Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 294

Five Observations about the Current State of Worship Wars

I really don’t like the phrase “worship wars.” Indeed, I was reticent to use it in the title. But it is the most commonly used verbiage to describe the conflict over worship style in our churches.

Unfortunately, the current challenges have been present in our congregations for at least four decades. Stated differently but sadly, we will be observing the 50th anniversary of this conflict soon.

Worship wars have divided churches. They have caused pastors and staff to be fired. They have pitted Christians against Christians. They have been the source of dissension, discouragement, disengagement, and depression.

Indeed, when I have addressed the topic at this blog, lively discussion inevitably ensues. Sometimes the discussion becomes rancorous.

So, with a bit of trepidation, I want to share with you the state of worship wars in our churches. As I see it, there are five key issues today.

The Millennials are changing the tone of the discussion. This younger generation, as a whole, does not insist on one worship style over another. To the contrary, most of them quickly abandon churches that are still fighting over this issue. There will soon be fewer people to carry on these battles, because the Millennials will not be a part of it.
Intolerance exists among church members in all the preferences of worship style. Within each preferred worship style, there are numbers of people who are intolerant of any other worship style. They believe their preference to be the correct style, and they are not open to any discussion otherwise. Though they are likely a minority of church members, they are the ones who keep fueling the fires of dissension.
The intolerant church members stereotype worship styles other than their preferred style. Such is a characteristic of intolerance. It refuses to see any redeeming value in another perspective. It creates straw men to characterize those who have a different worship style preference.
Within the worship style debate, the volume of the music is an area of dissension as well. If you have any doubts, view the comments on worship volume in an earlier blog post. I wrote the article a year and a half ago, and people are still commenting on it.
The worship wars have moved many church members from the Great Commission to a great distraction. I was working on some statistical data for my own denomination just prior to my writing of this post. I noticed that many of the challenges we have experienced are concurrent with the worship wars in our body. While correlation does not prove causation, I have to believe Satan has taken great pride in causing us to be divided, and causing us to lose our focus on reaching and ministering to people in the name of Christ.

What is your perspective on the worship wars? How do you think we can move forward in the midst of this ongoing battle among Christians?

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4, HCSB)

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Pray for Bethlehem Baptist Church

Location: Lancaster, South Carolina

Pastor: Jason Myers

Weekly Worship: 10:00 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: Bethlehem Baptist is located across the road from three schools. Because of this, they have a huge mission field of children, teenagers, and adult families. They also have a ministry called The Closet where they minister to the people in their community by providing clothing as well as book bags for many elementary school children. Bethlehem is seeing many younger families beginning to get involved in growing in Christ and is in the beginning stages of offering numerous Bible studies in small group settings. It is a church in transition from being inward focused on the needs of its own to growing outward and getting out in the community to share the Gospel.

Be in prayer as they host the Beth Moore Simulcast next week. They have more than 100 participants signed up from 15 different churches. This is a huge step for the church, and they are extremely thankful for the volunteers who are making this possible. Also, Bethlehem is currently in search of a Music Minister and have been without a Music Minister for over a year. Please pray that God brings His man for this vital ministry.

Website: BBCLancaster.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, download this information form and return it to the address on the form.

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Six Major Implications of the Growth of Multisite Churches

It is one of those topics that almost always engenders lively discussion. Some church leaders are incredibly and positively excited about the multisite church movement. Others view the movement with many questions if not some level of suspicion.

But recent studies tell us that we should not ignore this movement. It appears to be here to stay for years to come.

The Current Research

LifeWay Research has looked at multisite churches in recent years. Scott McConnell, the director of LifeWay Research, wrote Multi-site Churches in 2009, an excellent analysis of the movement.

Now a study by Leadership Network and Generis, led by Warren Bird, provides new, head-turning information. Simply stated, the multisite church movement is growing at such a pace that we would be negligent to ignore it. I encourage you to read the full report, while I offer six summary implications from the data.

The Study

Because the concept of multisite churches typically engenders strong opinions, it is not always easy to look at the data objectively. This study, called the Leadership Network/Generis Multisite Church Scorecard, however, looked at 535 multisite churches. Of those churches, 91 percent were located in the United States. The breadth of the research is such that we must study the information seriously.

As a point of full disclosure, I led a church in Birmingham, Alabama to become multisite in 1992. I had very few models to follow back then, and the challenges were many. The church I served as pastor was landlocked, and starting a new campus seemed logical to me.

I am also currently a member of a multisite church, Brentwood Baptist Church. I have seen up close an intentional strategy to reach many areas around Nashville and Middle Tennessee through the multisite approach.

The Implications

The implications of this study are many. For now, let me share six key issues that jumped to the forefront when I read the report.

Multisite as a growth and evangelistic strategy seems to be successful thus far.  One of the most incredible data points in the study was the percentage of multisite churches that are growing: 85 percent. Such a high percentage is unprecedented in almost any previous approaches to evangelism and growth in the past century. These churches are also much more evangelistic than those in most other studies, certainly those represented by studies I have led.
More struggling churches see merging with a multisite church as their best option for health or even survival. The leaders of the multisite churches noted an increased frequency in contact by leaders of struggling churches. One third of all the sites started in the study were the results of mergers. Stated simply, many struggling churches are seeking to be acquired by multisite churches. This new reality has both practical and ecclesiological implications for the future.
The campus pastor is likely the fastest growing position in local churches, especially in the United States. We have focused for years on training pastors and, often, age-specific or ministry-specific ministry leaders. What type of training does a campus pastor need? Who or what will provide it?
Multisite churches are more likely to hire staff ministers internally. While this trend is growing independent of multisite churches, it is certainly being accelerated by multisite churches. Again, the implications for ministry and theological training are many.
An increased number of smaller churches are becoming multisite. The trend of multisite churches has been mostly the work of larger churches, primarily megachurches. Now the median worship attendance of a multisite church is around 1,000, and churches as small as 100 to 400 in attendance are going multisite as well.
More churchgoers are attending multisite churches. Currently about one in ten Protestant attendees are in a multisite church each week. That number will continue to increase.

The Future

I am thankful for the work of Warren Bird, Leadership Network, and Generis. They have uncovered many new findings about multisite churches. For those of us who love local churches, we must stay informed about such developments. God is using new churches, established churches, and multisite churches all across the world. But, at least from this study, the multisite movement is making gains we had not seen in other segments.

What is your feedback on these findings? What is your perspective on the multisite movement? Let me hear from you.

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Pastoral Tenure & Expository Preaching with Alistair Begg – Rainer on Leadership #070

Podcast Episode #070

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This week we are privileged to have Alistair Begg as our guest. In this episode, we discussed pastoral tenure, expository preaching, sermon preparation, the resurgence of Puritan theology, and more.

Some highlights from the episode:

A lot of pastors overestimate what they can do in a short time and underestimate what they can do over the long haul.
Think yourself empty, read yourself full, write yourself clear, and pray yourself hot.
Technology has been the big game changer in the church over the past few decades.
There is no ideal place to serve God except where He has placed you.
God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.—Hudson Taylor

About Alistair Begg:

Alistair Begg came to Parkside as senior Pastor in September 1983. His teaching is also featured on the radio program Truth For Life. He was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, and from there went to Trent University, London School of Theology, and Westminster Seminary. He and his wife, Susan, have three children. One book he believes every person should have in his or her personal library besides the Bible is The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by the HCSB Bible. Taking into account the significant advancements in scholarship, translation theory, and contemporary English usage, the HCSB will satisfy both those new to the faith and seasoned scholars. Visit HCSB.org for more information.

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.

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Notable Voices: September 4, 2014

A Tale of Two Mars Hills – Eric Geiger

Eric uses the events of the past few years surrounding both Rob Bell and Mark Driscoll to provide great insight into the need for watching one’s life as well as one’s doctrine.

 

11 Preaching and Pastoring Lessons Learned from My Mentor – Chris Hefner

Chris shares 11 helpful tips he’s learned from his preaching and pastoral mentor. I would encourage all young ministers to have a similar mentor speaking into their lives.

 

Why Every Leader is An Interim Leader (And 5 Things You Can Do About It) – William Vanderbloemen

I’m looking forward to having William on the Rainer on Leadership podcast next month, and his new book, Next, deals with the important issue of pastoral succession. This post provides some insight into the topic as well.

 

6 Reasons People are Leaving Churches in America – Jack Wellman

There are several reasons people leave churches. Jack shares six specific ones in this article. And if you’ve been a pastor or been in the church for any amount of time, you’ve likely seen them all.

 

The Five Components of Effective Delegation – Matt Perman

Effective leaders know how to delegate effectively. If not, you either micromanage your team or burn out as a leader. Matt’s five tips will help you become a better delegator.

 

7 Ways We Pray Without Praying – Aaron Earls

In Autopsy of a Deceased Church, one of the marks I note of churches who die is a lack of real prayer for their church and community. While Aaron is being somewhat satirical in this post, I’ve seen eerily similar situations in several dying churches.

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A Simple and Highly Effective Strategy to Get Church Guests to Return

There are so many elements that determine if guests will return to your church after a first visit. The doctrine of the church is key. The preaching and the entire worship service are vital. Even small issues, such as cleanliness of the church, parking, and signage may have at least an implicit impact on a guest’s decision to return.

It is not my purpose, therefore, to suggest the strategy I outline below to be a guarantee toward guest retention. I have seen, however, many churches vastly improve the return visits of guests with just a few simple steps.

Make certain every person attending gets a “connect” card.  You can, of course, call it something else. I would recommend you not call it a guest card, because you want your members to have the freedom to use them as well.
Keep the verbiage on the card simple and clean. The most effective cards request only the name and email of the guest. Home address is optional. There is typically a place on the back for anyone to request prayer. There is a simple place to check to designate if the person is a member or guest. The more you request a person to write on the card, the less likely he or she will complete it.
A key leader should explain the card every service, and there should be a clear point in the service to return the card. Most of the more effective churches request the cards returned during the offertory.
Follow-up should be a high priority. Many church leaders send emails to the guests on Sunday afternoon if they were returned on Sunday morning.
Send a handwritten letter to anyone who provided his or her home address. Read those words carefully: a handwritten letter. If someone goes to the trouble to provide the church a home address, he or she should get personal attention. I recently spoke to a staff member of a church who told me that the recipients of the handwritten letters have the highest return rate of any of the guests.
Make certain church leaders truly pray for those who request prayer. Some church leaders gather on Monday morning to do so. They send a note to the person letting them know that people truly prayed as they requested.

While I understand there are many more important issues in the life of a church, this process is simple and highly effective. There is nothing sacrosanct about this process, but some variation of it seems to be highly effective in guest retention in many congregations today.

How does your church respond to guests? How does the church follow-up with guests? How effective has the process been? Let me hear from you.

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12 Findings from Church Health Surveys

By Chuck Lawless

More than 15 years ago, Dr. Rainer and I developed a Church Health Survey to assess the condition of local congregations. A 160-question survey that focuses on the six purposes of the church (worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry, prayer, and fellowship), the questionnaire reveals a church’s perception of itself.

Over the years, hundreds of churches in North America have completed the survey as they work with my church consulting group. Here are some general conclusions these surveyed churches have told us about themselves.

Even struggling churches view themselves as family. They enjoy being together, even when they differ strongly on matters like worship style. Apparently, the comfort of being with believers they know often trumps their disagreements.
Many churches admit their unhealthiness. By far, churches that complete our survey perceive themselves as “marginally unhealthy” or “unhealthy.” To be fair, these churches contact us because they have already recognized their need for help (which, many other needy churches do not recognize), but our process is easier because of their own admission.
Many members do not pray regularly for church staff. The survey is anonymous, so members seemingly feel free to admit this reality. Follow up conversations suggest members pray for staff when they first join the team and after that point, only when they ask for prayer.
Discipleship and evangelism are the weakest areas in the church. I cannot recall the last survey that showed other areas as the weakest. Again and again, these churches admit they struggle in doing evangelism and discipleship – two non-negotiable components of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).
Churches produce prayer lists, but they do not report answered prayer. Most congregations report having a prayer list, and some churches also have a dedicated prayer room. Few churches, though, consistently report answers to prayer. They miss an opportunity to give God praise.
A dedicated few members do most of the work. Survey respondents tell us that many people spring into action when an immediate need exists, but fewer do the day-to-day ministry of the church. Most members are not convinced that other members know or use their spiritual gifts.
Worship is still an issue. The worship wars may have changed, but they are not completely over. Church members disagree on the style of music, the length of the sermon, and the order of the service. Worship issues often evoke the most polarized responses in our survey.
Members seldom recognize space or parking problems. Even unhealthy churches sometimes face space or parking issues, but members do not recognize them. Most likely, church members who come early to worship and then leave late from worship fail to see any issues with crowdedness.
Communication is a serious issue. I once worked with a church who said via the survey they do not give a portion of their budget to world missions – but the church actually gives 15% to missions! That kind of evidence of poor communication within a congregation is not uncommon. Even when the church is doing ministry, the congregation knows little about it.
Members say they would do more evangelism if they had more training. Whether or not they actually would do more is another matter, but we simply report what the church tells us. Members tell us that fears keep them from evangelizing, and they would welcome more training.
Church folks say they know what they believe, but they are not convinced other members do. This finding has especially surprised us. Members affirm, “I know what I believe as a Christian, and why I believe it” while also denying, “The people in our church understand the church’s doctrine; they know what they believe.” Their confidence in themselves does not extend to their church family.
Most church members and congregations do not pray regularly for world missions. They may want to be a global congregation, but they admit their personal and corporate failure to intercede for those serving overseas. Thus, these churches are not praying regularly for those who lead them or for those they send out.

Again, the churches who complete our Church Health Survey have intentionally sought outside help. I would be surprised, though, if these findings are limited to only these churches.

What are your thoughts?

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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Ten Ways to Double Your Church Volunteer Recruitment and Retention

Without volunteer labor and ministry, our churches would not exist. The recruitment and retention of volunteers should be one of the highest priorities of church leaders.

While we typically honor our paid labor force on Labor Day, I want to take the opportunity to focus on volunteer labor in our congregations. Specifically, I want to share with you ten ways the most effective churches are recruiting and retaining volunteers. In many cases, they have more than doubled the success of those churches where these approaches are not taken.

Tie their work to the vision of the church. First, the church must have a clear and compelling vision. Then leaders should redundantly express how different volunteer ministries tie to that vision. Such a clarification gives purpose to the work of the volunteers. And without purpose, volunteer ministries struggle.
Consider recruiting with specific end dates. If possible, recruit volunteers with a definitive term. They are much more likely to say “yes” if they know they will have a time when the work is done. At that time, they can renew their commitment or move to another area of passion.
Recruit toward a member’s passion. Find out areas where members are already passionate and gifted. If not, you will have to recruit with compulsion or guilt. Volunteers recruited in that manner are not only likely to quit their work at the church; they are also likely to leave the church altogether.
Honor your volunteers at least once a month. A number of churches have annual ministry appreciation banquets. That’s not sufficient. Leaders should find ways, even if it’s as simple as a phone call or email or letter, to honor volunteers at least monthly.
Volunteer recruitment and retention should be the priority of the pastor. While pastors should by no means do all the work, they should make certain it is a priority focus of their ministries.
Get your best leaders to oversee volunteer recruitment and retention. It’s just too important to hope oversight happens without strategy. Your best leaders should have the responsibility of oversight of these ministries.
Communicate openly and frequently with volunteers. Indeed, a clear strategy should be in place for such communication. That is one reason why number 6 is so important.
Recruit through relationships. Strategically ask people who already have healthy established relationships to work together in a ministry. Those relationships will be vital in keeping people motivated. After all, we all prefer to work with people we like.
Provide periodic checkups. A critical part of the communication process should be a checkup to see how each volunteer is doing. It should be open, transparent, affirming, and non-threatening.
Allow volunteers to quit honorably. Burnout is always a possibility. Members may discover that their ministry is actually a bad fit for them. They should have the prerogative of quitting, taking a break, or finding a new area of passion.

On this Labor Day, I honor all those church volunteers who give, go, and serve sacrificially. You are truly the heroes of our congregations.

Let me hear from you about your church’s approach to volunteer recruitment and retention. We all can learn from both your successes and failures.

How do you honor your volunteers? What methods of recruitment work best in your ministries?

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Pray for FBC Hartsville

Location: Hartsville, South Carolina

Transitional Pastor: Aubrey Floyd

Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: FBC Hartsville is a church in transition. They are currently seeking a new pastor to lead them and have recently hired a new minister to students and youth. Please pray for their new Youth & Children Minister and the new programs that begin for them on Sunday, September 7. Also be in prayer for their CARE Ministry (Christians Actively Reaching Everyone) which meets each Tuesday evening.

“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, download this information form and return it to the address on the form.

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Six Reasons Some Churches Are Moving Back to One Worship Style

You could not help but notice the trend of the past two decades. Numerous churches began offering worship services with different worship styles. It is not unusual to see a church post its times of worship for a contemporary worship service, a traditional worship service, and an occasional blended worship service.

The trend was fueled by two major factors. First, many churches were fighting worship wars. The great compromise was creating a worship service for each faction. Unfortunately, that created divisiveness in some churches as each faction fought for its preferred time slot. Second, some churches had a genuine outreach motivation. Their leaders saw the opportunity to reach people in the community more effectively with a more indigenous worship style.

Though I am not ready to declare a clear reversal of the trend, I do see signs of a major shift. It is most noticeable among those congregations that have moved from multiple worship styles back to one worship style.

So I spoke to a number of pastors whose churches had made the shift back to a singular worship style. I asked about their motivations for leading their congregations in such a direction. I heard six recurring themes, though no one leader mentioned more than three for a particular church.

Multiple worship styles created an “us versus them” mentality. Worship wars did not really end with multiple approaches. In some churches the conflicts were exacerbated because those of different preferences did not interact with each other.
The church did not have the resources to do multiple styles with quality. In many churches, inadequate resources meant one or all of the services suffered. It was deemed better to put all the resources toward one style of worship.
The church moved from multiple services to one service. I heard from a number of pastors who have led their churches back to just one service, a move that naturally necessitates one style. Some did so to engender a greater sense of community; others did so due to excessive space in the worship center.
The Millennial generation has influenced many churches. This generation is much more flexible in its preferences of worship style. They are questioning the need of multiple styles.
Worship wars are waning. Many congregations with multiple worship styles created them as a response to worship wars. Now that the conflicts are waning in many churches, the need to segregate by worship preferences is no longer necessary.
Multiple generations are becoming more accustomed to different types of church music and worship style. Contemporary music, in some form, has been around a while. It is not this strange aberration it once was to many congregants. And many church members who did not grow up on traditional worship are hearing those hymns in new and meaningful ways. Simply stated, there is a much greater appreciation for different forms of church music than in the past.

Again, I am reticent to declare a major trend to be taking place. But, anecdotally, I am seeing more congregations move to the singular worship style approach.

I would love to hear your perspectives. If you have any specific information about this trend, please bring it to this community so we can all benefit.

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