Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 235

The Next Future Church Staff Position: Pastor of Community Evangelism

Do you wish you could know the future?

Frankly, I am content with enjoying the blessings of today. I don’t need or want to know the future.

But I can see trends emerging and patterns developing. For that reason, I can say that the next new church staff position will be the pastor of community evangelism. For some it will be a full-time position. For others it will be part-time. And still others will have lay volunteers handling this responsibility.

The title may not be precise, but it will be close. Why am I confident about making this prediction? Allow me to offer five reasons.

Local evangelism is not vibrant in most churches. More churches have done okay with evangelism to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). But most churches are pretty bad at reaching “Jerusalem.” For that reason, churches will look to some one to lead in local evangelism.
Most community ministries are not intentionally evangelistic. I am grateful more churches are intentional about providing ministries to and in local communities. However, I am concerned many of those ministries are not intentionally evangelistic. One of the roles of the pastor of community evangelism is to make certain all of these ministries are infused with an intentionality to share the gospel.
Churches need someone who can coordinate and lead efforts in social media and blogs. Because of the clear outreach opportunity available on social media, I can see these responsibilities falling under the responsibility of the pastor of community evangelism. This staff person or volunteer will need to understand contextual language of social media.
One person is needed to lead evangelistic strategies in the church. I know of some churches that build their evangelistic strategies around three high attendance days a year. It takes someone with strategic ability and a persistent work ethic to pull off three of these efforts every year. Indeed, any coherent strategy will take a good mind and hard work.
Prayer ministries may be a part of these evangelistic strategies. Most prayer ministries languish in churches because they do not fit neatly in any part of the organizational structure. The pastor of community evangelism could bring prayer ministries into his or her area. It would be a natural and exciting fit.

The church positions in highest demand today are worship pastors followed by children pastors. I anticipate the pastor of community evangelism will be a close third, perhaps even second in the near future.

Let me hear from you.

The post The Next Future Church Staff Position: Pastor of Community Evangelism appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Pray for Ponderosa Bible Church

Location: Payson, Arizona

Pastor: Dr. Joe Falkner

Weekly Worship: 9:30 AM & 11:00 AM, Mountain

Fast Facts: Located in a small community 90 miles northeast of Phoenix, Ponderosa Bible Church is committed to evangelism and making disciples. The church is growing and planning on expanding their facilities to accommodate the growth. As they enter this expansion, please pray for unity and peace throughout the process. Also pray for them as they honor the men and women of law enforcement at their upcoming July celebrations. Pray that this will not only be an outreach event, but an encouraging event for the officers in the community as well.

Website: PBCPayson.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..

The post Pray for Ponderosa Bible Church appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Notable Voices: April 16, 2016

7 Signs of a Weak Leader (Or Pastor) — Ron Edmondson

We all have areas of our leadership we can strengthen. But the seven areas Ron lists are some that every leader should work to improve. If not, you won’t be leading for long, and if you do, you won’t be leading well.

 

Five Observations in the New Era of Christian Networks and Denominations — Ed Stetzer

Our denominational structures are ever-changing. These four distinctions show why networks are on the rise and denominational loyalty is waning.

 

7 Sins of Selfish Leaders — Art Rainer

If you want to lead well, then avoid these seven issues. Any one of them can lessen the effectiveness of your leadership.

 

The 7 Most Common Church Staffing Mistakes — Jay Mitchell

I’ve seen churches make these mistakes far too often. With all the resources—including search firms—available to search committees, these mistakes shouldn’t be so common. But they are.

 

Three Things Pastors Can’t Do Too Much — Jared Wilson

Sometimes when you overdo things, it can lead to problems as a pastor. These three items from Jared, however, will edify both you and those under your care.

 

18 Things to Pray for Your Church — Jonathan Leeman

What might we see God do in our churches if we fervently prayed for them? These 18 items are a good place to start if you’re not already passionately praying for your church.

 

125 Years of Ministry at LifeWay — LifeWay

We recently held our 125th anniversary celebration at LifeWay. Here’s a short video we showed at the event chronicling the history and ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources.

 

The post Notable Voices: April 16, 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

How Do I Know if My Church Is Evangelistically Effective? – Rainer on Leadership #216

Podcast Episode #216

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

On today’s episode, we lament the decline of evangelism in many local churches and discuss ways to assess whether or not your church is effective when it comes to evangelism. Also, I highlight a humiliating defeat in sports to my grandson.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

I would rather a church have a programmatic evangelism emphasis than none at all.
Pastors, keep track of the annual number of faith conversions in your church.
One of the great travesties in many churches today is a dichotomy between evangelism and discipleship.
The number one correlation of evangelistic churches is evangelistic pastors.
A church that has an evangelistic reputation is one that has a good reputation.
Healthy, evangelistic churches are typically known in the community for caring for the community.
95% of the non-Christian, unchurched community are receptive to faith conversations.
If your church is not seeing a lot of conversions from adults, it’s likely because your adults aren’t sharing their faith.

The six points we discuss about evangelistic effectiveness of churches are:

Keep track of total annual conversions.
Look at trends of those annual conversions.
Calculate the church’s conversion ratio: Average attendance / total annual conversions (under 20:1 is good).
Is the pastor personally evangelistic?
Does the church have an evangelistic reputation in the community?
Does incarnational ministry become transformational ministry?


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

The post How Do I Know if My Church Is Evangelistically Effective? – Rainer on Leadership #216 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

How to Deal with Social Media Criticism of Your Church

By Jonathan Howe

I am unapologetic about my stance that churches need to have a social media presence. Included in that is a Facebook page for the church that stays updated with current information. Unfortunately, these pages can be targeted by those who have a less than favorable view of your church, pastor, denomination, or members.

I’m frequently asked for my advice on how to deal with this type of criticism. My response often depends on the nature of the criticism. Sometimes the critics have a valid point, other times they are either misinformed or just trolling the church. Regardless of the nature of the initial criticism, your response should always show Christ’s love.

With that said, here are some quick guidelines on how to respond to social media criticism.

Apologize. Even if the criticism is unfounded or misinformed, your response should be apologetic. When the criticism is based in truth, an apology is even more in order. A posture of humility represents our Savior well and can often diffuse a tense online exchange.
Address the problem with the critic. If the criticism or complaint is valid, address it in your response and pledge to correct it. When the complaint is unfounded, do your best to explain why, and inform the critic the best you can without adding fuel to the fire.
Take corrective action if needed. A valid complaint or criticism requires correction. If something needs correcting at your church or in your policies, then do so.
Ask for another chance. They may not take you up on the offer, but at least you have tried to reconcile (Romans 12:18). Sometimes all you can do is try and then leave the ball in the critic’s court.
Keep a record of complaints. This is not to be vindictive or to hold as ammunition against the critic. Keeping a record of the criticisms you receive allows you to track patterns to eliminate the criticism before it comes. If you continue to get complaints or criticism about a certain aspect of ministry, maybe there is an execution problem or communication problem that is the root of the criticism. If you notice a pattern, be preemptive and address the issue before the negativity is directed your way.
Never compromise biblical fidelity. You may receive complaints and criticism about a host of issues. But if they are about core biblical doctrine, there’s not a lot of room for appeasement. Always hold your ground when it comes to standing on the Word of God. Compromise is not acceptable in these instances.

Have you experienced social media criticism or online complaints? How did you handle them? 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 How to Deal with Social Media Criticism of Your Church appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Who Should Be Able to See Individual Church Giving Records?

It’s a difficult question.

Indeed it is such a difficult question that I will not attempt to give a concrete answer. I will let you know what I’ve done in the past, but that’s it.

It’s really a difficult question. Who should be able to see what each person gives to the church? Let’s look at six perspectives.

The lead pastor and one layperson. This perspective argues that financial stewardship is a spiritual discipline, and the pastor should have access to individual giving to be able to see how the members are doing in this regard. The layperson, of course, is the person who actually keeps the records.
One layperson who guides the pastor. The layperson again is the member keeping financial records. He or she is the only one who has access to giving records. But that person is able to share information with the pastor or other leaders as needed. For example, the financial secretary can inform the pastor or elders about potential future elders according to their giving patterns. I took this approach as a pastor. I did not have access to individual giving patterns, but our financial secretary would let me and other leaders know if a person should be eligible for a leadership role according to their stewardship in the church.
One layperson only. In this example, only the financial secretary (or equivalent) has access to individual giving records. He or she does not provide any input that would reflect this information.
A key group in the church. In some churches, this group is the elders. In some other churches, it is the nominating committee.
A staff person other than the pastor and a layperson. The pastor is specifically precluded from individual giving visibility. Instead, another staff person, such as an associate or executive pastor, has access to the records along with the financial secretary.
No church members. No church member can see the records. Instead, a non-member is recruited or hired to keep the records, but that person does not share the information with any church members.

There are certainly different options and different variations of these options. I can see some rationale in each of them. These are really difficult questions.

What is your church’s practice? What do you think of these six options? What do you think is the ideal option?

The post Who Should Be Able to See Individual Church Giving Records? appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Why Congregational Singing Is Waning – Rainer on Leadership #215

Podcast Episode #215

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

On today’s podcast Mike Harland joins us to discuss four main reasons that congregational singing is waining as well as three ways you can reverse this trend in your church.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

In many churches, the hymnal is no longer the primary source of songs for the church.
We often move on from one song to the next before the congregation really knows a song well enough to sing it.
One of the main reasons congregational singing is waning is simply because people don’t know the songs.
In many churches, we’ve created an atmosphere that everything about the room says you’re here to watch, not worship.
If you set up your facility to feel like a theater, don’t be surprised when your church members act like a theater audience.
When worship leaders are too artistic, the congregation tends to stop singing and watch.
Pick a handful of songs that you come back to over and over so that your people know them well.
More and more people are realizing we need to do a better job of raising up the next generation of worship leaders.

The four reasons we discuss related to the waning of congregational singing are:

New Song Velocity — “I don’t know that song.”
The Atmosphere of Observation — “You don’t want me to sing.”
The Rise of the Worship Artist —“I can’t sing that song.”
The Misuse of Technology — “I can’t hear anyone else.”

Three things churches can do right now to help their members engage in singing:

Turn the lights up
Sing songs the church knows
Turn the sound down and vary the accompaniment

About Mike Harland

Mike Harland grew up in Mississippi, graduated from Delta State University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and has led churches in worship leadership roles for most of his life. Since 2005, Mike has served as the Director of LifeWay Worship, the music arm of LifeWay Christian Resources. He is a published author and songwriter who sings and speaks nationally and internationally. Mike and his wife Teresa serve in the children’s, discipleship, and worship ministries of Brentwood Baptist Church and live in Franklin, Tennessee. They have three grown children – Lee, Elizabeth, and John.

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

LifeWay Worship

The post Why Congregational Singing Is Waning – Rainer on Leadership #215 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Five Reasons Church Announcements Cause Problems

If your church has never experienced problems with church announcements, there is no need for you to read the rest of this post.

If your church is like the 95 percent of congregations that do struggle with announcements, please continue reading.

To be clear, I am speaking of verbal announcements made during a worship service. For this post, I am not concerned specifically about the digital announcements that appear on a church website, a screen before or after worship services, or a church newsletter. This issue is all about those times when someone stands up to speak to the entire congregation.

So what’s the big deal about church announcements? How could something so innocuous cause problems? Here are five reasons:

Someone’s announcement is left out. On more than one occasion, announcements are left out either inadvertently or by design. A person feels slighted because his or her area of ministry or activity is particularly important to them.
Someone’s announcement gets more emphasis than others. The reasons are the same as noted above. I actually heard one woman say she timed each individual announcement to prove the pastor showed favoritism. Sigh.
The announcements take too long. More than one congregant has become frustrated due to the length of the announcements, especially if the issue in number four takes place.
The announcements interrupt the flow of worship. Perhaps the worst time to have verbal announcements is after the worship service has begun. While singing, preaching, and the offertory definitely reflect acts of worship, it’s hard to see how the announcements fit in that category. If you have to make announcements, precede the worship service with them.
Most people forget announcements. Try an experiment. Talk to someone you saw in the worship service one or two days later. See if he or she remembers the announcements. Probably not.

Some of these same issues play out in digital venues as well. People get angry or get their feelings hurt because of the placement or perceived priority of announcements on the church’s website or social media accounts.

The churches that seem to be handling the verbal announcements best are actually doing them on a very limited basis. The leaders make sure the announcements are important to the entire congregation, and that they reflect clearly a major issue for the church. Other announcements go to the newsletter or to the web site.

Unless there is an overriding reason, announcements that pertain to a small portion of the membership really should not be considered church announcements in any form. Usually there is no reason why the leader of that group cannot contact every person individually.

It is sad that announcements can be such sources of contention. It is a reflection of a self-centered “me attitude.”

But unfortunately the issue is very real in many churches.

Let me know what you think.

The post Five Reasons Church Announcements Cause Problems appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Pray for Calvary Baptist Church

Location: Elko, Nevada

Pastor: Sam Crouch

Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM, Pacific

Fast Facts: Calvary Baptist is located in a rural community in Northeastern Nevada. They just celebrated their 51st anniversary, and the church has only had four senior pastors since it was founded. Please pray for Calvary as they follow up with those who attended their community celebration Easter event that was held at a local public school. Also pray for their brand new Youth/Worship pastor who was just voted in last weekend. Finally, please pray for God to guide their church family and for them to listen to God’s guidance and be obedient to His will.

Website: CalvaryElko.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..

The post Pray for Calvary Baptist Church appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Notable Voices: April 12, 2016

Faithful Preachers Are Forgetful Preachers — H.B. Charles Jr.

This is a great reminder from H.B. that “He must increase”—not “we must increase.”

 

Why You Should Become a Knowledgable AND Wise Leader — Erik Reed

Learning about leadership is important. Learning how to apply that leadership is even more important.

 

7 Money Tips for Newlyweds — Art Rainer

These are geared for newlyweds, but they could apply to almost any married couple no matter how long they’ve been married.

 

5 Key Differences Between Church Shoppers and the Unchurched — Carey Nieuwhof

These differences are very similar to the ones defining country club membership and church membership.

 

Five Necessary Character Traits for Handling Criticism Well — Eric Geiger

These characteristics are found in good leaders. And good leaders know how to handle criticism.

 

When Ball Becomes Baal — Jim Elliff

With summer approaching when youth sports really pick up steam, this is a great reminder and solution for when youth sports and worship collide.

 

The post Notable Voices: April 12, 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.