Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 301

Pray for Many Farms Baptist Church

Location: Many Farms, Arizona

Pastor: Tony Sessions

Weekly Worship: 10:45 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: Many Farms Baptist Church was established nearly 60 years ago as a mission to the Navajo on the largest Indian Reservation in the U.S. Many Farms is located at the geographic center of the reservation. The church was constituted on May 18, 1989 and just recently celebrated it’s 25th year. This July they will be holding a youth summer mission project. A group of Chinese Baptist churches will be coming to help with this project. Pray that they will be able to retain and disciple the new children who will come to church as a result of this outreach effort. Also pray for the financial needs of the church. MFBC is praying for partner churches that would enable them to reach out to the homeless, the alcoholics, the gang members, and many other lost souls on the reservation.

Website: facebook.com/manyfarmsbaptist/

“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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Four Growing Types of Church Revitalizations

I am an obnoxious optimist on congregations across our nation. And though I’ve been a purveyor of pretty dismal information about the state of our churches, I am seeing more reasons to be optimistic. Admittedly the information I have is more anecdotal than statistical; however there are still some key signs that give me hope.

One of the greatest signs of hope is the growing interest in the revitalization of churches. While I am encouraged to see the continued interest in church planting, I am also heartened to learn of an apparent upsurge in interest—even passion—for revitalizing churches.

I am hearing from Millennials who are telling me about their sense of calling to these churches. I am hearing from Boomers who plan to dedicate their fourth quarter of ministry to church revitalization. And I am among many researchers and resource providers who are dedicating more and more of their time to this endeavor. I am already in the process of finalizing the content of a multi-week video conference on the key practical steps of church revitalization.

So what type church revitalizations are taking place today? I see at least four major categories:

Organic revitalization. This terminology refers to a church turnaround with existing resources and persons. The current pastor and key laypersons and/or staff are part of the revitalization. The church remains in its current location. This category of revitalization is likely the greatest need. It is certainly my greatest passion.
Relocational revitalization. The church moves from one part of the community to another, or it moves to an entirely different community. Typically the new demographics are more conducive to growth, and the new facilities are better suited for a turnaround.
Leadershift revitalization. A new leader, usually a new pastor, arrives at the church to provide leadership skills that play a significant part in the congregation’s turnaround. The new pastor’s skills and gifts are thus a better match for the church.
Acquisitional revitalization. An existing congregation yields its property and leadership to another congregation. About ten percent of churches are on a clear path to death. Often the honorable path to take for those dying congregations is to allow another church to acquire it and give it new life.

These four approaches to revitalization need not be mutually exclusive. For example, I know of several churches that began the revitalization organically, but ended up relocating as well. The good news in all of them is that churches are seeing new life.

I know the present state of many churches is challenging, but my optimism and hope are increasing. I will be telling you more about my changing perspectives in the near future.

In the meantime, let me know your thoughts and perspectives on church revitalization.

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Friday Is for Freebies: Double Play

On this Independence Day, my giveaway features a book on baseball and faith from Major League All-Star Ben Zobrist.

Zobrist, a Tampa Bay Rays player and considered one of the best all-around players in baseball, writes about the importance of his faith, life, and athletic career in Double Play. Written with his wife, Christian singer Julianna Zobrist, and best-selling author Mike Yorkey, the book gives fans a look into the heart of an athlete whose talent and devotion to God, family, and baseball make him one of the most loveable figures in the Major League today.

Also included is the black, genuine leather version of the 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: July 3, 2014

Thom Rainer Live – Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe

Earlier this week, Jonathan Howe and I held a 90-minute discussion about church health, church membership, sacred cows, church revitalization, and more. Here is the full video from the show.

 

7 Myths (or Outright Lies) About Hobby Lobby and the Supreme Court Ruling – Aaron Earls

After the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Hobby Lobby earlier this week, there were scores of misinterpretations and misstatements concerning the ruling. Aaron sets the record straight on the most egregious of these.

 

21 Things You Might Not Know About Your Pastor & Family – Able Baker

In my 30+ years of ministry, I’ve seen all of these. If you’ve been in ministry for any time, you’ve probably experienced several as well.

 

How to Receive Criticism: 3 Kinds of Critics You Can Ignore – Ed Stetzer

I have my share of critics, and if you’re a pastor you do too. Ed shares some wise words on how to handle critics.

 

6 Reasons Pastors Need Learning Communities – Marc Cortez

When we learn in community, we learn faster and retain more. Marc shares why it’s important for pastors to learn not only from one another but with one another.

 

7 Reasons a Leader Feels Insecure – Johnny Hunt

Sometimes the biggest critics for leaders are themselves. Johnny shares seven ways insecurity can creep into the mind of a leader and how to prevent it.

 

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Six Symptoms of a Dysfunctional Church

If you want to hear about really sick churches, then stick with me on this post. If you are tired about many of us writing about the sordid state of congregations, I understand. Skip this article and I will return with more good news in the near future.

So what is a dysfunctional church? By definition, it is a congregation that no longer carries out essential biblical purposes. In other words, the church does not function properly; it is thus dysfunctional.

Unfortunately, I did not have to look far to find over 20 current examples of dysfunctional churches. In my quest, I found six recurring themes. In every one of the congregations, the church manifested at least three of these symptoms.

Severe theological errors are pervasive in the church. I’m not referring to differences over minute matters of eschatology. These errors to which I refer were denials of the essential truths of the Christian faith. In some cases, leadership no longer held to the exclusivity of salvation through Christ.
The church is known as a “pastor-eater.” The congregation often terminated pastors on a regular basis. At the very least, pastors felt the pressure to leave. Short pastoral tenure was thus normative.
The congregation experiences severe conflict. Any group will eventually have some level of conflict: families; fellow employees; students; and churches. But dysfunctional churches take conflicts to a new level, often resulting in emotional outbursts by members and leaders.
Hardly anyone in the community knows the church exists. One of the simple steps I take in many consultations is to visit businesses within about a mile radius of the church. I ask them for directions to the church. If no one has ever heard of the church in that close proximity, I know something is wrong.
The church is declining while the community is growing. An example works better here. Suppose your church has declined in worship attendance by 3% the past two years. Now suppose the community in which the church is located has grown by 4% the past two years. The contrast between the two growth rates is stark, a symptom of a dysfunctional church.
The church is “family owned and family operated.” One particular family, even if it’s an extended family, makes all the decisions in the church. Nothing gets done without the nod of typically the patriarch or matriarch of the family. The church exists largely to meet the needs of one family.

Of course, when I write articles about the negative state of many congregations, I am rightly asked about potential solutions. We are putting together an entire video series on revitalization this fall. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, let me hear from you. What do you think of these six symptoms? What would you add?

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12 Church Parking Lot Problems

By Chuck Lawless

I know the topic of church parking lots is not attention grabbing. In fact, I almost did not write this post – except that I continue to see too many churches miss an opportunity for ministry that begins in the parking lot. Here are some parking lot problems I’ve seen, listed in no particular order.

The parking lot entrance is not easily visible. Sometimes the location of the church building itself is not the best. At other times, the location is not poor, but the entrance to the parking lot is difficult to see from the road. Perhaps a line of trees blocks the view. I’ve visited other churches where the church sign is actually the obstacle.
The landscaping is poorly tended. Frankly, it’s amazing to me that church members look past landscaping at their church they would never ignore in their own yard. Uncontrolled weeds, dying flowers, uncut grass, and old mulch are not a good witness to the community.
Not enough parking is available. Generally, the 80% rule about church facilities applies to parking as well: when 80% of the parking spaces are full, it is likely that attendance will plateau until more space is available. Many churches, though, do not monitor these important data.
No guest parking is available. The church that has no marked guest parking is inadvertently saying (a) we do not expect guests, or (b) we see no reason to treat guests in a special way. The former suggests a lack of faith, and the latter implies a lack of concern.
Guest parking is available, but hard to see. When a guest pulls into a parking lot, he is not likely to know guest parking is available. Unless someone is directing him to that parking or those spaces are immediately obvious, he is likely to miss that benefit for guests.
No greeters are in the parking lot. In many ways, a greeter in the parking lot is more important than a greeter at the door. Without being overly intrusive, parking lot greeters can welcome guests, direct them to an entrance, answer questions they might have, provide umbrellas when it’s raining, assist families with children, and help the elderly.
The church has parking lot greeters, but they are not easily identified. Name badges are helpful, but they are not enough to identify parking lot greeters. Because the parking lot typically has a large number of people wandering around, greeters should be clearly identified by something like a vest.
The traffic flow is poor, and no one is directing it. This problem is often more acute in congregations that have worshippers from multiple services entering and exiting at the same time. Parking lot attendants who direct the traffic can make a big difference.
The walk from much of the lot to the front door is long, and the church provides no shuttle option. Obviously, this problem exists primarily in churches with large parking lots. Those arriving later than others frequently find open spaces only in the distant areas of the lot, and the walk is long. A golf cart might be a wise investment for this church.
Churches miss the opportunity to have welcome centers outside the building. If the weather permits, setting up a portable welcome center in the parking lot is a good strategy. Not only does it avoid the crowd inside the building, but it also becomes an exciting central place to which to direct guests from the parking lot.
The church provides no security in the parking lot. An unattended parking lot during a worship service is regrettably an open invitation for thieves. Security personnel can serve as a deterrent to crime while also being available to direct guests who come late to the service. They might also pray for the families represented by each car as they walk the lot.
No one is praying for this ministry. This work is just that – a ministry – and churches should prayerfully and wisely recruit workers to do these tasks. Moreover, they should commission these workers and pray weekly for them as they serve God in the parking lot.

Does your church have a parking lot ministry? What other problems have you seen? What effective ministry ideas might you share?  

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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Eight Ways to Help Your Pastor Have a Good Vacation

“I hate vacations. If they are not interrupted, I always come back to more problems and more work.”

Those are the actual words of a pastor. He did not make the comments with malice as much as with sobriety.

Summer is often a traditional time when we think of vacations, so I’m taking the opportunity to encourage local congregations to help make their pastors and their families have a great vacation. Your pastor needs the rest and fun. It will also be good for the church.

So what can you do to make this vacation a positive time for your pastor? Allow me to offer eight suggestions.

Pray that your pastor will really rest while on vacation. Too many vacations are often more stressful than restful.
Pray for your pastor’s family on vacation. They too need rest and uninterrupted time.
Have someone responsible for the leadership of the church during the pastor’s vacation. The congregation should know that the pastor is on vacation and that time is being protected. The members should be aware of who the primary contact is in the pastor’s absence.
Don’t call your pastor on vacation if at all possible. This issue may be the toughest one for the members. After all, any church family can have an emergency need; thus there is the likelihood that some type of urgent request will be made. Hopefully, the emergency can be handled by someone other than the pastor.
Don’t connive while your pastor is on vacation. Many pastors have shared with me terrible stories about malicious work and planning by members that took place during the vacation. Thus the pastor returned home to malcontents and crises. One pastor told me he refuses to take a vacation for that very reason.
Let your pastor have the Sundays off around the vacation time. Sermon preparation is incredibly time consuming. A pastor can’t have a true vacation if there is still the need to devote time to sermon preparation.
Provide vacation gifts. Many pastors don’t have the money to take a decent vacation. Sometimes it may be appropriate and gracious to provide the pastor’s family with a something that will allow them to take the vacation. When I was a pastor, I was blessed that a family gave me their beach condo for a week.
Make certain that work is accomplished while the pastor is away. “I don’t want to take a vacation, because the work piles up while I’m gone,” a pastor recently shared with me. Church members can find creative ways to make sure ministry and work is done in the pastor’s absence.

It is not good for a pastor to forego vacations. It is not good for the pastor, for the pastor’s family, or for the congregation. Do everything you can to assure that your pastor not only takes a vacation, but that your pastor takes a vacation that it is stress-free and fun.

Let me know what you think about these eight suggestions.

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Pray for Old River Terrace Church

Location: Channelview, Texas

Pastor: Greg Smith

Weekly Worship: 10:45 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: Old River Terrace is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Located on the east side of Houston, this transformative congregation is seeing a great deal of community transition. Please pray for the “Sunday Night Live” VBS program they are hosting on Sunday nights throughout the summer. Also pray for their growing prayer ministry as they emphasize both corporate and personal prayer.

Website: ortumc.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.

The post Pray for Old River Terrace Church appeared first on ThomRainer.com.

Seven Factors Hindering Evangelism in Churches

There is no shortage of pundits who are providing to us the gloomy and dismal state of American congregations, and, indeed, of many churches around the world. For sure, I am among the guilty. While personal evangelism is ultimately a heart issue between Christians and God, we do see ways this disobedience to the Great Commission is manifesting itself.

Despite all the negative information you have heard from me, I remain an obnoxious optimist about local congregations. One of the reasons I am so optimistic is that many of us are no longer ignoring the problems. One of the early steps to church revitalization is a willingness to “look in the mirror.”

With that in mind, in this article I try to help church leaders look in the mirror if their churches are not evangelistic. And here are seven factors that leaders may see when they get that honest perspective.

There is no priority of evangelism. I know. That sounds too self-evident. But churches that do not make evangelism a high priority are really making it no priority at all.
Many laypersons believe that evangelism is what we pay the pastors and staff to do. Such a perspective is first unbiblical and, second, unproductive. Evangelistic churches always have enthusiastically evangelistic laypersons.
Many churches have an excuse mentality. So pastors blame it on the laity. The laity blame it on the pastor. And both blame it on culture, the denomination, or some other external scapegoat.
Too many church members do not connect prayer with evangelism. Many members are pretty good at praying for those who have physical needs. But many are woefully lacking in praying for those who have the greatest need: a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Too many Christians fail to be compassionate and Christ-like to others. Evangelism always ultimately includes a clear articulation of the gospel. But too many Christians never get that opportunity to share the gospel, because they fail to show Christ in their actions and compassion.
Most church ministries are not intentionally evangelistic. The church should always seek to make certain any and all ministries include intentional efforts to share the gospel.
Some church members are concerned that new Christians will change their church too much. I’m serious. I’ve heard that line many times. When I was a pastor, I was chastised by a church member who told me I was leading too many people to Christ. They were, she said, changing her church too rapidly.

These are seven of the key factors that are hindering evangelism in churches, at least from a symptomatic perspective.

What would you add to this conversation?

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Pastoral Succession – Rainer on Leadership #061

Podcast Episode #061

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Pastoral succession happens in every church. But most churches either have no plan for pastoral succession or a pretty one one if they do. However, one church that I know of has done a great job. That church is Southeast Christian Church in Louisville. Recently, Kyle Idleman was on campus at LifeWay so Jonathan and I sat down with him to discuss pastoral succession, his books, and pastoral ministry.

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.

Resources

Not a Fan
Gods at War
Aha

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