Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 267

Seven Factors That Stop Momentum in a Church

I absolutely love conversing with pastors, staff, and lay leaders. I am blessed to have heard from thousands of church leaders over the past several years.

One of the more frequent conversations I have deals with momentum. The discussion typically goes in this direction: “We were doing so well, then it was like the brakes were hit. We have not been able to recover since then.”

I will then ask the obvious question: “What happened?” My question is straightforward because I know most church leaders will identify a singular event that precipitated the momentum reversal. In this article, I identify seven of the most common “momentum stoppers.”

Firing of the pastor. Unfortunately, this issue is the most common among momentum stoppers. It can take churches years to recover from firing a pastor, especially if significant segments of the membership and the community view the firing as unjustified.
Moral failure of a leader in the church. This leader could be a pastor, staff person, elder, or lay leader. The impact is immediate and often prolonged.
Unhindered church bullies. I wrote a recent article about church bullies, and I’ve been surprised at the number of responses we have received. Church bullies are toxic to a church. When church leaders do not confront church bullies, those bullies are even more toxic.
Significant community changes. The pastor wrote me a forthright email: “Our community is dying.” The major employer in town shut down. Other ancillary businesses closed soon thereafter. In just eight months, the community lost one-third of its population, and many of the remaining residents are unemployed.
Comfort. When the preferences of the church members become greater than their passion for the gospel, the church is already dying.
Power plays. The story is sad but true. A church staff member worked with a key group in the church to make some major changes not supported by most of the members. Trust has disappeared and morale is low. Momentum is gone.
Poor pastoral transition. A change in the senior leadership of the church can be either a time of great opportunity or a time of difficult challenges. When a pastor leaves, and another pastor arrives, great and intentional care must be exercised in making the transition positive. Otherwise momentum can come to a grinding halt.

Certainly there are other factors that can hinder or stop momentum in a church. You readers always have good insights. Let me know what you think of these seven factors, and let me know what you would add to the list.

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Moving to or from Multiple Worship Services – Rainer on Leadership #129

Podcast Episode #129

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Today on the podcast, we discuss many of the issues involved in moving to or from multiple worship services. In most cases, it’s not just about adding an hour of programming. There are logistical issues almost at every turn, and communication and foresight are key parts to a successful transition.

Churches hold multiple worship services for various reasons: seating capacity, worship style, convenience.
The most successful moves to or from multiple worships come when the pain point is obvious to the congregation.
Volunteer needs in a church change dramatically when adding a worship service.
Many churches who over built a decade or two ago are now contracting the size of their worship space.
Churches need a breathing period to adjust to the new normal when they add a worship service.

The seven things you need to know about moving to or from multiple worship services are:

Know your attendance numbers & capacity
Start sowing the seeds with leadership early
Think about logistics
Consider volunteer needs and demands
Make the move when the pain point is obvious
Stay positive but be honest
Move forward with the new normal

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 Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

Resources

Cosco & Associates
Revitalized Churches

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Eleven Things Pastors Need to Know Their Spouses Are Thinking

One of the more pleasant surprises of this blog the past few years is the opportunity to interact with the spouses of pastors. I use the term “pastors” to refer to the lead pastor of a church most of the time, but my comments are not limited to that one position. It could also refer to other staff positions at a church.

Many of the comments I have received have been shared in anonymity, and I certainly understand the need to keep names confidential. But the comments are real and verbatim. And many times I can feel the hopes and hurts that come with these comments. Here are the eleven most frequent thoughts from pastors’ spouses:

“I’m lonely.” This statement was the most frequent by an overwhelming margin. It overlaps with some of these other statements, but it needs to stand on its own as well.
“Your critics hurt me too.” Pastors are criticized regularly, even frequently. While the pastors are indeed hurting, they need to understand their spouses are hurting as well.
“I wish you would give me more time.” Many pastors’ spouses feel like their marriages were not healthy because the pastor put church members first.
“Please don’t use me as a negative sermon illustration.” Even when it’s spoken in humor, pastors’ spouses can be hurt by such illustrations.
“Let me be me.” Many spouses don’t think they can be themselves because their spouse/pastor expects them to speak and act in ways that do not reflect their true selves.
“I love it when you spend time with our children.” Many spouses are hurt because they feel that neither they nor the children are a priority.
“I worry about our finances.” This sentence was one I heard frequently. Too many pastors are underpaid. It not only hurts the pastor; it hurts the entire family.
“Please stand up for me when I’m criticized.” It pains me to hear from pastors’ spouses who have been criticized, especially when their spouse does not come to their defense. If it pains me, I can only imagine how it hurts the spouse.
“I wish you would focus on your family when you are at home.” Spouses generally understand the distractions of real emergencies. But some pastors never “turn off” and focus on their families.
“I worry about our family when we move a lot.” Vocational mobility is the norm for many pastors. But understand that such mobility often comes at price to the pastor’s family.
“It’s hard to make real friends in the church.” This statement was one of several reasons why pastors’ spouses feel lonely.

I often ask our readers to pray for their pastors. I need to be asking you to pray for the pastors’ families as well. Most of these family members are obedient to the call of God in their lives; and they do so without complaints. But that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt at times.

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Pray for Discover Life Church

Location: Lansing, Michigan

Pastor: Scott Hanson

Weekly Worship: 11:00 AM, Eastern.

Fast Facts: One of the oldest SBC churches in Lansing, Bethany Baptist, has changed their name to Discover Life Church, reflecting their desire to help believers and the world experience new life in Christ. Now a small church (avg. attendance of 55), the leadership is trying to revitalize a church that was once large and culturally influential into one that is Biblically faithful in glorifying God and serving the community in His name. Please pray as they seek to share the gospel & minister in the Baker-Donora neighborhood (one of the poorest in Lansing) through their community garden and other community outreaches. Also pray for Discover Life Church as they seek to overcome financial difficulties and for them to have wisdom in the current and future handling of the church’s property and assets.

Website: DiscoverLifeLansing.com

“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.

If you would like to have your church featured in the “Pray for…” series, fill out this information form..

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Notable Voices: May 30, 2015

Before I get to this week’s links, I want to quickly remind readers that Church Answers Monthly registration closes in just two days. We’ve had an incredible response to the monthly subscription ministry but access will close Monday evening. If you’d like more information or to sign up, you can visit churchanswers.com/subscribe.

The Missing Ingredient in Church Leadership — Sam Rainer

No matter your system of leadership or your theological prowess, if you’re missing the ingredient Sam covers in this post, you will likely fail as a church leader.

 

3 Ways to Identify Your Ministry Convictions — Eric Geiger

We can talk about what we think our ministry convictions are, but when you put them through this quick test, the truth comes out.

 

Long Preaching Isn’t Always Good Preaching — Aaron Armstrong

Just as long books aren’t always good books, the length of a sermon rarely correlates to the excellence of a sermon. The key is not the length or the preaching, but the effectiveness of the preaching.

 

7 Ways to Respond to an Overly-Negative, Complaining Bully  —  Ron Edmondson

I recently wrote about church bullies here at the blog. It is a pervasive problem in many churches. So how does a pastor respond to a bully in the church? Ron shares seven helpful suggestions.

 

The Complexity of Pastoral Care — Nick Batzig

Pastoral care is not plug-and-play. It is not one-size-fits-all. It is a complex practice pastors must learn from experience. Nick offers five tips for improving your pastoral care.

 

5 Things Every Christian Leader Should Pray for Themselves Everyday — Kevin Halloran

While Christians can lift up thousands of different prayers for their leadership, Kevin shares five helpful topics on which we can focus our daily prayers.

 

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Why Church Members Dislike Church Growth – Rainer on Leadership #128

Podcast Episode #128

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Today on the podcast, we discuss why church members dislike change and ways that pastors and church staff can help ease this tension when a church begins to grow. This comes from a recent blog post entitled Seven Reasons Some Church Members Don’t Want Their Churches to Grow..

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

When there is growth taking place, new people come into a church and things change.
Many times we are too concerned about our needs, our preferences, and our comforts in the church.
When churches grow, groups are the key to maintaining intimacy.
As a church grows larger, it has to grow smaller through groups.
Worship style continues to be an explosive issue in many churches.
Don’t just explain the what of a change but the why as well.

The seven reasons some church members do not like church growth are:

Loss of familiarity.
Loss of memories.
Loss of comfort.
Loss of power.
Loss of perceived intimacy.
Loss of worship style.
Loss of worship time.

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 Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

Resources

Church Answers
I Am a Church Member

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10 Reasons Why Spiritual Disciplines Matter in Church Revitalization

By Chuck Lawless

Thom Rainer and I have talked often about the process of church revitalization. Both of us recognize, though, that knowledge of revitalization is hardly enough to turn around a church; the process cannot be separated from the personal walk of the leader who longs for church renewal. Below are ten reasons why spiritual disciplines matter in church revitalization.

The call to disciplines reveals our heart. If we don’t spend time with God daily, that choice tells us something about ourselves. Perhaps we are more self-dependent than God-dependent (see #6 below). Maybe we are “fixers” who try to address problems first, and then pray if necessary. We may evaluate our walk on the basis of public results more than a personal relationship with God. Any of these realities will hinder revitalization.
Our personal walk with God affects the corporate walk of the local church. Leaders who spend little time with God tend to spend less time challenging their members to be with God. Their stories of personal victory are often more past tense than present tense. Those who do not follow God intimately seldom see genuine revitalization in their church; in fact, they sometimes produce congregations that unknowingly need revitalization
The Bible is a book about hope and life. We know this truth – perhaps so well that we have forgotten its power. We preach about the promise of resurrection and new creation, all the while wondering if even God can revitalize dying congregations. To have hope for revitalization, we need to be reminded regularly through the Word that God brings life out of death.
Disciplines strengthen our faith. Reading the Word and praying are more than just disciplines; they are lifelines to the Father. Knowing that God divides seas, collapses walls, slays giants, and empties tombs strengthens our trust in Him. Talking to Him and recognizing He listens to our prayers magnify our wonder of Him. No task of revitalization is too big for this God.
Prayer is an expression of relationship with, and dependence on, God. When we pray, we express the truth that we cannot do in our power what God has called us to do. The reverse is also true: our prayerlessness is an expression of idolatry of the self. God does not bless the leadership of idolaters, even those who have great skills for revitalization.
Daily obedience undergirds our praying. Simply stated, revitalization requires the power of God. The kind of praying that results in God’s power demands obedience (Isa. 59:1-2), including reading the Word, praying continually, and rejecting temptation. Perfunctory prayer from disobedient hearts hardly produces new life in a congregation.
Disciplines focus our attention on God, not on our circumstances. It’s the apathetic, dying church that needs God’s renewed touch, but it’s that same church that can most frustrate its leaders. Unless we are regularly focusing on God via study and prayer, the obstacles to revitalization can quickly become overwhelming.
Disciplines help to turn our heart outward. It’s hard to read the Bible consistently without seeing God’s heart for our neighbors and the nations. The resounding message of the scripture is that the God who desires a prayerful, intimate relationship with us loves the world. Leaders who live in that truth daily are best prepared to lead inwardly focused churches toward turnaround.
Apart from being with God, we can produce deceptive revitalization. This reason may seem to contradict #2 above, but here’s the tricky part: if revitalization is limited to increased numbers, even the leader who is not faithful in his walk with God can lead a church to “revitalization.” What might seem to be a move of God, however, could be nothing more than popularity and attraction.
Faithfulness to spiritual disciplines gives us humble confidence to lead. Revitalization requires helping churches see their current situation and then change as needed to reach this generation. Leaders who live in a state of ongoing dependence on God are most prepared to lead in this direction.

Let’s help one another: what steps have you taken to help you be more faithful in spiritual disciplines?

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.

photo credit: Decaffeination ! via photopin (license)

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Seven Concerns about Christians and Tipping

The following is a true story. Granted, it happened several years ago. But I wonder how often such scenarios unfold.

Two pastors were at lunch together. The older pastor paid for their previous meal, so the younger pastor picked up the tab for this meal. The younger pastor paid cash for the meal, so his older friend asked if he had included a tip. He said he forgot the tip, so he put some cash on the table.

As they were departing, the younger pastor said he forgot something, and returned to the restaurant. The other pastor saw him through the window. The younger man went back to the table, picked up the cash, and put it in his pocket.

Hopefully, such stories are rare. But we do have reasons to be concerned when church members and Christian leaders treat restaurant servers and other service employees so poorly. Allow me to outline seven key concerns.

Tipping is an opportunity we may not otherwise have. We have social contact with people with whom we may not interact on a regular basis. This is our opportunity to represent the name of Christ well. God has put these people in our paths for a reason.
Our generosity is one way we point people toward Christ. We demonstrate our priorities with the ways we spend money. We have seen in numerous studies that churches with a passion and heart for their communities are the churches making a difference. We can’t have a positive witness with a greedy attitude.
We can help counter some of the negative impact of other church members. A server in a restaurant told me she hated working the Sunday lunch shift. She said church members were the rudest and stingiest customers she encountered. Our positive witness with a generous tip can counter some of the negativity caused by others.
Generous tipping reflects a compassionate and grateful heart. Many servers work long hours and endure verbal abuse on a regular basis. Often their pay is very low. They may depend on tips to make ends meet. When we tip generously, we are demonstrating compassion for these servers, and we are expressing our gratitude for their service.
Most of us are blessed with abundance. We should be generous with that which God has given us. Healthy tipping is thus a matter of evangelistic witness and wise stewardship.
Generous tipping can reinforce positive conversations with servers. If we are kind to servers, and if we speak with graciousness and gratitude toward them, our witness is reinforced when we tip generously.
Poor tipping can be a negative witness that takes time to overcome. A few years ago, several people in my organization went to lunch together. They tipped very poorly. The server wrote on Facebook about these employees with clear reference to our organization. Our witness was thus compromised with the server and with the public in general.

I have little patience with those who are stingy to servers. If we can afford to eat out, we can afford to tip generously. Church leaders would do well to remind their members about this often-neglected topic of witness in the community.

By the way, the older pastor in the story I began above went back to the restaurant and apologized to the server. He also left her a 100 percent tip.

It is both amazing and tragic how the simple act of tipping can affect our witness in the communities in which we live. What do you think about this topic? Let me hear from you.

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Do Church Members Who Are More Involved Give More?…and Other Listener Questions – Rainer on Leadership #127

Podcast Episode #127

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We get several questions a week for the podcast. Some we answer in email responses. some we just can’t answer for one reason or another, and some we use for episodes like this. Thanks to all who submitted questions that we used today. We will be sending each of you a signed copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

Some highlights from today’s episode include:

Parachurch ministries are good for college students to be involved in, but students also need to be in a local church.
There is a statistical connection between how much someone is plugged into a church and the likelihood of giving.
More churches are interested in preserving church culture than reaching Millennials.
Sometimes instead of running over people as a leader, you have to lead around them.
When following a long-tenured pastor, embrace the legacy that has been built.

The questions we cover today are:

Ryan — How might parachurch ministries (such as campus ministries) connect people to a local church?

____________________

Justin — Is there any statistical connection/relationship between how “plugged in” (small groups, bible studies, volunteering, vs. attending some Sundays) someone is at church and how much they give monetarily?

____________________

R.D. — How do you (as a teaching pastor especially) deal with more vocal church members who hold to unorthodox theological positions on gender issues and sexuality?

____________________

Joseph — Are there churches really taking the steps to reach Millennials or are too many concerned with preserving church culture? A follow up could be: how can a church combine both of these practices (reaching and preserving)?

____________________

Phillip — Do you have any recommendations for resources for pastors, lay leaders, and deacons of the “micro” (as opposed to the mega) – church?

____________________

Mick — What safeguards should the potential new pastor require when being interviewed? Safe-guards which would protect the newly hired minister from unrealistic work expectations; from the disgruntled who might try to have him dismissed.

____________________

Raymond — How does a pastor/minister/leader of a church help and guide a team/committee of volunteers when that group refuses to be helped/guided?

____________________

Sean — How do you follow a long-tenured, well-beloved pastor in a church of any size? It seems to me the guy who follows the “legend”, doesn’t seem to last very long before he’s fired or gives up and resigns. I’ve seen this many times where the transition doesn’t go very well. What can the “new” hire do to help keep things going well?

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 Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

Resources

Robert Wuthnow – Faith and Giving
Albert Mohler – Theological Triage
The Gospel Project
Explore the Bible
Bible Studies for Life
SmallGroup.com
MinistryGrid.com
How Many Hours Does a Pastor Work Each Week?
Next: Pastoral Succession That Works

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Seven Trends in Worship Service Times

If your church has one service at 11:00 am on Sunday mornings, it is likely in the minority. In a recent reader survey we conducted with 1,649 responses, slightly over half of the congregations had only one worship service on Sunday morning, and the times of that single service varied.

The “sacred hour” of 11:00 am is no longer the worship time for a majority of churches.

Though we don’t have definitive information on the origin of the 11:00 am worship time, it appears to be related to an agrarian society. We started our services late in the morning so the farmers could milk the cows and do necessary farm chores.

So what are the trends in worship service times? Our information is based upon the survey we noted above as well as anecdotal data derived from our interaction with thousands of churches.

Churches with multiple Sunday morning services will soon be in the majority. This trend, once more common with larger churches, is now taking hold in congregations of all sizes.
The 11:00 am worship service is no longer the designated time for a majority of churches. The so-called sacred hour of worship is not sacred in most churches. This change started slowly, but it is pervasive now.
Earlier Sunday morning services are gaining in popularity. Worship services with start times from 7:00 am to 8:30 am are growing in many churches. This trend seems to be related to the growth of empty-nest boomers.
The growth in the number of non-Sunday primary services is steady but slow. There has not been a huge upsurge in the number of primary services on a day other than Sunday. The steady growth, however, is an indication that this approach will soon be common in many churches.
The number of churches with concurrent worship service times is small, but will continue to increase. Concurrent services require either a video feed or different preaching/teaching pastors. As the trend in multi-site churches continues to grow, so will these service times.
The most popular worship times start between 9:30 am to 10:30 am. This mid-morning worship time attracts attendees in churches with both single and multiple worship services. As I noted in number three above, I anticipate a shift in popularity to even earlier services.
Worship wars over service times will continue to wane. Though the worship wars have largely been about music style, there have been many wars over worship times as well. We will see fewer of these battles as more churches adopt varieties of worship times.

What are your church’s worship times for its primary weekly services? Has your church made any major changes lately? What have been the results? Let me hear from you

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