Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 297

Pray for The Church at Southside

Location: Birmingham, Alabama

Pastor: Keith Akins

Weekly Worship: 10:30 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: The Church at Southside was founded as a house church in January 2013 and has grown ever since. The church officially launched and dedicated their building earlier this summer. Please pray that God would use The Church at Southside in His plan to redeem the city of Birmingham and the the Southside area specifically. Also pray that God would continue to send more and more leaders to join the work started at The Church at Southside through pastor Keith.

Website: ChurchAtSouthside.com.org

“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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Eleven Observations about Church Transfer Growth

Is church transfer growth good, bad, or neutral? Let’s look at some different perspectives.

In simplest terms, transfer growth is a church member moving his or her membership from one church to another. Attitudes about this growth have changed significantly over the past twenty years. By the way, some of the funny phrases used for this growth are “shuffling of the sheep,” “sheep swapping,” and “circulation of the saints.”

Here are my eleven observations about church transfer growth:

In the recent past (15 to 20 years), transfer growth was rewarded. Churches and church leaders were recognized for the total number of new members who joined their churches. Thus, at least implicitly, transfer growth was seen as important as conversion growth (where a non-Christian becomes a believer and joins the church).
The pendulum has swung, and transfer growth is viewed more negatively today. The Millennials specifically seem to have an aversion to this type of church growth.
Much of transfer growth has been the result of the consumer mentality creeping into churches. Many Christians have become church hoppers and shoppers to find the right church that meets their needs and preferences. They view a local congregation as a country club with perks for the members.
It has not been uncommon for pastors to become competitive and antagonistic about members transferring from one church to another. This attitude is less common today than it was over a decade ago.
Transfer growth can mask sickness in a church. Churches can be lauded for their fast growth, even if the growth includes very few new Christians. So it is possible for a church to be held in high regard even though its members are disobedient to the Great Commission.
Transfer growth has been easy in many churches because of low membership standards. If churches truly communicate and expect members to be fully functioning in the congregation, fewer would transfer with a consumer mindset.
The decline of cultural Christianity has slowed the flow of church transfer growth. Many persons, including some non-Christians, used to transfer into the “popular” church in town because church membership was a cultural expectation. That is no longer true in most areas of our country.
More pastors and other church leaders are actually contacting the church from which a person desires to transfer. They are attempting to confirm that the person has been a member in good standing, and that he or she is not transferring unresolved problems with their membership.
Despite obvious issues concerning transfer growth, we should not assume all transfer growth is bad. It’s a bad metaphor, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.
Some church members seek to transfer because of major doctrinal aberrations in their churches. I recently spoke to someone who left her church because the leadership denied the exclusivity of salvation through Christ.
The fastest growing category of transfer growth today takes place when a person moves out of his or her community. We should be thankful for Christians who seek a church home when they move to a new community. This category of transfer growth is becoming the most common because of the mobile nature of our culture.

Perhaps transfer growth has been an issue or concern in your church. I would love to hear your perspectives on it.

photo credit: PhotKing ♛ via photopin cc

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Leading in a Glass House – Rainer on Leadership #066

Podcast Episode #066

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A lot of you are pastors. A lot of you are in leadership positions where every single move is watched and every word is parsed. It can be extremely difficult to lead with that pressure on you. So today, Dr. Danny Akin discusses leading your family, your church, or your business with all eyes on you.

Some quotes from Dr. Akin in this episode:

The key word that is missing in many marriages today is “commitment.”
When you’re committed to marriage to the end, when those hard times come, you’re motivated to work through it.
Too many men in ministry are helicopter dads, and that stifles the fun in the house.
Being in the ministry means living in a glass house. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.  If you can’t handle that, then you may not need to be in the ministry.
It is a compliment to you as a mom or dad that your kids feel comfortable bringing their friends into your home.
We can’t please everyone. All that really matters in life is that you please God.
When you make a mistake, admit it and ask for forgiveness.

Episode Sponsor

This podcast was brought to you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program. If you want more out of your ministry, want to study with a world-class faculty and need to stay where you currently serve, the DMin at Southeastern is the answer for you. Visit SEBTS.EDU/DMIN 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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Transformational Groups and 3 Ways to Make the Most of Sermons and Small Groups

This week’s freebie is the book Transformational Groups by Eric Geiger and Ed Stetzer. You’ve likely seen a lot from us at LifeWay about groups this year. So before I get to the giveaway, I want to take a brief moment to explain why.

A common mistake many churches make in their disciple-making work is to view the sermon and the small group experience as separate, stand-alone components. In reality, we should view the sermon and a church’s Bible study groups as complementary, enhancing the effectiveness of each other, and develop a solid strategy to make the most of both. To do so, you can:

1. Align your sermons and group study for greater depth

Plan your sermons around your small group study plan (or vice versa) so that your people can dig deeper into a particular text, topic, or theme in Scripture. This approach allows your members to have up to three distinct experiences with a specific Scripture passage:

First, through personal study as they learn to study for themselves;
Second, in their group setting as they are challenged—and challenge others—through the experience and discussion of the group;
And third, as they receive clear, solid teaching from your sermon.

2. Diversify your sermons and group study approach to enhance critical thinking

If you have a consistent preaching style and approach to Scripture, consider offering a different approach in your group study. For example, if you preach through the Bible book by book, consider a topic-driven or life application-driven approach for your group study. Or, if you are preaching a topical series, have your groups dig deeper into a particular book of the Bible.

This approach trains people to think about and process Scripture in multiple ways. As members develop critical thinking skills, they will more readily approach Scripture with a desire to know what it has to say—what it has to say about God and what it has to say about their everyday lives.

3. Equip your leaders to make wise decisions for their groups

Most pastors have little emphasis, or sometimes, even knowledge about the content that is taught in groups in their churches. I know a pastor would not think of coming to the pulpit unprepared. But while pastors are largely very careful about what is preached, they do not usually give the same diligence to the content of small groups. Discipleship can take place in many places, but it should be taking place in those small groups. And the unintended consequences of not having a wise plan for discipleship is that you will fail to make disciples, or you may even have heretical teaching in some groups.

Leaders must be intentional in providing a clear plan of discipleship for small groups, and that plan must include clear guidance about content. Such a posture does not mean that leaders are autocratic or non-collaborative. Leaders, pastors particularly, must be involved. The need is too great to let discipleship become haphazard and unintentional. You wouldn’t approach preaching without a clear idea of what you are preaching and why you are preaching. Please do no less for your small groups.

If you are currently planning your sermons and groups for the year, I invite you to compare our study options for 2014 and 2015 and determine which approach will be most helpful in accomplishing your goals. Or, if you are considering aligning the study topics in your groups with your own sermon series and want a custom curriculum, our team of specialists at Discipleship in Context will be glad to help.

Now, back to the giveaway:

In Transformational Groups, Ed Stetzer and Eric Geiger provide a map to transformational success for your church’s groups ministry. Using data from the largest survey of pastors and laypersons ever done on the condition of groups in the church, they define a simple process to lead your groups from where they are to where God wants them to be.

Also included is an HCSB Study Bible, a comprehensive, easy to read, and easy to use Bible, with features and formats specifically designed to enhance your Bible study experience. You can also go to MyStudyBible.com and dive right in for a complete digital experience.

This Bible has a retail price of $79.99 and features 15,000 study notes, 290 Hebrew and Greek word studies, 66 highly detailed book introductions, 62 maps, 27 topical articles, 20 charts, and 18 illustrations, all focusing on the most important topics and questions in Bible study.

Enter this week’s Friday Is for Freebies giveaway

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Notable Voices: August 7, 2014

3 Gaps That Probably Exist On Your Church Website – Ryan Stigile

Your church website is the new front door to your church. But are you using it to its fullest potential? Ryan uncovers three critical gaps found on most church websites.

 

Churches Must Begin to Reach, Baptize, and Disciple Young Adults – Ronnie Floyd

Ronnie shares the critical need for churches to reach young adults. Through my writings on Millennials, I’ve seen this need as well. With only 15% of Millennials claiming to be Christians, the harvest is plentiful.

 

3 Ways NOT to Share Jesus – Chris Martin

Related to the topic of reaching Millennials, Chris gives three examples of how NOT to evangelize them.

 

Evangelism, Reason, & Faith – Jason Helopoulos

When it comes to evangelism, many fail to share their faith out of fear that they will not know what to say. Jason shows why that shouldn’t keep us from faithfully witnessing.

 

The Loss of Pastoral Credibility in the Age of the Internet – Alastair Roberts

Earlier this week, I wrote on how social media has changed the church and how pastors should be aware that everything they say online can be found. This is yet another reminder of that fact.

 

Recap of the Main Event – Philip Nation

I had the privilege of interviewing former president George W. Bush last weekend at The Main Event 2014 here in Nashville. Here is a video recap of this year’s event, and I hope you can join us next year in either Nashville, Kansas City, or Portland for The Main Event 2015.

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Seven Ways to Lead “Unleadable” People in a Church

“I am so frustrated. I am ready to leave this church and the pastorate altogether. The church members are unleadable.”

The email came to me just as I quoted. Though I didn’t think “unleadable” was a word, I knew exactly what the pastor meant. He was in an established church. He had been there for less than four years. And he was frustrated. Very frustrated.

From his perspective, every initiative he made to lead the church forward was met with resistance. Members were more concerned about their preferences and needs than reaching the community with the gospel. Some of the members responded with anger and overt negativity. Others were passive aggressive.

But all of them were frustrating the pastor.

What is the solution to leading unleadable people? Though I do not have a cookie-cutter approach, nor do I have a quick-fix solution, I can tell you what I’ve learned from other leaders in similar situations. I can tell you about some of the stories where leaders have been moved from frustration to celebration.

Allow me, then, to share with you seven ways to lead unleadable church members.

Pray for those members. Make it a point to pray for them by name. Pray for God’s work and blessings in their lives. Pray for their families. And pray that God will give you a greater love for them regardless of their responses.
Pray for your own attitude. A leader’s attitude is contagious, whether it’s positive or negative. Church members can discern pretty easily a leader’s disposition. Sometimes, the negative attitude of the leader exacerbates a difficult situation.
Mentor one or two of the recalcitrant church members. You don’t have to use the word “mentor.” You can just start spending more time with one or two of the tougher cases. Take them on ministry visits with you. Share informally your heart for the church. Get to know them better.
Have a quality new members’ class. I will be expanding on this topic later, but the idea is to establish clear expectations of new members on the front end. They will then likely influence other members in the church.
Get influencers in the church to help you. They may or not be the people in key positions in the church. They are the ones that, when they speak, everyone listens. Share with them your passions. See if they can be a positive influence on the more immovable members.
Demonstrate consistent ministry to these more recalcitrant members. Don’t avoid them because you don’t like them. But, also, don’t give them disproportionate ministry time simply because they complain. You don’t want to reinforce negative behavior.
Be persistent. Some of the greatest missionaries around the world did not see ministry fruit for a decade or so. But they persisted, and God has blessed their labors. Leaders of established churches should view themselves as missionaries on the field. And they must be willing to be patient and persistent. Earlier research I led showed that the greatest fruit in a pastor’s ministry typically occurred in year five or later of tenure.

I would love to hear your struggles and victories in leading unleadable people in your church. The greatest part of this blog is the reader. You offer so many great insights. Let us hear from you.

photo credit: lumaxart via photopin cc

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8 Ways the Enemy Attacks Churches

By Chuck Lawless

I have studied spiritual warfare for more than twenty years. During most of that time, I’ve also worked as a church consultant. I’ve learned these two worlds often collide: churches fail to recognize the schemes of a real enemy, and they have no plan to respond. Here are some of the primary ways I’ve seen the enemy attack churches:

Congregational division – I’ve seen churches divided over budget decisions, paint colors, worship styles, Bible versions, community outreach, global missions, staffing choices, service times, choir robes, small group curriculum, and church vans. Some of these issues are obviously more significant than others, but the enemy still knows this truth: believers make little dent in the darkness when they shoot each other in the back.


False teaching – Most of my work is with evangelical churches, and I don’t often see blatant false teaching. What I see is much more subtle than that:


Small group leaders teaching unbiblical theology, with no internal system in place to recognize or address that problem
No oversight or accountability about curriculum taught in small groups
Theologically-suspect material in the literature rack
Problematic “recommended reading” in the church library
Music lyrics that promote bad theology
Poor exegesis of biblical texts.


Family breakdown – I remember the first time I heard about two believers divorcing.  A teenage believer raised in a non-Christian home, I just assumed things like divorce didn’t happen among church people. I also recall the devastation I felt as a pastor the first time a couple whose wedding I had officiated divorced. Now, many churches hardly pause when another home falls apart – and the enemy is pleased when the marriage picture of Christ’s love for His church (Eph. 5:25) gets distorted.


Hidden sin– The story is tragic, but true in more than one situation. The church is not growing, and they invite consultants to help them recognize their obstacles to growth. Attention is given to infrastructure, programming, staffing, and facilities. Sometime later, the truth comes out that a more significant obstacle had existed: someone in church leadership had been living in sin for months, if not years, even while doing his day-to-day ministry.


Transfer growth diversion – Let me summarize this point: the enemy is seldom threatened when churches grow only by “swapping sheep” with other churches down the street or across the city. I have worked with churches that brag about their growth, but never ask the question whether they are seeing non-believers turn to Christ. Transfer growth often distracts believers from doing evangelism – and thus plays into the enemy’s hands.


Self-dependence – Some churches, I am convinced, would continue to exist for some time even if God withdrew His presence. That is, they operate in their own strength and ability, but they do it well. Often they have enough size that decline is almost imperceptible. Their leaders are natural “fixers,” and they tend to fix first and pray second. Though these churches may speak passionately about the “power of God,” they rely more on their own power.


Discipleship distraction – The enemy delights in churches that have no strategic, effective discipleship strategy. After all, these churches have no plan to teach believers how to wear the full armor of God (Eph. 6:11).  They frequently leave new believers to fight battles on their own, select unprepared persons for leadership, and then provide no training for those leaders. Because no one discipled them, their members often lose battles in a spiritual war they did not know existed.


Hopelessness – It’s easy to get here. Church leaders give all they have to give, yet with few results. The church is dying but unwilling to change. Lay leaders protect their turf. Staff members sometimes battle among themselves. Seemingly, no lives are experiencing transformation. “What’s the point?” the enemy asks. “Why not just give up?”

We do have hope, of course, in Jesus’ words: “I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt. 16:18b). The enemy is viciously strategic against the church, but we need not let him win.

In what ways have you seen the enemy attack churches?

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 via fineartamerica.com

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Seven Warnings for Church Leaders Who Use Social Media

If you are a church and/or Christian leader on social media, please heed the following warnings. This information is pertinent whether you are paid or volunteer, serving in a church or some other Christian organization.

Those of you who read my blog or listen to my podcasts know I am a strong proponent of Christian leaders utilizing social media. I have seen so many good things take place on the various platforms available. I have seen the gospel clearly shared and embraced on social media.

But social media is a two-edged sword. It can be used for good or great harm. And it can harm the ministries of those in Christian leadership. So, whether your platform is a blog, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus, or many others, please note these seven warnings. Indeed, it is my prayer that you will heed these seven warnings.

Consider anything you say on social media to be permanent. Yes, you can delete or scrub regretful things you have said on social media but, more times than not, the information can still be retrieved. And countless people take screen shots the moment they see something unwisely posted.
You can be misunderstood often on social media. The readers or viewers usually cannot see your body language. They don’t know your humor or sarcasm. If you have any question about something you will post, don’t post it.
Emoticons are not sufficient to soften what you have posted. In fact, emoticons are so ubiquitous now that many readers ignore them.
Attacks on other people’s character or positions are considered cowardly by many. The reader or the viewer typically sees the person writing the information as one who hides behind a keyboard or microphone. They wonder if the writer would have the courage to say the same things in person.
Too many Christian leaders are posting on social media in the heat of emotional moments. If you are angry or otherwise agitated, take a 24-hour break from social media. If not, you may regret it later.
Churches and other Christian organizations are checking social media of Christian leaders. It has become more commonplace for churches and Christian organizations to do a social media background check of potential candidates. And I recently conversed with a pastor who was fired from his church because of something he posted on Facebook. And remember, at the risk of being redundant, most of the words or photos or videos you have posted are permanently recorded.
The non-Christian world is watching Christians attack each other on social media. Our Christian witness is compromised again and again by our social media actions. When we say or write scathing attacks on others, non-believers see us as hypocritical, inconsistent, and unworthy of emulating.

You might be surprised how many people are watching you on social media. And you might be surprised how many people have been hurt and angered by Christian leaders on social media. You might also be surprised how many gospel-sharing opportunities have been forfeited by unwise things posted on social media.

Be wise. Be gracious. Be kind. And be Christ-like.

Let me hear what you think of this issue.

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Pray for Belington Church of the Nazarene

Location: Belington, West Virginia

Pastor: Richard L. Chambers

Weekly Worship: 10:40 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: Founded 1943, Belington Church has mainly been a church in the community. It has planted a church in Weaver, WV, and for nearly a decade, held an after school children’s ministry which now has closed due to lack of volunteers. However, the church has opened a 14-station high speed Internet lab which is free to the community and ministers in partnership with Nehemiah Effect and World Vision in the repair of homes within community for those who cannot afford it. Please pray for the church as they examine their Sunday Night services and whether to move those to another night. Finally, pray for the renewal of their church community.

Website: BelingtonNazarene.org

“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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I Will Be a Unifying Christian

I will be a unifying Christian.

There are times when I must take a stand for God and His Word,

But I can do so in such a way that is charitable and non-combative.

My tone can be helpful,

And my demeanor can be Christ-like.

I will be a unifying Christian.

I will seek to build up before I tear down,

To encourage before criticizing.

I will learn that my words can be a source of great harm,

Or they can be a source of encouragement and joy.

I will be a unifying Christian.

That means that my needs and preferences will be last.

And I will seek to serve others with joy.

In all that I do, I will strive to be selfless in my church and in my life.

My priority will be to build up the body of Christ.

I will be a unifying Christian.

I will pray each day that I show Christ’s love more fully,

To be compassionate and caring for those in need.

In Christ’s strength, I will be a voice of hope

To so many who believe this world is cruel and hopeless.

I will be a unifying Christian.

I know many are watching me.

They know I am believer in Christ, a Christian.

My words and actions are my witness.

The world will know we are Christians by our love.

I will be a unifying Christian.

Such is my hope. My goal. My prayer.

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35 (HCSB)

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