Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 278
February 14, 2015
Notable Voices: February 14, 2015
Multisite Church Is the New “Normal” in America — Jim Tomberlin
When the church I pastored in the early 90’s started a second campus, it was a radical idea met with great resistance. However, a quarter of a century later, multisite churches are the new normal.
Small Groups Are Not One Size Fits All — Michael Kelley
People aren’t one-size fits all, so why do many churches treat small groups and Sunday School classes that way? They need to be adaptable to your context and your congregation.
Twenty Twitter Tips — Andrew Wilson
Twitter is one of the best tools we have for communication today. But we must use it wisely and effectively. This is a good list that will help even the most novice or experienced user get more out of the service.
Pastors should lead their churches with God’s guidance. As Ronnie states, they should lead strategically, boldly, and with clarity.
How to Get Along with an Introvert — Donald Miller
As I’ve mentioned frequently, I am an introvert. So I appreciate what Don says here. And many of you who are introverts as well will likely agree, too…together, yet by yourself.
Your Online Relationship Could Affect Your Marriage — Trillia Newbell
Since this is post is running on Valentine’s Day, it only seemed appropriate to include a link related to relationships. Trillia shares how comparisons to those with whom we have online relationships can have unintended consequences in our real life relationships.
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February 13, 2015
How to Make Announcements in Worship Services – Rainer on Leadership #098
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Announcements in the church service may seem like a trivial issue. But for many churches, they carry great importance in how they are made, when they are made, and by whom they are made. So today, Jonathan and I explore this topic and how it relates to churches communicating what’s important for their congregation to know.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
In churches, redundancy of communication is important.
I went to a church service recently and a business meeting broke out.
Announcements made during a worship service are often of utmost importance and for large audiences.
Pastors are often pressured to make certain announcements for certain people in the church.
Announcements made by the pastor from the pulpit carry more weight and emphasis than others.
The placements, style, and vehicle for announcements is a major issue of how a church communicates.
The nine observations about announcements in worship services are:
More church leaders do not think announcements should be a part of the worship services.
Large churches (700 and up in average worship attendance) are highly unlikely to have announcements as a part of the worship service.
Smaller churches (under 200 in average worship attendance) are very likely to include announcements as a traditional part of the worship service.
Video or projected announcements have grown commensurate with the growth of projected lyrics during the worship music.
With greater frequency, pastors limit making announcements unless they are a major or visional issue.
More congregations limit announcements before or during the worship services to those issues that affect most or all of the congregants.
Many pastors are still asked to make announcements right before worship services begin.
Pastors also receive pressure from different groups and individuals to make certain their announcements are made.
Most church leaders believe that the retention rate of announcements by members is low.
Episode Sponsor
This week’s podcast is brought to you by RevitalizedChurches.com. Bringing together videos, books, and other resources from today’s top pastors, leaders, and authors, RevitalizedChurches.com is the premier online destination for Church Revitalization and online consultations. Visit RevitalizedChurches.com today for your free download of 114 Things You Need to Know About Church Revitalization by Thom Rainer.
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
Six Observations about Speaking to Pastors Right Before They Preach
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February 12, 2015
15 Concerns in Children’s Ministries
By Chuck Lawless
Recently, I spent time with a church that is upgrading their children’s wing. In the midst of those discussions, we talked about some of the common problems our Lawless Group consulting team sees in a children’s ministry. Here are 15 of those problems:
Too little space – Because children are active learners, rooms should be large enough to allow children to move around. In fact, some experts recommend a minimum of 25-35 square feet per child in the room.
Poor security – In many cases, our “secret shopper” parents choose not to leave their children in childcare because workers are unprepared for guests, do not seek contact information, do not have secure rooms, and/or have no clear drop off/pick up procedure.
Old furniture – Children deserve clean, modern furniture that fits their stature. Adult tables and chairs don’t work well in a children’s department.
“Big people” decorations – I’m still surprised when I see bulletin boards at adult eye levels, high school age-graded maps, and pictures with only adults in a children’s classroom. Somebody is not thinking enough about the learners in the room.
Incomplete sanitization – Infection spreads quickly through church nurseries and preschools, often because workers do not take adequate precautions to prevent it. We encourage workers to wear gloves when changing diapers, sanitize toys after their use, and wash their hands continually.
Uncovered outlets – The younger the child, the less he/she recognizes the danger of an electrical outlet. This danger is easily reduced with an inexpensive outlet cover.
Windowless doors — Replacing doors is not inexpensive, but classroom doors should have windows. This change will not eliminate the possibility of abuse, but we must take every precaution we can.
No background checks or interviews for leaders – Despite potential controversy for the church that has never taken this step, no one who has not passed a background check should be permitted to work with minors. We also encourage interviews and reference checks with potential workers.
Securing incomplete information – Securing the name of a child attending a class or program is only a start. Leaders and teachers also need to be aware of a child’s allergies (e.g., nuts), the parents’ contact information and location, etc.
Poor teaching – Teachers who only lecture should probably not be teaching in the children’s department. Good children’s teachers focus on active learning while deeply loving the children they teach.
Too few adults – This issue is a difficult one, especially as congregations struggle to secure volunteers. Nevertheless, the standard should be clear: the church will avoid any situation where one adult is left alone with minors.
Leaders untrained for emergencies – It’s great for churches to have members who are nurses or EMT’s on call, but children’s leaders should know how to respond to a choking child, do CPR, operate a fire extinguisher, respond to a tornado warning, and lead a class to evacuate the building if necessary.
Only minors providing childcare – I affirm the commitment to get teens involved in the work of the church, but minors alone should not be providing care for other minors. Even the wisest, most mature teens are still minors themselves.
No hall monitoring – Our consultants watch to see if children wander alone in church hallways during small group or worship time. Sadly, many do. If our shoppers could gain unimpeded contact with children, so can others with less pure motives.
Children released on their own – No child (even the staff’s children) should be released after a class or service unless an adult – a properly identified adult – comes to get him/her. Uncontrolled drop off and release times can be chaotic . . . and dangerous.
God really does love the little children – and so should we. What other suggestions would you add to strengthen children’s ministries?
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: Wheeeeee! via photopin (license)
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February 11, 2015
Five Thoughts about Church Memorials
Many churches have them. They can be found in varying degrees of emphasis from one church to another. They are church memorials, areas of a church designated in memory of someone who was a member of the congregation.
I have seen rooms, particularly parlors, named in memory of a person or a family. In older churches there are sometimes stained glass windows used as memorials. Indeed, I have seen smaller memorials like a pulpit, a garden, or a communion table. But entire churches can be named in memory of a family, such as the Smith Memorial Church.
There are two major motives behind memorials, and they are not mutually exclusive. One motive is to remember a person or a family because of their service and ministry in a church. A second major motive is financial. A person or a family gets naming rights to something in a church because of their financial gifts to the congregation.
So what are the benefits or the problems associated with church memorials? Five thoughts come to mind.
They can be a healthy way to honor someone who really made a significant contribution to a church. That contribution could have been in service, dedication, and/or money.
On some occasions, memorials can be a way a donor gets what he or she wants in a church. So the church builds a chapel in memory of a key person in the church. But the church really does not need the chapel; the leaders just didn’t want to say no to the donors who wanted the chapel. In some ways, it can be a form of manipulation.
A memorial can be divisive later. I have knowledge of a church that named a parlor after a prominent woman who had recently died. Within a year of the parlor’s construction, the woman’s family was attempting to control who used or didn’t use the room.
It can be problematic if negative facts about the late honoree are discovered later. For example, one church was faced with a conundrum when the deceased honoree was discovered later to be a multiple sex offender. The worship center had been named for this person, and there were still family members in the church.
All of the closed churches I have studied had memorials. I have to be careful here. Correlation does not equal causation. Still, every deceased church I have studied had some type of memorial. As I would ask probing questions of those who were members of the church, I would learn that the memorial was often symptomatic of a congregation that was focused inwardly.
Many churches have memorials. I am sure there are many different perspectives about them. Such is the reason I would love to hear from you. What has been your experience with church memorials?
photo credit: church benches via photopin
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February 10, 2015
Nine Keys to Successful Sermon Preparation – Rainer on Leadership #097
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Preparing to preach a sermon, or multiple sermons, each week is the most daunting and most important thing a pastor does as the shepherd of a church. So this week, we cover some essential practices for pastors to employ that will aid in sermon preparation.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Preaching should be one of the highest priorities in the ministry of a pastor.
Worship leaders love pastors who communicate what they are going to preach and when.
If you try to do sermon prep in your margins of time, you’ll never have enough time and the sermons will suffer.
What gets calendared gets done. — Michael Hyatt
Add an extra 20% of time to your sermon prep time to have margin for emergencies.
Set a sermon completion target date. Try to make that earlier in the week to account for issues that may come up in the church.
The 9 keys for successful sermon preparation are:
Make it a priority
Determine your comfort level with planning in advance
Let your congregation know of the priority
Put it in your calendar
Allocate 20% more time than you think you will need
Allocate your time according to your study plan: reading the text, draft, commentaries, etc.
Determine a completion day: ex: done by Thursday
Be prepared to change
Don’t leave out prayer
Episode Sponsor
This week’s podcast is brought to you by RevitalizedChurches.com. Bringing together videos, books, and other resources from today’s top pastors, leaders, and authors, RevitalizedChurches.com is the premier online destination for Church Revitalization and online consultations. Visit RevitalizedChurches.com today for your free download of 114 Things You Need to Know About Church Revitalization by Thom Rainer.
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
I Am a Church Member
WORDsearch
Six Observations about Speaking to Pastors Right Before They Preach
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February 9, 2015
Seven Things Not to Do When Being Considered by a Church
The scenario is common. A church has contacted you. You have a sense of God’s leadership to take some next steps. You have prayed about it. You have prayed with your spouse, and you are both on the same page. The process begins. You enter it with excitement and anticipation.
What, then, are some of the actions by you that might discourage the church from considering you further? I have worked and spoken with hundreds of churches that shared with me what a candidate did that hurt his or her opportunity to move forward. Here are seven of the most common.
Don’t stop praying. We can become so focused on the opportunity that we neglect to submit the matter totally to the Author of all great opportunities. Continue to be fervent in prayer, seeking God’s will and wisdom.
Don’t stop seeking your spouse’s input. My wife, Nellie Jo, is wise and godly. I have messed up on more than one occasion where I plowed ahead with a ministry opportunity without really seeking her input. Every time I failed to include her, I have made mistakes. Your spouse’s life will be impacted as much as yours by this potential move.
Don’t act over anxious. I recently spoke to a chairman of a pastor search committee regarding a situation where I had recommended a candidate. The chairman informed me that they were not going to pursue my recommendation further because the candidate seemed overly anxious. Indeed, he had emailed and phoned the chairman four times in one week.
Don’t call members in the prospective church. Word travels quickly. It will soon be known that you are trying to manipulate the process by getting church members to be an advocate for you.
Don’t fail to be responsive. This one can be a challenge because churches are often notoriously slow in responding to the candidate. Don’t follow their example. Instead, be prompt and courteous with every request they make as long as you are a candidate.
Don’t fail to be transparent and forthcoming. Another recent story of mine is telling. Again, a search committee chairman contacted me to let me know they were no longer considering a candidate. They conducted a social media search of the candidate and found that he had a track record of being negative and critical on blogs and other media. The chairman said that the tone of the candidate’s comments was problematic; but his failure to disclose this issue ahead of time was even more troubling.
Don’t play one church against another. There are exceptions. You may have a deadline to respond to a second prospective church, so you feel it is a matter of integrity to let the first prospective church know. But most of the time, letting churches know other congregations are considering you is just not the best path to take.
Let me hear from those of you on either side of the search process. I bet we can have some healthy interaction.
photo credit: create-your-own-sign sign via photopin
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February 8, 2015
Pray for The Village Church
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Pastor: Dan Hyun
Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM, Eastern.
Fast Facts: The Village Church is a church plant started at, and still meeting in, a historic Baptist church in Baltimore. The original community of faith had slowly declined over the years and wished to continue their legacy through a new church. The Village Church has a passion to express the Gospel through the building of a multicultural community making disciples among a diverse context of race, ethnicity, education, and class. Please pray for their discipleship and outreach efforts, specifically in our neighborhood boxing ministry. This ministry is led by an intern, a former drug dealer in the neighborhood who now has a passion to reach local youth. Also pray for their new Redemption group which is providing hope for those who are finding victory in the midst of their addictions, a large problem in their context. Finally, pray for any construction mission teams that would consider partnering with them to help work on the church building. It is an old facility in need of repair.
Website: VillageChurchBaltimore.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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February 7, 2015
Notable Voices: February 7, 2015
3 Keys to Getting the Most Out of What Defines Your Church — Rob Tims
Rob explains how the language you use within your local church to define your mission will either connect people to your vision or leave them grasping for more.
10 Pointers for Young Preachers — Peter Mead
There are surely more than just 10 pointers for young preachers. But this list is a good start.
5 Tips For Multiplying Your Group — Brad Watson
Groups—like churches—should constantly be looking to multiply. These five tips will get you started and will make you consider how you can multiply your group.
Why Pastors Need Mentors — Dean Inserra
Mentoring is an important, but often neglected, aspect of leadership in the local church. We need more pastors who have mentors, and more pastors who are willing to serve as mentors. If you don’t have a mentor or mentee, I’d encourage you to seek one out. Your ministry will benefit, and so will theirs.
Three Reasons Why Singing is Essential in the Life of the Disciple — Michael Kelley
In my 2015 church trends, I mentioned a return to congregational singing. This post gets at the root of that trend. Hearty, worshipful congregational singing is the result of a personal devotion to worship through singing.
4 Ways to Become a Horrible Pastor — Andy Flowers
This is not where you want to see your ministry as a pastor headed. Unfortunately these are habits that any pastor might accidentally fall into.
The post Notable Voices: February 7, 2015 appeared first on ThomRainer.com.
February 6, 2015
Bivocational Pastors and Church Staff – Rainer on Leadership #096
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Bivocational pastors and church staff are my heroes. While there may be part-time pay involved, the job of ministry is always full-time. And those who work full-time in their secular jobs and still minister to and lead a local community of faith.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
Bivocational pastors and staff have evangelism opportunities full-time staff do not.
Being a bivocational pastor or staff member breaks you out of your holy huddle.
The digital workplace allows people to work on their own schedule and is an extremely viable option for being bivocational.
Churches often know they need more staff leadership but can’t afford it. Bivocational leaders are a great option.
Bivocational ministry will only increase in the years ahead.
The eight reasons bivocational ministry can be beneficial are:
A secular or marketplace job will put you in the middle of culture on a regular basis.
Full-time pastors and church staff often get missionally stale in their “holy huddles.”
Smaller churches are increasingly unable to afford full-time pastors or staff.
The digital world is offering more opportunities for flexible secular jobs than ever.
More churches are moving toward multiple teaching/preaching pastors.
More churches would like to expand staff, but don’t have the resources to do so.
A bivocational pastor or church staff can have greater freedom than a person in a full-time role.
A bivocational pastor or staff person has transferrable skills.
Episode Sponsor
This week’s podcast is brought to you by the Autopsy of a Deceased Church. Whether your church is vibrant or dying, Autopsy of a Deceased Church will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ’s Kingdom!. Find out more at thomrainer.com/autopsy.
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
Larry Osborne Podcast
Kyle Idleman Podcast
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February 5, 2015
The Most Frequent Burdens Church Staff Face
By Chuck Lawless
Last week, I posted about burdens pastors often share with our Lawless Group consulting team. Others have since asked what we hear from church staff members. In response to that request, here are topics of pain we often hear from staff. Again, I ask you to use this post as a catalyst to pray for your church’s staff members.
Lacking time with senior leadership – Given the size of some churches, it may be difficult for staff to spend significant time with the senior leader – but that reality seldom lessens the desire of staff to have face-to-face conversations. Staff often struggle when they have no more time with the senior leader than does the typical layperson.
Lacking clear role expectations – Sometimes leaders know in their mind exactly what they expect from staff, but the church has provided no written job descriptions. In other cases, a job description is provided, but expectations are different than the written narrative. In either case, staff are then held accountable to unstated expectations.
Longing for a God-sized vision – Too often, staff cannot answer our question, “What is the vision of this church and its leadership?” When this happens, we usually learn that senior leaders have lost their vision as well. Staff yearn to serve with a leader whose vision compels them each day.
Having few friends, especially among other staff – I am an introvert, but even I am surprised by how many staff members are lonely. Church members become acquaintances, not friends. Staff families seldom spend time together. Staff themselves are sometimes at odds with each other, especially in struggling churches.
Living in a ministry silo – Staff love their sphere of ministry (e.g., students, music), but few others share their level of passion. Others make decisions that affect their ministry without discussion or dialogue. Calendaring events becomes competition rather than cooperation. The silo gets lonely.
Ministering with few funds – Many churches find salary money by decreasing ministry funds. Thus, they hire personnel but provide little money for them to do the work they are called to do. A vision without resources can bring frustration and fatigue.
Perceiving they have no voice – Some staff believe no one in authority listens to their ideas or concerns. In some cases, that perception is based in the church’s history: the staff’s previous attempts to voice their opinion went unheard.
Having no “safe” place to be honest – This burden is obviously connected to the previous one. Our consultant team often hears these concerns simply because staff believe they have no other place to go with their concerns.
Receiving poor salary and/or benefits – Our team has not heard from staff who are ungrateful for their positions, but we have heard from staff who are struggling with their bills. Our salary and benefit evaluations often do show some staff are underpaid when compared with averages for similar positions.
Longing for affirmation – All leaders operate differently, but most staff appreciate a “pat on the back” once in awhile. Even little gestures – a public “thank you,” a lunch invitation, a drop by visit, or a small bonus – can go a long way toward building a strong team.
Competing for volunteers – Every ministry needs workers, but willing volunteers are limited. Because most churches do not have a strategy to enlist and train workers, staff often compete for the same workers. Recruitment thus becomes organizational rivalry.
Seeing and hearing too much – I wish I could ignore this burden, but integrity demands I include it. Too many staff members wrestle internally because they have listened to leader and staff language, overhead jokes, and watched actions that are less than Christian. Typically, they express this burden to us with a heavy heart and deep grief.
To be frank, I wish I had appreciated my staff members more when I served as a full-time pastor. Take time right now to pray for your church staff. If you are a pastor or staff member, direct your folks to this post and ask them to pray for your team. Nobody on the team should carry burdens alone.
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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