Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 406

The Introverted Leader

I am an introvert. I speak in public and group settings about 200 times a year. I am the president of an organization with 5,000 employees. Admittedly, it's a weird combination. I am required to be out front leading and speaking every week. But I'm an introvert. I am happiest when I'm by myself or with a few close friends or family members. How does an introverted leader lead? Can an introverted leader lead? The Life of an Introverted Leader I come by my introversion honestly. My dad was an introvert, yet he managed to lead a small bank as...

Where Have All the Churches Gone?

The largest church in the United States is Akron Baptist Temple in Akron, Ohio. Okay, it was the largest church in 1969. I haven't seen the church on any lists of largest churches for at least two decades. By the way, the primary metric for measuring church size in 1969 was Sunday school attendance. Today the metric is worship attendance. A lot of changes in churches take place in just a few years. For many, if not most, American churches, the changes are more negative than positive. Many churches today are shadows of what they were not too many years...

HindSight (May 6, 2011)

Household size is growing, after 50 year decline. Although the uptick is minimal, this trend is healthy and follows most predictions for population growth. How to avoid conversational narcissism. This piece is intriguing and helpful and challenging. Facebook garners more than 31% of US ad market. An astounding metric for businesses to heed. Missional Manifesto. An excellent resource that seeks to advance, define and clarify what "missional" means. LifeWay's own Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation are among the framers. 4 ways to measure social media ROI. Good insight on a mix of models to help businesses measure the impact of...

Marathon Man

My son, Sam Rainer, and his wife, Erin, ran in the Derby Festival Marathon a few days ago. For the uninitiated, a marathon is 26. 2 miles. For those of us who don't run, that's a lot of miles for one day. I think the last time my feet moved over 26 miles, three weeks went by. Sam and Erin prepared for this day. Their training was disciplined and intense. Even with a ten-month old daughter, they worked regularly, oftentimes pushing the baby in a stroller as they ran. Bad weather rarely deterred them from their training regimen. The Natural...

Secret Church: The Hunger for God's Word

God's people are hungry for His Word. On Good Friday, more than 50,000 people participated in Secret Church, six intensive hours of biblical teaching and prayer for the persecuted church led by author and pastor David Platt of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala. This special event is designed to call the church to greater awareness to biblical fidelity and build unity with the persecuted church worldwide. There have been nine prior Secret Church events, but after the first meeting The Church at Brook Hills was forced to start a reservation system due to the sell-out capacity. While...

HindSight (April 29, 2011) - Remembering Those Affected By Recent Storms

This post is a collection of videos and links about the storms, tornados and their effects from across the South, especially Alabama (since it was hit hardest). But more, it's a call to pray and help with disaster relief for those in need. Many, many people are still reeling from the vicious storms that swept through and wreaked havoc this week in the southeastern United States. Hundreds of lives were lost, hundreds more injured, and others still unaccounted for. Would you join me in praying for those who have been affected, lost loved ones, lost homes or property, and are...

Ten Warning Signs for Churches

Prior to my present place of ministry, I spent over 20 years consulting with churches across America. I have also had the wonderful opportunity to research churches primarily in the United States. Over time I began to notice certain patterns or signs that would indicate a congregation might be headed for trouble.After reviewing my consultation notes and research, I found ten warning signs for churches. If a church had four or more of these signs present, I would let the leadership know that remedial efforts were in order. If six or more signs were present, I was concerned that the...

The Quest for Helpful Messengers

He is in his early 30s. Despite his relative youth, he is one of the best leaders I know. He previously led successfully in the business world. His life took a dramatic shift to seminary and, today, the local church. Today he is the senior pastor of a large church with multifaceted ministries. I wish I had his maturity and leadership skills when I was that young. In reality, I wish I had his maturity and skill set today. He shared with me his leadership philosophy. In the course of the fascinating conversation, something caught my ears. He said that...

HindSight (April 22, 2011)

Tennessean receives Pulitzer recognition for coverage of 2010 Nashville flood. Proud of our local paper for its work on this life-changing event in the Nashville area. The importance of kindness at work. This article is particularly fascinating since it is written in the Harvard Business Review. Pastors and social media. Good questions for anyone in social media. Amazon to add library lending to Kindle. The e-reading revolution continues. Go Figure. A fascinating collection of statistics for church-related issues from Christianity Today. E-book sales finally outrank print sales. E-books enjoying triple digit growth. And here's a powerful and compelling real-life prodigal...

CEO (Christmas/Easter Only) Christians

This Easter will likely be the highest attended day this year for churches across America. Such has been the norm for a few decades. Indeed many churches will go all out to attract people to attend their churches on Easter Sunday. It is understandable that church leaders put much effort to bring people to church on a day where they are most receptive to coming. A church in Toledo, Ohio, recently announced that they would be giving away a house to a family. The requirement for being considered for the big giveaway is to attend one of the worship services...