Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 46

How to Set Annual Goals with Your Church Staff

Setting annual goals is mundane and unemotional—but completely necessary. Without these goals, the pathway through the year lacks clarity, like a group of people navigating a trip with unstated directions in their heads and no agreed-upon route to a particular destination. That’s how horror movies begin.

Annual goals should be more tactical and less visionary. Tactics are the operational steps to achieving the desired end. Your yearly goals act like step-by-step instructions moving the church closer to a broader vision. Think of vision as the place just beyond the horizon and annual goals as the plan for the next leg of the journey towards the horizon.

One of the key roles of a lead pastor (or whoever manages the staff) is coordinating the staff’s annual goals. Below are five steps to set annual goals with your team.

1. Let the staff write their own goals, then negotiate with them. Goals should begin with the staff person. Then you can negotiate with them on the details. If a staff person is incapable of writing goals, you have more significant issues with that person. Additionally, you’re likely micromanaging if you feel the need to write everyone’s goals. Staff should write their own goals and then negotiate with you on changes.

2. Require specific goals. Here is a good example: “Start a children’s choir for elementary children during Wednesday programming by the second quarter.” Here is a bad example: “Preach more passionately.” Specific goals act like markers on a map. You will know if the children’s choir begins as planned. You can’t hold people accountable for vague goals.

3. Make goals measurable. If a particular ministry needs to grow, then determine by how much. By twenty people? Ten percent? These figures are often called lag measures because they indicate performance. More importantly, you should set ways of achieving this goal. These figures are often called lead measures because they indicate improvement. Here’s an example: I want this ministry to grow by twenty-four people over twelve months (lag measure), so I will contact six new people each month, hoping to gain two of them (lead measure).

4. Give goals timelines. Some goals may require an entire year. Other goals may only require a month. Make sure the specific and measurable goals have reasonable timelines. Without a stated timeline, an otherwise good goal could languish because of procrastination or apathy.

5. Hold staff accountable on an ongoing basis. I don’t believe everyone needs a quarterly review. However, a good lead pastor will check in periodically to see where staff stands with their goals. This ongoing accountability can be either formal (through scheduled meetings) or informal (through casual conversations), so long as everyone agrees to the process.

There are two other items to consider as a lead pastor, one on the front end of the year and the other on the back end of the year. On the front end, your job as a staff leader is to make sure staff goals complement each other and are not in conflict. Don’t blame the staff mid-year for conflict if you did not properly align their goals at the beginning of the year. On the back end, these goals should become the basis for annual reviews: Did people on staff accomplish their own yearly objectives? This way, no one is surprised by a year-end review.

The post How to Set Annual Goals with Your Church Staff appeared first on Church Answers.

Eleven Signs You Are Becoming a Church Consumer Instead of a Committed Church Member

I am a church member. I teach a small group in my church. I occasionally preach when my pastor is out. I give to the church faithfully. I have been involved in other ministries in the church over the years.

But I sometimes start acting like a church consumer instead of a committed church member. Instead of focusing on others as 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 clearly demonstrate, I start acting like the church is supposed to serve me. I want to get my needs met. I want things a certain way for my family and me. My unholy trinity is me, myself, and I.

Tracking My Own Attitude and Behavior

Recently, I’ve started tracking my own attitude by going through a series of signs that my commitment to my church is not what it should be. Here are eleven signs that I am becoming a church consumer instead of a committed church member.

You know you are becoming a church consumer when:

Your worship attendance becomes optional.You replace in-person attendance with digital attendance (though I fully understand that some people are unable to attend in-person).Your attendance to a small group is declining, or you stop attending completely.Your attitude toward your church is more critical.Your giving declines or stops.You critique sermons instead of listening prayerfully.You see church as a place to meet your needs instead of your meeting the needs of others.You move readily to another church when your needs are not met.You get frustrated at what other church members aren’t doing.You don’t pray for your church regularly.You don’t share the gospel.

Church Consumers Are Not Biblical

The local church is the dominant topic in the Bible after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Indeed, the entirety of the New Testament, from Acts 2 to Revelation 3, is either about the local church or written in the context of the local church.

The local church is God’s plan A, and he didn’t leave us a plan B.

I am a church member.

Sometimes I need to be reminded to act and think like one.

The post Eleven Signs You Are Becoming a Church Consumer Instead of a Committed Church Member appeared first on Church Answers.

The One Time You Shouldn’t Talk To Your Guests

In my last post we covered the six times in a weekend service that you should strategically plan to address your guests. But what about times when you should strategically plan not to talk to them?

Any time you would single them out.

True, the whole point of the “six times to talk” post was that you should recognize guests. But not if it means turning the spotlight on them in the service. Recognizing them in a general sense (“If you’re a guest with us today…”) is great. But getting too specific in a service can turn people off and chase them away. (“Hey, you’re new. Stand up and tell us your name, who invited you, and the sin you’re currently struggling with.”)

Most of us have horror stories for days of how we’ve seen this go bad: “Welcome times” when members stand and guests remain seated. “Introduction times” when guests stand and members remain seated. Ushers handing out name tags or info cards to seated guests as a part of the service (while all eyes are on them). I’ve even seen a church that played “Name That Mystery Person” at the beginning of the service, complete with pointing fingers at the newcomer in the auditorium (and no, I’m not making that up, and yes, the details are worse than you can imagine).

The key to interacting with guests is that you want them to set the speed for interaction. You should provide multiple opportunities for them to connect and take a next step, but ultimately you should leave the option to connect completely up to them. Some are ready to make themselves known from day one. Others want to remain more anonymous for a time. Neither of those things are wrong, they’re just deeply tied to an individual’s personality and comfort level, so respect it.

Think through your guest’s experience from your own perspective as an outsider. When you visit a restaurant or retail establishment, when you show up for the first day on the job, when you’re called on to give an impromptu speech at a big meeting, how do you feel? 

Harness that. Multiply it by ten, and then you’re starting to imagine what it’s like to show up at your church for the first time.

 

This post originally appeared on dfranks.com .

The post The One Time You Shouldn’t Talk To Your Guests appeared first on Church Answers.

Be the Church that Embraces Children, Not Just Tolerates Them

There are two kinds of restaurants—those that embrace children and those that tolerate children. You know this reality if you’re a parent, especially if you have multiple small children. When my family of six storms a restaurant, I can tell immediately whether the establishment will embrace my children or tolerate them.

In a recent occurrence, the host looked at my brood with eyes wide: “Oh, my. You have . . .  a lot of kids.” I was not offended. Serving large families at a restaurant is tough. Odds are at least one of my kids will have a meltdown before the food arrives, and a one hundred percent probability exists that large portions of something will fall to the floor.

Rarely are we treated rudely, but I can tell which restaurants merely tolerate my children. I understand the tension. Feeding my kids is hard work. It’s why we pay money to have someone else do it! My wife and I don’t get angry; we just don’t return to the places where my kids are a burden. When we discover a restaurant that embraces children, we go back.

There are two kinds of churches—those that embrace children and those that tolerate children. Most churches are not rude towards kids, and I’ve never seen a church sign stating “No Kids Allowed.” However, the families visiting your church will know whether you embrace their kids or not. The churches that welcome children have a higher likelihood of families returning—not just once but often!

Embracing children means understanding that messy is healthy. Children do not learn to eat cleanly. They turn dining room tables into abstract impressionist works. More food ends up in the hair than in the mouth. You’ll need a hazmat suit to serve spaghetti. Children learning to take in God’s Word, worship, and love Jesus are just as messy. The dirt line on church walls about two feet high is there because little hands are dragging as kids walk the halls. Messy is healthy.

Embracing children means valuing noise over perfection. Children make noises in worship. Children make noises in classes. Children make noises in the parking lot. They cry. They laugh loud. They scream and yell. Some churches tolerate the noise. Other churches value the noise. I’ve heard of churches not allowing children below a certain age in the worship service. It’s ridiculous.

Embracing children means protection at all costs. Child security is a discipleship issue—and one of the most important! If you believe in the Great Commission, you will create robust security measures for children. Jesus says, “I am with you always.” A low-security church teaches children, “I am with you sometimes.”

Embracing children means consistent promotion in multiple venues. Check your worship guide. What is in there about children? Check your social media feeds, email newsletters, and worship service announcements. If kids are not there, then you are not embracing children.

Embracing children means investing in KidMin. Is your children’s minister the lowest-paid ministry team member? Does your children’s budget match your worship budget? A church that embraces children will invest in the ministries supporting children. A church that tolerates children will give the monetary leftovers to them. If it is easier to cut your children’s budget than your technology budget, then you likely are not embracing children in your church.

Embracing children means understanding church at their level. A lot of churches will seek out the perspective of parents. You should! Helping parents create God-centered homes, not child-centered homes, is one of the core elements of family discipleship. However, you should not neglect the perspective of a child. Ask about their experiences, their feelings, and their opinions. When you understand church at a child’s level, you are better positioned to guide the child towards Christ.

In Luke 18, Jesus invited the children. In Mark 10, Jesus embraced the children. Churches that welcome and embrace children are like Jesus. Jesus becomes angry at the disciples for discounting the value of children. The next time a child cries out in church, don’t get angry at the child. Instead, get angry at the person who is angry at the child. Children are a blessing, so churches should make them a priority. Be the church that embraces children, not just tolerates them.

 _________________

 This article is adapted from my book, The Church Revitalization Checklist: A Hopeful and Practical Guide for Leading Your Congregation to a Brighter Tomorrow (Tyndale House Publishers, Copyright © 2022).

The post Be the Church that Embraces Children, Not Just Tolerates Them appeared first on Church Answers.

The Kind of Evangelistic Leaders You and I Need to Be

I usually make a practical list in these blog posts, but today I want to tell a story. I pray it will challenge you as it has me.

For twelve years, a woman had suffered with some type of blood disease.¹ Most likely, this disease was a menstrual problem, making her unclean in her culture. She would not have been welcomed in any public place. She could not have gathered among the worshippers in the synagogue, and she would not have been permitted to touch the rabbi.  

For over a decade, she had gone to the doctors. Surely she hoped day after day that a new doctor would have the cure, but no healing came. Surely she longed for the day when the bleeding would stop, yet that day did not come. Surely she dreamed of a time when she would be welcomed among the crowds; however, no such time would come.  

By now, this woman had had all she could take . . . but, Jesus was coming through her town. Tossing aside all cultural prohibitions, she somehow snaked her way through the crowd to touch Jesus.  Perhaps with a bit of superstition – but with enough genuine faith that Jesus responded to her – she reached out to touch just the bottom of His garment. Instantaneously, Jesus did what no physician had been able to do in twelve years.

Why did all this happen? Because somebody had been talking about Jesus (“Having heard about Jesus”—Mark 5:27). Somewhere, somehow, this woman had heard something about Jesus. We don’t know who spoke to her, nor do we know what she heard. Regardless of who it was, she heard enough that she would risk all to get to this one named Jesus. There, He made her well and proclaimed her His daughter. 

Don’t miss this fact, though: someone pointed this woman to Jesus, but whoever that “someone” was received no credit. His or her name would not have appeared in any denominational newsletter or on anybody’s website. In fact, Mark did not even include the name when he recorded the story. 

Have you ever wondered why that would be? It’s really quite simple: the gospel is about the one to whom we witness rather than about the ones who witness. The focus is on proclaiming the majesty of Jesus rather than giving glory to the evangelist.

If you and I are going to be Jesus-proclaiming witnesses for Christ, we can’t worry about our names being in print when God works miracles through our ministries. We can’t get stressed if everybody hears what God has done, but nobody knows our name or recognizes our work.

Our job is to point to Jesus. After all, as strong evangelistic leaders know, the story’s never been about us, anyway.

_______________

[1] Adapted from Chuck Lawless, Nobodies for Jesus: 14 Days toward a Great Commission Lifestyle (p. 50). Rainer Publishing. Kindle Edition.

The post The Kind of Evangelistic Leaders You and I Need to Be appeared first on Church Answers.

Why We Are Launching Church Answers University

 

 

It is our dream that everyone who desires to be trained and educated for vocational and lay ministry will be able to do so.

It is our dream that this education and training should be affordable, accessible, and attainable.

It is our dream that this education could be completed in nine months.

It is our dream that this training and education will not sacrifice quality and will be accepted by churches and Christian organizations with enthusiasm.

The dream is about to become a reality on August 1, 2022. It is called Church Answers University.

Where God Planted the Seeds of the Dream

In conversations with a Ugandan Christian leader, we discovered that many Ugandan pastors could not get ministry training and education for several reasons. In concert with the Ugandan leadership, Church Answers began to develop what would soon become Church Answers University.

Then we discovered pastors in other East African countries had a similar need. Then we heard from other African pastors. Then Australian pastors. Then pastors in several European countries. Then pastors in some Asian countries. Then pastors in America.

We also heard from other church staff persons beyond the role of the pastor, including key church lay leaders.

The demand and desire were much greater than we imagined. God was doing something beyond our dreams.

The Dream Becomes a Reality

As we began to develop Church Answers University, we knew that the education had to be of the highest quality. We began to recruit some leading scholars and leaders to write and teach.

We also knew the training had to be accessible, so we naturally decided on digital delivery. Church Answers University had to be affordable, so most of us worked for little to no compensation. As a result, we developed a complete certification in ministry for only $1,900. The price includes all of the courses and all of the textbooks. Tyndale Publishing has graciously agreed to provide ten textbooks and a New Living Translation Bible for every student.

To meet the needs of our students, Church Answers University also had to be attainable, which meant most of the students needed to complete the entire certification in less than a year. Our program is designed to be completed in nine months.

The Future Is Now

In just a few days, Church Answers University will be a reality. While many people will continue to be trained at degree-granting institutions, we anticipate tens of thousands of people will opt to go the route of certification. We are blessed to be at the forefront of this movement.

Church Answers University will open with a certificate in Christian ministry for any student. We will also begin with a certificate in women’s discipleship. I am convinced that both of these certifications will be instruments to change the world for God’s glory.

Join the movement. Join the future.

It’s called Church Answers University.

 

You can learn more about Church Answers University during our upcoming live webinar on Thursday, July 21, at 1:00 pm EDT.

Register here to join the live webinar

https://churchanswers.com/webinars/take-your-key-leaders-to-the-next-level-make-your-church-healthier-through-stronger-leadership/  

 

You can donate towards a scholarship for a pastor or ministry leader to attend Church Answers University through our nonprofit, Revitalize Network, here:

Donate a scholarship

https://revitalizenetwork.org/donate/?donation_term=once

The post Why We Are Launching Church Answers University appeared first on Church Answers.

Leading Others When They Are Frustrated and Angry with the Church

Frustration can raise stress levels. Anger can leave you and others on edge. While neither frustration nor anger are inherently sinful, both raise the temperature in the room. Both are also inevitable. People will become frustrated and angry.

Since these two emotions are unavoidable, how do you lead those who are frustrated and angry in your church?

First, understand the source of each emotion. Frustration typically derives from the feeling you cannot change or achieve something. It can be expressed as annoyance or disappointment. The emotion of anger tends to be more acute and pointed. Anger assigns blame to someone or something over a perceived or real injustice.

Second, consider the justification of frustration and anger. At times, they are justified. At times, they are not. The goal of leadership is to de-escalate frustration and anger. While these emotions can be catalysts for good, no one should stay at an elevated point of tension. Regardless of the justification, long-term feelings of frustration and anger are unhealthy.

What is the answer to the instability of frustration and anger? Empathy is the stabilizer. If you have a shepherding role in the church, don’t perceive the emotions of others as a threat to you. When a pastor is threatened by the emotions of church members or staff, the potential skyrockets for a toxic culture. Shepherds exist to care for the emotional well-being of congregants. These emotions are not to be fuel for the ego of a pastor.

Consider these three empathy strategies to de-escalate anger and frustration.

1. Don’t react viscerally to the emotions or actions of others. Defensiveness leads to resentment. Listen first, then ask clarifying questions. Do not be passive-aggressive with your response. Emotions are a powerful prompt, but they come and go quickly. When you react viscerally, you allow the moment to take over without considering unintended consequences. By reacting viscerally, you may say something that has a negative impact for much longer than you intended.

2. Don’t be dismissive of the concerns of others. Indifference leads to selfishness. The emotions of others should not be an inconvenience for you. As a shepherd, your calling includes guiding people through their emotional responses just like any other part of their lives.

3. Have a posture of learning from the frustration and anger of others. Deflecting leads to a lack of care. When you genuinely care about the emotions of others, you learn a lot about how to make better disciples in your church. One night’s rest is all most need to get through the heat of their emotional responses. You lose the opportunity to learn when you overreact to someone else’s overreaction.

Next, consider these three ways to help congregants refocus their emotions. 

1. Shepherd your church to direct their frustration and anger toward an achievable goal that benefits others. Serving is the way out of emotional instability for most people. (Note: A pattern of emotional instability may require professional help.) When you take the inward energy of anger and frustration and move these emotions outward, you create a balancing effect in your life.

2. Show gratitude toward the person in the areas where they are most productive. Rarely is a person emotional about everything. Most people express frustration and anger towards specific instances and people. When you offer counsel, help congregants see other areas where they are doing well. Then consider their emotions holistically.

3. Pray together about the specifics of their anger and frustration. Most people default to talking about God rather than talking to God when struggling with emotions. The discipline of prayer helps take the blinders off emotional responses and enables people to see more clearly.

Frustration and anger are emotions that will surface regularly. At times, people in your church may direct these emotions at you. Your role as a church leader or pastor is to help people navigate these emotions without taking their responses personally.

The post Leading Others When They Are Frustrated and Angry with the Church appeared first on Church Answers.

Major Changes I Am Making (It’s Not Easy)

I am not a young man. Though I encourage leaders to lead change, I realize in my advanced years, change can be more difficult. Routine is a comfort food.

It has been 34 years since I led my first church consultation. My team and I have done hundreds of on-site consultations, and we’ve conducted thousands of virtual consultations. I am not a novice in this area.

But experience is not the same thing as wisdom.

It is time for me to change.

How I Got to This Point

Since 1996 my consulting team and I have included a tool called the Know Your Church report in most of our consultations. Each year thousands of church leaders and members respond to 160 statements about their respective churches. We have millions of points of data. We can see in granularity the directions of churches for 26 consecutive years. It is priceless information.

It is not uncommon for churches to “score” low in the area of evangelism. These churches struggle to share the gospel with any type of consistency.

But in the past five years, the evangelism score has declined precipitously in churches. Since the pandemic, it has gotten worse. Much worse.

I tell church leaders and members that they can’t keep doing the same things the same way and expect different results. But I don’t always practice what I preach in the area of consultations.

This awareness became a breaking point for me recently.

My Own Wake-Up Call

Though you may take my words as hubris, I can say with confidence my team and I do great work at diagnostic consultations. I can also say with confidence that those churches that have been willing to implement our recommendations have seen incredible results.

But therein lies my stubbornness and stupidity. Fewer and fewer church leaders go forward with our recommendations. We give them the diagnosis and the proposed remedies and, for many, nothing happens. In fact, the majority do nothing. And I have not changed the process in response.

It’s like going to your physician who tells you that your health report is not good. But if you eat better, get exercise, and lose weight, your outlook is very positive.

Ouch.

Diagnosis without action is dead. Sometimes literally dead.

Our consulting diagnoses, though precise and accurate, often do not lead to change, particularly in evangelistic actions. The blame begins with me. Such is the reason I must change, and I must lead my team at Church Answers to change.

So we did.

The Hope Initiative

What if we changed the process of consultations? While still using our helpful tools, what if we worked with church leaders to move forward with hope and joy instead of dread and despair?

What if the process was clear and simple?

What if the initiative changed the culture of a church positively and dramatically?

What if the process resulted in the church reaching more people with the gospel?

What if the solution was not a burden?

What if church members were excited to be a part of the solution?

What if pastors and other church leaders moved their churches forward with Spirit-given optimism and joy?

Frankly, that is what we see taking place. We call it The Hope Initiative. And though we are still in beta tests with churches, we see God’s hands working. We see joy. We see hope. And we see culture-shifting change taking place.

The Details

I know. I am leaving out a lot of details. But we must continue the beta tests to see how God is working in these churches.

But I could not be more encouraged. In fact, I am more excited about being in ministry than at any point in my 40-year ministry. God has changed me. I needed the change. I have more hope than ever for churches

Such is the reason we call it The Hope Initiative.

You will hear more about this movement later this year.

To be continued . . .

The post Major Changes I Am Making (It’s Not Easy) appeared first on Church Answers.

A Giant Step in Bible Accessibility

Approximately 12 million people over the age of 40 in the US have vision impairment. Glasses or contacts can help many in that group, but of those 12 million people, 4.2 million have uncorrectable vision and 1.02 million are blind. That is a significant portion of the population that is unable to read a traditional print Bible!

There are wonderful audio Bibles that are helping to fill this void, but for many, holding a Bible in their hands and being able to read the pages is a precious experience.

“I am legally blind. There are so many of us out there who love the Lord and struggle to find Bibles in large enough print that are as exciting to us as the ones available to those without a disability,” NLT reader Jill wrote to us at Tyndale Bibles.

She has a good point! There are so many different types of Bibles out there for different interests, but what about for people who need significantly larger print? People are trying to find ways to interact with God’s Word but are unable to find a Bible with a large font that also provides additional helps to better engage with what they are reading. This was a question that needed an answer. What could we do?

We started with our beloved Bible-journaling brand: Inspire. We were able to create a journaling Bible with nearly 13-point text font and still include all the amazing Scripture line-art for coloring and wide-margins for note-taking and art-journaling. People were really excited about our Inspire PRAYER Giant Print Bible, including our new friend, Jill.

“Thank you for remembering the visually impaired as we love our Lord, Jesus. I am thrilled with this beautiful Inspire Bible I can actually use. I feel special and included to be able to color and journal despite my disability,” Jill emailed.

What would be next? A study Bible? But how could we create a robust study Bible that has print large enough for visually impaired people to read but is still small enough to carry around? A traditional print study Bible is already difficult to carry.

“Those with some vision ability, like me—I have 35 percent vision left—are all very, very computer and iPhone/Android adept. As a matter of fact, for many of us, we rely on our phones as a way of life to travel, walk, navigate rooms, read—just about everything. Our phones are a huge part of our eyes,” wrote Jill.

Our newly released Filament Bible Collection was the perfect answer. The print Bible has an icon near the page number, and when you scan it with your phone or tablet, an app opens and gives access to study notes, devotionals, videos, interactive resources such as maps and infographics, worship music, and more.

We were able to create the Super Giant Print Filament Bible with an incredible 16-point text font! Not only was the print readable, but by scanning the icon, people have access to an amazing amount of extrabiblical resources, and the Bible is easy to carry with you!

“I am utterly thrilled with everything and cannot thank you enough! From the bottom of my heart . . . thank you, Tyndale, for bringing the Bible to life in such amazing ways,” said Jill.

This is our mission: to help people whose hearts are longing for God to find ways to understand and interact with his Word. We want to resource His Church and guide people into a deeper understanding of Christ through Scripture.

 

The post A Giant Step in Bible Accessibility appeared first on Church Answers.

Avoid Bringing This Leadership Baggage into Your Church

God created leadership for the church. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd, and He sets aside other shepherds to lead the church by serving under Him. Members of the church are to follow those who keep watch over their spiritual development. Additionally, these leaders should not abuse their authority but rather lead by example.

This relationship between leaders and followers in the church is clothed in humility through God’s gift of grace. But all leaders bring baggage into this relationship. It’s easier to point out the things your followers need to change, while it’s harder to unwind your leadership baggage from God’s plan for your church.

We church leaders can disguise this baggage as a “ministry philosophy” when it can be nothing more than our own prejudices. What are some ways we carry baggage?

Preferences. Some leaders simply rebrand their personal preferences as the “vision” for everyone. True vision is collective. True vision considers the gifts of all followers.

Experience. Most of the time, leadership experience adds wisdom. This same experience, however, can mold our thought process into doing things the same way as before. For example, if you’re a leader in a new position, it’s far easier to lean heavily upon previous solutions in past leadership roles. It’s harder to form new solutions that fit the current context using experience only as a guide.

Hurt. The longer you lead, the more hurt you will experience. Getting hurt—particularly as a senior leader—is inevitable. Learning to cope with the jabs thickens the hide, but projecting previous offenses on others attempting to offer constructive criticism is an easy mistake to make.

Oversimplification. Veteran leaders have a valuable perspective. This veteran perspective enables them to make decisions quickly and clarify complex problems. However, veteran leaders can oversimplify these problems when they get too far in front of their followers. Sometimes overly simplistic solutions are more confusing than the problem.

All leaders bring baggage into a relationship with their followers. Recognize this baggage. Avoid using it. Discard the baggage when possible, and be a better leader.

The post Avoid Bringing This Leadership Baggage into Your Church appeared first on Church Answers.