Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 342

Pray for Cornerstone Baptist Church

Location: Orange City, Iowa

Pastor: Ryan Perz

Worship Times: 10:30 AM (Central Time)

Fast Facts: Cornerstone Baptist Church was established as a church plant in 1995 and is the only SBC church in Sioux county, Iowa.

Striving to be a Great Commission church, their focus for this summer is called Summer of Service, an outreach focus that includes backyard Bible clubs and an event to help feed people in poverty. Please pray that God will use this effort to glorify His Name.

Pray for the church as they address maintenance issues with their facility. Also pray for the church’s ministry to the students at nearby Northwestern and Dordt colleges.

Website: www.ourcornerstonebc.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.

Nine Things That Have Replaced Traditional Outreach in Churches

When I began my journey as a church consultant in the 1980s, I had one tried-and-true approach to determine the outreach effectiveness of a church. I would simply ask to see the records of the number of home visits the prior month. I would then compare that number to the average attendance of the church. It was a pretty basic yet accurate way to see if the church was likely to grow in the future.

From my perspective of over 30 years ago, churches that knocked on more doors were more likely to grow. Indeed, even today if you can visit with receptive hosts in their homes today, the effectiveness of that contact is very high.

The Shift

But my previous statement has two clear caveats. The first is “if you can visit . . . in their homes.” I began to see the trends shift in that same 80s decade when I was also serving as a pastor in St. Petersburg, Florida. Second, I used the word “receptive.” People were becoming less receptive, even hostile, to drop-by visits. And, at least in that city, more gated communities made drop-by visits impossible.

As a pastor, I would continue to use the traditional home visit as our church’s primary outreach mechanism into the 1990s, but I saw it become less and less effective. Those most faithful members who showed up for outreach night were becoming more and more discouraged. It was not uncommon for a couple to attempt to make five or six home visits with no success. Even those who tried to make appointments at night had very minimal success.

The Dilemma

Almost every church leader understands that the congregation is called to be faithful to the Acts 1:8 command to be witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The practical application of that, of course, is to send members into our communities and, ultimately, throughout the world.

The good news is that more churches are indeed sending members throughout the country and the world. The bad news is that fewer and fewer churches are highly intentional about reaching their “Jerusalem,” or immediate community.

There is a direct connection between the demise of traditional outreach and the decreasing effectiveness of reaching the respective communities. Spending time in someone’s home was a highly effective connection that usually led to other relational opportunities. But, as noted, this type of outreach is highly problematic in most communities. What’s the solution?

The Survey

I have done an informal survey of church leaders the past several months. My simple question has been: What is your church doing to reach her community? Here are the top nine responses.

Nothing. The church leaders who gave me this response knew that it was not a good answer. They simply have not found an effective means to reach their community.
Social and caring ministries. Usually these ministries are effective in helping people, but I have heard few success stories of getting those same people assimilated in the church. Often the socioeconomic barriers are too large, despite the church’s best efforts.
Big event. The church puts many of its resources toward a major production at Easter, Christmas, or Fourth of July, to name a few. Usually a good number of community residents do attend these events. Usually most of them do not return to the church.
New venues or campuses. The multi-campus and the multi-venue models are becoming increasingly popular. Because they are able to attract new segments of the community, this approach does seem to be more effective than most.
Community events. This approach is similar to the big event, except it is held in the community instead of the church facilities. I recently saw, for example, a church put significant resources into an event called “Carnival in the Park.” Like the big event in the church, I am not hearing of significant outreach success with this approach.
Natural relationship building. A number of leaders indicated problems with structural outreach approaches. They believed that the members should be naturally developing relationship with non-believers. I believe that too; I’m just not seeing it too often.
Intentional invitations. Our research shows that many unchurched persons will have a high level of receptivity to an invitation to church. Many churches encourage this approach to outreach, but I would like to see how some type of accountability could be created so that the approach can be sustained.
New groups. I am perplexed. Churches that are intentionally and aggressively starting new groups are having significant outreach success. They are seeing more unchurched people accept invitations to join the new groups. But relatively few churches are intentional and aggressive about starting new groups. Why?
Sticking with the traditional outreach. A few churches report that their traditional approach to visits in the homes works well in their communities. Great! If God’s using it, stay with it.

I would love to hear from you. What do you think of these nine approaches? What outreach approaches are you using in your church? Are they effective?

Small Group Alignment — Rainer on Leadership #013

Podcast Episode #013

Subscribe via iTunes

I recently addressed the importance of aligning your small groups to the direction of the church. It was something that I struggled with as a pastor. I didn’t know what our classes were going through in their studies. They could have easily been going in a different direction than the church was headed, and I would have never known. This is a critical issue in the church, and it’s also a fine line for a pastor to walk. He shouldn’t be dictatorial about what is studied in the small groups, but he does need to be informed and needs to set the vision and direction of the small groups.

So on today’s podcast we address five dangers of not having your small groups aligned with the vision of the church. Those dangers are:

Because preaching is held to a higher standard, the perception becomes that the small group teaching is just not that important.
The vision of the church could be distracted or derailed.
It opens the door for heretical teaching.
It takes away from the unity of the church.
It does not allow for strategic teaching.

Episode Sponsor

This week’s podcast is brought to you by Discipleship in Context. Discipleship in Context creates truly custom Bible studies for churches like yours that perfectly reflect your vision, ministry goals, and community context. For more information, visit DiscipleshipInContext.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.

Related Resources

I Am A Church Member
Discipleship in Context
Bible Studies for Life
The Gospel Project
Explore the Bible

Seven Ways to Love Your Community

by Sam S. Rainer III

Church leaders should love their churches where they are now, not where they wish their congregations could be in the future. That’s a given, or at least should be. But what about the community? Church leaders should love their communities as much as their churches. Granted, some churches are easier to love than others, and some communities are easier to love than others. A calling to a place, however, requires a love for that place.

One of the pitfalls of church leadership involves the call to a new place—a location in which the new minister has little knowledge. Some of us grow up living in a number of different places. My family moved every three years or so when I was a child, and I’ve pastored from Florida to Indiana. But even if you have experienced several transitions, a new place of ministry can prompt infatuation or disdain with the community.

Infatuation occurs when you feel like the new location is more exotic: big city, rural community, beachside, in the mountains—whatever excites you more than your current location. But infatuation quickly fades as you settle into a routine. Disdain occurs when you feel like the new community does not provide what your previous community offered. And disdain can stick with you. Whether you’re infatuated or disappointed with the location of your ministry, you must learn to love your new community in the same way you learn to love a new congregation. Love for a congregation mismatched with disdain for a community will cause you to retreat in an unhealthy church bubble. Either you will lead your congregation inward, or they will (rightly) question your bitterness and lack of outward focus.

What are some ways church leaders can learn to love their communities?

Don’t go home. If you’re jumping at every opportunity, or fabricating lame excuses, to get back home, then your heart is clearly not in the community. God calls church leaders to minister in a place. If you’re looking for every chance to leave that place, then you’re not being a good gospel ambassador.
Join in the fun. Every community has unique ways (or occasions) it celebrates. Jump in and contribute to the celebration. Only the most hardened of curmudgeons can hang on to bitterness when everyone around them is having fun.
Live with the people. Don’t move to the outskirts, away from the people. Live in the heart of your community. Your home is not a retreat from ministry; it is a crucial tool in ministry
Stop complaining. It’s difficult to grow a church when you’re gaining a reputation as the town killjoy.
Stay active. Be on the go in your community. Sedentariness exacerbates loneliness, frustration, displeasure.
Join a civic organization. Be a leader beyond your church. When the community (in addition to your church) is looking to you for leadership, then you are obligated to create a positive outlook for everyone.
Try something new on a regular basis. Break the routine. Go to different restaurants. Travel different roads. Attend a new festival. Hang out with a different crowd. It’s difficult to harbor negativity when you’re excited about trying something new.

I’m interested in your thoughts. Do you have any ideas about how church leaders can learn to love their communities?

Sam S. Rainer is the senior pastor of Stevens Street Baptist Church in Cookeville, TN, and president of Rainer Research. He blogs regularly at SamRainer.com

Notable Voices – July 11, 2013

Modern Hymn Writers Aim To Take Back Sunday — NPR Music

Thanks to groups like The Gettys, there has been a resurgence of hymnody in the church. NPR recently ran an article on this phenomenon and included part of an interview with Mike Harland, Director of LifeWay Worship.

 

Two Things You Must Do with Your Sermons — Eric McKiddie

Eric expounds on Titus 1:9 to show two central characteristics of a sermon: to give instruction in sound doctrine and to deconstruct false ideas and expose their faulty foundations.

 

7 Ways to Lead People Older than You — Ron Edmondson

Several young pastors contacted me and commented on how much they benefited from yesterday’s post on a pastor’s first 90 days. For those young pastors (and for some more seasoned ones), this post by Ron on how to lead those who are older than you is a good follow up to that post.

 

Sermon Prep for the Bivocational Pastor — Philip Nation

Philip is in the midst of a very helpful series for bivocational pastors. This week, he covered sermon preparation and even cited my recent Twitter poll.

 

Texas House Passes Abortion Restrictions — World Magazine

After last month’s showdown in the Texas legislature, the Texas House of Representatives passed a bill banning abortion after 20 weeks. It is now headed back to the Senate for what will likely be another heated round of debate.

Nine Steps for a Pastor’s First 90 Days

I remember well receiving a call from one of my sons. It was his first day on the job as a new pastor. It was also his first fulltime ministry position. His words were amusing: “Okay, Dad. I’m here. What do I do next?”

A new pastor has a great opportunity to begin a ministry positively. Conversely, the first 90 days can also be the eventual downfall of a pastor. I’ve spoken with hundreds of pastors around the country; many of them have shared with me their keys to early successes. I distilled them to nine steps that should help most any new pastor.

By the way, these nine steps require much upfront investment of time. You can slow down after the first 90 days, but this time is too critical to short change any one step.

Spend significant time in the Word for your sermons. All preaching is important, but your first few sermons are critical. That’s where most members will hear and see you. And that’s where many first impressions are formed.
Listen. Take time to listen to the stories and concerns of your members. Unless you must speak, allow them uninterrupted time to share with you. As a consequence, you will learn much about the church, and you will win the trust of those to whom you listened.
Be visible. I know. I just said to spend significant time in the Word. It’s hard to do that if you are constantly visible. As I indicated, you should be prepared for some long workweeks your first 90 days.
Be accessible. Again, you can overdo it here. You need time to carry out the other steps. But early in your ministry you should not be hidden away in a secret study at the church.
Find low-hanging fruit. In almost every church there are some actions you can take that will cost little and please most members. One pastor knew that the members really wanted to paint the worship center, but the church didn’t have the funds. So he challenged them to an all-day paint day. Some members committed to buy paint. Several agreed to do the painting. And others cooked meals and served the workers. The young pastor became an instant hero.
Learn the powerbrokers. No one is asking you to compromise your principles or play dirty politics. It’s just a good idea to know who the true decision makers are in the church. You need to get to know them and befriend them if possible.
Go into the community. Make a statement to the church members and the community that you are determined to serve and love the community where your church is located. Eat in local restaurants. Join a civic organization. Go meet some of the community leaders.
Express your enthusiasm about being their pastor. If you don’t have enthusiasm for the church when you first arrive, you are in trouble. Let the members know how excited and honored you are to serve them as pastor.
Don’t speak badly about your previous church. I have eight “thou shalts,” so I’ll add just one “thou shalt not.” If you start speaking negatively about your former church, many members will assume you’ll do the same for your present church. There is nothing to gain in such negative talk.

What do you think of these nine steps? What have you experienced? What would you add?

4 Steps to Leading Your Church to Be Evangelistic

By Chuck Lawless

I am a professor of evangelism, but I admit that most churches are not evangelistically driven. Do you want your church to be evangelistic? Check out these four strategies for moving your church in this direction.

1. Do a Relationship Survey.

Try this simple exercise with your church members. Ask them first to write the names of ten believers with whom they are close enough they could share a prayer concern with them. When the first list is completed, ask your members to write the names of ten non-believers with whom they are close enough they could share the gospel with them. Compare the results of the two lists.

I have asked hundreds of churches to work through this exercise with me. My evidence is only anecdotal, but I feel safe in stating this conclusion: the longer a person is in church, and the higher he moves in the church’s leadership, the more likely it is he will have trouble completing list #2.  One explanation for our failure to evangelize is simply that we do not know many non-believers well.  The typical church has become a place to retreat from the world rather than a place of rearmament to engage the world with the gospel.

Use this type of survey to show your church just how disconnected from non-believers they likely are. Until our churches admit the problem, we won’t seek answers.

2. Do a Bible Study on “How God Sees the Crowds.”

In the midst of my busy life, I am often reminded of the words of Matthew 9:36—“When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus saw people, looked into their souls, and grieved over their condition.  He saw them through the eyes of eternity.

Seldom do we see people that way.  Others are our co-workers, our neighbors, our family members, and our friends – not “sheep without a shepherd.”  We see the bank teller, the gas station attendant, the barber, and the mechanic without every wondering about their spiritual condition.

A first step in connecting with the non-believing world is to change the way we view others. Everyone is a “sheep without a shepherd” apart from Jesus. Of course, we must love others simply because we are commanded to love, but we must love them enough to want to know about their personal relationship with Christ.  Help your church sees others in need of a shepherd.

3. Train Church Members to Tell Their Story.

How many people in your church are believers, but you don’t know their conversion story? How many people don’t know your story? Do your own children or grandchildren know your story? If we don’t tell our story to other believers, we’re not likely to tell it to non-believers.

Every Christian not only has a story of God’s grace; he or she is a story of grace. Train your church members to tell their story to others by using this simple outline:

What my life was like before I became a follower of Christ
How I knew I needed to follow Christ
How I became a follower of Christ
What my life has been like since I became a follower of Christ

Make sure the people who know you best know your story. Model how to tell stories by enlisting one believer each month to share his or her conversion story with the congregation. Showing a recorded version of the testimony will help avoid nervousness and limit time usage.

4.  Clear the Church Calendar at least One Night per Week.

As a church consultant, I am amazed by how busy many churches are.  Events are scheduled almost every night of the week, and “good” members are expected to be there for everything.  It is no wonder, then, that these members have little time to develop relationships with non-believers.

Determine as a church to avoid this calendar chaos as much as possible.  Perhaps you will decide that no church events may occur on Thursday and Friday nights unless the event is clearly designated for outreach.  Then, leave those nights clear, and challenge church members to use one of those nights to invest in relationships with non-believers.

Invite others to dinner.  See a play together.  Go to a ball game.  Visit the park with your children.  Attend a Chamber of Commerce or Parent/Teacher Association meeting. Join a sports league. Take intentional steps to get to know non-believers, and prayerfully seek opportunities to speak about Christ.

What suggestions do you have for leading a church to be evangelistic? 

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.

I Am a Church Member Who Dreams Dreams: A Statement of Church Revitalization

And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all humanity; then your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17, HCSB

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

I know that my church could use a new vision and new fire. I know that we have seen better days in our history. Sometimes it seems that we are going through the motions. I dream of a day when the vision is once again clear and the fire is intense.

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

Sometimes we members hang on to those things we like instead of asking God what He wants. I dream of a day when it will not be about my programs, preferences, and desires. I dream of a day when I am giving all and asking for nothing.

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

I know that no dream can become a reality unless we are people of prayer. Too often I give lip service to prayer. Too often I fail to pray for my pastor and my church. Too often I don’t really act like prayer matters. I dream of a day when prayer is powerful in our church.

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

I dream that God will break our hearts for those in our community.  That we will not neglect the hurting, the homeless, the strugglers, and the stragglers. I dream of a day when we are so powerfully present in our community that people know us by name.

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost. I dream of a day when we do the same in our church. I dream of a day when our hearts are so broken for those who do not know Jesus Christ, that we cannot help but speak about Him. Indeed, I dream that we will share the gospel at home and to the ends of the earth.

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

Churches are declining and dying all around us. Perhaps my church is one of those, or close to becoming one of those. I dream of a day when we will have no doubt in this church that we are vibrant and alive. Indeed I dream of a day when we come to this place excited and anticipating what God will do next.

I am a church member who dreams dreams.

But dreams cannot remain mere dreams. They must soon move to action. So I will continue to dream dreams. But I will also seek to be God’s instrument for those dreams. I will dream a dream that the old hymn is about me: “God send a revival, and let it begin in me.”

Pray for Calvary Evangelical Baptist Church

Location: Portsmouth, Virginia

Pastor: Dr. Allen R. McFarland

Worship Times: 10:00 AM (Eastern Time)

Fast Facts: This church is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. It was started in the home of Pastor James Earls in 1963 and is now located in the Cavalier Manor community, one of the largest African-American, middle class neighborhoods in the country. Please pray for a meaningful celebration of 50 years of ministry and for the Angelos Bible College, a higher education initiative based out of the church.

Website: www.calvaryevangelical.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.

How Many Hours Does a Pastor Work Each Week?

It is one of the most unpredictable jobs one could have. There will be weeks when there won’t be much taking place out of the ordinary, and the pastor will work a “mere” 40 to 45 hours. There will be other weeks filled with meetings, emergency hospital calls, a wedding, two funerals, and line of members waiting to see the pastor. That workweek could total 80 hours.

So we surveyed pastors on Twitter and asked them a simple question: How many average hours do you work a week, including sermon preparation? Though we asked for an average, most responded with a range. We thus took the midpoint of the range they submitted. We also asked this question only of fulltime vocational pastors.

Five years ago, LifeWay Research asked a similar question. The primary difference in the question was that their survey included pastors who were not paid fulltime as well. Of course, the LifeWay Research study was a scientific poll, while my Twitter poll was informal.

Here are the results of the two polls:

 2013 Twitter Poll

(Full-time Pastors)
 2008 LifeWay Research Poll

(Part-Time & Full-Time Pastors)


Less than 40 hours
3%
16%


40-49 hours
47%
19%


50-59 hours
40%
30%


60-69 hours
7%
27%


70 hours or more
3%
8%

Here are some of my observations:

The two polls cannot be compared directly. One includes fulltime pastors only. The other includes both fulltime and part-time pastors. Also, the LifeWay Research poll of 2008 is scientifically validated, and is thus much more likely to be accurate.
Surprisingly, the median workweek for pastors is the same in both surveys: 50 hours. That means the average workweek is greater than 50 hours for half of the pastors, and less than 50 hours for half of the pastors.
Some pastors indicated their workweek hours but excluded sermon preparation time. They were not included in the survey.
I strongly suspect that the 16% of pastors who worked less than 40 hours a week in the 2008 survey were part-time pastors. There aren’t many fulltime vocational pastors working less than 40 hours.
Most pastors have trouble estimating their average workweek because each week is so unpredictable. The nature of a pastor’s job is on-call 24/7.
One respondent had an interesting take on a pastor’s workweek. He said that pastors should be expected to work 40 hours plus the amount of time a committed member gives to the church. He estimates a committed member will give at least 8 hours a week, so the typical workweek should be 48 hours (40+8). That number is very close to the median workweek of all pastors.

Are there any surprises to you in these studies? What do you think a pastor’s typical workweek should be?