Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 231
May 27, 2016
How Can a Pastor Reverse Negative Sentiments in a Church? – Rainer on Leadership #228
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we discuss a few causes of negativity in the church and how pastors can help deal with negativity and even stop it from happening on the front end.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Every church will go through a challenge or lull. The question is “how long will you stay in it?”
Any time there is negativity, there is the possibility of it snowballing.
To fix an issue without a needed apology is not fixing an issue at all.
Be careful about having a perpetual naysayer in an outwardly-focused ministry.
Those who are rowing the boat are less likely to be the ones rocking the boat.
Transparency and truthfulness from church leadership are absolutely necessary for a healthy church culture.
Some of the most significant failures take place because people are unwilling to face the facts.
Even in the greatest negativity of the Old Testament, it’s still pointing to the greatest hope to come: the incarnate Christ.
The seven ways to address negativity in the church are:
Apologize.
Turn more outwardly focused.
Get the naysayers involved.
Be transparent and truthful.
Bring together a coalitions.
Willingness to face the brutal facts.
Preach, teach, and speak about biblical hope.
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, located in the heart of the Midwest, is one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America and offers a fantastic array of academic programs, including multiple online and residential options at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Midwestern’s new 81-hour Mdiv program, online program, and doctoral program have all been recognized as some of the most innovative and affordable in the country. There has never been a better time to begin your seminary education. Midwestern Seminary trains leaders ‘For The Church.’
Visit them online at MBTS.edu/Rainer 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 I Will.
Resources
Team of Rivals
Built to Last
Good to Great
Crash Course
For the Church at the SBC in St. Louis
The post How Can a Pastor Reverse Negative Sentiments in a Church? – Rainer on Leadership #228 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 26, 2016
Young Influencer List, May 2016
By Jonathan Howe
Once again, the goal with this list is not to inflate the egos of those named, but to make you, the readers of ThomRainer.com, aware of the dozens and dozens of Christian leaders who are advancing the gospel in their respective spheres of influence. And while some pundits may sit back and claim Christianity is declining or dying, these leaders are clearly making a statement that it will not happen on their watch. They are passionate about Christ Jesus, His gospel, and taking it to the ends of the earth. The qualifications are quite simple: under 40 and making a Kingdom difference.
So without further adieu, here is this month’s young influencer list:
DA Horton (@da_horton) – Author, artist, and church planter in Los Angeles, CA – D.A. is currently in the process of relocating to Los Angeles to plant Reach Fellowship.
Josh King (@JoWiKi) – Lead pastor at Sachse’s Church in Sachse, TX – Josh pastors a church on the northeast side of the DFW Metroplex and is a church replanting catalyst for the North American Mission Board.
Bethany Jenkins (@BethanyJenkins) – Director of Vocational & Career Development at The King’s College in New York, NY – Bethany is a leading voice in the discussion around the intersection of faith and work.
Ross Lester (@rosslester) – Lead pastor at Bryanston Bible Church in Bryanston, South Africa – In addition to leading Bryanston Bible Church, Ross is a church planting regional director in Southern Africa.
Lecrae Moore (@lecrae) – New York Times best-selling author, Grammy-winning hip-hop artist – This name should be quite familiar to many readers. Lecrae is one of the most influential music artists around, and his new book, Unashamed , just hit the NYT best-seller list.
Amanda Sloan (@LifeWayStores) – Marketing director for LifeWay Christian Stores in Nashville, TN – Amanda directs all the marketing efforts for our retail chain. She’s been with LifeWay for more than a decade working in both retail marketing and trade publishing marketing.
Please continue to pray for these individuals and their ministries. If you’d like to nominate a young influencer for consideration, let me know on Twitter: @Jonathan_Howe or in the comments section below. For previous young influencer lists, click here.
Jonathan Howe serves as Director of Strategic Initiatives at LifeWay Christian Resources, the host and producer of Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week, and the managing editor of LifeWayPastors.com. 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.
The post Young Influencer List, May 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 25, 2016
Fifteen Crazy Things That Happened at Weddings
Pastors and other church staff have a plethora of stories to tell about weddings they have officiated. Unfortunately, they are often constrained from telling the stories lest their church members become offended.
For that reason, I gather the stories from the pastors on social media and become their spokesperson. For the most part, these stories are repeated only with minor changes. The essence of the stories is unchanged. There were so many great submissions. I probably need a part two.
During the vows, the bride said no.
An 18-year old young lady came in with her fiancé to see the pastor, who was 38 years old. The pastor said lightheartedly that this wedding was the first where he could actually be the father of the bride. The 18-year-old lit up and chirped, “Cool! You knew my mom?” Her fiancé had to explain to her what the pastor meant. She cried.
The bride and her father fought with light sabers coming down the aisle to music from Star Wars. Neither the pastor nor the groom knew what was happening.
The uncle of the bride sent a request in since he could not attend. He asked someone to read 1 John 4:18: “There is no fear in love; instead perfect love drives out fear.” Unfortunately, the reader quoted John 4:18 at the wedding: “For you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”
The air conditioning was not working well for this summer wedding in the church; so all the windows were open. As the soloist was singing with a booming operatic voice, a fly went in her mouth. The song ended.
The bride fainted during the wedding. Four times.
The pastor did an outdoor wedding with several people in attendance who weren’t wearing shirts (the pastor did not specify the gender of these people). The bride had a cigarette the entire service.
Guy in the sound booth started the wrong music during a wedding. Everyone got to hear “The Lady is a Tramp.”
A couple requested the pastor to do a beach wedding. But they first wanted to see his bare feet to make sure they would look acceptable for the wedding.
The groom’s ex-wife stood in the back of the sanctuary yelling “not” as the pastor read 1 Corinthians 13.
Pastor was officiating a wedding on the bay when a man comes up in a paddleboat and says, “Don’t do it.” The bride responds by yelling expletives at him.
At another outdoor wedding, the bride and groom were joined in the front by a goat as the vows began.
This outdoor wedding had a stray dog as a guest. He kept bringing a tennis ball to the pastor and putting it at his feet.
A pastor was asked to officiate a wedding by talking through an animatronic deer head.
During the wedding service, a guest’s phone loudly declares, “You have reached your destination.”
Thank you, pastors and staff, for these hilarious submissions. Come back to the blog next week when I will share stories about funerals.
In the meantime, feel free to share your wedding stories.
The post Fifteen Crazy Things That Happened at Weddings appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 24, 2016
Current Update on Why Pastors Are Quitting – Rainer on Leadership #227
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s podcast, we update listeners on 10 current reasons that pastors are leaving the ministry.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Don’t go into ministry unless you are called.
I wonder how many pastors’ dreams have died, and they are now struggling to move forward.
More pastors are forced/asked to resign than those who are outright fired.
Pastoral care can be taught in seminary, but you’ll never be prepared for all that may come your way as a pastor.
The only reason you should be in ministry is if you have a sense of call.
Your call to ministry not only calls you but sustains you as well.
Don’t mistake traditions in the church for stability.
Don’t start a church as an escape from problems. Start a church to reach a community.
The 10 reasons we are seeing pastors leave the church are:
Worn out from conflict.
Dreams that have died.
Forced resignations.
Overwhelmed with responsibilities.
Don’t understand how to do some aspects of ministry.
Realized they didn’t have a call.
Overwhelmed with cultural changes.
Can’t keep up with changes.
Desire to start a church.
Desire to go into marketplace ministry.
Episode Sponsors
Midwestern Seminary, located in the heart of the Midwest, is one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America and offers a fantastic array of academic programs, including multiple online and residential options at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Midwestern’s new 81-hour Mdiv program, online program, and doctoral program have all been recognized as some of the most innovative and affordable in the country. There has never been a better time to begin your seminary education. Midwestern Seminary trains leaders ‘For The Church.’
Visit them online at MBTS.edu and start your ministry training today.
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 I Will.
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
Is God Calling Me?
Who Moved My Pulpit?
The post Current Update on Why Pastors Are Quitting – Rainer on Leadership #227 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 23, 2016
Seven Ways Church Outreach Has Changed in 15 Years
“So what are churches doing to reach people today, Thom?”
I hear some version of that question on a regular basis. The difficult response is that more churches are doing nothing rather than something.
But, to be fair, thousands of churches are doing some type of outreach to their communities and beyond. But the times have definitely changed. Here are seven of the most common changes in church outreach practices over the past one to two decades.
From in-home visitation to lunch or coffee shop visits. Relatively few churches do in-home visits. But many are connecting with people at lunch or at a coffee shop. In fact, I believe every church should have some budget dollars allocated for this type of outreach. More on that later.
From newspaper ads to Facebook ads. Facebook ads are not only affordable; their algorithms allow a church to be highly focused on the target audience. Starting as low as $15 per month, almost every church can afford some level of Facebook ads.
From worship services to the church website as the front door. Guests to a church in the past would check out the church first by visiting the worship services. Guests today often make their first impression decisions by checking the church website. There is no excuse for a church to have a poor and dated website today. They are affordable and user-friendly.
From complex gospel presentations to simple gospel presentations. The most popular gospel presentation of the past several decades was “Evangelism Explosion.” Theologically rich and highly effective for a season, EE did, however, require a great deal of memorization and training. Today many churches look for an effective gospel presentation that requires less training. My favorite simple gospel presentation is “Three Circles,” conceptualized by Family Church in South Florida, and its lead pastor, Jimmy Scroggins. Here is Jimmy explaining Three Circles.
From multi-service to multi-venue and multi-site. While churches still use the multi-service approach as a strategic means to reach people, more resources are being invested in new sites and new venues. I have written on this issue extensively. I am still amazed how quickly this practice has become so widespread.
From attractional to going. Many churches have invested significant resources in attracting people to their worship services or to some big event. More resources are now being expended on members going into the community. Hands-on ministry and small group connections are becoming a more normative approach to reaching people today.
From national and international giving to contextual giving. Churches are now more likely to fund outreach ministries where they know the ministry or people involved in the ministry. They are becoming less likely to fund a national or denominational fund that then decides funding recipients. Of course, this issue is presenting challenges to many denominations, including my own.
These are not merely shifts; they are dramatic changes. And most of the changes took place in a relatively brief period.
What do you think of these changes? Let me hear from you.
The post Seven Ways Church Outreach Has Changed in 15 Years appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 22, 2016
Pray for Calvary Baptist
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Pastor: Daniel Berry
Weekly Worship: 8:00, 9:00, 10:15, and 11:30 AM, Eastern
Fast Facts: On July 10, 2016, Calvary Baptist will be moving into a new worship space and turning their current worship space into children’s space. Calvary has grown by 150% over the last three years and seen more than 100 follow God through believer’s baptism in that time. The church desires to keep reaching the West Lafayette community by making followers of Jesus who make followers of Jesus. Be in prayer for the move as they transition from four services down to three. Also please pray that they would continue to reach their community for Christ, and that they would see God move at Purdue University and in the greater Lafayette area.
Website: CalvaryBC.net
“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..
The post Pray for Calvary Baptist appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 21, 2016
Notable Voices: May 21, 2016
What Pastors Can Do about the Gender Neutral Bathroom Controversy — Sam Rainer
Transgender and gender neutral bathrooms have become a topic of intense national debate in the past 10 days. Sam examines details from a practical, pastoral point of view.
12 Books I Could Write for Pastors Today — Chuck Lawless
Pastors: which of these would you resonate with the most?
Why Legalistic Preaching Doesn’t Work — David Prince
This is a good reminder and the basis for an introspective look into our own preaching. Do we sometimes slip into preaching legalism or moralism?
4 Ways You’re Making Your Worship Pastor’s Job Impossible — Casey Hampton
These four couple be applied to any work relationship, but as Casey shows, they are especially damaging to the leadership of the church.
7 Surprises Since Becoming a Pastor — Ron Edmondson
Have any of these been surprising for you in your pastorate?
The Spiritual Gift You Don’t Notice Until It’s Gone — Trent Hunter
On the importance of administration.
The post Notable Voices: May 21, 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 20, 2016
The Disappearance of Choirs – Rainer on Leadership #226
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we welcome Mike Harland back to the podcast to discuss a trend we’ve noted before—the disappearance of choirs in the church.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
The church choir as we have known it historically is disappearing.
Church choirs are doing less presentational music and more congregational leadership signing.
The line between choir and praise team has blurred in many churches.
The choir ministry should be a disciple-making ministry, not a performance ministry.
Many churches don’t have choirs because they don’t have someone to lead the choir.
In the early stages of a church’s life, the entire congregation is the choir.
The largest choir in every church is the congregation.
The four areas Mike addresses are:
What is a “choir?” and are we sure they are disappearing? (Role and function)
Where did choirs come from? (Biblical and historical view of choirs)
Strategy or necessity? (The leadership gap)
The largest choir of every church. (Congregational singing)
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, located in the heart of the Midwest, is one of the fastest growing seminaries in North America and offers a fantastic array of academic programs, including multiple online and residential options at the undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral levels. Midwestern’s new 81-hour Mdiv program, online program, and doctoral program have all been recognized as some of the most innovative and affordable in the country. There has never been a better time to begin your seminary education. Midwestern Seminary trains leaders ‘For The Church.’
Visit them online at MBTS.edu/Rainer 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 I Will.
Resources
Why Congregational Singing Is Waning
LifeWay Worship
For the Church in St. Louis at the SBC Annual Meeting
The post The Disappearance of Choirs – Rainer on Leadership #226 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 19, 2016
Five Signs Your Church Has Gone Too Far with Marketing
By Jonathan Howe
Not only do I enjoy hosting a pair of podcasts (Rainer on Leadership and SBC This Week), I enjoy listening to them as well. I have a weekly routine of podcasts I listen to during my commute. These podcasts range from sports to entertainment to news to sermons and beyond.
One podcast I particularly enjoy is The Happy Rant with Barnabas Piper, Ted Kluck, and Ronnie Martin. Their somewhat sarcastic discussion on current events and the church always provokes both laughter and reflection. In a recent episode, they riffed on catchy sermon series titles and church marketing. During the discussion, Barnabas asked an extremely poignant question related to church marketing:
Are you selling the image or the substance?
On the surface, the question is one we likely wouldn’t even consider. Of course our church should be more about the substance than the image. But when we boil it all down, is it really?
I haven’t been able to shake that question for the past few weeks. Mainly because I keep seeing churches that market image more than substance. They’ve crossed that line. They’ve gone too far. So with that in mind, here are five signs your church has gone too far with marketing:
When you spend more on marketing than ministry. What does your budget look like? There’s a place for marketing money in church budgets. Whether you define that as event promotion, postage, newsletter expense, or a communications assistant, your church more than likely spends money on marketing. But if you spend more on getting people to come than you do once they actually arrive, you have gone too far.
When your facility is seen as a marketing tool, not a ministry center. How does your church see its facilities? There are thousands of churches without a permanent home that setup and tear down every week who are probably laughing at this point. But for those of you with a physical campus, do you tout it as an impressive structure? Our facilities, when stewarded well, should be seen a base for missions and ministry. If we use our facilities as selling points instead of rallying points, we’ve gone too far with marketing.
When you want people to know a slogan more than a savior. I’m in favor of church mission statements. I can still remember the ones from the past four churches of which I was a member. But if you want your people to talk more about your church lingo than their Lord, something is out of place. We should be training our people to share the gospel to a lost and dying world, not memorize a mission statement.
When your staff meeting focuses more on drawing them than discipling them. Planning is a good thing. Brainstorming new ideas is also a good thing. There is a time and place for that and churches should seek to be original. But not at the cost of the mission. There needs to be in-depth, ongoing planning for how you will create an atmosphere that promotes continued discipleship. If you spend more energy on reaching than teaching, you have gone too far.
When you put more time into the sermon title than the sermon text. This goes back to the Happy Rant. I like a good sermon series title, but we’ve all seen a sermon series title or two that make us hang our head in shame. Pastors, put more effort into the text than the title.
I know I have been guilty of at least one of these. Have you? What would you add 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, and the managing editor of LifeWayPastors.com. 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.
The post Five Signs Your Church Has Gone Too Far with Marketing appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
May 18, 2016
Five Questions Prospective Pastors Rarely Ask Search Committees (But Should)
“This church is nothing like the search committee described. They said they were ready for change. They are, as long as it doesn’t affect them!”
The sentence is a direct quote from a pastor commenting on my blog. And many other pastors have expressed similar sentiments to me.
Of course, not all prospective pastors deal with pastor search committees. Still, the pastors inevitably have someone who interviews them, such as elders or judicatory bodies.
It is critical that prospective pastors ask questions about the church. There are five questions, however, which are rarely asked. These questions could be key toward avoiding some of the unpleasant surprises many pastors encounter.
Why did the two previous pastors leave? The answers to this question will give the prospective pastor clues to the way a church treats or mistreats its pastor. By the way, any prospective pastor must contact and speak with the immediate predecessor pastor. Skipping this step is neither wise nor healthy.
Is there a clear power group in the church? As an alternative, the prospective pastor may ask who the most highly influential members in the church are. Make certain you know why they are deemed influential.
If I wanted to lead the church to make a $25,000 expenditure, what would the process look like? This question can help you discern the level of bureaucracy and tradition in the church. It can also help you understand processes and power groups.
What are some one-word descriptors of your business meetings? Some words should cause you take extra caution: divisive, angry, brutal, argumentative, painful, lengthy, and draining, for example.
Would each of you be willing to write down your top three expectations of a pastor? Have a card ready for each person on the search committee. Ask them to write those expectations while you are there. Then read the expectations aloud to then entire group. It could be a wake-up call for the group. It could be a wake-up call for you.
You can learn so much about a church with these five simple questions. Of course, there are many other questions you should ask. These five just happen to be rarely asked but greatly helpful.
Let me hear from you. I would love to hear your thoughts about these questions or others you think you should ask a search committee.
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