Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 243
January 29, 2016
Why Church Leaders Need a Mentor — Rainer on Leadership #194
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we explain why mentoring is so important for your continued growth as a pastor or church leader. We also discuss some of our favorite questions and moments from my speaking engagements.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
The question I get the most from pastors and church leaders is “how do I keep growing personally and professionally?”
The most effective church leaders are those who are being mentored.
The smaller you go in groups, the more you grow.
When you are being mentored, you are saying “I have not arrive, and I can still learn.”
Everyone needs to be a continuous learner in some form or another.
Learning by mentoring is a sign of humility.
The five reasons pastors and church leaders need a mentor are:
A willingness to be mentored reflects an attitude of servant humility.
Leaders grow by learning from others.
Mentoring engenders some level of accountability.
Some of the most strategic leadership ideas come from two or more people together.
Mentoring offers great encouragement.
Episode Sponsor
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
ChurchAnswers.com
The post Why Church Leaders Need a Mentor — Rainer on Leadership #194 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 28, 2016
Young Influencer List, January 2016
By Jonathan Howe
A few months back, we interviewed Brad Lomenick for the Rainer on Leadership podcast. While he was here, we talked about his Young Influencer List and the reasons behind why he compiles such a list. Brad even encouraged us to do the same—to find young influencers in our sphere and make our audience aware of how these young leaders are impacting others for Kingdom advancement.
I then began compiling a list, with the help of a few friends, of individuals we identified as potential leaders for the next generation. Our qualifications were quite simple: under 40 and making a Kingdom difference.
My 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.
So without further adieu, here is this month’s young influencer list:
John Aaron Matthew — Senior Pastor at Clear Lake Baptist Church in Houston, TX – John Aaron started at Clear Lake last Fall after years of collegiate ministry in Cookeville, TN.
Osvaldo Padilla — Associate Professor of Divinity & New Testament at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL – A native of the Dominican Republic, Osvaldo has been recognized as a rising New Testament scholar and recently spent a sabbatical at Cambridge University completing his forthcoming writing project entitled The Acts of the Apostles.
Ronni Kurtz — Student at Midwestern Seminary and Pastor of Teaching & Equipping at Emmaus Church in Kansas City, MO – I met Ronni on a recent trip to Kansas City and was delighted to hear the faculty and leadership of Midwestern Seminary speak so highly of him. Ronni truly embodies the “For the Church” culture found at Midwestern.
Ashlyn Portero — Executive Director of City Church in Tallahassee, FL — Ashlyn handles much of the operational and administrative duties for one of the fastest-growing churches in Florida.
Steven Lee — Pastor of Small Groups and Community Outreach at College Church in Wheaton, IL – Steven oversees the small groups and community outreach efforts of College Church and formerly served as a church planter in San Diego.
Mary Margaret Collingsworth — Event Project Coordinator at LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, TN – Mary Margaret is a coworker of mine, and she handles many of the logistics and details of our events for LifeWay Women. She’s also the host of the LifeWay Women’s podcast [Marked] .
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
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, January 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 27, 2016
Six Ways Ministry Spouses Get Hurt
“Hey, I’m not on the church payroll. Go complain to someone else!”
The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he blew it. His wife was the church’s children’s minister. Too often he received complaints about the ministry as if it were his responsibility. On that one occasion, he lost his temper after one complaint too many.
We often lose sight of those in churches whose spouses serve on staff. These are the spouses of executive pastors, youth pastors, children’s pastors, lead pastors, and others. We have heard from these spouses through thousands of comments at ThomRainer.com.
We want you to see the six issues we have heard most frequently. We want you to be aware of them so you can offer ministry, encouragement, and friendship to spouses of those who serve in the church. Sometimes those are among the loneliest people in the church.
Here, then, are six of the most common ways ministry spouses get hurt:
Complaints about their spouses. A student ministry spouse heard complaints for months about her husband. The great tragedy was when the head of the personnel committee told her that her husband was about to be fired. The husband had not heard that news.
High expectations about ministry involvement. A pastor’s wife shared with us about an elder calling her house looking for her husband. Upon informing him her husband was not in, the elder asked her questions about the upcoming elders’ meeting. When the wife was not able to answer, the elder complained about her lack of knowledge about what was going on in the church.
Complaints about the children. One of the ways to inflict the greatest pain on someone is to attack his or her children. It is beyond belief how many church members expect a model of behavior for the minister’s family well beyond expectations of their own families. Cut a child and the parent bleeds.
Isolation. Some church members don’t know how to interact with ministry spouses, so they ignore them altogether. Vocational ministry can be lonely. Being the spouse of a vocational minister can be lonely as well.
Gossip and murmuring. Some churches have a modest level of gossip and murmuring. Other churches are pretty vocal with gossip and murmuring. At some point a spouse of a minister will hear something about his or her spouse. That hurts. That hurts a lot.
Going to the spouse with problems about the minister. A worship minister shared with us this tragic story. He was caught up in some worship wars, an all too common reality. The worship leader, however, was pretty thick-skinned, and moved forward despite the criticisms. When the critics saw they were not making progress with the worship leader, they began to attack his wife with their issues. She went into deep depression, and the worship leader ultimately left the church for his wife and family.
It is indeed tough to be in vocational ministry. But it’s also tough to be the spouse of these ministers. Pray for them. Encourage them. Befriend them.
Let me hear from you.
The post Six Ways Ministry Spouses Get Hurt appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 26, 2016
The New Marketplace Pastor – Rainer on Leadership #193
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we discuss a recent post on a new trend regarding pastors. Many pastors are choosing to continue to serve in secular vocations even when a church can afford to pay them for full-time work. These marketplace pastors are a growing trend worth a further look.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Marketplace pastors serve for part-time pay because they chose to, not because the church can’t afford full-time compensation.
Marketplace pastors often have more opportunities for gospel conversations than those who are full-time pastors.
Pastors sometimes don’t say or do things that need to be done because their salary is tied to keeping peace in the church.
I would say about 60% of active church members believe they are “the pastor’s boss.”
Pastors who are not completely dependent on a church financially tend to deal with critics differently.
Online training is the way to go for marketplace pastors.
The eight characteristics of marketplace pastors we cover today are:
The marketplace pastor serves in churches that could offer full-time compensation to the pastor, but they choose not to do so.
Marketplace pastors get their name by their desire to stay in the marketplace with one of their vocations.
Marketplace pastors tend to have extraordinary leadership skills.
These pastors have a high work capacity.
These pastors will have long tenures.
Marketplace pastors will be able to deal with critics more freely.
Marketplace pastors will be serving in a wide range of churches of varying sizes.
Marketplace pastors will get their ministry and theological training online.
Episode Sponsor
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
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Online Education
The post The New Marketplace Pastor – Rainer on Leadership #193 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 25, 2016
Seven Ways NOT to Follow Up with Church Guests
Do not ask to rub the eyebrows of a guest who visits your church.
Okay, I’ll get to that strange comment shortly.
On the blog and the podcast, we have discussed extensively ways churches have followed up with guests in a positive and affirming manner. In this post, I share stories from church guests where the follow up was not received well.
Here is what church guests told us were ways not to follow up on their visits:
Do not show up unexpected at my house. One of the ways we gleaned this information was through a Twitter poll. The moment I asked the question, I was inundated with this response. In today’s culture, most church guests really do not like an unexpected visit.
Do not neglect follow up completely. A number of respondents were frustrated they had completed a guest card and never heard from anyone from the church. Many respondents said they did not return as a result.
Do not wait a long time to follow up. One person shared with us she heard from a church she visited four months after her visit! “I had completely forgotten I attended that church,” she told us. Of course she never returned.
Do not act like a visit is merely obligatory. One pastor fell asleep while visiting some church guests. I am really curious how long they let him sleep.
Do not do a hard sell. I was amazed how many respondents shared pressure tactics from people who visited the guests. One person was pushed for 30 minutes to sign a membership card.
Do not send a form letter or email. We heard from one man who received a letter from the pastor. It began with “Dear Friend,” and concluded with a promise of prayer for the guest. The guest saw the letter as disingenuous. We have too many tools available today to send obvious form letters.
Do not ask for money. Yes, some churches make this request as a follow-up to first time guests. The first letter one guest received implored him to make a commitment to the building program. It included a pledge card and a return envelope.
Bonus: The Two Strangest Responses to Our Survey:
The church guest’s dog ran out the door when the pastor arrived. The guest and the pastor chased the dog in the neighborhood for an hour. I really don’t know the lesson from this comment.
This one is a direct quote: “A friend (church guest) had a lady rub his eyebrows when he visited the church.”
I can’t make these things up.
Let me hear from you.
The post Seven Ways NOT to Follow Up with Church Guests appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 24, 2016
Pray for Cedarville Church of the Nazarene
Location: Cedarville, Ohio
Pastor: Douglas Graham
Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM, Eastern
Fast Facts: Cedarville Church of the Nazarene is a small church of about 30 people, but it has a small group of leaders who are united in revitalizing the church. The leadership is currently working through the Revitalized Churches video consultation as well as Simple Church. Please pray for the spiritual growth of the church. Pray leaders will step up, and that the Lord will encourage them to make some big changes. The church is close to dying, but they are trusting God to renew the church. Also, pray for their upcoming silent auction community fund-raiser on March 19. It’s a Silent Auction. Finally, pray for the leadership to shepherd the church through the revitalization process, and that the changes made will be effective.
Website: MadeToFish.com
“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 Cedarville Church of the Nazarene appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 23, 2016
Notable Voices: January 23, 2016
Four Mistakes Leaders Make When Handling Conflict — Eric Geiger
Handling conflict is inevitable for pastors and other church leaders. And often, how a church leader or pastor responds to conflicts and leads through it determines their success as a leader.
4 Ways to Invest In Marriages — Matt Chandler
Pastors are a major influencer and strengthener of marriages within their congregation. Matt shares four ways you can invest in the marriages in your church.
10 Things Pastors Will Think about as They Preach this Weekend — Chuck Lawless
Even while delivering a sermon, a pastor’s mind never stops. And the list Chuck provides here is but a small example of what goes through a pastor’s head while preaching.
Why Christians Don’t Evangelize — Daniel Darling
One might think the excuse most often given for not evangelizing is fear. And while that may be what is said, the root of the issue is likely one of the three reasons Dan covers.
9 Things That Worked in the Church a Decade Ago That Don’t Today — Carey Nieuwhof
This list could be much longer, but these nine are definitely true.
The post Notable Voices: January 23, 2016 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 22, 2016
Six Warning Signs of Church Dropouts – Rainer on Leadership #192
SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio
On today’s episode, we cover six early indicators that someone might be on the verge of dropping out. These reasons are common in any size church, but many are reversible with the implementation of a monitoring system.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Simply put, church growth equals more people coming into the church than leaving the church.
Taking roll in small groups helps keep members accountable and to recognize when members may be having problems.
Each small group or class needs someone to monitor absences and follow up with those who miss.
Many times, family problems embarrass church members and they end up attending less frequently or drop out altogether.
The single most common family issue that leads to people dropping out of church is divorce.
Because of what it takes to keep people in the church who have had a moral failure, many pastors choose to do nothing.
The six leading indicators that someone is about to drop out of church are:
Decreased frequency in attendance
No longer attending a group
Decreased giving patterns
Major participant in a church conflict
Family problems
Moral failure
Episode Sponsor
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
Nine Traits of Church Bullies
The post Six Warning Signs of Church Dropouts – Rainer on Leadership #192 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 21, 2016
Eight Reasons Your Church Should Have an Email Newsletter
By Jonathan Howe
In addition to a weekly bulletin, churches have often used weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletters to better communicate with guests and members. As costs to produce newsletters have increased and budget funds designated for them have decreased, they have all but vanished from churches. Instead of replacing them with digital versions, many churches abandoned the practice altogether.
In doing so, another problem was created: bulletins and announcement times became overcrowded. The result was not better communication, but too much being communicated and less information being retained.
So instead of relying on a weekly bulletin or a brief 2-minute announcement time in the service, consider using an email newsletter to more effectively communicate with guests and members. Here are eight reasons your church should have an email newsletter.
Email Newsletters Inform All Church Members, Not Just That Week’s Attendees — If you don’t make it to the worship service, you don’t hear the announcements. Because of the decline in the frequency of attendance, many church members are unaware of events or happenings at their church. Email newsletters allow you communicate to everyone at once.
Email Is the Commonly Accepted Way for Organizations to Communicate — We receive emails from dozens of companies every week. Whether it’s a sale notice from our favorite online shop, an email about work, or a notification from a social network, we are used to getting emails and scanning them for important information. A church email newsletter is easy to scan for important information just like the hundreds of other emails we receive each week.
Email Newsletters Allow for Comprehensive Information — If you were to get a separate email for each activity or ministry in the church, it would be way too much. One simple newsletter that covers all the ministries of the church is much easier to digest for church members than individual emails. Some age-level ministries may need their own newsletters, but not every ministry a church has needs a separate email.
Digital Newsletters Are Cheaper and More Effective Than Print — As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, high production costs are one reason print newsletters died. Minimal production costs are one of the main benefits of digital newsletters. Many providers offer free email newsletter services for small lists. For bigger lists, even a paid service would cost just pennies on the dollar compared to a printed newsletter.
Email Allows Immediate Action — This might be the most important reason to have an email newsletter for your church. With one click, members or guests can take action. Whether that’s signing up for a class or volunteering, registering for an event, or giving to a special offering, email offers the recipient the opportunity to act immediately without having to remember to do so later—like a bulletin or announcement in the service.
Analytics Track What Gets Attention — This is related to the previous point. As the sender of the email, you can see what is of interest to those who read it. That can help you know where to place important information or what to include (or exclude) in future newsletters.
Increased Awareness of Online Giving Increases Stewardship — If your church has online giving, reminding your members about that option in your weekly newsletter is a must. For those who may be traveling, a small button with the option for giving electronically may be the difference in giving or not giving their tithes and offerings.
Included Devotionals Aid in Personal Discipleship — Finally, email newsletters should be used as a devotional aid of some kind. You can easily include devotionals, prayer requests, or daily Bible readings for use throughout the week.
If you are looking to start an email newsletter, MailChimp would be my suggested provider. And always remember to ask for permission (also known as “opt-in”) before adding someone to an email list.
Does your church have an email newsletter? If so, what benefits have you seen from it?
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 Eight Reasons Your Church Should Have an Email Newsletter appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
January 20, 2016
The One Common Factor of Effective Church Leaders
Just one thing.
Is it possible to find one common factor in the lives and ministries of the most effective church leaders?
I think so.
Hear me well, effective church leaders have many recurring and common traits; I am not suggesting this factor is the only one. But it does seem to be the trait that shows itself again and again.
What, then, is the most common factor in effective church leaders?
The most effective church leaders are being continuously and intentionally mentored.
Forms of Mentoring
I used to think that mentoring was limited to a one-on-one model. That is certainly one form, but it’s not the only approach. Some church leaders are in a group discussion, like an ongoing digital chat room. They are mentoring one another and challenging one another.
Another form of mentoring is one person mentoring a few individuals at a time. My son, Sam Rainer, was mentored by Bryant Wright in a group with five other men. I am currently utilizing this model to mentor a few leaders through Church Answers.
Why Mentoring?
Why is there such a high correlation between mentoring and leadership effectiveness? I see at least five major reasons:
A willingness to be mentored reflects an attitude of servant humility.
Leaders grow by learning from others.
Mentoring engenders some level of accountability.
Some of the most strategic leadership ideas come from two or more people together.
Mentoring offers great encouragement.
Mentoring: The X Factor in Leadership Development
Spiritual growth is the foundation of church leadership. Education is vitally important for church leaders. Experience is critical for the development of church leaders. But mentoring is missing in over 90 percent of church leaders’ lives today.
And it is the difference between good leadership and great leadership for most church leaders. If you are being mentored, don’t stop. It is one of the most important things you can do.
If you are not being mentored, consider joining my mentorship group at Church Answers. We have three different levels of mentoring available, and I will open the window for signing up for just a couple of weeks to keep the numbers manageable.
The most common factor in effective church leaders is mentoring.
It’s just that simple. And it’s just that important.
The post The One Common Factor of Effective Church Leaders appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
