Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 239
March 9, 2016
The Ten Commandments of Church Parking Lots
My story is many years old, but its impact still lives with me today.
On a Sunday morning, I was walking outside the worship center and greeting people as they came into the church where I was serving as pastor. I saw a car moving slowly in the parking lot. The driver obviously could not find a place to park.
I walked toward the car. The driver rolled down his window and called to me by name: “Hey, Thom, where do you park around here?”
The man was a coach in the baseball league where I coached with one of my sons. I didn’t really know much about him, but I was glad to see him at church. I led him to one of the few available parking spots. He thanked me: “Thanks, Thom, I was about to give up and go home.”
A few months later, the man, his wife, and two of his older children responded to the gospel and became followers of Christ.
It is for reasons such as this one, I am committed to the practical aspects of ministry. Certainly, the Word of God and His truths are foundational and much more important. But to neglect practical ministry is to be unwise and, perhaps, even sinful.
Over the years, I have gathered untold volumes of information about practical ministries in churches. Let me share with you some of these lessons about parking lots through “ten commandments.”
You shall have at least one greeter in the parking lot. That person makes an immediate impression on guests.
You shall understand the 80% rule applies to parking lots. When the parking lot is 80% full, it appears totally full to a guest.
You shall calculate your attendees per car ratio. On the average, two persons come together in a car to church. But that number can vary significantly by church, and it definitely affects how many spaces a lot should have.
You shall have more than adequate handicap spaces. Do not limit these spaces to code requirements; exceed the requirements.
You shall have more than adequate guest parking. Make certain you have at least one more guest spot than the highest number of guest cars you have for a given worship service.
You shall have parking for needy groups in the church. Those groups vary by church. One church has several places for expectant mothers. Another church has spots for the “over 80” attendees.
You shall not have an ugly, poorly marked parking lot. Remember, the parking lot is the first place your guests will see when they visit your church. What kind of first impression do you want to make?
You shall not require guests to park in an obscure, far place. I preached at a church where the pastor told me to park in guest parking. I was blown away when I saw it was the furthest place from the church facilities, and it was poorly marked.
You shall not have reserve parking for the pastor and staff. Those parking spots communicate privilege instead of service.
You shall have clear and prominent signs in the parking lot. Good signage makes a good first impression. Bad signage does the opposite.
Are parking lots the most important facet of our ministries? Absolutely not. Not even close. But they can be used of God toward making an eternal difference.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this issue.
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March 8, 2016
Using Your Church’s Facilities More Effectively Throughout the Week – Rainer on Leadership #205
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we cover how churches can better steward their facilities and how to deal with opposition to facility usage.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
College football stadiums are possibly the only large facilities used less often than most church worship centers.
Ministry is about using resources to reach people for Christ. It’s not about hoarding resources.
If your church lets outside groups use its facility, a clear rental policy needs to be in place.
We’ve been doing the same things for so long that we rarely stop and ask “is this the best use of our space?”
A facility usage audit is often critical to growing your small groups on campus.
The type of seating you place in your worship center determines what else can be done in that room.
Stage size is something to consider when making any changes to seating or design of a worship center.
Church facilities are one of the largest expenses in a church budget. We should steward those expenses well.
The eight ways your church can use your church facilities more effectively are:
Determine your philosophy of sacred space
Partner with other organizations
Create a church within a church
Have a clear rental policy
Do a facility audit (including space audit)
Think creatively about space
Think wisely when purchasing new fixtures and seating.
Check your insurance policy for any specific exclusions
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
Brentwood Baptist Deaf Church
The post Using Your Church’s Facilities More Effectively Throughout the Week – Rainer on Leadership #205 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
March 7, 2016
Seven Ways Churches Should Die with Dignity
Death is not a popular topic.
I get it. It’s more encouraging to talk about birth, life, and growth.
But I want us to deal with the reality of dying churches in this article. And I hope we can move to a positive approach about these churches.
There are approximately 350,000 Protestant churches in the U.S. Many pundits estimate the number of closings to be about one percent, or 3,500 churches a year. For reasons I will discuss in a future post, I estimate the number to be closer to two percent, or 7,000 churches a year.
Let’s split the difference and say more than 5,000 churches die a year.
That’s 14 churches that die every day. And the number is likely to increase.
So what can we offer the leaders of dying churches? How can we help them help their churches die with dignity? I have seven suggestions.
Be willing to move from denial to acceptance. If your church has declined from 200 in attendance to 25 in the past five or ten years, it is likely to close soon. Don’t wait until it’s too late to be proactive.
Move from guilt to grace. Many members of dying churches feel shame and guilt for the state of their churches. It’s time to forget the past and move into the grace of God’s future. Wallowing in guilt precludes action. Celebrating in grace means moving forward.
Avoid merging with another struggling church. An unhealthy or dying church merging with a similar church does not equal a healthy church. At best, it prolongs the inevitability of death from taking place.
Consider a re-plant. Your church facilities are incredible assets God has given you. Many new churches are in desperate need of places to meet and worship. Consider giving your facilities to a church plant.
Consider a merger with a healthy church. But it cannot be a merger of equals. The church with the healthy DNA must become the steward of leadership, facilities, and direction. In other words, it will be more like an acquisition than a merger. And it is likely the formerly dying church would become another campus of the healthy church.
Celebrate the past and move to the future. Before your church transitions to either a replant or a merger, have a service of celebration. Thank God for the past, and look forward to His future.
All members should reclaim another church. Before the door shuts on the past, each member of the dying church should state his or her commitment to get involved in another congregation. Some may even choose to be a part of the new church meeting in their former facilities.
Christ’s Church will never die. But local congregations have definitive life cycles, including birth, growth, decline, and death. If your church is moving from decline towards death, be the type of church leader to help your church die with dignity.
For it is in the death of one church that another church can have a hope for a great and healthy future.
Let me hear from you.
The post Seven Ways Churches Should Die with Dignity appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
March 6, 2016
Pray for Vineyard Church of Hyde Park
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Pastor: Rand Tucker
Weekly Worship: 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM Central
Fast Facts: Vineyard Church of Hyde Park is a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church in the Hyde Park area of Chicago, Illinois. After 18 years of renting space,Vineyard Church has found a building in the Hyde Park community to call their own. They have started a building fund to raise the entire purchase price of $800,000 (or at least a $200,000 down payment) in the next 8 days. Having this permanent space would allow them the freedom to serve well, fellowship richly, and grow personally. Please pray for the building campaign as well as their recently re-launched justice Ministry and its focus on the fight against human trafficking. Vineyard Church is committed to seeking justice for victims of human trafficking and showing God’s love and mercy to those rescued from this modern-day slavery.
Website: TheVC.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..
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March 5, 2016
Notable Voices: March 5, 2016
5 Easy Ways to Be Generous Without Using Money — Art Rainer
Being generous doesn’t only mean giving money. There are plenty of ways to be generous that don’t require financial outlay. Art lists five of them here.
3 Reasons to Stay in a Church That’s Not Cool Enough — Michael Kelley
In the midst of a culture that seems to promote going to the “cool, trendy, big church,” Michael shares why it might be best to stay right where you are.
Two Strategic Drifts in Churches and How to Address Them — Eric Geiger
One topic Eric covers in this is inward drift. I’ve written a great deal on that at ThomRainer.com. It’s what keeps churches from being Great Commission-focused. The other topic he covers in this post is just as serious—drifting off mission.
4 Reasons Your Pastor Left After One Year — Sam Murray
Sam shares four broad stressors that can cause significant tension and often lead to a pastor’s quick exit from a church.
Parenting in a New Day of Presidential Politics — Amy Whitfield
From debate topics to stump speech sound bites, politics has changed over the past few decades. And that has changed how we are to parent our children in this new era of political engagement.
Five Things to Know About the Church Side Door
The post Notable Voices: March 5, 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
March 4, 2016
10 Common Frustrations of Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #204
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we discuss a recent post on frustrations that pastors often face and how to overcome many of them.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
These are the types of things that happen to pastors every week.
God has put us in local churches to be actively involved.
Too many church members want to “keep the pastor humble” by paying them little.
There are relatively few pastors who have adequate business training.
Sermon prep can be difficult in a church office. But if a pastor studies elsewhere, complaints come in about not being in the office.
When members leave a church, pastors often take it personally.
Pastoral concerns over church budgets are very real and very pressure-packed.
The 10 frustrations pastors often face that we cover are:
Church members who treat church attendance as a low priority.
Criticisms over minutia.
Concern over financial wellbeing of family.
Expectations to understand the business and leadership side of church life.
Complaints to or about family members.
Inadequate uninterrupted sermon prep time.
Losing church members.
Concerns over church budget.
Declining or plateaued church.
Designated giving toward personal preferences.
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 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
I Am a Church Member
I Am a Church Member Reaches One Million Units Sold
Five Things You Should Know about Pastors’ Salaries
The Pastor’s Salary
ArtRainer.com
Missions Mistakes and Misconceptions
The post 10 Common Frustrations of Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #204 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
March 3, 2016
6 Benefits of Having a Church Staff Blog
By Jonathan Howe
Communicating with church members has become more and more difficult as the frequency of church attendance has waned over the past few decades. A “regular church attender” used to mean attending three times per week; now it’s three times per month.
Because of the lower frequency of attendance, there has been increased pressure to develop more ways to communicate effectively to church members. A church staff blog is one of the most efficient ways to do this.
Simple, short posts written by the church staff can be immensely helpful to church members throughout the week. Whether you’re providing information or encouragement, your church members can benefit from a church staff blog in these six ways.
Communicating the needs of each area of ministry. When your church staff blog on a regular basis, they have the opportunity to let the entire church know what’s going on in the ministry they lead and where they may need help. In children and student ministry, the need for volunteers is constant. In the music ministry, needs may involve a special event or service. In other ministries, the needs will vary, but they can all be communicated each week through a church staff blog.
Helping launch new ministries. When a church determines to launch a new ministry, a staff blog allows for space to explain the need and goals of the new ministry. Over the course of a few posts, you can answer questions, recruit team members, and cast vision to help launch new ministries in your church.
Updating members on church-wide campaigns. Churches often journey through capital campaigns or a specific season of spiritual focus. Staff blogs can track progress, give updates, and encourage further participation in these campaigns.
Promoting upcoming events. This might be the most obvious use of a staff blog, but it can be the biggest downside if overdone. If all your blog does is promote event after event, it becomes white noise to your members. Strategically promote events and mix this in with other content so event promotions stand out to your readers.
Celebrating wins. What you celebrate, you become. If you use a staff blog to celebrate what is happening in your church, it will encourage members to invest more in what is happening at your church. There is something to be said for excitement and how it motivates us toward Kingdom work. Celebrating your wins as a church only encourages involvement in what God is doing through His Church.
Showing how God is moving in the church. Related to the previous point, staff blogs can offer spiritual encouragement from leaders and provide an avenue to post testimonies of how God is working in the lives of church members. This is not only an encouragement to other members, but shows guests the power of the One we live for.
Does your church have a staff blog? What other ways can a staff blog benefit a church?
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.
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March 2, 2016
Four Critical Steps to Get Guests into the Side Door of the Church
This approach to ministry may be one of the most neglected opportunities to get guests connected to your church.
I refer to it as “the side door.” In order to define it adequately, let me briefly define the metaphor of the three “doors” of a church.
The front door: when guests come directly to the church, typically for a worship service. It can also refer to the addition of members to the church.
The back door: when people leave the church through decreased attendance, dropout, transferring to another church, relocation, or death.
The side door: when guests attend an event of a church, or are served by a ministry of the church, that does not require them to come to the physical facilities of the church.
The types of side door ministries are endless. Some examples are dental ministries, wild game dinners, water breaks for marathon runners, movie nights, and many others. The idea is to provide an opportunity to reach people who may be very reticent to enter the front door of the church.
I am currently offering a free webinar on the three doors of the church, and I have been fascinated with the interest in the side door. Apparently, many church leaders are not strategically planning side door ministries, and some are not doing them at all.
Most of the questions we have received deal with the mechanics of the side door. Simply stated, how can churches do side door ministries effectively? Allow me to share four critical steps:
Decide what side door ministry best fits your community. A wild game dinner will typically be effective in areas where there are many who enjoy hunting and fishing. An area with an abundance of children may prefer a family movie night.
Make sure the church is not invisible. While the purpose of the side door is to connect with those who are reticent to come to church, it does not mean you should not provide some information on the church. The best rule is to be informative but not pushy.
Have some method to gather contact information. I know one church that used a drawing for a nice gift as their approach. They asked guests to complete a card with a name and an email for the drawing card. They assured everyone they would receive only one email as a follow-up unless the guest requested more information.
Follow up. Do not attempt a side door ministry unless you have a clear follow up plan in place. Side door efforts without follow up decrease their effectiveness significantly.
Though I only have anecdotal information, I see about one of seven side door contacts eventually entering the front door in the first year of their contact. Imagine what that could mean for your church if you connected with 700 people in a year. Approximately 100 of those would visit your church within a year.
Let me hear from you about the side door in your church.
The post Four Critical Steps to Get Guests into the Side Door of the Church appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
March 1, 2016
Communicating in Conflict, Staff Reviews, and Other Listener Questions – Rainer on Leadership #203
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we take questions from listeners on a wide range of topics from communicating in conflict and staff reviews, to spiritual gifts and missionary support. Thanks again to all who submit questions. 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.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
When it comes to resolving conflict in the church, communicate formally and personally—not through email or a text.
If you have an ongoing interaction with your staff, staff reviews should just be a formality.
If it takes putting words on paper for someone to know how you’re assessing their performance, you’re not leading well.
I’m concerned when those doing staff reviews in the church aren’t in a position see that person work everyday.
When deciding on which missionaries to support directly, the first question to ask is doctrine.
It’s always better for a church to support missionaries who have a common vision and focus.
The questions we answer today on the podcast are:
From DOUG
Can you talk about how using email or facebook messenger or texting is not a good means of communicating with people, but discuss better ways of communicating and dealing with conflict? How can I be a better leader/pastor in this area of communication and conflict?
————–
From STEPHEN
How can churches do more to welcome and minister to families with disabilities? What churches are doing this well?
————–
From ED
My question is somewhat four fold from the same topic, staff reviews.
1) How often should staff reviews be done, if at all?
2) Who should conduct the reviews?
3) Should staff reviews be done formally, as in a written record, or informally, just table top conversation?
4) Should staff review be open to review or sealed with confidentiality?
————–
From BERNARD
First of all your book I am a Church Member. The whole meaning of being a church member is to receive membership as a gift from God, and when a member SERVE. How do I know where to serve? How do I know what is needed? Some say your spiritual gifts are your direction. How do I know where my spiritual gifts are?
————–
From TOM
I have been struggling with saying thank you for gifts and compliments. When I greet people at the back after a message, the response from the people is always “nice message pastor.” I find it difficult to respond with a genuine response that does not sound sarcastic or “quirky.” I have responded with “it’s God Word, I am just the deliver” but it seems like the wrong response. Are there any good remarks after someone pays you a compliment or gives a gift?
————–
From BEN
I am a part of a church leadership team that has a lot of missionaries, supported at a very small amount, with little to no partnership with any of them. The previous pastor had taken on a ton of them, and we don’t really know any of them. We really feel like we want to restructure our program. How would you suggest we do that? When choosing new missionaries to support is there any specific questions you would ask?
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
@SamRainer
@EricGeiger
@JoshHedger
@RGallaty
@JessRainer
@ArtRainer
@AmyFentonLee
The Inclusive Church
FBC Windermere
Free Spiritual Gift Inventory
The post Communicating in Conflict, Staff Reviews, and Other Listener Questions – Rainer on Leadership #203 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
February 29, 2016
Seven Reasons Why Monthly Church Business Meetings Are Dying
It is almost an unspoken phenomenon in church life.
Three decades ago, over nine of ten churches with a congregational government had a monthly business meeting. Several non-congregational churches had monthly business meetings as well.
Today, less than one-third of American Protestant churches have these monthly meetings. That is an incredible decline hardly noted by many pundits.
The monthly church business meeting is dying.
Why?
The meeting often attracts the most negative members in the church. It becomes their place for griping and criticizing. One elder told me his church’s monthly business meeting was “the meeting from hell.”
The negative church members have pushed the positive members out of the meetings. Healthy church members have no desire to be a part of a gripe and complain session. Most of them who do attend do so to protect the pastor and the staff.
The frequency of the meeting leads to micromanagement. There is typically not sufficient major business to discuss every month. So the void is filled with discussions and complaints of minutiae. One monthly church meeting lasted over an hour due to disagreements regarding the quality and cost of toilet tissue in the restrooms.
This meeting has become one of the most dreaded times for many pastors. These pastors certainly do not demonstrate excitement and anticipation in most cases. Church members typically will not follow unless leaders are enthused.
The Millennials abhor contentious meetings. The monthly meeting thus has become one of the ways to drive off many young adults.
The meeting often allows a few naysayers to have inordinate power. Frankly, that’s why many of them attend. A church members seeking power is a church member in need of repentance.
The monthly business meeting is simply not necessary. It is a waste of the precious resource of time. If there is a need for the church to tend to a major issue, special meetings can always be called.
The monthly church meeting is dying.
And few tears are being shed.
Let me hear your thoughts.
The post Seven Reasons Why Monthly Church Business Meetings Are Dying appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
