Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 257
September 10, 2015
Ten Books That Have Shaped My Life
I’m a seminary professor, blogger, and church consultant. I work for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and the International Mission Board. As often as possible, I serve as interim pastor. I’m busy, but I’m busy because I love the opportunities to be with the people of God.
Occasionally, someone asks me what books have most influenced me along the way. It’s not easy to narrow that list, but I’ve come to realize just how much these books listed here have affected my life.
In His Steps, by Charles M. Sheldon (1896). My mother in the faith (thanks, Katherine Langford) encouraged me to read this classic when I was a young pastor. “What would Jesus do?” became a burning question for me long before the WWJD craze.
Spiritual Leadership, by Oswald Sanders (1967). I read this book as a young pastor in the 1980s. The principles are great, but what I remember most are quotes from A. W. Tozer (“The man who is ambitious to lead is disqualified”) and Samuel Brengle (“It [spiritual leadership] is not won by promotion, but my many prayers and tears”)
The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert Coleman (1963). The first time I met Dr. Coleman, he was traveling with a student; that is, he was living out the principles of this book. Sometimes a book changes you because of the author’s walk.
The Christian in Complete Armour, by William Gurnall (three volumes in the 17th century). A seminary professor (Tim Beougher) required me to read this massive work during my PhD studies. Gurnall helped me to see the reality of spiritual warfare, a topic on which I centered my doctoral work.
The Soul Winner, by Charles Spurgeon (compilation of lectures, addresses, and sermons during Spurgeon’s 19th century ministry). This compilation of lectures, addresses, and sermons is one of my favorite books on evangelism. It’s convicting, challenging, practical, and funny. You can’t read it without hearing Spurgeon say over and over again that soul winning is “the chief business of the Christian minister.”
Let the Nations Be Glad, by John Piper (1993). Dr. Piper and I would not agree on everything, but it was he whose writing grabbed my heart for the nations. I simply could not ignore his strong biblical foundation for reaching all the people groups of the world.
Effective Evangelistic Churches, by Thom Rainer (1996). This book was the first one on which I served with Dr. Rainer’s research team. More than that, though, this book challenged me to always ask this question: “If a church is growing, is it growing by conversion growth?”
Christ-Centered Preaching, by Bryan Chapell (1994). I’ve read many books on preaching, but Chapell’s words about application in the sermon changed the way I preach: “Without application, a preacher has no reason to preach, because truth without actual or potential application fulfills no redemptive purpose” (Kindle Locations 4417-4418).
The Walk, by Michael Card (2000). As an educator and mentor, I think there is no better book that describes the influence a professor can have on a student. At least twice a year, I read this story of musician Michael Card and his college professor and mentor, Bill Lane. Every Christian mentor should read this book.
Good to Great, by Jim Collins (2001). This best-seller helped me to think deeply about the process of building a team. The concept of “First who, then what” was a much needed insight, and now I try to live by the directive, “Get the right people on the bus, and get them in the right seats on the bus.”
Of course, other books have influenced me significantly, but this list gives you a sense of some that have most shaped me. What books would you add to this list for your life?
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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September 9, 2015
Ten More Ways Churches Drive Away First-time Guests
On November 1, 2014, I wrote a blog post about ten ways churches drive away first-time guests. You can read the article here. Those top ten ways came from an informal Twitter poll. I was surprised by the number of responses we received for both the poll and the blog post.
Of course, there were many more responses than the original ten. I have saved the other responses for nearly a year. The ten items I list below actually represent the second ten most frequent responses. From my perspective, these second-tier responses are somewhat of a surprise. They might be, nevertheless, helpful to you and your church. Each of the ten items has a representative comment.
The congregation was old. “When I looked at the age of those attending, I knew there wouldn’t be anything there for my children.”
There was clutter everywhere. “The church building looked like a Goodwill store for Bibles, books, umbrellas, and clothes. I did not want to return.”
People were gathered in cliques talking to each other. “I could tell before the service that I didn’t belong to their club.”
People got the aisle seats first. “I had to climb over eight people to get a seat. They seemed disgusted I was there.”
There was inadequate signage for people with small children. “From the parking lot to the front door to the preschool area, I had no idea where to go. It was frustrating.”
There was no worship guide or bulletin. “I saved the bulletins from the churches I visited. If a church did not have one, I forgot all about it.”
The check in process for children was slow and disorganized. “My kids were screaming the whole time; I’m not going back.”
There were memorial plaques everywhere. “They were on the pews, the tables, the organ, the piano, and the windows. It was creepy. I felt like I was in a funeral home.”
The service did not start on time. “My family rushed to get there on time, but the service started over ten minutes late. No one seemed to know what they were doing.”
People were saving seats. “They might as well had a sign that said, ‘You are not welcome near me.’”
Keep in mind, these comments are second-tier responses. But they represent many people. They just might represent guests who won’t return to your church.
Let me hear from you.
The post Ten More Ways Churches Drive Away First-time Guests appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
September 8, 2015
The Secrets to Getting Guests to Fill Out and Return Info Cards – Rainer on Leadership #157
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On today’s episode, we discuss guest communication cards and so much more—including my allergies.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Drop-in visits to church guests have become exceptions rather than the rule.
Some guest cards look more like a census survey than an info card.
The bare minimum for guest info cards: first name, email address, and prayer requests.
The lower the barrier for guests, the more likely they are to return information cards.
I speculate churches would double or triple the number of guest cards turned in just by simplifying the info on the card.
The secrets to getting guests to fill out and return info cards are:
There needs to be time to complete it
Guests fear a visit & the motive
Phone info is held most closely
Most churches overcomplicate the guest cards
Less is more
Use digital registration for guests if possible
Have a place for prayer requests
Don’t make guests stand out
Consider offering a small gift in return for the card
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
Church of the Highlands
I Will
I Am a Church Member
The post The Secrets to Getting Guests to Fill Out and Return Info Cards – Rainer on Leadership #157 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
September 7, 2015
Ten Signs a Pastor Is Becoming a Chaplain
In the broadest sense, a chaplain refers to those who are assigned to care and provide ministry for a specific group of people. Military and hospital chaplains, for example, have clearly defined groups who come under their care and ministry.
In local church ministry, we don’t typically use the term “chaplain,” though there are many pastoral roles that are congruent with chaplaincy. In fact, most of the pastoral care and concern for church members are chaplain-like functions.
Without a doubt, pastors should minister to church members. The danger is when pastors do little other than minister to the needs of church members, and the leadership of the church is neither equipping others nor leading the congregation to reach those who do not have a church home. In essence, the pastor is becoming a chaplain. Here are ten warning signs that such a process is likely taking place.
The pastor is not equipping others. Church members expect the pastor to do most of the ministry, and the pastor fulfills those unbiblical expectations.
Pastoral care of members is increasing. As a consequence, the pastor has less time to lead the congregation to reach beyond its walls.
The pastor does not take time to connect with non-members and non-Christians. Simply stated, there is no outwardly focused Great Commission leadership.
The pastor deals with members’ complaints at an increasing rate. Once members get accustomed to the pastor being their on-call chaplain, they are likely to become irritated and frustrated when the pastor is not omnipresent and omniscient for their every need.
The pastor worries more about the next phone call, conversation, or email. Such is the tendency of the pastor-chaplain who knows there will always be complaints about needs not getting met.
The pastor experiences greater family interference time. Many pastor-chaplains are fearful of protecting family time lest they not be highly responsive to church members. Some of these pastors have lost their families as a consequence.
The pastor is reticent to take vacation time or days off. Pastor-chaplains would rather have no time off than worry about what they may miss while they are away from the church.
The pastor is reticent to take new initiatives. There are two reasons for this response. First, the pastor-chaplain does not want to upset the members with change. Second, the pastor-chaplain does not have time for new ideas because of the time demands of members.
The pastor has no vision for the future. The pastor-chaplain is too busy taking care of current member demands. Little time is available for visionary thinking and leadership.
The pastor has lost the joy of ministry. Of course, this unfortunate development should be expected. There is no joy in dealing with unreasonable expectations and constant streams of criticisms, or with a ministry that has no evangelistic fruit.
I pray you pastors will look at these ten items as a checklist for your own ministry. And I pray you church members will look at the list and honestly evaluate your church to see if you have pushed your pastor into full-time chaplaincy.
As always, I value your input on these topics. Let me hear from you.
The post Ten Signs a Pastor Is Becoming a Chaplain appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
September 6, 2015
Pray for Rising Church
Location: Leesburg, Virginia
Pastor: Jason Lamb
Weekly Worship: 10:10 AM, Eastern
Fast Facts: Rising Church is a church plant in Leesburg, VA that began meeting as a small group in August of 2014. They launched their weekly worship services on July 5, 2015. Rising Church is a missionally-minded, multi-ethnic, multi-generational church whose vision is people being TRANSFORMED by the Gospel, SET APART for the glory of God, and SENT OUT for the salvation of the world. They have focused a great deal of time and energy into outreach efforts in the city this summer: 4th of July outreach, VBS week, sports camp, 3 block parties for low-income and government-subsidized housing areas (Heritage Square & the Fields), 1 of those block parties was a back to school event in which they were able to equip 108 students with backpacks and school supplies for the upcoming school year. Pray for September 20, 2015 as this is the launch of their new ministry year. Rising Church will be starting a new sermon series on prayer & mission, their weekly in-home small groups will resume using the Gospel Project curriculum, and they will begin a weekly prayer & evangelism ministry in the low-income and government-subsidized housing areas (Heritage Square & the Fields). Pray that God would continue to bridge the gap between this church plant and these communities that are of greatest need in Leesburg, VA. God has already brought 4 families from those neighborhoods to be a part of the church plant family! Rising Church’s weekly worship services are held in a local community center which is an excellent facility, but they are trusting in God and praying for His provision as they seek 24/7 space that will more easily enable them to have a constant and ongoing presence and ministry in our city.
Website: TheRising.cc
“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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September 5, 2015
Notable Voices: September 5, 2015
7 Ways to Be a Best Friend to a Pastor — Ron Edmondson
Pastors often have a tough time truly befriending church members—often because they have been burned by church members in previous churches. Here are seven ways to be a best friend to your pastor.
6 Ways to Improve Your Church Bulletin — Rachel Blom
Church bulletins are often an amalgamation of announcements, schedules, and random information. They often lack what this article points to: strategy.
Research Finds Few Pastors Give up on Ministry — LifeWay Pastors
LifeWay Research released some new findings this week on pastors and longevity the ministry. These results correct random stats from around the internet that have been erroneously cited for years.
9 Vision Blockers for Church Leaders — Chuck Lawless
Number one might be the most obvious of this group, but number eight probably is the most common vision blocker.
5 Rarely Talked About Tips for Every Communicator and Writer — Carey Nieuwhof
Pastors, these five points will help your sermons.
3 Things to Remember Before You Criticize Someone’s Theology — Justin Taylor
These are helpful reminders from Justin which come straight from Scripture.
The post Notable Voices: September 5, 2015 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
September 4, 2015
What’s the Big Deal with Church Committees? – Rainer on Leadership #156
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On today’s episode, we discuss a recent post on church committees and why they often impede progress in many churches. We also provide alternate methods to a committee structure and ideas on how to best communicate a change to the committees in your church.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Not all church committees are bad. Not all church committees lack purpose.
You will likely get some level of pushback or anger when you change a church committee’s purpose or structure.
Think diligently before starting a committee. It is a lot easier not to start a committee than to kill a committee.
Committees conform to the doctrine of the perseverance of committees.
Nomenclature matters with church structures such as committees or ministry teams.
Doing away with committees is not the solution to the ills in a church, but they are symptomatic of a church’s ills.
Churches overly focused on committees are often in decline and inwardly focused.
The five problems many church leaders have with church committees are:
The committee has forgotten its purpose.
Some committees meet even if they don’t have a reason to meet.
Some committees attract control freaks.
It’s hard to kill a committee.
Unnecessary committees and committee meetings replace ministry.
Episode Sponsors
Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier pastor search firm dedicated to helping churches and ministries build great teams. They’ve helped hundreds of churches just like yours find their church staff and are uniquely geared to help you discern who God is calling to lead your church. Find out more about Vanderbloemen Search Group by visiting WeStaffTheChurch.com.
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
How to Lead a Staff Meeting Well
Seven Things Search Committees Should Do After the Pastor Is Selected
The post What’s the Big Deal with Church Committees? – Rainer on Leadership #156 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
September 3, 2015
10 Things Effective Churches Do Well
I’ve written posts for this site and my own that describe some of the negatives our church consulting teams and “spies” have found in churches. The goal of this post is to show some of the positives we’ve seen in different churches. The topics vary, but perhaps something will help you in your church.
Greeters at every door. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally every one of our team members is greeted when each of us intentionally enters a different door. Those churches are ready for guests.
Strong security in the preschool/children’s areas. Sometimes our team members gain entrance to these area much too easily, but we’ve been in churches that physically halted our team from going beyond the boundaries. I’m pleased to report to the church that their security system worked in those cases.
Name tags for everyone. Several folks disagreed with my suggestion about this topic in , but our team appreciates it when everyone can quickly learn names. Name tags simply make it easier for folks to have conversations with people they don’t know.
Assurances about visitor’s cards. Again, I’ve written about why I likely would not complete a visitor’s card at your church. On the other hand, some churches have made it very clear up front – by saying, “We won’t bombard you with visits, phone calls, and emails, and we won’t embarrass you” – that they won’t put us on the spot. I’m willing to complete a card for those churches.
Knowledge of the community. We do a demographic study of the church’s ministry area, but we don’t give that information to the church at first. Instead, we now first ask church leaders what they think the demographics will show about their community. Most leaders don’t know their community that well – but occasionally we meet leaders who clearly have already focused externally.
General friendliness. Most churches, frankly, are not that friendly to our “spies.” They’re friendly, but primarily with people they already know. So, our team recognizes quickly when a church family has been trained to welcome everyone to their family gathering. Our team members are blessed when it does happen.
Clear direction in the worship service events. Most of our “spies” are believers, but even they appreciate when the leader gives them direction in the Word (e.g., “the book of Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament; it’s about 2/3 of the way through your Bible. If you find the book of Matthew, just back up a book”), guidance for the offering, and direction for the Lord’s Supper.
Biblical, applicational preaching. The best preaching, in our opinion, goes to the Word, expounds the Word, and helps us know how to apply its teaching past Sunday. Our hope is that our spies can quickly answer the question, “What do you need to do as a result of the biblical truth you learned today?” Sometimes they can.
Intentional strategies for training teachers. The strongest churches recognize that God holds teachers accountable to high standards (James 3:1), and they prepare current and future teachers accordingly. These churches raise up their next generation of teachers and leaders.
Clear master plan for facilities. You’ve seen the churches that had no master plan; their buildings are so different that you can tell a different leader was in charge for each structure. Churches with a clear master plan are usually thinking toward the future – and even beyond themselves.
How well does your church do in these areas?
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.
The post 10 Things Effective Churches Do Well appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
September 2, 2015
Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Abandon the Term “Church Member”
Two years ago I released a book called I Am a Church Member. I’ve been blown away with the response; sales are about to reach one million books. One of the more frequent question readers have asked me is: “Do you think the term ‘church member’ is still relevant?”
My simple response is, “Yes I do.” In fact, I have seven reasons why I emphatically believe churches should never let go of this descriptor.
It is biblical. One of the best descriptions of church membership is in 1 Corinthians 12. The Apostle Paul specifically uses the term “member” at several points in the chapter. For example, in 1 Corinthians 12: 27, he says: “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.”
It is a perfect metaphor for belonging. Read the same chapter, specifically verses 15 to 20. Look how many times Paul uses the word “belong.” To be a member of the body of Christ, the church, is to belong to an incredible gift given to us by God.
It is a perfect metaphor for contributing. As Paul describes the body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12, he highlights the diversity of gifts of the members, and emphasizes the absolute mandate for every member to function and contribute. There is no place in the church for non-contributing members.
It is a perfect metaphor for caring. Because church members all belong to the same body, they are motivated and mandated to care for one another. Paul states this truth clearly: “So there would be no division in the body, but the members would have the same concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25).
It is a perfect metaphor for unity. Church members are members of something greater than themselves, the body of Christ. Once again, we are reminded of this truth in 1 Corinthians 12:27: “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it (emphasis added).
It is commonly understood by most people. Some churches use terms other than church member to describe those affiliated with their congregation. My purpose in writing this article is not to disparage them, but to advocate for a term that is both biblical and clear. Most people do indeed understand the basic meaning of church member.
It does not yield to culture. We have abandoned too many things in our churches in order to accommodate culture. While we recognize that some people will think of membership in the sense of country club membership, we in the church need to reclaim its biblical intent. Church membership does not mean we get perks and privileges because we “pay our dues.” It means we give, sacrifice, and serve.
The essence of church membership is the sense of belonging to something so much greater than any one of us individually. We are thus motivated to give, serve, love, and care. The biblical understanding of church membership is an incredible concept. It is not a term we should abandon. Let me know what you think.
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September 1, 2015
10 Mistakes Pastors Make when Interviewing – Rainer on Leadership #155
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On today’s episode, we discuss the process of interviewing from the pastor’s perspective, but we also discuss topics related to those searching for a pastor. We also discuss an all-too-common faux pas pastors make when interviewing as well as a mistake I made when I took my third pastorate.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Search committees often don’t give a full representation of the church to a new pastor.
If there are certain theological stances you will be preaching on, convey that during the search process.
Pastors, don’t hide your belief system in order to get a job.
Most of the time, search committees do not ask appropriate doctrinal questions of potential pastors.
A church’s website will tell you a lot about the church—both good and bad.
I recommend all new pastors do a demographic and psychographic study of the area around the church.
A lot of interviewing is common sense, but when in the interview process, common sense often falls aside.
The 10 mistakes pastors make when interviewing with a new church are:
Exaggerating their previous successes
Believing everything the committee says
Being intentionally unclear about their beliefs
Not asking the right questions
Majoring on the minors
Failing to discuss compensation later on or discussing too early
Not contextualizing their ministry ideas and terminology to the church
Use of the phrase “In my current church” or “In my previous church”
Failing to ask others about the church
Not doing your homework on the church
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
PerceptGroup.com
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