Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 248

Eight Characteristics of Evangelistic Church Growth Leaders

By Chuck Lawless

This week I’ve been preparing some lectures for my upcoming seminars in the DMin in Church Revitalization and Great Commission Leadership at Southeastern Seminary. For years, I’ve kept a running list of characteristics of pastors who lead effective evangelistic churches (that is, churches that are reaching non-believers rather than simply reaching other church members). Below are several of those characteristics.

They believe the Bible is the Word of God. Consequently, they accept the truth that people who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus are without hope. The Word drives them to want to reach people.
They take the lead in personal evangelism. They model evangelism, but not because they happen to be the pastor; they do it because Jesus is in their heart and evangelism is in their blood. These leaders would evangelize even if they weren’t pastors.
They know the church’s numbers. They’re not idolatrous of those numbers, but they’re certainly aware of them. “A number represents a person” is much more than an adage to them; it’s a reflection of their focus on real people who need Jesus.
They take personally any lack of evangelistic growth. That’s not to suggest, though, that they believe they can somehow create growth. It’s simply that they so long to see lives changed that they want to evaluate why when it doesn’t happen.
They’ve led their churches to get ready for growth. They’re not always fully prepared for what God does, but their churches don’t take lightly their responsibility to disciple new believers God gives them. They have the “nursery” ready for babes in Christ.
They know their community well – and they love that community. They can usually describe the general demographic makeup of their community, not only because they’ve studied the data but also because they’ve walked the streets. They’re glad to live where they live, and they hope to stay there awhile.
They hold their staff accountable for doing evangelism. They may not always require written reports, but they’re intentional about asking for verbal reports during staff meetings. Typically, they’re hesitant to hire anyone who doesn’t have a strong evangelism record.
Increasingly, they are more committed to church planting. Because these pastors want to see people saved, they’ve often joined the forces emphasizing evangelistic church planting today. They aren’t worried that everyone comes to their church, and they’re willing to send out some of their best to start congregations.

From your experience, would you add other characteristics?

Be sure to check out Dr. Lawless’ daily blog posts at www.chucklawless.com. Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

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Seven Situations Where Your Church Should Not Have Greeters

I am an advocate for churches having greeters.

Most of the time.

But there are a few occasions where I think it’s best for the church to have no greeters at all. Indeed, if one or a few of these situations exist, greeters in the worship services can do more harm than good.

So when should your church not have greeters? Here are seven such occasions:

If the greeters are not trained. Unfortunately, the majority of churches put greeters on the front lines of ministry with no training. They are thus simply not equipped to deal with guests.
If the greeters do not have scheduled meetings. Greeters should meet together about once a quarter. They are able to share experiences and encouragement with one another.
If the greeters are not naturally friendly. I’ve been in some churches where the greeters look like they are in pain. I’ve wanted to flee from them. An unfriendly greeter should be an oxymoron.
If they act more like ushers than greeters. A greeter is supposed to greet, to make guests feel welcome, and to direct them where they need to go. If all greeters do is hand out bulletins and find a seat for guests, they are really not greeters at all.
If they don’t intentionally seek out guests. A well-trained and experienced greeter is able to distinguish a guest from a member. Greeters should not wait for guests to find them; they should seek out the guests.
If they are unwilling to walk the person to their destination. I was recently visiting someone in a hospital. I asked a nurse for directions. She offered to walk me to my destination. That one act gave me a favorable initial impression of the hospital. Part of the greeters’ responsibilities is to walk the guest to the worship service, to the preschool area, or wherever they need to go.
If they are not knowledgeable about the church. I was recently in a church where I was to meet the executive pastor before the services. I asked a greeter where I could find him. The greeter had never heard of him. Seriously.

A good greeter is an incredible and invaluable resource for a church. A poor greeter is a terrible ambassador for a church. It would be better not to have greeters at your church than to have poor greeters.

Let me hear your thoughts.

For information on greeter training from Ministry Grid, click here.

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Leadership and the Local Church with John C. Maxwell – Rainer on Leadership #181

Podcast Episode #181

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

On today’s episode, John C. Maxwell joins us to discuss his latest book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters. We also cover a few leadership topics related to the local church like pastoral tenure, the need for leadership training, and how to make a difference that outlasts your life. Check out Start7Day.com for more free resources from John C. Maxwell on living intentionally.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

“Everything worthwhile in life is uphill.”
“If we don’t live an intentional life, we never get to the things that are worthwhile.”
“Living intentionally means turning good intentions into good actions.”
“We have people in the pews every week who have just dumbed down their lives.”
“The big picture always has Jesus in the middle.”
“The most underrated word in the English language is ‘consistent.'”
“Our success is determined by what we do everyday.”
“Most people don’t lead their life—they accept their life. They don’t write their life—they read their life.”
“If you’re an insecure pastor, you’re always going to have trouble with the guys who have pastored before you.”
“Successful leadership all starts with intentionality.”

About John C. Maxwell
John C. Maxwell, the #1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, and speaker who has sold more than 25 million books, was identified as the #1 leader in business by the American Management Association® and the world’s most influential leadership expert by Business Insider and Inc. magazine in 2014. In that year Dr. Maxwell also rec
eived the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network. His
organizations—The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, and EQUIP—have trained more than 5 million leaders in every one of the world’s nations. For more information visit JohnMaxwell.com.
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.

Also, don’t miss this special offer that’s only available in December. The first 15 churches that start a search this December will receive a free VanderCoaching subscription. VanderCoaching is their video coaching curriculum that helps church leaders build, run, and keep great teams. It includes over 50 videos on topics like hiring, firing, staff reviews, church legality, and volunteers. It’s normally priced at $1,000.00, but you’ll get it for free if your church starts a search in December.

Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group and VanderCoaching 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

Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters
Start7Day.com

The post Leadership and the Local Church with John C. Maxwell – Rainer on Leadership #181 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Two Major But Under the Radar Changes in American Churches

I never would have predicted these changes to take place so rapidly.

Indeed I am surprised to be writing about them today as major changes. But they are a growing reality.

The two major changes have a similar theme: decentralization. The first is a decentralization of facilities. The second is a decentralization of leadership. Let’s look at each of these major shifts.

Decentralization of Facilities

Just ten years ago, you could count on 99 percent of churches to have a singular address. All of the church’s buildings were at one location. Most churches had their groups or Sunday school classes at that same location. Though it was biblically errant to say so, many people referred to the one location as “the church.”

Today, a growing number of churches have multiple locations. Among megachurches, those congregations with an average worship attendance of 2,000 or more, the move to the multisite model has been dramatic. Just ten years ago, 27 percent of megachurches were multisite. Today the number is 62 percent! Such a massive change is breathtaking.

But the multisite model is not limited to large churches. More and more medium and small churches are moving to this model as well.

Further decentralization of facilities is evident in where small groups meet. The most common sites ten years ago were in classrooms at the singular address. Now home groups and other off-site groups are becoming normative.

Decentralization of Leadership

Though many churches have had a plurality of leadership for years, the trend toward decentralization of leadership has become more common.

For example, in multi-staff churches ten years ago, the pastor was either known as “pastor” or “senior pastor.” But the label “lead pastor” has become normative in a plurality of churches today.

The leader who was a senior pastor was often perceived to be at the top of an organization chart. “Senior” thus referred to the person at the pinnacle of an hierarchal system.

“Lead pastor” is a move toward decentralization. In most cases, the title refers to a person who is a leader among equals. If that sounds like an oxymoron, it was intended to be so. The lead pastor is on a team of peers, but one person is deemed to be the “greater equal” on the team. Churches with lead pastors typically shy away from the traditional organization chart that has a pastor as the senior most person in the church. Decentralization of leadership is thus becoming more common.

The Reasons for Decentralization

Sometimes decentralization is simply a practical solution. For example, a church may discover a better use of stewardship by starting a second site rather than building a larger worship center. Or some pastors may pick up the title of lead pastor because others have moved in that direction.

At the core of these changes, though, is a desire to move away from centralization. And this trend may be one of the most significant trends of the American church in a century. I will share the profound implications of this trend in an upcoming podcast.

In the meantime, let me hear from you.

The post Two Major But Under the Radar Changes in American Churches appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Pray for DayBreak Church

Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin

Pastor: Brit Windel

Weekly Worship: 10:00 AM, Central

Fast Facts:

Church info: Three years ago my, Brit and Stacie Windel sold everything, quit their jobs, and moved back to Stacie’s hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin to start a church. On October 12, 2014, DayBreak Church was founded with 17 complete strangers all rallying around the simple mission of “sharing the story of God with people so people can belong to the story of God”. Over the last 13 months, DayBreak has seen 21 salvations, 9 baptisms, 12 child dedications, and ministry through families and the city take place in a way that has been nothing short of miraculous. God has been faithful in taking the 19 who started the church and multiplying that into a regular and growing family of nearly 100 regular worshipers each Sunday.

DayBreak Church is currently running two Christmas projects: one involves adopting more than a dozen children to provide with Christmas presents, and the other is the funding of a dinner for a local homeless shelter. Please pray for those ministries this Christmas season as well as that God would continue to bless and lead DayBreak Church, keeping them on task in creating a raw authentic community for people far from God to hear the Gospel and be compelled to respond. Also pray that through discipleship and the Lord’s leading, DayBreak would see leaders rise up within the church to help further their ministry to the hurting and their city. Finally, pray for their resources. As a young church with no outside financial help they have not yet come to a place of sustainability and are always looking for partners to help in their mission and vision of sharing the gospel in the Southeastern corridor of Wisconsin.

Website: OurDayBreak.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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Notable Voices: December 5, 2015

Six Characteristics of a Generous Person — Art Rainer

The Christmas season brings out the generosity in many. Few are truly generous throughout the year. Art shares six characteristics that can cultivate a generous spirit throughout the year.

 

Keith Getty Isn’t Sick of Singing the Same Christmas Songs — Ivan Mesa

In this interview, Keith Getty shares how to get the most out of the songs of Christmas. Also Keith and Kristyn are currently touring with their “Joy! An Irish Christmas” show. Also be sure to check your local listings for their PBS Christmas special.

 

The Most Essential Life Skill: Teachability — David Murray

This is a great article from David. And why teachability? Because it embodies humility and shows a desire to improve. When you combine those two basic characteristics, you will achieve more than you can imagine.

 

Four Practical Ways to Avoid Burnout — Eric Geiger

Pastors are prime candidates for burnout, especially in busy seasons like Christmastime. So take heed to Eric’s four tips and set yourself up for success instead of burnout.

 

If Words Matter, So Do Prayers — Aaron Earls

Aaron offers a thoughtful and careful response to the salacious headlines and online rhetoric we’ve seen in the wake of the San Bernardino shootings.

 

How to Evaluate Your Church’s Worship Service — Chuck Lawless

Seven points and not one about the style of music. Probably not what you were expecting from the title. It’s important to note, as Chuck shows, the true quality of a worship goes far beyond the music style.

 

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The Great Importance of Pastoral Tenure – Rainer on Leadership #180

Podcast Episode #180

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

On today’s episode, we discuss the connection between pastoral tenure and church health. We continue to see a pattern of healthy churches led by long-term pastors. While we have no statistical correlation, it simply makes sense that a pastor who sticks with a church through thick and thin will see that church become healthier over time.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Pastoral tenure is a lot more difficult than academic or business tenure.
I believe pastoring is the most difficult leadership assignment there is.
Pastors who seek mentoring and help are the ones who are most likely to experience revitalization.
A church doesn’t accidentally start revitalizing. It is a very intentional process.
It is absolutely imperative for a pastor to live in or near the community of the church.
It is not a bad thing to go through conflict or crisis in the local church.
Going through conflict is not unusual. Not having conflict is not normal.

The six reasons pastoral tenure is so important are:

Our research continues to show a strong correlation to pastoral tenure and church health.
The breakout years of pastoral tenure typically begin after years 5 to 7.
Relationships take time, particularly in church leadership.
Nearly nine out of ten churches in America are in need of turnaround leadership.
Community relationships and impact take time as well.
Pastors and churches will have had time to go through a crisis or conflict.

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.

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is a dynamic community of learners who are serious about ministry preparation biblical studies theological reflection and cultural engagement. Their faculty are gifted men and women who minister as much through research and writing as through local church involvement but their primary ministry is teaching and caring for students. Find out more about TEDS at Divinity.TIU.edu.

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

Breakout Churches
ChurchAnswers.com

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8 Reasons Pastors Struggle during the Christmas Season

By Chuck Lawless

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:

The season feels like it goes on for too long. Culture contributes to that feeling, of course, when shopping malls start decorating for Christmas just after Halloween. Churches do it, though, when we practice for presentations for months, plan the Christmas Eve service months in advance, etc. All of that’s important – it just makes the season seem long.
The season is non-stop, it seems. The events are numerous, and the expectations are high. Small group parties to attend. Personal invitations from church members. Senior adult luncheons. Student ice-skating parties. An occasional Christmas wedding. To say “no” to any of these seems out of order, but to say “yes” to all of them can lead to burnout.
Family time can be sidelined. At a time when being with family is so important, it’s easy to spend all our time getting ready for the week-before-Christmas sermon, the Christmas Eve message, etc. Even Christmas Eve sometimes requires more focus on the church service than on our own family. Our families often take note when they see us minister more to others than to them.
The needs around us are often more emphasized. Like perhaps at no other time during the year, pastors and church leaders are confronted by community needs. Hunger. Homelessness. Poverty. Hungry and hurting children. When we see the needs at Christmas time, we realize how little we typically do the rest of the year.
Christmas sermons sometimes feel stale. We know the Word itself is never stale, but it feels that way when we’re looking for new and exciting ways to tell the Christmas story again. Simply pulling out last year’s sermon seems inadequate, but finding a new approach seems almost impossible.
The season can give rise to controversial issues. Somebody questions whether Christians should celebrate Christmas on December 25 – or at all. Another complains about “pagan” Christmas trees in the sanctuary. Somebody else rails against the expensive Christmas pageant, and still another doesn’t like the staff receiving a Christmas bonus. Every complaint robs a pastor of one more ounce of Christmas joy.
Visitors show up on Christmas, but a lot of people leave town also. It’s great to see new folks (some that we haven’t seen since last Christmas), but it’s also sometimes discouraging when the overall crowd is lower because of traveling church members.
The holiday is not a holiday for everyone to whom we minister. Some hurt because a recently deceased loved one is not celebrating Christmas with them this year. Others grieve because a son or daughter has been deployed in war – or perhaps is simply estranged from the family. Many are just lonely. What should be a joyous time of year is actually painful for some, and we’re called to minister to them, too.

Say a prayer for pastors today as they minister among us during this season. Pastors, what would you add to this list?

Be sure to check out Dr. Lawless’ daily blog posts at www.chucklawless.com. Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on both Twitter and Facebook.

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Five Reasons Millennial Pastors Are Not Moving to Larger Churches

They are the largest generation in America’s history. At 78 million persons, they surpassed the Boomer generation by two million. Born between 1980 and 2000, they are shaping our businesses, our government, and our culture.

And they are shaping our churches.

As a Boomer, I remember well how pastors were viewed just a few decades ago. In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the “successful” pastors were those who made it to large county seat churches. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the measure of success was leading larger churches.

The times they are a’changin’ (Bob Dylan for the uninformed).

To be sure, there are still Millennial pastors moving to larger churches. And these young adult leaders are not averse to megachurches.

But more Millennial pastors sense God’s call to the smaller and mid-size churches. Why has their attitude been so different from their predecessors? I asked a number of these young leaders, and here are five of the responses they gave me.

They want to invest their lives in a community. The Millennial pastors as a whole are highly community focused. And they realize that they and their churches will not be fully embraced in a short period of time.
They want more stability for their families. To be fair, these young leaders will not deny a call to another community or even another country if they sense God’s call in that direction. But any move has to be convincing, convicting, and compelling. I know. I moved my family four times in ministry. I am not sure I followed God as much as my own selfish ambitions.
They don’t measure ministry success and fulfillment by numbers and size. Another caveat is in order. These Millennial pastors do desire to reach more people. They truly want to make more disciples. But their worth and esteem is not measured by “what they are running.”
They are starting new churches. This generation is a church planting generation. Many of them desire to stay with those churches for the long haul.
They are leading church revitalization. They are sufficiently wise to understand that the turnaround of a declining established church is a long-term endeavor. They are willing to make such commitments to win trust and lead revitalization.

As with any generation, we must be careful with generalizations. There are always exceptions and differences. But, as a rule, Millennial pastors have a much longer-term perspective on church tenure. And they see their ministries fulfilled by lives being changed and communities impacted. If the result is a larger church, they are fine with it. But numbers and size are not their measures of success, contentment, or obedience.

Let me hear from you.

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Six Considerations for Holiday Outreach – Rainer on Leadership #179

Podcast Episode #179

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes • RSS • Stitcher • TuneIn Radio

With the Christmas season quickly approaching, we take time to discuss how to make the best use of holiday events and services. You will likely have more unchurched people in your services during the Christmas season that any other time of the year. These six tips will help you maximize your effectiveness during the holiday season.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

People are more open to be prayed for during the Christmas season.
This is a great time of year to both be a blessing and remind people of the blessing that Jesus is.
People who are not in church are more receptive to an invite during the holiday season.
A Christmas Eve service is by far the easiest time of the year to get the unchurched to attend a service.
Any time you have a church event, you should learn things that will help you in the next event.

The six holiday outreach considerations we cover today are:

Pray for your community
Pray for the hurting during the holidays
Look for opportunities to minister
Don’t forget the unchurched – especially on Christmas Eve
Understand the power and limitations of special events
Prepare for the next event

Episode Sponsors

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is a dynamic community of learners who are serious about ministry preparation biblical studies theological reflection and cultural engagement. Their faculty are gifted men and women who minister as much through research and writing as through local church involvement but their primary ministry is teaching and caring for students. Find out more about TEDS at Divinity.TIU.edu.

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

Big Oak Ranch
Five Secrets To Getting Church Guests To Return Cards

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