pandemic, pastors could expect the pace of growth to pick up around year five, but now growth may not occur until year seven.

Honeymoon: First 6 Months. This phase is much shorter than before as churches are less healthy and perhaps feel more urgent.Challenges and Conflict: 6 Months to 4 Years. Not every pastor will experience intense conflict during this phase, but many will have ongoing challenges.  Acceptance and Stability: Year 4 to Year 7. What was once a period of growth in the past has now become a season of stability.Inflection Point: Year 7 to Year 10. If growth occurs, it is now more likely to happen in the seventh year. However, the previous period of stability can also push the church into a slow decline, especially if the pastor is not leading.Year 10 and Beyond. Hopefully, more pastors will stay in a church for ten years or more. This phase will likely produce steady growth for many churches, but much remains unknown.

The bottom line is pastors must stay longer to make progress at churches. What once could be done in five years now takes at least seven years.

Why Long-Term Pastor Tenure is Important

Pastor tenure is longer now than in the past, but the reason is not what most expect. A typical pastor today is approaching retirement age and is not likely to make a move. The median age of a pastor is around 60 years old. Older pastors are not themselves the problem. They bring much wisdom and experience into the profession. Frankly, the real issue is there are not enough younger pastors to replace a large group of retiring Baby Boomer pastors.

In general, most churches will benefit from long-tenured pastors. Given the choice of a new pastor every year or one that endures for twenty-five years, most congregants will—and should—choose the latter over the former. Even in denominations with an appointment system, a longer-term tenure is typically better than a shorter-term tenure. A deeper look at long-term tenure uncovers some notable themes.

There is a positive correlation between church health and long-term tenure. As a rule, healthier churches tend to have pastors with longer tenures. Conversely, less healthy churches tend to cycle through pastors quickly. It’s difficult to know the cause. Does short tenure produce unhealthiness? Or does the unhealthy church push out pastors? Though we can’t know for sure, it’s probably a combination of both.

Building solid relationships takes years, not months. People may talk about their spouse as “love at first sight,” but I’ve never heard anyone say that about a pastor. Quite frankly, in this environment of short tenures, it takes much longer to build trust within a congregation.

Every transition is jarring. Every new pastor is the “newest member” for a season. When you have a consistent stream of “new member leaders,” the culture for those who remain can become disjointed. Each new pastor brings a new vision and a new personality. Both are jarring. A church with a new direction from a new leader every few years will become desensitized to a compelling vision. Each new leader brings a new turn. When congregants turn every couple of years, they will feel like they are going in circles.

Community assimilation takes longer than church assimilation. Becoming part of the church culture is one thing. A level of built-in acceptance exists for the new pastor. Becoming part of the culture in the local community is an entirely different thing. For pastors, community assimilation can take longer than church assimilation. When the church culture is markedly different from the community culture, assimilation is even more complicated. For example, if you are pastoring a traditional church in a college town, then the “town and gown” phenomenon can be distinct. The church, community, and college cultures may all be quite separate. The pastor’s job is to connect them, and this connection can take a considerable amount of time.

Remember, a new pastor is not a silver bullet to church growth. One person alone cannot change the direction of the church. Over a long tenure, however, a pastor can equip many people to shape the church’s culture to focus more on the Great Commission.

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The Greatest Gift You Can Give Your Pastor

I know. It’s Christmas day already. 

You’ve likely given all of the gifts you planned to give. You might have received a few gifts yourself.

Still, this gift idea for your pastor is worthy of being a bit late. I can almost promise you that pastors will be thrilled when you present the gift to them. It really doesn’t matter that it didn’t arrive on Christmas day.

I received this gift when I was a pastor. That was many years ago, but I still remember it with joy to this very day. It is truly the gift that kept on giving.

It’s time to unwrap this gift for you to view. Just what is it?

The Greatest Gift for Pastors

The gift is simply a commitment to pray for your pastor, but one of the most effective ways to deliver the gift is with three key components.

1. A stated written commitment to pray. I encourage you to write your commitment to your pastor. Frankly, if you simply verbalize it, the commitment will likely wane at best and be forgotten at worst. So, get ready to write that email. Even better, give your pastor a handwritten letter and commitment. That takes a bit more effort, and the act of writing it will serve as a reminder in your mind.

2. A commitment for a specified number of days. Of course, you might desire to pray for your pastors every day. I admire your commitment and love for them. But the commitment really does work better if it has a defined time. Open-ended commitments to pray for every day tend to wane and then disappear over time. I recommend you try a 30-day commitment. You can always do it again if you are led and motivated to do so.

3. Asking other church members to join you. Think about four or five other church members you would feel comfortable asking to join you in a 30-day commitment to pray for your pastor. If five of you pray for your pastor for 30 days, you have offered 150 days of prayer! Your pastor will be incredibly encouraged to hear about this commitment!

The Letter

I don’t presume to know how to write this letter gift any better than you do. But, in case you need a template, here is something to consider:

Pastor –

I have a gift for you. It is a gift of prayer. In fact, five of us in the church have committed to pray for you for 30 consecutive days. In one month, we will have offered 150 prayers for you (and your family).

Please know that we love you. Though we might take your sacrifices for granted at times, we desire to be more intentional in supporting you, particularly by praying for you.

We will let you know how our prayer time went at the end of 30 days. I do hope you sense this committed time of prayer as the Holy Spirit works in your life.

By the way, we hope that this 30-day commitment to pray will be the first of many.

My Own Plan

I will give this gift to my pastor after Christmas, around the first of the year. I plan to ask ten church members to join me.

I wrote a book for this specific purpose. It is a 30-day journey to pray for your pastor. The book has a simple name, When the People Pray. Here is a link to the book if you want to get it for yourself and others.

Merry Christmas, pastors! You sacrifice for your church members every day. I hope and pray we can create a prayer movement to intercede for you for years to come.

It would indeed be a gift you will never forget.

 

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4 Big Reasons Why Pastors Lack Work-Life Balance

Pastors are a notorious bunch when it comes to work.

Church members have high expectations. The hours are long. Some weeks, you have no option but to grind it out for 70 hours. An occasional all-nighter is to be expected. But these situations should be rare, not the norm. Why do too few pastors strike a balance? Four major reasons exist.

The Always-On Phenomenon. Most churches expect pastors to be on call 24/7. Even though late-night phone calls don’t happen often, many pastors feel like they’re always on. And that creates a level of tension. Social media has exacerbated this phenomenon. Many people expect (unrealistically) instantaneous answers via Twitter, Facebook, and text. Defining “work” is problematic when the “off” button does not exist.The Jack-of-All-Trades Expectations. The call to pastoral ministry is one of diversity. In one hour, you’re the preacher. In the next, you’re the counselor. And in another, you’re the plumber. In any given week, someone is upset at the pastor for not meeting expectations, which means that person believes the pastor did not correctly allocate work hours.No Week Is Typical. No one calls the pastor and says, “Today was just a typical day for me. I wanted you to know that.” There’s usually a fire to put out or a crisis to manage in someone’s life. Pastors experience the best of people and the worst of people. At funerals, it’s the best of people. At weddings, it’s the worst of people. Pastors rarely see people in the normalcy of life. Every week is different, so defining and managing work hours is difficult.The Blurriness of Ministry and Life. When does work end and fun begin? Does a dinner with a new church family count as work or fun? Is it work or pleasure if you intentionally attend a high school ball game to interact with church members and the community? Sometimes, it’s difficult to tell because both can be true simultaneously. Pastors often struggle with work hours because of the blurred lines between ministry and life. More often than not, the two are inseparable.

The Productivity Problem

In the 19th century, industry leaders learned through trial and error that fewer hours worked can increase overall productivity. Organized labor helped reduce workdays to 8 to 10 hours. Surprisingly, industrial output increased despite the fewer total hours worked by laborers.

Several studies demonstrate that longer hours do not equate to more productivity over time. One study shows a diminishing return of hours worked. As people work more hours, those hours become less and less productive. Where is the tipping point?

Workweek productivity falls after about 50 hours and crashes after 55 hours. You are no more productive at 70 hours per week regularly than at 55 hours. In fact, some studies go even further, proposing that habitually overworked people decline in discernment and focus on increasingly meaningless tasks. For pastors, this productivity problem means consistently long weeks make you a worse shepherd. Obviously, everyone has a few weeks a year in which many hours are required. Just ask any children’s minister during VBS week. The fall in productivity applies to those who are working long hours every week of the year. If every week for you is over 55 hours, you’re likely not nearly as productive as you could be.

How Many Hours Per Week Do Pastors Work?

Most pastors work long hours. In a survey of 1,000 pastors, 65% indicated they worked 50 or more hours per week. The median number of hours a senior pastor works is 55 hours per week. Many pastors are right at the point of unproductivity, if not over the line.

Every pastor has experienced a few hell weeks. It’s part of ministry. However, numerous studies point to the physiological signs of burnout. What are the key signals? You can’t concentrate. You are mentally exhausted, even in the mornings. You always have too much to do and feel guilty about not accomplishing it all. “I’m sorry, but I’m overloaded right now” is a typical apology in the home. Sickness becomes the norm. You seem to catch a cold almost every month. When your life revolves around your to-do list, you will likely hate the list and your life.

Work hard for your church. It’s biblical! But you cannot minister effectively if you’re fried. Most pastors struggle with balance. Pastors should model spiritual disciplines for their churches. Work-life balance is a vital part of living in a way that glorifies God.

Do you need to navigate how to manage your hours better? You can get help from Church Answers. We have a few spots open in our Platinum Coaching Group. You can learn more about it here.

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They Told Me Rather Than Teach Me

I was a new believer, and my pastor gave me my first Bible ever—a red, hardback King James Version award Bible. “You need to read this book,” he told me. “It’s God’s Word.” 

I was 13 years old at the time, and I had never read any of the Bible. My pastor had told me I needed to, though, so I jumped at the opportunity. I dug into a book I knew nothing about. 

The book of Genesis was fascinating to me because it was all new. Adam and Eve were new to me. So were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. So was the teaching that the rainbow was more than a refraction of light; in fact, I still remember what I felt the first time I saw a rainbow after reading Genesis 9. “This is God’s sign,” I said to myself, “. . . .evidence of God’s keeping His promise.” It was all quite amazing.                

The book of Exodus was next, and it was even better. For a 13-year-old guy, stories of burning bushes, plagues descending, seas dividing, mountains shaking, lightning striking, and thunder crashing only made me want to know more of the Bible. I couldn’t put it down. 

But, then I got to Leviticus . . . and I didn’t know what to do. 

I had no idea how to understand this book. I couldn’t figure out what all the laws were about, so I simply quit reading for a while. I suppose I could have skipped the book, but I didn’t know at the time you were allowed to do that! I just laid my Bible down—and felt guilty every day I didn’t read. 

Why did I quit reading at that point? Because my church had told me to read the Bible, but they didn’t teach me how to do it. Consequently, I knew what I needed to do, but I didn’t know how to get it done. I then became just like a bunch of other people in the church who had been told but not taught: I failed to be faithful in my quiet time. 

Anytime we tell but not teach, we set people up for failure. We can expect nothing less from our church members when we give them no tools or strategies to do what they need to do. The problem is that we make this same mistake with a lot of disciplines and activities, like Bible study. And prayer. And fasting. And evangelism. And giving. And serving. And discipling. And fighting temptation. I could continue adding to this list, but I trust you get my point. If we tell believers to do what the Bible tells us to do (which we must do), we must also teach them how to do it. 

I realize that teaching takes more energy and time than simply telling. It requires intentionality and planning, guiding and reviewing, following up and re-teaching if needed. It also assumes that we who do the teaching are faithful in our own walk with the Lord and can, in fact, teach others. It’s much more work than simply telling, but it’s also much more likely to lead to lasting change. 

So, don’t just tell. Teach. 

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9 Dangerous Fault Lines for Churches in 2024

I’ve never stood face-to-face with a tsunami, and trust me, I am thankful for that. These monsters of the deep are as fascinating as they are fearsome. Just the other night, what started as a quick dive into tsunami videos turned into a full hour of awe with a dash of trepidation.

Here’s what this amateur earthquake enthusiast learned: when the Earth’s fault lines shift, it’s a red flag. And in a way, many churches have their own fault lines – trouble spots that, if ignored, could lead to serious problems.

On the one hand, I am hopeful for local congregations. I continue to see God working in countless churches. Those stories remind me that He is not done with us. On the other hand, I see numerous warnings, more than I can remember in my lifetime. I call those warnings “fault lines.” If ignored, those fault lines can result in earthquakes which will produce deadly tsunamis.

So what are the fault lines we see as we move into 2024? Here are nine of them in no particular order.  They give me great concern for our churches.

1. Denial. It’s the church version of “see no evil.” But ignoring issues doesn’t make them vanish – they become bigger.

2. Complexity and busyness. Have you ever seen a church try to spin too many plates? Spoiler alert: they crash. I spoke with the leadership of a church with fewer than 40 in attendance. The church had 9 committees and 15 programs and ministries. Their members were so busy spinning those plates that they had no time to reach those in their community. Obviously, this church is declining and probably dying.

3. Silver bullet obsession. Many churches think if they get the “perfect” pastor, everything will be fine. That pastor must be married with 2.7 kids, 42 years old, and have 25 years of pastoral experience. In some cases, the silver bullet is an era instead of a person. If our church just did everything like it did in the 1980s or 1990s, all of our problems will go away.

4. Evangelistic ignorance. In many churches we help, our consulting and coaching team has to define “evangelism.” Only 5% of churches have any type of true evangelism initiative where the church intentionally reaches people in their communities with the gospel. We can no longer grow our churches with biological growth and transfer growth only. Evangelism means we will reach people with conversion growth.

5. Staffing for the year 2004. Too many churches hire staff like it’s 20 years ago. Their job descriptions fit well in an earlier era. Churches can also be extraordinarily slow in moving to a bi-vocational or co-vocational model of staff ministry. Some positions are no longer needed, and others can be filled virtually.

6. Doctrinal deviation. Much has been written about the leftward slide of mainline denominations over several decades. Our team at Church Answers has been using the same church survey since 1996, and we are seeing an alarming increase in doctrinal deviation in self-described evangelical churches. For example, more church members in these churches are unwilling to affirm the doctrine of exclusivity. They are denying Christ’s own words in John 14:6 where He said unequivocally that He is the only way of salvation.

7. Ignoring toxicity. Church toxicity is often denied or ignored. Our team recently received a plea to work with a church that had lost two-thirds of its attendance in just a few months. They refused to deal with a toxic member who ultimately ran off the pastor. Church members were already leaving regularly because of the toxic church member. When he succeeded in forcing the pastor out, one-half of the attendance left in a week. The toxic member is still at the church.

8. Deferred maintenance. Many churches have delayed maintaining and repairing facilities, grounds, and equipment. They find themselves in a position where they cannot afford to pay for repairs today. Sadly, I spoke to several church leaders who feel like their church will close in 2024 because they cannot pay for even the minimal repairs needed.

9. Lack of priority of groups. One clear trend we see today is that healthier churches tend to focus more on groups: small groups, Sunday school classes, community groups, life groups, etc. Those who participate in groups tend to give more, attend worship more frequently, be more involved in ministries, and serve with joy. Failure to give priority to groups is a certain sign of a fault line.

Any or all of these nine fault lines could become earthquakes that produce tsunamis in 2024. I pray that you will deal with the fault lines in your church before it becomes too late.

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Your Church Is Probably Not Paying Your Pastor Enough

Most pastors do not take a vow of poverty when called into the ministry. They deserve a fair wage for their work like everyone else. Moreover, almost every pastor is motivated by factors other than money. I don’t hear many stories from pastors beginning with, “I decided to go into ministry because of the money.”

Likely, your church is not paying your pastor enough. What gives?

First, I want to offer three points of clarification.

My church is generous, and I’m content with my pay. West Bradenton is good to my family. I have no complaints. This article is not about me.The stories of extreme wealth among pastors are rare. Do not let a few excessive cases taint your view of all pastors.Most people use their own salaries as a point of comparison. If a pastor makes more than they do, it’s too much. If a pastor makes less than they do, it’s too little.

Second, actual data is helpful rather than speculation.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for a full-time pastor is $55,550. This figure is right in the middle of the national median annual salary for all men ($59,488) and all women ($49,036) in the United States.

I believe this level of pay is too low for most pastors. Here is why.

Benefits packages are often much less for pastors when compared with other industries.The average pastor is almost 60 years old. These wages are low for those who are supposed to be in their peak income-earning years. For pastors with young families, the pay is even lower.The demands on the family are entirely different than most other jobs. Everyone in a pastor’s family feels a level of stress that is unique to the position.The education requirements for a pastor are much higher than jobs in other industries. Many churches want their pastor to have a master’s degree, if not a doctorate.You are always on call. Every hour. Every day.The work hours are longer. Over half of pastors work more than fifty hours a week.Transitioning to another job or ministry position is more complex and personal for pastors and their families.The expectations of a pastor are much greater. Everyone in the church wants the pastor to be an expert in their area of interest: theology, finance, counseling, leadership, facilities, pedagogy, and technology, among many others.

What can your church do to solve the problem?

Stay on top of inflation! Cost of living increases should occur every year and mirror the inflation rate. The inflation problem is hitting everyone, but the limitations of church budgets mean pastors and church staff are hit especially hard. They don’t often get 10% and 15% increases.Ask your pastor if there are additional financial needs. Don’t put the burden on your pastor to take the initiative.Consider adding benefits, especially healthcare and retirement. Even small items can be quite helpful, like paying for a laptop or a mileage reimbursement.Practice equal pay with men and women on staff. Churches are notorious for paying women less for doing the same job as their male peers.If you are behind with your pay scales, make an intentional effort to catch up. Frankly, there is a massive shortage of pastors, which is not likely to change any time soon. The short supply and high demand mean other churches will make solid offers to attract good pastors. Don’t make pay the reason your pastor needs to make a transition.

Third, do not forget most pastors receive part-time pay. There are approximately 400,000 churches in the United States. How many of these congregations are led by bi-vocational pastors? A precise count does not exist, but estimates range between 50% and 75%. Most bi-vocational pastors would be stunned with an offer of $55,000!

My first church paid me $50 weekly, enough to cover gas. The drive was 90 minutes one-way. I loved being bi-vocational and did not regret serving a poor, rural church. The people were as generous as they could be and loved me deeply. Even if your church can’t pay more, express your appreciation often. Your pastor does not love you because of what you pay. But your pastor will value your expressions of love.

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5 Reasons Why Non-Denominational Churches Are Growing

While we continue to see reports of denominational decline in America, we see fewer reports of the growth of non-denominational churches. It is actually an amazing story.

Two denominations that receive a lot of attention are the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church. These two denominations have historically been the two largest Protestant denominations in the United States. The UMC has been in a steady decline for years, but that decline has been exacerbated by the departure of thousands of congregations in the past three years. The denomination’s membership decline will likely be 40 percent from its peak after the full effect of the disaffiliation movement transpires. UMC attendance in the United States has fallen from around 3 million to about 2 million. The numbers again will likely be much worse after the full disaffiliation effect takes place.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s peak membership was 16.2 million in 2006. In 2022, it was 13.2 million. Even more telling are the attendance numbers. The SBC’s peak weekly attendance was 6.2 million in 2009. By 2022, weekly attendance declined to 3.8 million. That decline in attendance is almost 40% in 13 years! (By the way, if you want to get great quantitative research on churches, subscribe to Ryan Burge at Graphs about Religion).

Non-Denominational Growth

According to Burge, 13 percent of total American adults now identify as non-denominational. That is more than all mainline denominations combined. It is also more than the two largest Protestant denominations (the SBC and the UMC) combined.

Burge notes that the “nons” is the second biggest story in American Christianity (The rise of the “nones” is the biggest story. ). While he reports the information from a statistical viewpoint, we at Church Answers are attempting to answer the “why” question. Why are non-denominational churches growing while most all denominations are declining? We see five possible answers to this question.

Five Reasons

We must be careful with our attempts to explain the growth of the non-denominational movement. First, our information is anecdotal rather than data based. Though our team at Church Answers interacts with thousands of church leaders and church members, we have not conducted a rigorous statistical study on this group.

Second, non-denominational churches are far from monolithic. They vary in worship style, doctrine, polity, and many other points. Those variables make analysis even more difficult. Nevertheless, we offer five reasons from our observations.

1. Non-denominational churches tend to be more evangelistic. For a number of possible reasons, these congregations are more intentional about reaching their communities with the gospel. We often see stark contrasts in the priority of evangelism between non-denominational churches and denominational churches.

2. Non-denominational churches typically invest more financially in reaching their communities. Though I could have combined the first two reasons, it is worth noting that the budget of a non-denominational church will often include a higher percentage of their funds used for local evangelism. Denominational church budgets usually allocate more funds for national denominational causes.

3. Non-denominational churches usually do not engage in issues of conflict to the level that denominational churches do. A church has only a finite amount of resources of time, money, and energy. The more that is expended on divisive issues, the less that can be expended on local outreach. We understand that many of these issues are gospel-centric and must be discussed and debated. Sadly, though, the resources spent on these issues often come at the expense of those priorities with a Great Commission focus.

4. Non-denominational churches do not carry the “name” baggage that a denominational church might carry. I think this issue can be overstated. A church with “Baptist” or “Methodist” or “Presbyterian” in its name can still be effective and can still grow. It is hard to know how many unchurched people decide not to visit a denominational church because of its name. Admittedly, though, if it’s a small percentage of the unchurched who make such a decision, that small percentage can have a big negative impact.

5. Non-denominational churches tend to be newer churches that grow faster than older churches. I hope our team can pursue a statistically valid study of the age of churches in America. I think it will confirm our anecdotal observations. The rapid growth of the non-denominational movement is a relatively recent phenomenon. That means many of the non-denominational churches are newer. These newer churches tend to focus more on local growth and evangelism.

We will continue to explore the fascinating topic on the “nons,” including the research of Burge. But I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Let me hear from you.

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What Pastors Actually Think About While They Preach

People often apologize to me for something that happened in a church service. I’ve heard lots of great apologies.

“I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“I’m sorry I had to rush out.”

“I’m sorry my kid lit his hair on fire.”

I love church—both the people of God and the worship services. I love the oddities that can happen during a church service. I’ve had fire alarms go off during a Father’s Day sermon (thanks to an intern who attempted to make scones in the kitchen). At the church I pastored in Indiana, the heating element went out for a baptism in January. The woman to be baptized insisted we go through with baptism despite the ice in the baptistery. She took the polar plunge and came up gasping a Holy Spirit language I’d never heard before nor since.

If you’ve ever spoken to a crowd, you probably know the feeling of looking out at everybody as a rush of thoughts consumes your mind. So, what exactly am I thinking while I preach? I’ll share my thoughts, but if you preach regularly, share yours in the comments.

First, I don’t notice who is getting up. I learned a long time ago not to get upset when someone leaves during a worship service. It could be a bathroom break. It could be that a person received an emergency text from a family member. Or it could be that you hate what I’m preaching. At any point during a sermon, someone is moving around. Unless you’re doing jumping jacks in a leotard, it’s not likely to bother me.

Second, I’ve always got something on my mind, even when I’m mid-sentence. Like the people listening, I’m fighting a spiritual battle to stay focused. Have I ever thought about what I’m going to do on Sunday afternoon while preaching? Yes. Have I ever had stray, random, and distracting thoughts compete for my mind during a sermon? Yes. Sometimes, I say a concise prayer, asking God to keep me on task.

Third, I don’t always see your face with the way our lights are situated. So, it’s not often that I notice someone sleeping. However, when your wife violently jabs you in the side with her elbow while you’re snoring, and you jar awake quickly, I do notice it. And like everyone around you, I chuckle inside.

Fourth, I probably heard your child crying, but it doesn’t anger me. In fact, I believe it’s a beautiful sound. A church with no children is dead. The sound of a baby is as powerful as a choir anthem. It means the church is alive.

Fifth, every week I think while I’m preaching how much I love the people who are sitting and listening. It’s a privilege to preach. I don’t take it lightly. I come prepared after much time in God’s Word, prayer, and research. I know you prepare your heart to listen. I will admit to having nightmares of showing up to preach and no one being in the room. But that’s never happened and never will. The fact that people care about God’s Word keeps me going.

So I’ll gladly hear your apologies about taking a phone call, getting sick and needing to leave, or quickly sliding out of a pew to take a wailing child into the lobby. But there’s no need to apologize. I’m just glad you care about God’s Word. However, if your kid does light his hair on fire during the Christmas Eve candlelight service, please tell me about it. I love hearing those stories. They make me smile.

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8 Things I Would Look for on a Church Website If I Were Looking for a Church Home

I’m not looking for a new church home. We love our pastors and the church’s vision, and we have no intention of going elsewhere. At the same time, though, I’m often in correspondence with people who are looking for a new church. They most often turn to the website to determine whether to visit a church, even when someone has invited them. 

So, here are some things I would look for on a website if I were looking for a church home. Assuming the basics (e.g., church name, location, service times, etc.) are present, I’d also look for: 

A doctrinal statement. I freely admit this issue may mean more to me as a seminary professor than to others, but I know a number of laypersons who would look for the same. A website that includes no doctrinal statement still speaks by its silence—saying at best that nobody was thinking about theology when they put the site together. A church history. The history need not be a long account, but I would want to know how and when the church started. I would also want to know how many pastors the church has had, especially if every recent pastorate didn’t last long. Consecutive short pastorates usually tell us something about the church. Congregational pictures. I want to “see” the church before going there. Done well, pictures show potential guests the demographics of the church. Just be sure to indicate in some way that the pictures are not just stock pictures; they’re pictures of current members. Conversion stories. Few churches include this suggestion, but I’d want to know that God is transforming lives through the church. Brief (2-3 minutes), well-done, recorded testimonies from church members under a heading of something like, “Stories of God’s Life-changing Power at _______ Church,” will unquestionably grab my attention. Missions stories. Again, I realize a professor of evangelism and missions who also works for a missions agency would want this inclusion. Nevertheless, the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) is not optional for any church—and accounts of the church’s work to reach the nations would help me better understand the church’s focus. Here’s another case, too, where recorded testimonies would be good. Service recordings. I’m not alone in wanting to know the music and preaching styles of a church I might attend. Both really do matter. Poor worship music and/or problematic preaching would be at least a “caution flag” to me. Recordings cannot adequately take us into the service itself, but they can give us some sense of the church. Pastor and family story. Even in a church with a plurality of elders, someone is usually the lead person. Knowing who that person is, what his story is, and what his vision for the church is would help me make a decision about attending. It would also give me the opportunity to pray for that pastor, whether or not I visit the church. Online giving options. Having these options available tells me something about the church’s willingness to use technology as they do the Great Commission. 

I’m sure there are other things to include in a church’s website. What would you add to this list?

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