Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 401

Friday is for Freebies (November 4, 2011): The Biggest Giveaway Yet

The Friday Freebie is the new version of WordSearch 9, a DVD-ROM that is compatible with both PC and MAC. The library has a retail price of $499.95 and includes 226 reference works, 22 Bibles, a Greek New Testament interlinear Bible, and 32,000 illustrations, quotes, and anecdotes. I am really in a generous mood! This resource is an incredible set of tools for Bible preachers and teachers.

To be eligible to win, let us know what you are currently reading and why. We will draw one winner from the entries, and you are free to enter more than once as long as you don't use the same book each time you enter.

The deadline to enter is midnight CDT this Saturday. Come back to this blog on Monday to see if you won!

Notable Voices (November 3, 2011)

10 innovation myths. Thoughtful and accurate!

4 words that change everything. Wherever you are right now, in any situation, these words really do change everything.

How long should you attend a church before pursuing membership? "If you can answer in the affirmative to all 4 of these questions, it is a good possibility you have found your next church."

3 characteristics of an educated man. Simple, and true.

HarperCollins buys Thomas Nelson. Very interesting and important acquisition. Big implications for the company I lead as CEO.

The Lifecycle of Pastors

Almost twenty years ago, I began to note that the tenure of a pastor often follows a predictable pattern. Now, almost two decades later, I still see many of the same patterns, though I have refined the categories and time spans a bit.

I fully understand that these categories are not definitive, and there will certainly be exceptions to the rule. Nevertheless, I offer this lifecycle as a guide that I hope will prove useful to both pastors and congregations alike.

Honeymoon: Years 0 to 1

The new pastor is perceived to be the answer to all the needs and the problems of the church. He is often viewed as a hero because he is not his predecessor. Though some of his faults begin to show during this period, he is often given a pass. Expectations are high that he will be molded into the image that each congregant would like to have.

Crisis: Years 1 to 3

It is now apparent that the pastor is fully human. He has not lived up to the precise expectations of many of the members. This phase includes a number of conflicts and struggles. Indeed it is the most common time that pastors choose to leave the church or they are force terminated. This single epoch of a pastoral tenure contributes more to short tenures than any other time.

Realignment: Years 3 to 5

The number of crises begins to abate, though they do not disappear altogether. It is at this time that more and more new members come under the tenure of the new pastor. Some of the dissidents have left the church or the community. There is a realignment of loyalty and expectations of the pastor. Thus he is able to lead more effectively, and began to see some more productive years as pastor of the church.

Growth: Years 5 to 10

Not all pastors have productive and joyous ministries in this period, but many do. It is not unusual for the congregation to begin to appreciate the pastor more and to follow his leadership with greater enthusiasm. Many of the battles have already been fought; and many of the conflicts have been resolved. The pastor and the entire congregation are ready to move forward in more productive ministry for the glory of God.

Mystery: Years 10 and Beyond

There are relatively few pastors and congregations that continue their relationships beyond a period of one decade. Thus any perspective I have of long-term pastorates is inconclusive and limited. I am confident, however, that if we see more and more pastors entering their tenth year of ministry and beyond, we will see more productive and fruitful ministries in local churches across the nation.

The Quest Continues

The topic of pastoral tenure fascinates me. I see significant correlation between ministry effectiveness and longer pastoral tenure, though there are certainly exceptions to the rule. I do hope that we will do a more comprehensive and objective study of this important issue in the future.

What is your perspective of pastoral tenure?

Fifteen Characteristics of Great Leaders

I am fascinated by the literature of leadership. Not only is there an abundance of books and articles on the subject, there are many subgroup topics that are becoming genres themselves.

One of the areas of leadership where I have done my most recent literary research is that of high level leadership. What are the characteristics of the highest-performing leaders? How are they distinguished from other levels of leadership? Jim Collins, for example, has contributed greatly to the concept with his research on "Level 5 Leaders."

Over the past few weeks, I have accumulated the distinguishing characteristics of high-level leaders from a number of written sources. For the purpose of this article, I will list them without comment. I do hope to return to this topic in future aritcles to unpack some of the characteristics. For now, here are fifteen traits of great leaders:

1. Great leaders see possibilities rather than obstacles.
2. Great leaders do not blame others.
3. Great leaders do not have a victim mentality.
4. Great leaders give credit to others.
5. Great leaders seek what is best for the organization rather than for themselves.
6. Great leaders learn to respond to some critics and to ignore others.
7. Great leaders are able to see past the latest obstacle or challenge.
8. Great leaders are continuous learners.
9. Great leaders exhibit true humility.
10. Great leaders admit their mistakes.
11. Great leaders take calculated risks.
12. Great leaders are more likely to make quick decisions.
13. Great leaders have a love and a passion for what they do.
14. Great leaders are first great leaders in their families.
15. Great leaders mentor others to become great leaders.

What do you think about these characteristics? What would you add or delete?

Friday is for Freebies (October 28, 2011)

We are giving away five (5) copies of Moral Apologetics for Contemporary Christians by Mark Coppenger this week. Dr. Coppenger is one of the great evangelical writers on issues in Christian ethics. This book has just been released by B&H Academics.

To be one of the five winners, share with us a humorous story from a church. The possibilities are wide open. You can tell us about a bulletin blooper or a funny incident. We will pick the five best entries and send a book to each of the winners. Enter as often as you like.

We'll keep this blog and contest open through Saturday evening at 10:00 PM CDT. Keep it clean and funny!

Notable Voices (October 27, 2011)

Steve Jobs biography: the best excepts. A good one: "'Bill [Gates] is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything, which is why I think he's more comfortable now in philanthropy than technology. He just shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas,' Jobs said."

A discussion with David Platt about the Secret Church movement. The next event is set for Friday, November 4. Don't miss out on this important and excellent teaching from Dr. Platt.

The values proposition: do small things with great love. "Yes, success today is about price, features, quality — pure economic value of the sort that requires you to rethink your strategy and business models. But it is also, and perhaps more importantly, about passion, emotion, identity — sharing your values. And all that requires is a way of doing business, a strategy for connecting with customers, that communicates who you are and what you care about."

5 principles for living with less ... and liking it. The author is right: "Contentment isn't something we're born with. It's a character trait that's acquired." This article gives helpful insights into developing a life of contentment.

Consequence free. Any pastor has, undoubtedly, thought the same thing that Tim Challies has said in this post. Insightful and challenging.

Four Mistakes I Made as a Father

Anyone who knows me understands. Anyone who has heard me speak understands. And most who have read my books understand.

They all know how much I love my three sons and how proud I am of each of them.

Indeed, I often go overboard with the stories and sometimes sappy sentiment I express about Sam, Art, and Jess.

On more than one occasion, I have received accolades about my parenting. People have told me that I've done such a great job as a dad. I confess that I often swell with pride at the compliments.

The Reality of My Success as a Father

I am now a grandfather of three boys and a girl. And in this second half of life, I sometimes review those days when my boys were at home. I miss them greatly. And I do have regrets.

You see, I have made many mistakes as a father. I have failed more times than I am comfortable admitting. Allow me, with a great deal of discomfort, to share some of the mistakes I have made as a father.

Four Memorable Mistakes

Several years ago, I told my wife, Nellie Jo, that I was thinking about writing a book about mistakes I've made in ministry. She suggested to me that it would have to be a multi-volume series. The same would be true if I wrote a book about mistakes I made as a father.

For the sake of brevity, and perhaps because I do not enjoy self-inflicted pain, I'll limit the list of mistakes to four. My recollection of these times was painful in itself.

Mistake #1: I stopped studying the Bible with my sons when they became teenagers. I was consistent with prayer and Bible time with the three boys while they were young. I really don't have a good reason to explain my dereliction of Bible study with them after they reached their teen years. I missed some of the most formative years of their lives by abandoning that opportunity and responsibility.

Mistake #2: I sometimes disciplined my sons when I lost my temper. I therefore punished them as a result of my anger rather than correcting them in a godly manner.

Mistake #3: I often majored on minors. Too often I was more concerned about the boys taking time to clean their rooms rather than spending time with me or doing something of greater value. I was fastidious about their bed times when I should have had flexibility if they just wanted to talk to their dad.

Mistake #4: I didn't always give my boys focused time. I remember the time I was working on a book while Art was playing baseball. I was physically present in the stands at the ballpark, but my mind was on other matters. My wife told me that Art was at bat, but I continued to write. I missed his triple that drove in the two winning runs. I will never forget the disappointment on his face when he asked if I saw his triple. I couldn't lie to him. I hurt my son greatly that day.

The Reason for Writing about These Mistakes

I am not having a pity party nor do I enjoy recalling my failures as a father. And I am not writing out a sense of false modesty.

My purpose in sharing a few of the many mistakes I made as a dad is to, by the grace of God, reach out to parents today. I want you who still have your children at home to cherish those days as an incredible gift. I pray that you will make the most of every moment with them. And though it's cliché to say, the time is really going so very fast.

I was so very far from being a perfect father.

May God take my mistakes and use them for good in others' lives.

Five Warning Signs of Declining Church Health

December 17, 2004, should have been a day of celebration.

Nellie Jo and I had been married 27 years on that date. We were in Naples, Florida, enjoying the sunshine and each other.

Then the phone call came.

We had been given a great deal of confidence that the biopsy would likely prove negative. Proceed with our anniversary celebration, we were told. In the unlikely event that the report was not good, they would let us know.

The report was not good. Nellie Jo had cancer. The next two years would prove to be some of the most challenging years of our lives and marriage.

When an Unhealthy Body Looks Healthy

Looking back, it is amazing to recall how healthy Nellie Jo looked. She showed no signs of fatigue or sickness. Had she not seen a couple of warning signs, she might have found out too late about her cancer. She might not be alive today.

I've seen it countless times. My team would go into a church for a consultation, and we would begin interviewing church members. We would hear from many of the congregants that their church was healthy and thriving. Then we would see the warning signs. And we would begin to fear that the apparently healthy body was not really healthy at all.

The church was sick. Some of the churches were really sick.

Five Warning Signs

What were some of the warning signs my team saw? Though the list is not exhaustive, these five issues were common. Some of the churches had one or two on the list; some had all five.

1. The church has few outwardly focused ministries. Most of the budget dollars in the church are spent on the desires and comforts of church members. The ministry staff spends most of its time taking care of members, with little time to reach out and minister to the community the church is supposed to serve.

2. The dropout rate is increasing. Members are leaving for other churches in the community, or they are leaving the local church completely. A common exit interview theme we heard was a lack of deep biblical teaching and preaching in the church.

3. The church is experiencing conflict over issues of budgets and building. When the focus of church members becomes how the facilities and money can meet their preferences, church health is clearly on the wane.

4. Corporate prayer is minimized. If the church makes prayer a low priority, it makes God a low priority.

5. The pastor has become a chaplain. The church members view the pastor as their personal chaplain, expecting him to be on call for their needs and preferences. When he doesn't make a visit at the expected time, or when he doesn't show up for the Bible class fellowship, he receives criticism. In not a few cases, the pastor has lost his job at that church because he was not omnipresent for the church members.

Where Do We Go from Here?

The bad news is that few churches recover if the patterns above become normative. The church is a church in name only. It is self-gratifying rather than missional. It is more concerned about great comfort than the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

The good news is that a few churches have moved from sickness to health. The path was not easy. It first required that the congregants be brutally honest with themselves and God. It does no good to speak glowingly of a church that is unhealthy and getting worse.

Many of the turnaround churches we consulted then moved to a time of corporate confession and repentance. They confessed to God their lack of obedience and their selfish desire for their own comfort.

And still other churches made an intentional effort to shift the ministries and the money of the church to a greater outward focus. This step can be particularly painful since a number of church members often protest with vigor that their needs are no longer being met.

To Become a Healthy Church

Indeed we could focus on the reality that the great majority of sick churches do not recover. But that focus provides little value.

We should look at the admittedly few churches that have moved from sickness to health. We should learn how they turned from an inward focus to an outward focus. We should follow their examples of moving from selfish desires to radical obedience to God.

In His power the unhealthy church can become healthy.

Heed the warning signs.

It could be the difference between life and death.

Friday is for Freebies (October 21, 2011)

Every Friday, I will be featuring a great book or resource that I will give away to someone. The process is simple this week. In the blog comments name one to three books (include author) that have had a positive impact on your life or ministry. We will assume that the Bible is the first choice of most of you, so don't include it in your choices. You may comment more than one.

This week's giveaway book is an exciting new release: Gospel by J.D. Greear with a foreword by Tim Keller.

We will do a random drawing of all comments today at 10:00 PM CDT and announce the winner later that evening.

What are some important books in your life?

Notable Voices (October 20, 2011)

20 points on leading millennials. Good collection of insights here from the folks at Catalyst.

How I wish the homosexuality debate would go. A hearty amen to Trevin Wax for this provocative post.

Which city has the most Twitter users? I'm sure you could get the right answer in only a few guesses, but let me help you get started. It's not Nashville.

Are evangelicals dangerous? Albert Mohler asks this important question on CNN's religion blog. As of today, there are more than 5,000 comments.

The mentor recruiter. A good word from Ron Edmondson: "I've learned, however, that if a person has experience at any level, they have plenty to share with those who haven't walked where they walk."