Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 37

The Most Important Leadership Tool

Who or what do you lead? There are books, conferences, blogs, podcasts, and masterclasses on how to be a better leader, but we often forget that the person we lead first and most is the one in the mirror. It is easy to spend all of our time trying to figure out the next strategy to grow our organizations and ministries toward health and impact, mainly because that is how we are often measured and evaluated as a leader. Yet, if we never stop and evaluate how we are leading ourselves, and where we are spiritually, emotionally, and mentally, we will find ourselves burned out, self-absorbed, or even apathetic to the call God has entrusted us with.

Limits Are Not The Enemy

Every leader can feel the pressure of having to have all the solutions and strategies for their organization, but the reality is that you can not be all things to all people. Let me repeat that again, you can’t be all things to all people. God has given you an opportunity for stewardship, not saviorhood. Especially in ministry, we can find ourselves in a single day needing to be a counselor, boss, financial planner, and coach. There have been so many times when I thought to myself “This wasn’t taught in seminary.” 

Limits remind us that we can’t do it all and that we need others around us. Limits remind us that control is fleeting and faith is needed.Limits remind us that God is ultimately at the helm of our hopes, dreams, and fears. Limits are indicators for us to remember that we are only human, and in our weakness, His power breaks through. 

Self-Awareness Is Your Friend

Every leader has a shadow. Just because we are sitting in a leadership position doesn’t mean that we don’t have hurts, fears, hopes, and aspirations. Some of us are cerebral, and others of us are deep feelers. The beautiful thing about it all is that God knows each and every part of us and wants to use those parts to not only show us more of who He is but to use them for His glory. 

A few questions I try to sort through:

Is there something I’m bringing from my past that is causing an overreaction?Do I have something I am trying to prove?What are my strengths in this situation? What are my weaknesses? Are my actions guided by love or fear? How has God gifted me and what lies am I being faced with? 

The heart of self-awareness comes with a deep personal quiet time with the Lord. Through Bible reading, journaling, confession, and repentance, Jesus is walking you toward a more Christlike attitude and exposing where you need Him most, and how He has grown you, been faithful in the past, and will carry you in the days ahead. 

Inside Out Leadership 

“Jesus says what comes from the heart overflows out of the mouth.” Our thought processes lead to action. Our internal noise leads to words spoken. Our internal wrestle leads to diminished dreams or ignited passions. A big part of leading yourself is putting the challenges and tasks at hand into perspective and having the emotional intelligence and leadership capacity to work on yourself before looking outward. 

What is my attitude going into the situation? What criticisms am I allowing to take root in bitterness and offense?What relationships am I being transparent and vulnerable in to check for selfish motives or destructive behaviors? Am I hiding anything? What spiritual disciplines are lacking in my life?

Growth & Grace

Every leader is a learner and in process. There isn’t a time when we stop learning. People, circumstances, and challenges are always changing around us and there is always something new to learn about God, ourselves, and redemption around us. A leader that thinks they have it all figured out is no longer leading but coasting. 

The most difficult conversations by far are the ones I have in the mirror and I have to remind myself the same grace that I hope to consistently remind others of, is the same grace extended to me each and every day. Grace reminds us that we are invited into a story not because of our abilities or achievements, but because of a merciful God who promises to use all things for His glory and our good. We are as Eugene Peterson says, walking out “a long obedience in the same direction.”

May His grace remind you of His delight and love over you and from that Truth you pour out for those you lead. 

Check out our Know Yourself assessment personal assessment to help you understand your own strengths and weaknesses and how you can grow as a leader.

The post The Most Important Leadership Tool appeared first on Church Answers.

Five Ways to Honor the Past While Not Losing the Future

I once caught a deacon throwing choir robes out of the second-story window into a giant fire on the ground below.

“What’s going on?”

“Fire hazard.” 

By the look and smell of the robes, I agreed and went about my business. 

There were probably one hundred burning robes in the fire—enough for every person in the church to take home three or four. I wondered if the choir was ever that large, or if the church ever had a choir. No one knew. The remnant of my first church numbered six on my first Sunday. The church’s history was buried in the graveyard on the east side of our property.  

Part of what saddened me in my first church was the lost history. The church was founded in 1856, with few documents describing the past. Community folklore gave some insight into the church’s history, but most people did not have firsthand knowledge.  

We do not know our history like we once did—biblical history, family history, and our nation’s history. Why should we care? History gives meaning to traditions. History gives purpose to church practices. History provides insight into culture. History contains all the chapters leading up to the current narrative in the church. You cannot create an enduring story without history. Church leaders can—and should—honor the past. We can do so without losing the future. 

1. Have a genuine love for the history of your church. Another church I pastored had a historical marker and a two-hundred-page book dedicated to its history. A key part of loving the congregation was knowing the history. I read the book several times and studied the archives of the church. It was a way to demonstrate love. I made many leadership mistakes there, but at least the church knew I had a genuine love of their past. The only way forward was by knowing the past. 

2. Celebrate the parts of the past that support the future vision. You become what you celebrate, and there are plenty of things to celebrate in the past that will push you into the future. For example, my church has a history of planting other churches. Celebrating this culture was a good way to prepare us for the next phase of launching neighborhood sites. 

3. Tell the story of past change efforts with a positive perspective. Denigrating the past will taint the future. A negative perspective of past change efforts will not help you craft a vision. Instead, utilize positive past change efforts and tell that story. 

4. Turn the legacy into a guide, not a hurdle. Legacy can be either negative or positive. Not everything in the past is worth celebrating. But even the negative parts of a church’s history can become a guide, not a hurdle. You will not know how to take corrective action unless you acknowledge past mistakes. And you can’t acknowledge past mistakes unless you know the history of the church. 

5. Ask elderly heroes to show support publicly. Do the work of encouraging those who made history happen. Champion their past causes and ask them to support the future vision publicly. 

You can honor the past while not losing the future. In fact, the honor you show the past may become the way in which the future opens.

The post Five Ways to Honor the Past While Not Losing the Future appeared first on Church Answers.

How to Evaluate Your Church’s Discipleship Program

*This article is an excerpt from Disciple: How to Create a Community That Develops Passionate and Healthy Followers of Jesus.

Some months ago, I published the book Disciple: How to Create a Community that Develops Passionate and Healthy Followers of Jesus. In that book, I point out that many churches that think they’re disciplemaking churches really are not. I invite you to use this excerpt from the book to see if any of these characteristics mark your church as one of those congregations:¹

1. The church assumes it’s a disciplemaking church because they affirm the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20, but they don’t really make disciples. Taking a biblical view or having a theologically accurate position does not always equate to disciplemaking. A theoretical commitment to making disciples without an accompanying plan doesn’t accomplish much. 

2. The congregation is “doing church,” but no one is measuring their disciplemaking results. Even if they can show numerical growth in reaching nonbelievers, they don’t evaluate the other side of the coin: How many of those new believers are learning to obey everything Jesus commanded (Matt 28:20)? 

3. The church equates disciplemaking with programming. That is, as previously noted, they assume you’ll come out as a disciple of Christ if you participate in all their programs. Programs by themselves, however, don’t make disciples. Disciples make disciples. 

4. The church has reduced disciple-making to “information transfer.” The disciplemaking process in many churches amounts to little more than attending classes and gaining information. If you can answer the questions and talk the language, you’re considered a disciple of Jesus.

5. The church has several—if not many or most—leaders who themselves have never been strongly discipled. They’re more like Patrick in the introduction of this chapter than they are like growing disciples of Jesus. At best, they’re trying to give others what they themselves have never received—and it’s only remotely like biblical discipleship. 

6. The church offers a lot of activities, but with seemingly no strategic purpose. These churches have a lot going on. They might even have a lot of people involved in their activities. However, they still cannot define a clear strategy for their process of disciplemaking.

7. The church’s disciplemaking approach (if any) tends not to be life-on-life. A typical approach to discipleship is group oriented (e.g., worship service–based and small group–based) rather than individual (i.e., mentoring-based). Group approaches are necessary and helpful, but they don’t always include much arm-in-arm, shoulder-to-shoulder encouragement and accountability between believers. 

8. The church encourages new members to get invested and involved, but they have no clear strategy to help them do that. In many churches, it’s not uncommon to find new(er) members who want to grow and be involved, but they’ve heard nothing about how to make that happen. That’s often because the church has no plan. 

9. The church has numerous activities for kids and students, but no one is talking about coordinating those efforts to make young disciples of Christ. Because most Christians become believers before they’re eighteen, church youth ministries are missing an opportunity if they’re not thinking strategically. Activities are good, but activities with a strategic purpose to make disciples are better. 

10. The church may do okay at raising up people to serve within their congregation, but they seldom send anyone out. All their disciplemaking growth is internal, which can subtly become self-serving and self-preserving. New Testament disciples, however, give themselves up for the sake of others. They’ll go to the ends of the earth if that is God’s call on their lives.

 

EVALUATION FOR YOUR CHURCH 

Would your members say they are a disciplemaking church? What is your assessment of your church’s disciplemaking efforts?

____________________

¹Chuck Lawless, Disciple: How to Create a Community That Develops Passionate and Healthy Followers of Jesus (Church Answers Resources) (pp. 25-27). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

 

The post How to Evaluate Your Church’s Discipleship Program appeared first on Church Answers.

There Is Hope: Five Principles for Replacing Those Who Leave the Church

In my article last week, I shared our research on how many attendees a typical church has to replace every year. The sobering number was 32 attendees have to be replaced for every 100 in attendance.

It was indeed a sobering article for many church leaders and members. Some found it helpful. Some found it hopeless.

Count me in the former group. I see a lot of hope in the midst of challenging times.

God is not done with your church.

Since the article seemed to create a bit of angst, let me share some news of hope. The news comes from congregations connected to Church Answers. We are blown away. We are grateful.

These congregations tend to practice five principles every year. As a consequence, God is using their obedience to replace those who left the church, and to add even more. Here are the five principles.

1. The congregations have a practice in place that helps move the culture from inwardly focused to outwardly focused. In June of this year, Church Answers will introduce The Hope Initiative. It is a simple 30-day guide to get church members praying and reaching out to others. We have been blown away by the results of many of our beta churches (churches that allow us to test the process). Entire congregations have moved from nitpicking and/or divisiveness to sacrificial and encouraging. 

2. The churches make certain they have at least one outwardly focused emphasis a month. It does not have to be a major campaign. It could be something as simple as The Hope Initiative noted above, or a worship service once a month that focuses on praying for the community.

3. The churches have at least one major outward or evangelistic initiative a year. There are plenty of options to accomplish this task. Church Answers has two very effective tools called Pray and Go and Invite Your One.

4. The congregations have taken the time to get to know its community. At the very least, the church gets a demographic and psychographic report with this data. Church Answers has an incredible tool called Know Your Community.

5. The churches have a regular new members class. This class is one of the main tools to prevent church dropout. Those who come to the church through a membership class are more likely to stick with the church and become faithful attendees. The tool we have at Church Answers is called The Complete Membership Toolkit.

There is indeed hope. Churches that practice these five principles are much more likely to see growth rather than decline. There are many resources in many organizations you can use to facilitate this process. Here are the Church Answers tools I noted:

The Hope Initiative. Pray and Go.  Invite Your One. Know Your Community. The Complete Membership Toolkit.

God is not done with your church.

Here’s to hope!

The post There Is Hope: Five Principles for Replacing Those Who Leave the Church appeared first on Church Answers.

What You Are Likely Missing in Your Church Membership Class

At Church Answers, we’ve researched membership classes for over two decades. Every one of our projects reveals the value of these classes. Here are some research highlights from our findings.

In the late 1990s, less than 20 percent of churches required someone to attend a new member class to join. Through our anecdotal observations, we are seeing figures over 80 percent today.

The two most essential items to teach in the class are doctrine and expectations.The most effective church membership classes are offered in one sitting.Requiring the class for membership produces higher assimilation rates than optional classes.These classes help minimize church conflict with front-end teaching.Sunday is the best day to offer the class. The best time on Sunday is in the evening with a meal.

The membership class was one ministry many churches put on hold during the pandemic. It was also one of the last ministries churches restarted. Now is an excellent time to evaluate your membership class. What could you be missing?

1. Teaching too long reduces effectiveness. Don’t teach for more than two hours! The ideal length of a class is 90 minutes.

2. Multiple sessions overcomplicate membership. For example, if someone misses one session in a four-session class, can they still join the church? How do they make up the session? The least popular classes are spread out over multiple days.

3. Saturdays are the poorest attended days and unnecessarily overwork your team.

4. High levels of hospitality (food, decorations, coffee) produce higher levels of class satisfaction. A good meal and table hosts will help your church make a solid first impression.

5. The best time for a meal is Sunday evening. Another option is Sunday lunch, but this time can be problematic for young families and children who need to take naps.

6. Don’t forget to offer childcare! Make sure you communicate your childcare accommodations each time you promote the class. You will get more young families to attend the class.

7. Staff presence is critical, especially the lead pastor. Staff and key leaders should be present to meet, greet, and fellowship. The lead pastor should teach the class or at least part of the class.

One of the best ways to assimilate people into your church is through a membership class. The class is more the starting line than the finish line, but it’s impossible to finish if you don’t get started.

We’ve created a resource that helps you accomplish the new member class, whether you do your class in person or digitally. The Complete Membership Class Toolkit is a comprehensive guide to in-person and virtual member classes. This resource includes leader training, participant videos, bulletin inserts, an in-person guide, and a virtual class guide.

The post What You Are Likely Missing in Your Church Membership Class appeared first on Church Answers.

Why Your Church Has to Replace 32 Percent of Its Attendance to Stay Even Each Year

Let’s start with a scenario that your church has an average worship attendance of 100. I use that number for simplicity. The median worship attendance is 65.

Now, let’s ask a simple question. How many attendees do you have to add to your attendance in a year to stay even?

The answer for a typical church is 32 with a worship attendance of 100. You can double the number to 64 if the church’s attendance is 200.

Did you get that? A church has to increase the number of attendees by 32 percent each year just to stay even.

In a church with 100 in attendance, an additional 32 attendees would have to be added to stay even, and they would have to attend every Sunday. If they attend every other Sunday, the church would need an additional 64 attendees.

Where have all the church attendees gone? Let’s look at four important components:

Component #1: Deaths

The death rate in the United States is 1.0 people per 100 population. The death rate is likely higher in churches since many congregations have an aging membership.

Component #2: Moving Out of the Community.

The mobility rate in the United States was 9.3 percent in 2020. The good news is that the rate of mobility is declining. It almost reached 20 percent in 1985. Many of the moves are considered local, but most of them still move out of the church’s community.

Component #3: Transfer to Another Church in the Community

This number is not as precise as the previous two because it is based on the churches where we have this information, typically churches we consult. We think our estimate of 7 percent is close. In other words, your church will lose 7 church members to another local church for every 100 in attendance.

Component #4: Declining Attendance Frequency

We estimate that the attendance frequency is down about 15 percent per year in U. S. churches. For example, if a church had 100 members who attended every Sunday, the average attendance would be 100. If all those members attended every other week, the average attendance would be 50, or a decline of 50 percent. Declining attendance frequency is the number one factor in church decline in the United States.

So, here is our summary. For every 100 persons in attendance in your church, you will lose each year:

1 to death9 to moving7 to transfer to another church in the community15 to declining attendance frequency

Thus, if you add 32 attendees for every 100 you have in attendance now, the church will stay even. Anything less and the church will decline.

But there is hope.

More on the hope factor soon.

The post Why Your Church Has to Replace 32 Percent of Its Attendance to Stay Even Each Year appeared first on Church Answers.

The Bible Study Story That’s Become a Reality

Imagine preaching to a congregation that is attentively following your every word, jotting down notes voraciously on a small journal that has the Bible text you’re unpacking on one side, and space for note taking on the other. It’s a six-week series, and your congregants have been bringing that same journal that contains the book of the Bible that’s the subject of your series. 

And, to take it a step further, imagine that several of your members are using their small group study sessions to dig further into the book that’s the subject of your preaching. They bring their Bible journals with them to small group, so they benefit from key points you made during the series. And they’re adding additional thoughts as the group finds more truths from the Scripture. 

And, if you’ll indulge me one further step, as the study group settles in on one chapter, they’re scanning a symbol on the top of the page they’re studying, which links to app content about the content on that page—textual notes, articles, and reflections about the passage, and even videos, such as Bible Project videos, interactive maps, worship music, and more. The content on the Filament Bible app enhances the study and the learning. 

Fortunately, it’s not your imagination. It’s the new NLT Filament Bible Journaling Collection, which offers the books of the New Testament in 19 journals (some have a single larger book; others have two or more of the smaller books). These inexpensive journals all feature the Scripture on the left side of each spread and lightly lined blank pages on the right. All are equipped with the Filament Bible app.

We’re finding that the journals are popular with pastors, who arrange to make the journals related to their teaching available to congregants—with either the church buying these for those who attend or making them available for purchase (they’re about $5.99 each). 

Individuals and small groups are using them for reading and study, with their notes available the next time they study the book, or to pass along to their children or grandchildren.  

An added feature of the collection: these journals come in interesting box sets that help readers learn about how the books of the New Testament fit together. There are five sets.

The People of God Set. Includes Matthew, Hebrews, and James. These three books were written with Jewish believers in mind. In the first century, many Jews needed to see how the Christian faith fit together with the Old Testament story and teachings. These books, in different ways, show how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel’s Old Testament longings and story and that his teachings fulfill the instructions given to Israel in the Old Testament law.

The Birth of the Church Set. Includes Luke, Acts, Mark, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude. All of these books are connected by a common thread: the birth, growth, and concerns of the early church. You can read these three journals consecutively to notice their similarities or enjoy each on its own.

The Alpha and Omega Set. Includes the Gospel of John, 1–3 John, and Revelation, which are all attributed to the apostle John. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and throughout the Bible, these two letters are used as a symbolic name for Jesus, signifying his eternal existence: “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega―the beginning and the end,’ says the Lord God. ‘I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come―the Almighty One’” (Revelation 1:8).

Two sets provide a new perspective on the apostle Paul’s writings by presenting them in the order they were written.

The Chronological Letters from Paul, Volume One. The set contains Paul’s earliest letters: 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Galatian

The Chronological Letters from Paul, Volume Two. The set contains Paul’s later letters: Romans, Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians, 1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus.

The NLT Filament Journals are wonderful new resources for pastors and churches, small groups, and individuals looking for new depth and connection in their personal Bible study.

The post The Bible Study Story That’s Become a Reality appeared first on Church Answers.

The Shortcomings of Extroverted Pastors and How to Overcome Them

Both extroverts and introverts can lead well. Both can lead poorly. Personality is only one part of leadership. However, your personality as a leader comes with intrinsic advantages and challenges. The extroverted pastor tends to work a room better than an introvert. The introverted pastor tends to listen better one-on-one. 

Partly because they are more outgoing, I believe extroverted pastors will get the benefit of the doubt—more so than introverted pastors. Many have tackled the subject of how introverts can overcome weaknesses, but I haven’t noticed as much written about extroverted pastors. 

As an extrovert, I’ve noticed some painful shortcomings in my leadership. Perhaps I’m alone in some of these struggles. But maybe some of you can relate. 

Extroverts can talk too much. I process my thoughts by talking to others. Nobody will wonder what I’m thinking because thinking and talking are synonymous for me. Many times, this trait works to my advantage. I can hold a conversation. But talking too much is annoying. Not listening is rude. I’m guilty. Extroverts can bounce too much. I love a room full of people. Bouncing from person to person and conversation to conversation is fun. I enjoy seeing people engage with each other, especially in the church! However, this tendency can come across as superficial, especially when someone needs me to focus deeply on their words. Extroverts can overshare opinions. I have lots of opinions, and I’m glad to share them. However, there is wisdom in restraint. I admire people who don’t feel the urge to share every opinion on every subject. Maybe one day I’ll be more like them. Extroverts can assume every group needs to be large. Every time a group gathers at the church, I want to invite everyone. Usually, this tendency is good. That is, unless the group is designed to be small or confidential. The “come on by” and “the more, the merrier” mentality is not always wise. 

Part of being a better leader is practicing to be a better leader. So I’ve started some exercises to help temper my extroverted nature. 

Literally stop talking. I will challenge myself in my head, “Sam, stop talking. Now.” When I have the urge to say something, I’ll tell myself to wait another minute. Then another minute. Then maybe another minute. After I feel like I’m torturing myself, then it’s usually good to say something. When you feel the urge to move to another person in a crowded room, stay five more minutes in the current conversation. This tactic has helped me dive much deeper into conversations. Don’t look past people. Don’t interrupt their flow of thought with “yes” or “uh huh.” Simply look them in the eye and listen. Ask more questions instead of giving opinions. Short but rich questions allow the other person to expound their thoughts. Questions like “Why do you think that is?” or “How does that make you feel?” help open avenues to better conversations. Seek out the wisdom of introverts. Find the reserved sages in your church and spend a lot of one-on-one time with them. Don’t be afraid to sit in silence with them for extended periods. They will give you incredible insight when they speak. 

Both extroverts and introverts have strengths and weaknesses built into their personalities. Extroverted pastors will have some natural struggles in shepherding their congregations. You can overcome many of these struggles with a few tactics and a little practice.

The post The Shortcomings of Extroverted Pastors and How to Overcome Them appeared first on Church Answers.

Seven Reasons Church Revitalization Begins with Me as a Church Leader

Most churches in North America need revitalization. Our Church Answers team seeks to offer support, encouragement, resources, and conversations to help church leaders move in that direction. At the same time, though, any true revitalization begins with those of us who lead those churches. Here’s why:

1. Even the strongest, most faithful leaders sometimes need renewal. Church work can become tedious and tiresome for even the best leaders. Our spiritual walk can almost inadvertently become stale. Daily renewal through God’s Word and His Spirit is essential if we want to lead churches toward revitalization. 

2. Revitalization is both an individual and a corporate matter. We all realize that churches are made up of people—of individuals and families. We don’t usually think that way about revitalization, however. We somehow assume corporate change will happen without individual change—but it doesn’t happen that way. 

3. Genuine revitalization is a work of God, and that work depends on godly leaders seeking Him personally. We might, in our own efforts, increase the crowd in attendance, but we won’t see genuinely changed churches apart from prayer. What we leaders do in the privacy of our prayer closet really does matter. 

4. Pastors who are weary and discouraged (as so many of them are in tough churches) will struggle leading toward revitalization. They want things to change for the positive, but they often have little energy and hope left to lead very far. Revitalization must begin in their own hearts. 

5. A vision for revitalization begins with leaders. It’s generally the leaders who “see” what the Lord might want to accomplish through a struggling church. Our job is to believe that vision, cast it, and keep pressing forward even when it’s a struggle. If we give up early, others will, too. 

6. Revitalization leaders must be invested where they are. An older, wise doctoral student of mine once told a class of younger leaders, “Too many pastors are trying to pastor three churches: the one they never got over, the one they’re currently pastoring, and the one they want to pastor.” Revitalization, though, begins with leaders whose feet are solidly in their current ministry. 

7. Revitalization leaders must model faith. It may be, in fact, that the pastor is one of the few members who truly believe God is up to something in the church; only he and a few others might be convinced of things not yet seen (Heb 11:1). His persistence and trust will challenge others to see the same. 

So, as a church leader, I ask myself today: 

In what ways do I need renewal personally?Do I daily seek Him and His power for revitalization?Have I allowed discouragement to grip me?Do I have a vision for what God wants to do in the church?Am I invested deeply in my current role?Do I truly believe God can and will revitalize the church?

The post Seven Reasons Church Revitalization Begins with Me as a Church Leader appeared first on Church Answers.

The New Ethics Rankings Are Out. Where Do Pastors Stand?

Gallup’s newest ethics survey is out. The results are fascinating. First, let’s look at the overall ranking. The numbers in parentheses depict the percentage of those who rate the ethical standards of the profession as “very high” or “high.” The other categories were “average,” “low,” and “very low.”

1. Nurses (79%)

2. Medical doctors (62%)

3. Pharmacists (58%)

4. High school teachers (53%)

5. Police officers (50%)

6. Accountants (41%)

7. Judges (39%)

8. Clergy (34%)

9. Bankers (26%)

10. Real estate agents (24%)

11. Journalists (23%)

12. Lawyers (22%)

13. Advertising practitioners (17%)

14. Business executives (16%)

15. Car salespeople (12%)

16. Members of Congress (10%)

17. Telemarketers (8%)

Second, let’s try to discern why approximately two-thirds of Americans rate clergy and pastors so low. To try to understand these negative sentiments, I went back to an article I wrote about why non-Christians view Christians negatively*. The comments from non-Christians are insightful. It’s not a perfect analogy to sentiments about pastors, but it helps. Second, I reviewed the comments of our community at Church Answers, almost 2,000 church leaders.

It would seem that the top reasons for negative sentiments toward pastors are:

General negativity about the beliefs of ChristianityChurch sex abuse scandalsSexual moral failures of church leadersNegative presence of church leaders on social mediaEthical failures of pastors dealing with financial issuesPastors who are consistently against something

To be clear, Gallup’s survey is precise and accurate. My six points represent a non-scientific survey of comments from several of our sources.

I would love to hear your thoughts about these ratings.

In the meantime, members of Congress can be grateful for telemarketers.

 

Sources:

Gallup

Church Answers*

Do you want to find out the characteristics and beliefs of your church’s community? Here is a great tool: Know Your Community.

 

 

 

The post The New Ethics Rankings Are Out. Where Do Pastors Stand? appeared first on Church Answers.