Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 322

Pray for The Rock Church

Location: Mansfield, Texas

Pastor: Joel Soto

Worship Time: 10:00 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: This young church just launched in March of 2013 and is aimed at reaching the multi-ethnic community of Mansfield. Please pray for their upcoming community 5K they are hosting as well as their planned Easter outreach in March. They request that you also pray for their leadership to continue to be sensitive to God’s leading, for the church to continue to grow in unity, and that they will continue to be passionate about proclaiming the life change that only faith in Christ brings.

Website: TheRockMansfield.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.

Fourteen Predictions for American Churches for 2014 – part two

In my earlier post on the first of this year, I offered the first seven of fourteen predictions for American churches for 2014. I must admit I am concerned about my focus on American congregations when so much is taking place in churches around the world. I am challenged to write more global posts for fear they will become too generic without local applications. I will continue to work on that issue.

For now, I will continue to look at American congregations. As a reminder, I noted that my predictions are based on both objective and subjective information. Each of the predictions has a reasonable explanation. For these fourteen predictions, I gleaned from several sources:

Data-based research, particularly LifeWay Research.
Trends that are already underway and gaining momentum.
Conversations with hundreds of church leaders.
My own experiences, based on 25 years of consulting and research of American congregations.

For these fourteen predictions, I added a new feature, a confidence factor. For example, if I said I had 100 percent confidence that a prediction would become reality, it would mean that I have absolutely no doubt about it. None of these predictions have a 100 percent confidence factor. But none of them fall below 70 percent either. That means I have a fairly high level of certainty about each of these trends.

The order of the trends is random. They are not ranked in any particular priority. On Wednesday, I shared the first seven predictions. I conclude today with the final seven.

More large churches will function like mini-denominations. These churches will have multiple locations. They will have one senior or lead pastor, and several other campus pastors. They are more likely to fund their own missions priorities, even if they are also contributing to a denominational missions fund. Many of them will write their own small group literature. Some will have their own church planting strategies. (70% confidence factor)
New worship centers will be built smaller. There will be a greater emphasis on smaller gatherings more frequently. This trend is being affected significantly by the preferences of the Millennial generation (born 1980 to 2000). A related trend is that many congregations will find ways to downsize their existing worship centers. (70%)
Increased emphasis on small groups. In 2014 we will see a decided shift from nearly two decades of the “worship revolution” to the “small group revolution.” Church leaders are rapidly discovering that members who connect to groups are the most faithful members in the church by a myriad of metrics. That is not to suggest that worship will become unimportant; it is to suggest that small groups will have a greater emphasis than the previous quarter century. (75%)
Longer pastoral tenure. There will be incremental but steady growth in the length of tenure of pastors at a given church. Part of the reason is the influence of the Millennials who do not view larger churches as their next step in ministry. Part of the reason is economic; moving in today’s economy is not nearly as easy in pre-recession days. Hopefully, the main reason is a sense of God’s call to stay rather than move. (75%)
Local churches increasing their roles as ministry training leaders. The role of ministry training in the past decades fell largely upon Bible colleges and seminaries. More churches in 2014 will partner with those colleges and seminaries to provide contextual training at a local church. (90%)
Church movement to the community. The posture of many American churches in the most recent decades has been to find ways to get people in the community to come to the church. That is shifting, perhaps dramatically. In more churches, the congregation will move to the community. Instead of a philosophy of “y’all come,” the dominant theme will be “we’ll go.” The congregants will be a more powerful presence in the community they serve, thus ministering to, influencing, and reaching more people with the gospel. (80%)
More multiple teaching/preaching pastors. In larger churches, there has been a decided trend toward having more than one teaching and preaching pastor. Now the trend is taking place in smaller churches. We will see more churches with attendance under 200, even some under 100, with more than one teaching/preaching pastor. Of course, not all of them will be full-time vocationally at the church, so there will be more bi-vocational pastors whose role is to be a second or even third pastor in these smaller churches. (85%)

These fourteen predictions are not infallible. But there does seem to be growing evidence that most, if not all of them, will become a reality in 2014.

Let me hear from you about my perspectives. Happy New Year!

How Pastoring Has Changed in the Past 30 Years – Rainer on Leadership #036

Podcast Episode #036

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Like every area of life, a lot has changed in the past 30 years as it relates to pastoring. In a recent post, I listed seven specific ways:

Thirty years ago, most people in the community held the pastor in high esteem.
Thirty years ago, most people in the congregation held the pastor in high esteem.
Leadership skills are required more today than thirty years ago.
Interpersonal skills are required more today than thirty years ago.
Outreach was accomplished by getting people to come to church services thirty years ago.
Thirty years ago, there were very few “nones.”
The Internet and social media have made pastoring much more challenging than it was thirty years ago.

In this week’s episode, we discuss these seven reasons as well as the need for pastors to be involved in social media, and story of my first funeral. It’s one I’ll never forget.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Pastors Today. This weekly newsletter provides pastors with resources and information from around the web written specifically for pastors. For more information and to subscribe, visit blog.lifeway.com/pastorstoday.

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 autographed copy of I Am a Church Member.

Resources

Seven Ways Pastoring Has Changed in Thirty Years

Friday Is for Freebies: I Am a Church Member and an HCSB Study Bible

Earlier this week I wrote on my predictions for the American Church in 2014. In that post I mentioned an increased emphasis on high-expectation church membership that could be coming in 2014. This prediction comes, in part, due to the response I’ve seen to my latest book I Am a Church Member.

Based on an idea originally taken from this blog, I Am a Church Member discusses the attitudes and responsibilities of church members. I address in detail what congregations should really be focusing on—praying for church leaders, being a functioning member, treasuring church membership, and more.

Six chapters with these titles include study questions to guide the discussion:

I Will Be a Unifying Church Member
I Will Not Let the Church Be About My Preferences and Desires
I Will Pray for My Church Leaders
I Will Lead My Family to Be Healthy Church Members
I Will Be a Functioning Member
I Will Treasure Church Membership as a Gift

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

To enter this week’s giveaway, fill out the form below. Entries will be closed at midnight Saturday night. We will contact the winner via email on Monday morning. Names and addresses are deleted each week and are just used to select a winner.

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After submitting your entry, you will be directed back to the ThomRainer.com homepage. By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

Notable Voices – January 2, 2014

Create a Disciple-Making Plan for 2014 — Tim Brister

Disciple-making and disciple-making groups will be a frequent theme here on the blog in 2014. However, if you and I are going to succeed in making disciples, we need a plan. Tim shares a few quick questions that will help in formulating your personal disciple-making plan.

 

How to Read the Whole Bible in 2014 — Justin Taylor

Chuck Lawless recently shared on the blog a great plan for reading through the Bible while searching for themes. Here are some more plans if you’re still looking for one for 2014.

 

The One Question Every Church Should Be Asking Right Now — Justin Wise

If your church does anything online or in social media you need to know how you determine if you are being successful. Do you know if you’re being successful?

 

5 Ways to Help Young Leaders Succeed — Ron Edmondson

Ron is one of the best bloggers out there on leadership, and his passion for creating successful young leaders is obvious. In this post, he lists five ways you can help the young leaders around you succeed.

 

Four Questions Every Young Leader Should Answer — Dan Reiland

Also related to young leaders, this post speaks to asking the right questions at the right time.

 

5 Ways You Can Bomb a Sermon to Young People — Adam Ramsey

The title of this article may point toward a younger audience, but these principles really apply to any age group.

Fourteen Predictions for American Churches for 2014 — part one

Predicting is as much of an art as it is a science. And if any prognosticator is honest, he or she will tell you that they don’t always get it right. I know. I certainly don’t always get it right.

But I don’t pull my predictions out of thin air. To the contrary, each of them has a reasonable explanation. For these fourteen predictions, I gleaned from several sources:

Data-based research, particularly LifeWay Research.
Trends that are already underway and gaining momentum.
Conversations with hundreds of church leaders.
My own experiences, based on 25 years of consulting and research of American congregations.

This year I am adding a new feature, a confidence factor. For example, if I said I had 100 percent confidence that a prediction would become reality, it would mean that I have absolutely no doubt about it. None of these predictions have a 100 percent confidence factor. But none of them fall below 70 percent either. That means I have a fairly high level of certainty about each of these trends.

The order of the trends is random. They are not ranked in any particular priority. Today, I will share the first seven, and then conclude with the final seven on Saturday.

Increased church acquisitions. Smaller churches will seek to be acquired by larger churches in increasing numbers. One of the big factors is simply personnel cost. Many smaller churches can no longer afford to pay a pastor a salary and benefits, particularly health care benefits.  (75% confidence factor).
Downsizing of denominational structures. Many denominational structures are becoming smaller because their churches are declining. Others are feeling economic pinches. This trend of smaller and more efficient denominational structures at all levels will only become more pervasive in 2014. (90%).
Decline in conversion growth. American churches that grow are more likely to get their growth at the expense of other churches. Evangelism is waning in many churches, and fewer non-believers are becoming Christians. The negative reaction to programmatic evangelistic methods has evolved into an overreaction. Too few churches emphasize personal and church-based evangelism. (75%)
More megachurches. The data are clear that there are more megachurches (average worship attendance of 2,000 or more) today than a year ago. There is also little doubt the trend will continue. The only uncertainty is whether or not the rate of growth of megachurches will continue to climb. (85%)
Greater number of churches moving to a unified worship style. For years a noticeable trend was churches offering different worship styles. The most common was the offering of two services: traditional and contemporary, though the definitions of each were elusive. In the next year we will we see a reversal of that trend, as many of those same churches decide to move to one common worship style. (70%)
Increased emphasis on high-expectation church membership. For decades American congregations as a whole lowered their expectations of church membership. One could be on a church roll in many churches and not even attend worship services for years. We will see a gradual reversal of that trend in 2014 as more churches move to higher-expectation membership. (70%).
Increased challenges for congregations to build and acquire land due to restrictive governmental policies. American churches will experience more frustration with governmental authorities as they seek to expand, build, and acquire land. Part of the reason will be due to the authorities’ concern about traffic and congestions. Another part is the underlying concern of losing a property tax base to a nonprofit organization. In a few cases there will be outright animosity and prejudice against Christians and churches. (80%)

I will conclude the fourteen trends on Saturday. In the meantime, I would love to get your feedback on these first seven trends.

Top 13 Posts of 2013 – Part Two

Yesterday and today I am taking a look back at 2013 and the top posts from the year here at ThomRainer.com. It has been an incredible year here on the blog, and I owe that to you, the readers. Without further ado, here is the second half of the top 13 in ’13. (Read part one here)

6. Seven Things Pastors’ Wives Wish They Had Been Told Before They Became Pastors’ Wives — April 6

I am especially grateful to have the opportunity to hear from pastors’ wives since much of my focus is on pastors. A recent, informal survey simply asked the open-ended question: “What do you wish you had been told before you became a minister’s wife?”

5. Ten Things Pastors Wish They Knew Before They Became Pastors — March 9

In an informal survey of pastors, I asked a simple question: “What do you wish you had been told before you became a pastor?” Some of the responses were obvious. For me, a few were surprises. I note them in order of frequency of response, not necessarily in order of importance.

4. How Many Hours Must a Pastor Work to Satisfy the Congregation? — July 24

If I met just the minimum expectations of twelve deacons, I would have to work more than 16 hours a day for seven days a week. Or I could take one day off of work each week, and work 19 hours a day for six days a week. And remember, I still would only meet the minimum expectations of twelve people in the church, not the entire membership. Clearly a pastor will sense the tension of so many factors competing for the limited hours in a week. And clearly no one can ever humanly meet all those expectations.

3. The Main Reason People Leave a Church — January 21

The solution to closing the back door, at least a major part of the solution, is to move members from an entitlement mentality to a servant mentality. Of course, it is easy for me to write about it, but it is a greater challenge to effect it.

2. Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 11 Things I Learned — April 24

Though this story is bleak and discouraging, we must learn from such examples. As many as 100,000 churches in America could be dying. Their time is short, perhaps less than ten years.

1. Fourteen Things You Shouldn’t Say to Your Pastor — December 21

The list is meant to be both humorous and serious. And I bet almost every pastor has heard all of these in the course of a ministry. Enjoy. But do not repeat (at least to your pastor).

Top 13 Posts of 2013 – Part One

Today and tomorrow I will be taking a look back at 2013 and the top posts from the year here at ThomRainer.com. It has been an incredible year here on the blog, and I owe that to you, the readers. Without further ado, here is the first half of the top 13 in ’13.

13. Ten Commandments for Guest-Friendly Church Members — March 30

I travel a lot and spend a lot of time in different churches. I have had a church consulting firm that did “guest” visits as part of our services. Sadly, many times I do not feel welcome as a guest when I visit churches.

12. Seven Reasons Why Church Worship Centers Will Get Smaller — December 9

A seismic shift is taking place in American church facilities, a shift that will become even more noticeable in the years to come. Church worship centers or sanctuaries will become smaller than they were the past 40 years. As church leaders decide to build, a large number of them will decide to build smaller than most of their predecessors have in previous years.

11. Seven Things Pastors Would Like Church Members to Know about Their Children — June 5

I was serving a church in St. Petersburg, Florida, when it hit me hard. One of my young children had playfully fallen on the floor in the foyer after a worship service. A deacon in the church came up to me and spoke forcefully: “You need to tell your kid to get up. Pastors’ children aren’t supposed to act that way.”

10. Five Things Church Members Want in a Church Bulletin — April 8

There are differences of opinion and a variety of ideas about what should be in the church bulletin, so I conducted an informal survey among church members. I asked one simple and open-ended question: “What do you want in a church bulletin?” The respondents could give as many answers as they liked. There was much agreement on the first four items. Beyond the top four was considerably fragmented opinions.

9. The Number One Reason for the Decline in Church Attendance and Five Ways to Address It — August 19

Stated simply, the number one reason for the decline in church attendance is that members attend with less frequency than they did just a few years ago. Allow me to explain. If the frequency of attendance changes, then attendance will respond accordingly. For example, if 200 members attend every week the average attendance is, obviously, 200. But if one-half of those members miss only one out of four weeks, the attendance drops to 175.

8. Seven of the Greatest Stressors on Pastors — December 16

Most pastors love their calling. Most pastors could not imagine doing anything else. Most pastors have joy in their ministries. I want to be clear that I don’t view pastors as a depressed, melancholy, and forlorn lot.  Most pastors would not come close to fitting that description. But every pastor has points of stress. Indeed everyone has points of stress, including leaders of churches, organizations, and families. Pastors are not immune from stressors in life and ministry.

7. Ten Things Church Members Desire in a Pastor — January 14

I recently asked a few hundred laypersons to write down what they desired of a pastor. Their responses were open-ended, and there was no limitation on the number of items they could list. Though my approach was not scientific, these laypersons did represent over sixty churches.

Pray for Heritage Park Baptist Church

Location: Webster, Texas

Pastor: Trent Henderson

Worship Time: 10:45 AM Central Time

Fast Facts: This church is located in Southeast Houston near the Johnson Space Center. However the neighborhood around the church is beginning to transition from what it has been in the past. Please pray for Heritage Park as they adapt to the changing needs and demographics of their surrounding community. Also pray for them as they embark on a special outreach emphasis this spring in conjunction with their sermon series through the book of Galatians.

Website: HeritagePark.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.

Help Me to Do Better – A Reader Survey

As we end 2013, I want to do everything I can to offer a better blog in 2014 and forward. I have found that the readers of this blog are incredibly insightful, so I am asking for your help.

If you have time, would you offer one or more suggestions to improve my blog? I have listed several questions below. If you could respond to one or a few of them, I would be greatly appreciative. Feel free to respond anonymously if you would be more comfortable.

Thank you again for making this blog the source of information it is today. And thank you for your willingness to make it better.

What do you like most about this blog?
What do you like least about this blog?
What would you like me to change?
What issues would you like me to address?
Is the typical post too long or too short?
Do you like or dislike my almost completely open comment policy?
The blog has daily posts. Is that too frequent or not sufficiently frequent?
What would you change about my daily schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday – new content by me; Tuesday – new content by Chuck Lawless; Thursday – Notable Voices links to other posts; Friday – Freebies giveaway & podcast; and Sunday – pray for a specific church?
Is my own comment interaction sufficient?
Do you like the 7:00 am release time of each post or would you prefer a different time?
Is the functionality of the blog okay?
What else would you offer to help me improve the blog?

Thank you again for making 2013 such a great year for me.  I pray that 2014 is a great year for you and your families. I’ll begin the new year with a post of my predictions for American churches.