Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 327

Notable Voices – November 21, 2013

3 Tips from Abraham Lincoln to Help You Preach Better Sermons — Jeff Bigelow

This past week marked the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Jeff extracts three lessons from this historic moment in American and oratorical history and shows how applying them can help you preach better sermons.

 

10 Guest Preaching Tips So They Want to Invite You Back — Brandon Hilgemann

As someone who has preached in hundreds of churches over the years, I can affirm this list of tips Brandon provides. If you are an itinerant preacher and completely ignore these simple tips, you’ll likely have an empty calendar.

 

10 Surprising Social Media Statistics That Will Make You Rethink Your Social Strategy — Fast Company

If your church, ministry, or place of work has any web presence at all (and it should), these stats will help you respond to trends in online usage by your congregants or customers.

 

35 Lessons from 35 Years as a Pastor — Tom Ascol

I’m always encouraged to read of pastors who have been faithful in their ministry over multiple decades. In this post, Tom reflects on lessons learned in his 35 years as a pastor.

 

Is New York City on the Brink of a Great Awakening? — Joy Allmond

It’s hard to deny the cultural impact NYC has on our nation, and over the past decade there has been a resurgence of faith in our most global of cities here in the United States. In this article, Joy shares why she believe the Big Apple is poised to see a second Great Awakening in the coming years.

Pastors and Vacations

Two years ago I spoke to a pastor about his church. After he shared with me all the areas in which he had been involved and the ministries he led, I asked him an innocent question: When do you take vacation? His answer flabbergasted me. “I don’t,” he said.

I thought maybe he had misunderstood me, so I clarified. In the past six years that you have served as pastor, when did you take a vacation? “I haven’t,” he reiterated. I had heard him right the first time. This pastor had deprived himself and his family for the past six years. I anticipated burnout was not far away.

Unfortunately, I was right.

Why Some Pastors Get Little or No Vacation

I do think the pastor I encountered was an exception, but I have spoken to more than one pastor who has skipped vacations for a year or two or even three. Some of you may know of pastors who have excessive vacations or who abuse the vacations given to them, but those pastors are the exceptions.

Rare exceptions.

There are many pastors who have no other staff. Though the laity do some of the work of ministry, church members still want the pastor to visit the hospital. Or officiate the funeral. Or counsel the person in crisis. As a result, many pastors are reluctant to take vacation.

Some pastors have admitted to me that critics in the church get loudest when they are gone, so they are reluctant to leave. They know  the church will have some type of conflict taking place upon their return, so vacations become a time of worry and wondering.

The Confusion Surrounding Pastors and Vacation

Numerous pastors have shared with me their uneasiness about vacations because they simply don’t know what they are supposed to do. If you take a corporate job, vacation policy is clear. Churches are different most of the time. Here are some of the questions I hear:

How much vacation should I take? Many churches do not have a clear policy.
How many Sundays can I be out? One pastor told me he was allowed to take three weeks vacation, but he could not be out on a Sunday.
What do I do if my vacation is interrupted? Many pastors return from vacations to conduct funerals or attend to other crises. Should they be allowed to take an additional week? How do they make it up to their families?
Who covers for me while I’m gone? This question is especially common where the pastor is a solo pastor.
Should a pastor have mandatory vacation? Some pastors just refuse to be gone.

The Need for Clarity and the Need for Vacations

Serving as a pastor is a joyful calling. Serving as pastor can be a stressful calling. Pastors desperately need time, extended time, to rest and recharge. Very few vocations have the emotional highs and lows as that of a pastor.

The pastor’s family deserves vacation time as well. The spouse and the children live through regular interruptions of family time. They know that a pastor is on call 24/7. There is no such thing as a “normal” life. Husband, wife, and children need time together away from the church. Vacations are critical to the health of the pastor’s family.

How do you handle vacations if you are a pastor? If you are not a pastor, what does your church do to assure that your pastor has adequate vacation time? What are the policies or guidelines at your church about vacation time? What should a church do for the pastor if the family’s vacation is interrupted or terminated by a crisis in the church?

I know I have a lot of questions. I would love to hear your perspectives.

10 Days of Simple and Strategic Prayer for Your Church

By Chuck Lawless

I encourage you—even if you struggle with prayer—to keep reading this blogpost. I want to help you pray for your church during the next ten days.

Think for a minute about praying people in the Bible. Abraham prayed for a city (Gen. 18:20-33). Moses prayed for God’s people (Exod. 32:11-13). Joshua prayed for guidance (Josh. 7:1-26). Hannah prayed for a child (1 Sam. 1:1-20). Solomon prayed for wisdom (1 Kgs. 3:1-15). The prophets of God prayed, too (e.g., 1 Kgs. 18:36-39; Jer. 20:7-18).

The early church prayed fervently (Acts 1:14, 3:1, 4:31, 6:4, 10:9, 12:5, 13:3, 14:23, 16:25, 20:36, 28:8). The apostle Paul prayed for believers (e.g., Rom. 1:8, 1 Cor. 1:4). Jesus, of course, modeled a life of prayer (e.g., Matt. 26:36-46; Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42; John 17).

The point is basic: prayer matters, and God’s people must be a praying people.

Too often, though, we don’t pray until we have to – that is, until we face a situation we can’t handle on our own.

We come by this pattern honestly, as we have been taught to be “fixers.” Though unstated, our practical prayer philosophy is obvious: try hard, give it our best, and turn to God as a last resort rather than a first and only hope.

Simply stated, we evangelicals are often more “fixers” than pray-ers. And why not? We have it all—education, buildings, leaders, dollars, members, structures, programs, literature, experience, youth, training … except the obvious power of God on our work.

Where do we start, then, in correcting our prayer patterns? Too often, our strategy is to move from “prayer struggler” to “prayer warrior” quickly. We decide to get up every morning an hour earlier, use that hour for prayer, and then start the day. That’s a great plan as long as it lasts, but seldom does it last long. By the end of week one, discouragement has set in because we’ve failed . . . again.

Rather than take this approach, I encourage you to start simply and strategically. Find time each of the next ten days to pray these ways for your church. In fact, read this blogpost, and then send it to five of your church members to join you in this simple strategy:

Day 1 – Pray for your church staff and leaders. If you are the only staff member, pray for yourself and the other spiritual leaders (e.g., deacons, elders). Pray that all will be holy, passionate, and evangelistic.

Day 2 – Pray for your church’s small group leaders. Ask God to give them a caring heart, a teaching ability, and a prayerful spirit. Pray they will willingly reproduce themselves and multiply their groups.

Day 3 – Pray for the children in your church. Pray your church will give them such grounding in the gospel they will always think about Christian faithfulness when confronted with the world’s options. Ask God to raise up a next generation of missionaries from your children.

Day 4 – Pray for the students in your church. In particular, pray for those whose parents do not attend. Then, pray the students will be vibrant witnesses in their schools. Ask the Lord to give them strength in temptation.

Day 5 – Pray for the couples in your church. Lift them up by name, and pray for their marriages. Pray that each husband will love his wife as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). Intercede especially for those couples you know are struggling.

Day 6 – Pray Ephesians 6:18-20 and Colossians 4:2-4 for ten leaders in your church. Ask God to give them boldness in sharing, clarity in message, and others ready to hear. A few members with a thirst for evangelism can spark an awakening.

Day 7 – Pray for new believers in your church. Ask the Lord to raise up disciplers for them. If your church does not have any new members, ask God to give your congregation a renewed heart for evangelism.

Day 8 – Pray for your church to be a Great Commission-minded church. Prayerfully consider committing to pray for an unreached people group around the world. If your congregation is already going to the nations, pray for more members to go.

Day 9 – Pray for more laborers in your church (Matt. 9:35-38). Jesus told us to pray that way, so be obedient to His command. You may find you seldom struggle in finding workers when you pray this way.

Day 10 – Pray for your church’s next Sunday service. Ask God to make Himself known in such a powerful way in response to your prayers that your members recognize a difference.

Let us know if you’re committing to pray this way. We’ll join you in praying.

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.

Six Pastoral Lessons from a Coach Whose Team Never Punts

If you have followed my writings for any length of time online, you know of my almost rabid enthusiasm for football. College football in particular. And especially the Alabama Crimson Tide.

So when I saw this video online last week, I found Coach Kevin Kelley’s strategy fascinating. I can’t begin to imagine the reaction at Bryant-Denny Stadium if Nick Saban were to go for it on fourth down every time and attempt an onside kick on nearly every kickoff. It likely wouldn’t be pretty.

I realize they are talking about high school football here, but I identified six lessons pastors can learn from Coach Kelley and his unorthodox strategy.

Just because everyone else is doing it a certain way, doesn’t mean you should too. Coach Kelley challenged his assistants to ask “why” about every aspect of their program. When is the last time you asked “why” about the way things are done at your church? Times change, and sometimes methods should too.
Stats and trends are important. Coach Kelley knows the percentages and the risks involved in his strategy. He didn’t just wake up one morning and make changes. He calculated the risk and the reward. And he can clearly communicate those to the naysayers. Identify the historical patterns, future risks, and potential rewards that change may bring before implementation.
Creativity often comes from necessity. Hard times in Coach Kelley’s personal life forced him to become more creative. If your church is struggling in certain areas, be creative with your solutions. As I’ve written before, our culture is now a 24/7 population. Some members have to work during the times of worship services. If possible, give them options.
Read books that make you think a little bit differently. If all you read are the same kinds of books from the same kind of authors, you won’t expand your thinking or stretch your imagination. Yes, pastors should read theological books and commentaries, but they should also indulge in general leadership books.
All the little things add up. Coach Kelley didn’t have one silver bullet to winning games; he had multiple small tactics that added up to an advantage for his team. Likewise, there is no one silver bullet to turning around a dying church or continuing the growth of a healthy one. It takes several little improvements in different areas to add up to growth.
There will be complainers. The strategy employed by Coach Kelley doesn’t work every time. There will inevitably be games lost, but Coach Kelley sticks to the strategy. And it’s hard to argue with a .836 winning percentage. However in those losses, I guarantee there were complainers saying that Pulaski should have punted on fourth downs. Or kicked off like every other team. Unorthodox tactics make people uncomfortable, but as a leader it’s important to encourage others to see the big picture. For every loss, there are six wins. And if your church is reaching six new people for Christ for every one complainer that leaves your church because they don’t buy into the strategy, your church is still going to be a Kingdom presence in your community.

What other lessons can be learned from Coach Kelley? How can these lessons be applied in your church?

Pray for Roseberry Baptist Church

Location: Mascot, Tennessee

Pastor: Vacant

Worship Time: 10:45 AM Eastern Time

Fast Facts: Located just outside of Knoxville, TN, this church is in a transitional period after the retirement of its former pastor following 38 years of faithful ministry. Please pray for the church and its various ministries as they prepare for the Christmas season as well as their upcoming prayer walk—a time in which they will walk the entire church campus and pray for every aspect of ministry in the church. Finally, please pray for the pastor search committee as they seek the next pastor for Roseberry Baptist.

“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.

Seven Trends in Church New Member Classes

One of the most significant changes in church practices in the past fifteen years is the requirement of an entry class to be granted church membership. In a 1997 survey I did, only 17 percent of churches were requiring a new member class. In a recent and non-scientific Twitter poll I conducted, 86 percent of those who responded said their church requires a membership class to be formally affiliated with the church.

Even if you provide allowances for the potential lack of accuracy of a Twitter poll, the change is remarkable if not dramatic. The number of churches requiring a membership class has increased 400 percent in 15 years!

That is one of seven key trends we see today in new member classes. Let’s look at all seven:

Requiring church membership classes has become a normative church practice. Indeed this church practice is almost as pervasive as churches that have small groups or Sunday school classes.
The longer a church has required a membership class, the shorter it becomes in length. Many churches start with membership classes that are multiple weeks in length. Because of teaching efficiency and the need for better participation, they typically move toward one-day classes.
The most common length of a new member class is three hours. Of course, there is a wide variety of lengths and days of these classes, but the three-hour class is now the plurality among those offered. It still is a long way from becoming the majority preference though.
The most common day the class is offered is Sunday. The logic behind this option is that people are already at church, so offer the class while they are there. I have heard from many church leaders whose churches offer the class during the Sunday school/Bible study/small group time. Others offer the class immediately after the worship services, typically connected to lunch. Again, there is still much variety on the day or evening these classes are offered.
The most efficient membership classes have options. By efficient, I mean the level of participation. If the church offers classes at different times, more people are likely to participate. A common example is a church that offers a class on two Wednesday evenings for 90 minutes each, or one Sunday afternoon for three hours.
Among the minority of churches that do not require new member classes, there are strong feelings against them. Some church leaders and members view such a requirement as legalistic and/or unbiblical. This issue still evokes strong emotions.
Leaders in churches are enthusiastic about the benefits of new member classes. Though I have no metrics, I do hear anecdotal testimonies about improved member retention, better stewardship, stronger ministry participation, and lower conflict.

Let me hear from you about new member classes in your church. Do you require them? When are they offered? What is the content of them? What is your assessment of their usefulness thus far? What have you changed about them? What would you like to change?

How to Respond to Criticism – Rainer on Leadership #031

Podcast Episode #031

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Every leader faces criticism. How you respond to that criticism typically indicates how successful you will be as a leader because some criticisms are valid—and some are not. So this week on the podcast, Jonathan and I discuss when to respond to criticism, how to respond, how to be proactive in preventing criticism. In this episode we highlight a recent blog post on the seven ways leaders can develop thicker skin. Those ways are:

Don’t take most of the criticisms personally.
Pray for the critic.
Develop a winsome spirit.
Be a transparent leader.
Pray for your own attitude.
Focus on the majority.
Look in the mirror.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Ministry Grid, a leadership training platform which just launched on 11/12/13. Ministry Grid features more than 1,500 videos, including 200 free videos, and is fully customizable to the needs of your church with the option for you to add content, create tracks for different ministries, and track the progress of participants. Ministry Grid offers training for all areas of ministry from the parking lot to the pulpit. It’s training made simple. For more information and to check out dozens of free videos or to visit the blog, go to ministrygrid.com.

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.

Friday for Freebies: Illustrated Bible Survey

This week’s giveaway includes a pair of ministry resources. First is the Illustrated Bible Survey. This volume introduces all the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Based on more than thirty years of scholarly research and classroom teaching, editors Ed Hindson, Elmer Towns, and other scholars provide a visually engaging, practical, readable, and insightful overview of God’s Word and its eternal message.

Ideally suited for undergraduate students, laymen, and pastors, this volume features:

More than 200 full-color photographs, maps, charts, and illustrations
Introductions to each book of the Bible, including background, date, author, outline, and message
Introductory chapters on the themes of the Bible, how we got our Bible, and the people and places of the Bible
Sidebars on the unique features, beneficial insights, and practical applications of biblical truths
Study questions and recommended further reading

ECPA Gold Medallion award winners Hindson and Towns draw from a lifetime of teaching more than 100,000 students. They represent quality evangelical scholarship, along with a passion to make the Scriptures come to life as they open windows of insight into the biblical text. This exciting survey highlights the key elements of the literature, history, archaeology, and wisdom of the biblical text with an eye on the practical application of its timeless truths, moral principles, and theological insights so desperately needed in today’s world.

Also included is a black, genuine leather version of the HCSB Minister’s Bible. This newly designed edition is ideal for pulpit use with its large type, wide margins, and extensive ancillary notes from many of today’s top preachers and church leadership voices.

Some features of the Bible include:

Where to Turn When . . .
Plan of Salvation
Four-color presentation page
Various wedding and funeral outlines by Jim Henry
“8 Traits of Effective Church Leaders” by Thom S. Rainer
“21 Essentials of Authentic Ministry” by James T. Draper
“Four Kinds of Expositional Preaching” by Ed Stetzer
“30 Keys to Giving an Invitation” by O. S. Hawkins
“Leading a Child to Christ” by Bill Emeott
“Reaching Students with the Gospel” by Lynn H. Pryor
“The Importance of Baptism and Communion” by Rick White
Commitment Counseling
The Christian Year and Church Calendar
The Apostles and Their History

To be eligible to win, answer the following question:

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

The deadline to enter is Noon CST this Saturday. We will randomly draw one winner Monday morning.

By entering, you acknowledge and accept the terms of the promotion.

Notable Voices – November 14, 2013

3 Biggest Regrets of Billy Graham’s Life — Aaron Earls

Last week marked Billy Graham’s 95th birthday and the launch of My Hope campaign. But after 95 years and millions of lives impacted, what would he have done differently? Aaron shares the three simple answers.

 

Church, Make Room for Young Leaders — David Mathis

I’ve recently written at length on church health and dying churches. The topic may seem morbid to some, but it’s an issue that is becoming more and more prevalent in churches across America. While it’s not a silver bullet to fix the issue, David explains how having more young leaders in your church may be one way to turn around decline.

 

5 Churchy Phrases That Are Scaring Off Millennials — David Murray

I’ve featured Michael Kelley’s study on Holy Vocabulary here on the blog that addresses a similar topic, but Daivd shares why the terminology you use in church may actually push away an entire generation.

 

9 Great Ways for Leaders To Use Social Media (+ 3 Mistakes) — Carey Nieuwhof

Social media has the power to transform how leaders communicate and the effectiveness of their leadership. In this post, Carey lists nine ways to use social media more effectively as a leader.

 

Seven Steps of Bible Study Preparation — Michael Kelley

This post from LifeWay’s new leadership training platform, Ministry Grid, provides seven helpful tips for Bible study.

Four Steps Forward for the Very Sick Church

In my previous post, I addressed the issue of very sick churches, noting that as many as 40 percent of the American congregations fall in that category. Several readers commented that they would like me to write about possible solutions to the problem.

I love to be a dispenser of hope. But I refuse to be a dispenser of false hope. The current reality is that most of the churches in this category will not reverse their trends. Again, the process may be long, but it seems so inevitable for many.

Will God Reverse the Decline?

Where is the hope in God? Do I not believe He can perform the miracles necessary to reverse the courses of these churches?

Of course I do. But in Scripture, God usually works with a willing people, at least a willing leader. When He delivered the Jews from the bondage of Egypt, he had a leader named Moses. That leader was initially reluctant, but eventually He obeyed and the people followed.

The rebuilding of Jerusalem was not easy after the exile, but God used Nehemiah to lead in the rebuilding of the wall around the city. He used Haggai to lead in the rebuilding of the temple.

Four Broad Categories of Action

Yes, reversal is possible, but God usually waits for a willing leader who will find willing people. Indeed, some of the readers in the last post shared such great stories of hope and leadership

What are, then, some responses church leaders and members can have in their church if it is very sick? I offer four broad categories. These are not quick-fix methodologies. To the contrary, they are not specific methods at all. They are really major shifts in attitude and a new posture of the heart.

The church must admit and confess its dire need. Most churches move toward death because they refuse to acknowledge their condition. Sometimes a single leader will be used of God to move the church in this positive direction.
The church must pray for wisdom and strength to do whatever is necessary. The change will not be easy. Many will resist it.
The church must be willing to change radically. Frankly, this point is usually the point of greatest resistance. The church has to change decades of cumulative problem behaviors in a very short time.
That change must lead to action and an outward focus. When a church begins to act positively with this radical change, it has essentially become a new church. It is not the church of old that refused to change and move forward.

The Possibilities with God

Can the reversal take place? It is highly unlikely. But it is not hopeless. Our hope is built upon the words of Jesus after he confronted the rich young man who wanted to enter the Kingdom of God:

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Let me hear from you. I always welcome your responses and insights.