Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 259
August 21, 2015
Seven Ideas for Increased Guest Friendliness – Rainer on Leadership #152
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On today’s episode, we discuss a recent post on guest friendliness and seven steps churches are taking to increase their friendliness toward guests. Whether your church has a dedicated greeting time in the service or not, these principles will increase the friendliness in your church and help you retain guests better.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
When you conclude services on time, your members have more time to greet other members and guests.
Signage eliminates barriers for church guests because they will more easily know where to go.
The seven ideas for increased guest friendliness in the church are:
Conclude the services on time.
Use the most outgoing members in critical places.
Ask your most extroverted members to sit by guests and converse with them.
Ask your most extroverted members to mingle intentionally before and after the service.
Have clear signage that lets guest know where to go.
Encourage people to speak to each other at the end of the service.
Have people wear shirts or badges that clearly indicate they are available to help others.
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
I Am a Church Member
Seven Steps Churches Are Taking to Replace the Stand-and-Greet Time
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August 20, 2015
10 Descriptors of Bad Teachers and Bad Leaders
Several times in my teaching career, I’ve asked graduate students to give me descriptions of the worst teachers they’ve had. During those same years, I’ve watched leaders, discussed leadership, and read leadership books to learn characteristics of good and bad leaders. Perhaps not surprisingly, I’ve seen that some of the characteristics of bad teachers and bad leaders are the same.
They don’t communicate well. Sometimes they just don’t communicate; they expect others to read their mind and meet their unstated expectations. At other times, they are simply boring when they do try to communicate.
They make others feel dumb. They don’t miss many opportunities to point out when others are wrong. Nor do they miss a chance to show others how much they know. Eventually, no one speaks up around them – and the worst teachers and leaders are too unaware to recognize they are often the problem.
They’re disorganized. Maybe they’re just so busy that it’s hard to stay on top of everything, or maybe they’re just plain disorganized. Either way, they usually can’t figure out why others struggle with following their unclear – and often changing – directions.
They’re disconnected. Many are the students and staff members who are frustrated by teachers and leaders who are nowhere to be found. When the teacher or leader fails to build relationships, those he teaches or leads become means to an end – not people created in the image of God.
They’re lazy. It’s clear from their lack of passion that they lost their focus and energy years ago. They know nothing new, and their teaching/leading has not changed in decades. They may think others don’t realize they’re just “going through the motions,” but they’re kidding no one.
They are arrogant. You know what this trait looks like, even in Christian organizations. These teachers and leaders always talk about themselves. Any sense of humility seems to be forced; in fact, others see it as only another way to point out how good they are.
They’re critical. Not only do they criticize others, but even more importantly, they almost never praise others. The only time you hear from them is when they want to correct something.
They don’t know what they’re talking about. Some teachers don’t know their material well, and some leaders don’t know their field well. In some cases, both have been given their positions for some reason other than their know-how – and it’s obvious.
They don’t enjoy their work. People who spend time with them learn quickly that they have no joy in their day-to-day tasks. Their smiles are forced and their laughter is infrequent.
Their Christian walk is debatable. That is, some who know them best question the depth of their walk with God – primarily because the leaders they are in public are not always the people they are in private. Needless to say, this problem is, among all these listed here, the most serious one for Christian teachers and leaders.
Recognizing that all of us probably show some of these characteristics at times, what other characteristics 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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August 19, 2015
Twenty-five Really Weird Things Said to Pastors and Other Church Leaders
Few people are truly aware of the constant requests, complaints, and criticisms pastors and other church leaders receive. I must admit, however, I was surprised when I asked church leaders on Twitter to share some of the more unusual comments they have received. I was first surprised at how many responded. But I was most surprised at the really strange things people tell pastors and other church leaders.
Many of the comments related to using the Bible too much or to being too evangelistic. I should make those a blog post by themselves.
I narrowed my selection to twenty-five, but it could have been much higher. I left off many great comments to keep this post manageable. I’ve only made minor wording changes to some of these. For the most part, I received these quotes just as you are seeing them. The parenthetical words after each comment represent my off-the-cuff commentary.
“We need a small group for cat lovers.” (I guess they could serve Meow Mix as a snack.)
“You need to change your voice.” (Yes ma’am. I’ll try to have that done by next week.)
“Our expensive coffee is attracting too many hipsters.” (Yep. You don’t want too many of those hipsters in your church.)
“Preachers who don’t wear suits and ties aren’t saved. It’s in the Bible. (I should have known that’s what Jesus and Paul wore.)
“Your socks are distracting.” (I understand. I’ll stop wearing socks.)
“You shouldn’t make people leave the youth group after they graduate.” (It’s going to get really weird by the time they turn 70 years old.)
“I don’t like the color of the towels in the women’s restroom.” (I don’t understand. They match the towels in the men’s restroom.)
“We need to start attracting more normal people at church.” (So, you will be leaving the church, I presume.)
“I developed cancer because you don’t preach from the KJV.” (Major medical announcement! New carcinogen discovered!)
“Your wife never compliments me about my hair or dress.” (There could be a reason for that.)
“Not enough people signed up for the church golf tournament. You have poor leadership skills.” (I’m so sorry. I expected more since most of the deacons play golf on Sunday morning)
“I think you are trying to preach caffeineism.” (Probably Reformed theology with an extra kick.)
“If Jesus sang from the red hymnals, why can’t we?” (I think you are mistaken. He sang from blue hymnals.)
(To a pastor who married interracially). “You are living in sin. You shouldn’t be married to each other.” (That one is not worthy of commentary.)
“I don’t like the brand of donuts in the foyer.” (It’s better than Meow Mix.)
“You didn’t wrap the hot dogs in bacon for the church picnic.” (I understand that one. Bacon rules.)
“You shouldn’t drink water when you preach.” (At least not simultaneously.)
“The toilet paper is on the wrong way in the ladies restroom. It’s rolled under.” (My guess is that it is still functional.)
“Why don’t you ever preach on Tim Tebow?” (Be patient. I will be preaching a six-week expository series on him in the fall.)
“You don’t have ashtrays in the fellowship hall.” (Yes we do. They are right next to the spittoons for your chewing tobacco.)
“Did you see me waving in the back of the worship center? You preached too long. It was time to eat!” (Who needs a clock when I have you?)
“The eggs were not scrambled enough at the senior adult breakfast.” (We thought you could jump up and down after you ate them to finish the job.)
“You don’t look at our side of the worship center enough when you preach.” (That’s because you are on that side.)
“We are leaving the church because you have a red cross on the building. That’s the color of the devil.” (I understand. It’s in the same verse that describes his pitchfork and horns.)
“Your sermon needed more calories.” (Okay. I’ll feed it one of those donuts in the foyer.)
Pastors and other church leaders must have great patience and strength. They are faced with these and many other comments and demands every day. I love these church leaders, and I thank God for them.
Share with me what comments you have received. And tell me what you think of the twenty-five comments that were shared with me.
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August 18, 2015
Six Major Barriers to Church Growth – Rainer on Leadership #151
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On today’s episode, we discuss a recent post on what keeps churches from growing. While we cover the six main issues listed in the blog post, don’t miss the bonus at the end.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
It’s much more difficult to lead a church to growth today than it was a few decades ago.
I don’t think most church leaders realize most attendance decline is due to less frequent attendance from members.
I love the theological resurgence we’ve seen in our churches.
Don’t be the leader who is so far out in front of your people that you’re mistaken for the enemy and get shot in the rear.
Conflict and disunity is a great Great Commission distraction.
Unresolved conflict in a church leads to disunity.
The most expensive church hire you’ll ever make is the wrong one.
The six reasons church growth is more difficult today are:
Cultural Christians are much less likely to attend.
More committed Christians are attending less frequently.
An overcorrection to practical ministry.
Activities replacing ministry.
Growing conflict and disunity in congregations.
Entitlement mentality among some church members.
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
I Will
The Activity Driven Church
Five Problems with Church Committees
Simple Church
I Am a Church Member
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August 17, 2015
Five Problems with Church Committees
At some point in my ministry, I became allergic to committee meetings. I realized I was spending a lot of time in those meetings that could be used for productive ministry.
To be sure, not all committees are bad, and not all committee meetings are unnecessary. Unfortunately, I have seen too many committees become the “tail wagging the dog” in churches. Here are five of the most prominent problems:
The committee has forgotten its purpose. I served as a pastor in a church where the church council monthly meeting was interminably long. I would discover that the stated and founding purpose of this group was to coordinate strategically the ministries of the church. Over time, it became nothing more than a calendar committee with people fighting for time and rooms.
Some committees meet even if they don’t have a reason to meet. As a consultant in a church, I was asked to meet with different committees. I met with one committee where I learned they had seven consecutive months of meetings without an agenda and with nothing accomplished. I asked the chairman why they had the meetings. His response? “Because the meeting was on the church calendar.”
Some committees attract control freaks. These control freaks tend to gravitate toward committees that deal with either money or personnel or both. And if the wrong people control the funds and personnel matters, problems can multiply.
It’s hard to kill a committee. Committees can live beyond their usefulness and intended purpose. Often times, it’s easier to kill an elephant with a BB gun than to kill a committee. There can be emotional attachment to it. There can be the pervasive sentiment of: “We’ve always done it that way.” I recently was in a church that had 17 committees. Only three of them were really necessary.
Unnecessary committees and committee meetings replace ministry. Every minute spent in a committee meeting is a minute that could be spent doing ministry. Our churches have become notorious for keeping our members too busy to do ministry.
Church leaders should evaluate ruthlessly all of their committees and ask several questions. Is this committee necessary? Would this committee serve better as a temporary task force? Are all the committee meetings necessary? What would we do about our committees if we started with a blank slate?
I know many of you have some great perspectives on committees and their usefulness. Let me hear from you.
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August 16, 2015
Pray for Mt. Olive Baptist Church
Location: Altoona, Alabama
Pastor: Phillip Swindall
Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM, Central.
Fast Facts: Mt. Olive Baptist Church is more than 100 years old, but moved into a new building just over a year ago. Shortly after the construction was complete, and the retirement of a pastor after seven years of service, and three key leaders’ deaths in the matter of four months, church attendance began falling off. Attendance went from the upper 80s to the teens by the time their new pastor was called in March 2015 by only 18 members. Since this time, the church’s weekly average attendance more than doubled. Every Second Saturday, Mt. Olive Baptist Church hosts a community outreach cookout, and in August they gave more than $700 worth of school supplies to students in the elementary and high school in the community during that event. Pray that this ministry will continue to grow and that the church members will continue to participate in the ministry. ALso, please pray that the church will continue to grow. They began a children’s Sunday School class (for the first time in five years) on Easter Sunday, and a new young adults Sunday School class on August 2. Their goal is an average worship attendance of 55 by November.
Website: MtOlive.co
“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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August 15, 2015
Notable Voices: August 15, 2015
Stop Getting Mad at People Who Question Change — Sam Rainer
When a leader changes something in a church, there will be questions. No matter how much you’ve communicated about the change, not everyone will accept it without question. So, expect the questioning and use these three tips Sam lists to work through it.
Being a Preacher Means Being a Learner — Kevin Smith
Kevin shares two points for preachers to consider in their sermon preparation. If you lack in either, your sermons could suffer.
What Not to Say to Single Women in the Church — Lisa Anderson
At a recent conference, I was on a discussion panel for women in the church, and a large number of the women in attendance were single. My guess is that they would likely echo several of these points.
10 Things You Can Do to Prevent Pedophilia in the Church — Clare de Graaf
Unfortunately, too many churches are facing situations where they are dealing with pedophilia in the church. This is a situation in which churches must be proactive. And even the most proactive church is not 100% safe. We must continually be aware of these 10 principles to ensure the safety of our children and to protect the ministry of our churches.
Five Signs It Is Time to Give Up with a Critic — Eric Geiger
Sometimes you just have to move on and ignore a critic. If you recognize these signs when dealing with the constant critic, it might be time to do just that.
16 Books Every Church Leader Should Read on Their Next Sabbatical — Katie Fridsma
Even if you don’t have a sabbatical, these could be read throughout the year or you could get through a few at a time during vacation. Regardless of when you read them, this is a solid list of books for church leaders to consider.
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August 14, 2015
Eight Steps to More Effective Discipleship – Rainer on Leadership #150
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On today’s episode, we discuss a recent post by Chuck Lawless on discipleship and cover eight steps that can lead to more effective discipleship in your church. We also reveal some lead indicators which show that discipleship is growing in your church.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
The entire Bible is a discipleship passage—not just certain verses.
You will catch more people by example than by dictating.
Discipleship is not just content delivery.
Pastors will work for hours upon hours on their sermons but many don’t have a clue what is being taught in the small groups in their churches.
True accountability takes place in healthy relationships.
One of my pet peeves is the silo-ing of evangelism and discipleship.
Committed church members used to be at church three times a week—now it’s three times a month.
Just because you’re showing up at church doesn’t mean you’re growing as a disciple.
If a mom and dad aren’t training their children, they are missing one of the most effective forms of discipleship.
Oddly, one of the lead metrics of discipleship growth in a church is giving.
The eight steps to more effective discipleship in your church are:
Lead by example.
Focus on content, application, and accountability.
Ensure evangelism is part of the process.
Church attendance is a good start but it’s not everything.
It takes time and patience to change the discipleship DNA of established churches.
Personal mentoring is one of the most effective forms of discipleship.
Your personal discipleship must not be neglected.
Parents need to be trained to make disciples in the home.
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
LifeWay.com
Pastor search infographic
The post Eight Steps to More Effective Discipleship – Rainer on Leadership #150 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
August 13, 2015
10 Hints for Memorizing the Word of God
By Chuck Lawless
A few months ago, I posted on this site a series of reasons to memorize the Word. As leaders in God’s church, we should model scripture memorization for believers. More than that, we need to hide God’s Word in our heart so we don’t sin against Him (Psa 119:9-11). If you don’t already memorize the Scriptures, here are some simple steps to get started.
Decide that scripture memorization matters. It does, not only because we need to know His Word intimately, but also because the day may come when we no longer have free access to the Word. If your ministry were ever limited to the Bible verses you have already stored in your mind, how strong would your ministry be?
Tell somebody about your commitment. Tell your spouse. Let your children know. Inform your pastor or staff. If others who matter to you know what you’re doing, you will fight harder to reach your goal. By the way, your school-age children make great accountability partners for scripture memorization. They’ll always ask about your verses, and they’ll learn them at the same time.
Take advantage of apps and other internet-based resources for memorization. Do a search for “apps for Scripture memorization,” and you’ll find dozens of possibilities. Watch the comments after this post to see particular apps our readers recommend.
Memorize verses from your quiet time study. Some folks choose texts to memorize apart from their personal Bible study; that works, but I’m not convinced it’s the best approach. As you do your Bible study, watch for verses to memorize. You’ll be more inclined to remember the texts if the Lord directed you to them during your time with Him. In fact, I write the verse on one side of an index card (see #8 below), and I then write on the other side the devotional date and overall reading from which the text came.
Always have a verse in your pocket, on your phone, etc. Think about how much free time you have throughout the day to memorize a verse or two. Waiting at a traffic light. Standing in a line. Walking between meetings. Sitting at a lunch table. Taking a break in the bathroom (seriously…). Use your time productively by focusing on the Word.
Start by memorizing one verse at a time every other week. That approach means you’ll memorize 26 verses over the next year. Remember, let the verse be one the Lord brought to light for you in your own study.
Use the “off weeks” for review. On week 2, review the text from week 1. On week 4, review the texts from weeks 1 and 3. Review is critical, so plan those times.
Simply read the verse dozens of times each day. My process is to write on an index card (a) the scripture reference, (2) the text, and (3) the scripture reference again. That way, I read the reference twice for every time I recite the verse. Read the verses over and over and over again throughout the day, and you can almost learn them without trying.
Practice strategically. Once you have generally learned the verse, ask others throughout the week to check your memorization. Ask a co-worker. A neighbor. A family member. Your boss. Someone in the grocery line. Here’s what happens when you follow this technique: you proclaim the Word of God to others in the midst of practicing memorization. The Word will not return empty (Isa. 55:11), so only God knows what He might do when you strategically proclaim it to others.
Just start. Memorize something. Today. Perhaps even right now.
What memorization strategies have worked for you? What apps do you recommend?
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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August 12, 2015
Nine Steps to Using Social Media and Blogs without Losing Your Ministry
As in any practice, there are extremes. Some pastors and staff steadfastly refuse to get involved in technology, social media, or blogs. On the other extreme, some ministers misuse and abuse the helpful tools and media available to them.
After nearly a decade of involvement in social media and, later, the blogosphere, I have seen the best and the worst. Allow me to share what I have learned from the best in ministry who are active in this realm.
Be involved in technology, social media, and blogs. It is missiologically irresponsible not to be. That is where the growing mission field resides, and you need to be among them.
Be informal most of the time. Social media and blogs are conversations; they thus have a certain informality to them. There is a place for formal writings, but it is not here. By the way, informality and poor grammar are not synonymous.
Don’t be too informal. We can get too relaxed and write things we regret. Being informal doesn’t mean being stupid.
Watch your tone. Different researchers have noted that we see our own writings in social media as friendlier than readers perceive them. Harvard Business Review advocates to business and political leaders to write 30% friendlier than you would normally. But don’t ask me how you measure friendly writings.
Read your writings out loud. It hardly takes any time. You will catch things you would not otherwise, and it can save you a lot of embarrassment.
Embrace humor, but do so cautiously. I have been told on too many occasions I am sarcastic. I mean to be humorous, but my writings can sometimes come across differently to readers. I am working on this area of improvement.
Avoid or, at least minimize, acronyms and emoticons. Many people don’t know what those letters mean. And if you overuse some, like omg, lol, or smh, you can seem like a silly teenager. This next statement is my personal peeve; many people disagree with me. I wish emoticons would be banned from usage forever!
Minimize bragging or humble bragging. Sometimes we just need to celebrate some big wins and big news. That’s okay. We can overdo it though. It can be especially irritating if it’s humble bragging.
Remember: The Internet is permanent. There is no such thing as making your words disappear forever. I can assure you someone has taken a screenshot of almost every crazy or dumb thing written on the Internet. And there are a lot of smart folks who can find things you thought had been deleted. Too many ministers have forfeited or minimized their ministry future by not being wise on the Internet. And more search committees are doing social media and blog checks on candidates. Be wise with what you write or what you share through links and photos.
There is indeed a great mission field on the Internet in social media and the blogosphere. We need to be leading the way to reach and to minister people who are there. But we need to do so graciously, wisely, and with great discernment.
Let me hear from you.
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