Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 245

Notable Voices: January 9, 2016

Four Things Every Great Leader Needs — Art Rainer

Leaders come in all shapes and sizes and with varying skill sets. But all successful leaders tend to have or develop these four characteristics.

 

When People Leave Your Church — Dean Inserra

If you are a pastor, you will have people leave the church. It’s inevitable. In this post, Dean explains some of the good and not-so-good reasons that people leave a church.

 

Hope for the Young Pastor — Brandon Smith

Those new to ministry will make mistakes (and hopefully learn from them) and can get easily discouraged. Brandon shares four points that helped him mature as a young minister.

 

Five Ways Leaders Lose Credibility — Eric Geiger

If you are going to lead, you need credibility for people to follow you. Eric explains how it’s not always what you have that leads to losing credibility, but what you lack.

 

14 Mistakes Church Leaders Make — Chuck Lawless

Chuck is kind to stop at 14. This list could be much longer. And this post is a great example of why organizations like Vanderbloemen Search Group are so helpful to churches who are looking for staff.

 

5 Secret Objections to Change — Ron Edmondson

I’m in the midst of finishing my next book. It’s on the topic of leading change in the church. I can attest to these five reasons Ron lists.

 

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Trends to Watch for in 2016 (part two) – Rainer on Leadership #188

Podcast Episode #188

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

On today’s episode, we examine the second half of my 16 trends to watch for in 2016. We covered the first half of the trends in podcast #187.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

In the future denominations will need to partner along side churches to resource them instead of pushing resources down to them.
Churches are having difficulty finding staff that they need. The old systems don’t work anymore.
One of the major benefits of using a search firm to help find church staff is the speed of finding the right person.
Congregations are tenacious. They don’t die easily.
The silver lining to churches dying is that new churches will have facilities available.
The increased adversarial role of government is making it difficult for churches in the US.
The entertainment focus of senior adult ministry is waning.

The eight trends we cover today are:

The rise of the mini-denomination church.
Increased pastoral tenure.
Rise of alternative ministry placement organizations.
Increase in the number of Millennials who are Christians.
Accelerated decline of 100,000 American congregations.
Churches no longer viewed favorably by many governmental units.
More bivocational pastors and staff.
Dramatic changes in senior adult ministries.

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

Autopsy of a Deceased Church

The post Trends to Watch for in 2016 (part two) – Rainer on Leadership #188 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Eight Things Your Church Website Must Have

By Jonathan Howe

“Must” is a strong word, and I realize that. But hear me out.

Over the past few years, when we’ve written or discussed church websites, Dr. Rainer and I have continually stated “the two most important elements you need to have on the front page are the church address and service times.”

Many of you have agreed and even complied when your church’s site was lacking one or both. Others have asked “what next?” So here are the next eight things to include on your church’s website:

Staff Names and Titles — Most of the viewers on your church website will be visitors to your church, not members. In fact, a church’s website should be more geared to visitors than to the members. Post names and titles of your staff so when a visitor arrives, they at least have a frame of reference for whom they will be meeting. I would also strongly encourage you to list contact info, and include a picture of your staff members if at all possible. Putting a name with a face always helps, and being able to contact a staff member directly lowers barriers with guests who may have specific questions.
Information about Your Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry — Since the front door of the church is now the website, make sure parents will know what to expect when they arrive with kids or youth. Millennials are highly interested in knowing their kids will be safe and cared for well at church. They also want to know they will be receiving sound instruction while at your church. Let them know what their kids will experience before they show up on Sunday morning.
Sermon Archives — While video is best, audio is acceptable as well. Theologically astute guests will do a greater amount of research on a church before visiting. What is being preached from the pulpit on a Sunday is of utmost importance. There should be no hesitation in posting sermons online, not only to inform potential visitors, but also to benefit those who might not be able to make it to the service each week.
Church Calendar — You can only mention so much in your announcements, and only so many things can fit in a bulletin each week. But with an online calendar, you can list as much as you’d like. The key is keeping the calendar up-to-date. Weekly calendaring meetings might be necessary at first, but once a routine is established, your church members and guests will always have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips.
Contact Info — This may seem like an obvious inclusion. But if it were obvious, I wouldn’t visit so many church websites that lacked a contact page or contact information. An important follow-up to this item is having someone responsible for responding to inquiries. Every contact to a church should receive a response within 24 hours, if not sooner. We live in a connected society, and there is no reason why a church can’t respond to inquiries in a timely fashion.
Statement of Beliefs — This is not only for the theologically minded, but also for those who move from another church or town. A Methodist church in Iowa might not have the same beliefs as one in South Carolina—just as a Baptist church in Texas might not have the same beliefs as one in New Hampshire. And with the proliferation of non-denominational churches, and those with indiscernible denomination affiliation names (e.g. First Community Church), a statement of beliefs helps clarify that for guests. Also, if you are affiliated with a denomination, it’s better to list it than to give the appearance you are trying to hide it.
Links to Social Media Profiles — The inclusion of this item would mean that your church would need to be active on social media. These links do no good if your social media channels are inactive or defunct. I will be writing in the future about social media strategies for churches. But at the very least, a church should be present where its people are—and that place is on social media.
Major Church News Items — Not everyone is present each at church week. So if you roll out a major initiative, make a major announcement, or just have news that’s really important, put it on the website and make it easy to find.

These are just eight non-negotiables I find missing on many church websites. Does your church have these on its site? 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.

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Six Early Warning Signs of Church Dropouts

If everyone who had dropped out of our congregations in the past decade returned, the typical church would triple in worship attendance.

Read that previous sentence carefully. One of the most significant reasons for stagnating and declining attendance is church dropouts.

The most challenging problem is church dropouts rarely return. Reclamation ministry is exceedingly difficult.

Stemming the tide of church dropouts begins before they dropout. And we have an abundance of information that informs us about those who are in danger of dropping out. Here are six of the most common early warning signs, with suggestions to address the issues early rather than later.

Decreased frequency in attendance. If your small group or Sunday school class does not keep attendance records, please begin doing so. It’s not about the numbers per se; it’s about ministry to the body of Christ. With good records, you can tell when a person begins to attend less frequently. And you can contact the member to ask if there is anything you can do for him or her. Decreased worship attendance is more difficult to discern because records are rarely kept. But it is not unusual to hear church members say that they aren’t seeing someone as much as they once did. Those casual comments are a call to action.
No longer attending a group. If someone stops attending a church altogether, there is an urgent need to contact him or her to see how you might minister to that person. Those who drop out of small groups typically leave the church completely within three months.
Decreased giving patterns. Most pastors and church staff do not have access to members’ giving records. But those leaders can ask the person or persons who do see the records to let them know if a member has a significant decline in giving. When I was a pastor, our financial secretary did an excellent job of keeping me informed of potential needs. I would typically take the person to lunch. In every case, I did not bring up the giving issue. But in every case, I discovered the ministry need that precipitated the decline in giving.
Major participant in a church conflict. There are, unfortunately, some church members who are constant complainers and conflict creators. If you, however, see church members get involved in a conflict for the first time, watch them carefully. Their involvement in conflict goes against their more peaceful nature. They may be embarrassed, ashamed, or just plain weary about their involvement. They see exiting the church as their best resolution to the problem.
Family problems. Too many church members are embarrassed when family problems occur. They fear the church will be judgmental rather than redemptive. Church members need to know there is a safe place and/or person where they can share their problems and needs.
Moral failure. Those who are involved in moral failure are the most likely to drop out of church life. Some of them do not want to change their lifestyle and repent. Others do not see the church as a place to confess and be restored. Too many churches do not know how to deal with members involved in moral failure.

Reclamation ministries, seeking to get those who dropped out active again in church life, are worthwhile. They are, however, very difficult with low success rates. It is much better to deal with dropout issues before dropout actually takes place.

Let me hear about dropout issues in your church. What are your challenges? What are your solutions?

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Trends to Watch for in 2016 (part one) – Rainer on Leadership #187

Podcast Episode #187

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

On today’s episode, we examine the first half of my 16 trends to watch for in 2016. We will cover the second half of the trends in podcast #188.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Some churches say they can’t afford security measures. You can’t afford not to have appropriate security measures.
Sometimes I think church worship centers are second only to college football stadiums in their limited usage.
Pastors and leaders who avail themselves to coaching typically have the healthiest churches.
More people are going into gentrified communities, and as a result, more churches are being planted there as well.
I celebrate the renewed emphasis of classical theological training in seminaries.
An all-Anglo church seems abnormal to many Millennials.
The Homogenous Unit Principle is a reality in many churches but should not be a strategy.
Church plants need to be strategic at the onset about not being homogeneous.

The eight trends we cover today are:

Church security as the fastest growing ministry.
Decrease in worship center size and capacity.
Increase in successfully revitalized churches.
Rapid growth of coaching ministries for pastors and church staff.
Increase in the numbers of churches in gentrified communities.
Increased emphasis on practical ministry training.
Increasing emphasis on groups in churches.
Fewer segregated churches.

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

Ministry Grid Training for Church Security and Emergency Response
Healthy Church Trends: A Look Back
12 Megachurch Trends to Watch
ChurchAnswers.com

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Seven Traits of Churches with Increasing Per Member Giving

One of the key metrics of financial giving in a church is per member giving: What is the average giving per member or per attendee? Per member giving is often masked by fluctuations in attendance and membership. The most effective measure is to calculate the average giving per member.

Churches with increased giving per member have seven dominant characteristics. These seven traits are becoming even more important as Millennials enter in our churches in greater numbers.

Increased emphasis on belonging to a group. Those members in a group, such as a small group or Sunday school class, give as much as six times more than those attending worship services alone. Take time to absorb the previous sentence. It’s a huge issue!
Multiple giving venues. Per member giving increases as churches offer more giving venues. I recommend all churches provide these four venues at a minimum: offertory giving in the worship services; online giving; mailed offering envelopes to all members and givers; and automatic deductions from members’ bank accounts. I also recommend churches strongly consider kiosk giving and offertories in groups. I will elaborate more on these issues in a later post.
Meaningful and motivating goals. Church members give more if they see the church has a goal that will make a meaningful difference. “Increasing total gifts by 10%” is not a meaningful goal. “Giving 10% more to advance the gospel in the 37201 zip code” is more meaningful.
Explaining biblical giving in the new members’ class. New member classes should be an entry point for both information on and expectations of biblical church membership. Biblical giving should be a clear and unapologetic expectation of church membership.
Willingness of leadership to talk about money. In the 1980s and 1990s, some pundits did surveys of unchurched persons that indicated they did not go to church because “all they talk about is money.” As a consequence, many church leaders stopped talking about money altogether. While it is possible to communicate financial stewardship in an overbearing manner, it is inexcusable for leaders to be silent about financial stewardship by Christians.
Meaningful financial reporting. Many churches provide financial reporting that only a CPA or a CFO can understand. Church members need to be able to understand clearly how funds are given or spent.
Transparent financial reporting. If church members sense that pertinent financial information is being withheld, they tend to give less or nothing at all. While that does not mean every financial statement provides endless details, it does indicate that church members will have a clear idea of how funds are given and spent.

There are reasons for optimism in church giving. Many churches are experiencing increases in both total giving as well as per member giving. And most of those churches exhibit the seven characteristics noted above.

What is your experience in church giving? Let me hear from you.

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Pray for Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church

Location: Clayton, North Carolina

Pastor: Ken Kunkel

Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM, Eastern

Fast Facts: Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church (GRPC) is a new church plant of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Clayton, NC, on the outskirts of Raleigh. The Lord has been gracious and blessed them with their own beautiful facility where their first worship service was held in 2015 year on Easter Sunday.

GRPC is committed to core values that manifest its mission through growth and engagement in four directions: upward (worship centered), inward (maturity-developing and fellowship-building), outward (outreach-focused), and forward (replication minded). The vision at GRPC is to be a dynamic community of spiritually strong disciples of Christ who worship God with biblical faithfulness and zeal, nurture one another in the faith, bear witness to the Gospel, and exhibit grace to all people. If you look about in the community of Clayton you will find the saints of GRPC faithfully laboring for Christ so that others may see the light of the Gospel.

Pray for their weekly breakfasts for men and women. Also while there is praise for the rapid growth GRPC has experiences, please pray that the church continues to remain outward focused.

Website:  GraceReformed.Church

“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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Notable Voices: January 2, 2016

What Equipment Is Needed to Create a Podcast — Jonathan Howe

Jonathan hosts, edits, and produces my podcast, Rainer on Leadership. We often get questions about what equipment is needed for podcasting. Jonathan put his answers all in one spot. If you’re considering starting a podcast, here is a full list of what you’ll need.

 

12 New Year Goals for Growth — Chuck Lawless

Growth is not accidental. You need goals to reach for a plans to reach them. Instead of resolutions this New Year, why not go with goals instead?

 

The 2016 Reading Challenge — Tim Challies

Tim provides four great plans that can meet any reader’s appetite. Reading is so important to continuing your development as a pastor or leader because those who lead are often those who read.

 

Plagiarizing and Quoting in Preaching — Nick Batzig

This post is a good word of both warning and encouragement for pastors.

 

Three Ways Your Spouse Can Make You a Better Leader — Eric Geiger

As Eric writes, “God puts people around us to sharpen us, challenge us, and show us areas in our lives that need change.” Your spouse is the one closest to you and should be the one who sharpens and challenges you the most.

 

10 Check-Up Questions for the New Year — Kevin DeYoung

This is a great list from Kevin for self-evaluation. Too often we set goals or resolutions without an understanding of where we currently are.

 

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Top 10 Rainer on Leadership Podcast Episodes of 2015

2015 was a big year for Rainer on Leadership. We celebrated our 100th episode, expanded to two episodes per week, saw new sponsors come on board, and had more than 800,000 episode downloads during the year. Thanks to Vanderbloemen Search Group and Trinity International University for their support and for all of you who downloaded, rated, reviewed, and listened to the podcast in 2015.

Also, thanks to our great guests in 2015 for taking the time to come on the podcast and provide such great content for our listeners: John C. Maxwell, Brad Lomenick, Mike Glenn, Keith Getty, Jackie Bledsoe, Selma Wilson, Stephen and Alex Kendrick, David Platt, and Michael Hyatt.

We can’t wait to see what 2016 will bring. We have new episodes starting next week and a new sponsor coming on board soon as well. Finally, if you enjoy the podcast each week, please help us out by giving us a rating and review at iTunes.

Here are our top episodes of the year:

Why Pastors Often Leave Their Church in the Third Year – Episode #117
10 Keys to Developing a Healthy Church Staff – Episode #119
How to Make Announcements in Worship Services – Episode #098
What Does a Healthy Church Budget Look Like? – Episode #115
What to Do With Church Bullies – Episode #118
9 Major Areas of Tension Every Pastor Experiences – Episode #114
Nine Technological Trends Every Church Should Consider – Episode #107
The Five Most Common Obstacles to Breaking Attendance Barriers – Episode #126
Six Keys for Reaching Millennials in Established Churches – Episode #101
Nine Keys to Successful Sermon Preparation – Episode #097

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Top 10 Posts by Chuck Lawless in 2015

Dear readers,

Today’s post is the final regular post I will have on this site. I thank Thom Rainer for giving me the opportunity a few years ago to begin blogging—an opportunity that led to my launching my own site at ChuckLawless.com six months ago. And, I thank you, the readers, who have made all of this possible. You’ve encouraged me and challenged me to increase my ministry through these writings. If you haven’t yet signed up for my daily posts at ChuckLawless.com, join us there today. Let’s continue this journey together!

Happy New Year!

Chuck Lawless

Top 10 Posts by Chuck Lawless in 2015

#1 – 11 Reasons Pastors Struggle on Easter

Easter Sunday is a day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Church buildings will likely be more full than all other Sundays of the year. Songs of resurrection will ring out. Congregations will gather in their finest clothes to worship, often followed by a special Sunday lunch.

And yet, for some pastors Easter Sunday is a difficult day. I know, because I’ve been there. Here’s why this day can be a struggle – and why pastors need our prayers.

#2 – 10 Distractions Regarding Worship Music

In 2014, I posted findings on common worship distractions. Since that time, some readers have questioned me more specifically about our findings regarding the musical component of worship. So, the goal in this post is to respond to that request.

Let me be honest about my qualifications up front, though: I am not a musician or singer; I am a church consultant only reporting what our teams have found in more than 15 years of consulting. It is not my intent to be judgmental or offensive. I have utmost respect for those who lead us in worship. With those caveats in mind, here are ten distractions we’ve encountered in the music element of worship.

#3 – The Most Frequent Burdens Pastors Face

In my years of church consulting, I have spent hours talking to local church pastors. Much of the conversation revolves around church structure, vision, etc., but seldom does the conversation stay at that level. Pastors, it seems, long for someone to listen to them. They want someone to share their burdens, even if only for a few minutes.

Listen to the topics of pain I often hear, and take a minute to pray for your church leaders.

At many conferences and meetings I attend, I am expected to wear a nametag. The business world thinks about nametags, but the church world gives them too little thought. Here are ten reasons EVERYONE in church ought to wear a nametag.

#5 – 8 Reasons Pastors Struggle during the Christmas Season

Last Easter, I wrote a post about “11 Reasons Pastors Struggle on Easter.” Now, the Christmas season is upon us. Despite all the fun of this holiday, this time of year can also be difficult for pastors. Here are several reasons why:

#6 – Church Reflections from a 22-Year-Old

This past weekend, I had the chance to hang out with a 22-year-old for three days. George has been raised in a Christian home. He is a believer. He wants to follow the Lord. He is creative and introspective. His mind races in multiple directions at once, and yet he somehow listens and thinks deeply at the same time. He is not a ministry student; in fact, he’s not yet certain where he’ll land when he finishes college.

God has blessed me to pour into George’s life—but I’m the one who is learning. On the spur of the moment, I asked George what ten things he would like in a church if he could design it. Within minutes, he gave me his response—so quickly, in fact, that I suspect he’s thought about these topics before. Compare George’s responses to the young adults you know.

#7 – 12 Reasons Why Church Leaders Don’t Delegate

I admit it – I don’t delegate responsibilities as much as I should. In my attempts to do better, though, I’ve tried to learn from others who share the same struggle. Based on my own experiences and these informal interviews, here are twelve reasons for church leaders not delegating.

#8 – 13 Signs of Leadership Fatigue

Leadership is sometimes wearisome – so wearisome that we come close to giving up. Over the years, I’ve watched leaders slide into defeat, and I’ve seen some of these common signs of trouble.

I list these symptoms of “leadership fatigue” here not to discourage you, but instead to help you recognize them, address them, and move forward. At the end of this post, tell us how we might pray for you if you see yourself in this list.

#9 – Nine Reasons Christians Don’t Evangelize

I’ve been a professor of evangelism for almost twenty years. Over the years, I’ve continually considered and asked why most believers never do evangelism. Here are nine of the reasons I’ve discovered, given in no particular order.

#10 – 10 Reasons Preaching Is Scary

Anybody who knows me probably knows I love to preach. I so clearly knew God’s calling many years ago that only disobedience would allow me to ignore preaching today.

To be candid, though, preaching scares me. Here’s why:

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