Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 50

Five Reasons Some Pastors Regret Quitting Their Churches

The Great Resignation, also known as the Great Reshuffling, is well underway in both the secular world and in churches. Pastors and church staff are quitting. The pandemic certainly accelerated the pace of departures.

The pastors who contacted us at Church Answers fall into four categories of quitting. One group simply moved to another church. A second group quit vocational ministry altogether and took a secular job. A third group retired. And the fourth group moved toward bivocational or co-vocational status.

 Now we are beginning to hear from pastors who have “buyer’s remorse.” The Wall Street Journal recently reported that nearly three-quarters of people who left their secular jobs have regrets (https://on.wsj.com/3LmkVsL). Anecdotally, we do not see buyer’s remorse to be that high in vocational ministry, but we still hear about it regularly.

 What are the main reasons pastors regret quitting their churches? Here are five of the most common responses we’ve received:

1. The green grass was brown. After succumbing to the green grass syndrome, some pastors indicated that the next church did not meet expectations. The common response we’ve heard is that the next church has the same problem people. They just have different names.

2. Some felt like they had abandoned God’s call on their lives. Of course, we heard this response from some of the pastors who left vocational ministry altogether. We should note, however, we’ve actually heard from more pastors in this group who are finding a new kind of calling in marketplace ministry.

3. They recall the joys and blessings of their former church. Having left their church, the pastors have a new perspective. They remember the good times more and the bad times less. A common refrain is, “My church was not nearly as bad as I thought when I was there.”

4. They miss preaching. For those who left vocational ministry completely, they tend to miss the weekly sermon preparation and preaching. In fact, many of them describe their call to ministry as a call to preach. Those who left their churches for retirement, though, generally indicate they have as many preaching opportunities as they want.

5. They feel “lost.” We’ve heard that word quite a bit, though it is rarely defined. Is it a  sense of loss of routine, purpose, identity, or all three?

Next week I will examine some reasons pastors are loving life after serving in a local church. There are indeed two sides to this coin.

In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts.

The post Five Reasons Some Pastors Regret Quitting Their Churches appeared first on Church Answers.

What We Learn From Our First Mother Eve

Mother’s Day is filled with a mix of emotions and it can often be confusing to know how to approach it. From grief, to anger, to sweet celebration we can find ourselves wondering how to approach such a sensitive day with both tenderness and honor.

In my book, The Calling of Eve, I learned so much from the beginning pages of God’s narrative and his creation of the first mother Eve. We learn from Eve’s creation in chapter 2 that she is made in the image of God alongside Adam. They are unique to the rest of creation and in their uniqueness God says that “it is very good.” We also see that she is distinctly made from man. She is formed from the rib instead of the ground. The Hebrew word used for her formation is similar to the word ‘built or fashioned’ instead of the word used for Adam’s creation which means ‘to form’ like a potter and clay. Yet in her distinction, we also see an overarching celebration of sameness and purpose in Adam’s response to God giving him a helper.

The first words of humanity written down for us is Adam’s song and celebration “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” Yahweh, the relational and all powerful God, gives the creation mandate to both man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, to rule and reign, and to cultivate the Earth, but for Eve she had a unique part in this mandate. She is named Eve in Genesis 3:20 with the literal translation of her name meaning “mother of life.” She would carry life for 9 months. She would experience the pain, struggle, and work to birth life into the world, and she would ultimately be one of the first to feel the deep grief that comes with the loss of life.

As women, like Eve, who are made in the image of God, our purpose and design goes much deeper than pregnancy tracking, toddler tantrums, or getting our children to the finish line of adulthood. As women we get to reflect God and help to bring life to those around us.

Bringing and being life means that we are women who fight for the life of the unborn to the last breaths at the end of each life with both grace and truth. We give generously, we volunteer our time, and we pray fervently for the protection of life, all life.

We chase down those who are caught in lies and overwhelming fear and who are marked by death, shame, and regret because of their past choices and walk beside them with healing and champion the hope of forgiveness and grace.

We share life with children who come from broken homes and families and who spend their days in DPS offices and court rooms or orphanages. We see them as little image bearers who statistically will find themselves in the pits of addiction, unplanned pregnancies, and prostitution if not reminded of the power of redemption.

We bring life to coworkers who hold the physical scars and the emotional wounds of abuse or the heaviness of life with a listening ear and a comforting shoulder. 

We bring life to the college aged Target cashier who’s battling depression and the weight of endless expectations while trying to figure out her identity and what is true by looking her in the eye with a smile and reminding her that she matters.

We bring life to the single mom who is working two jobs and feeling like a failure by taking a home cooked meal and some flowers to remind her she’s doing a great job and she’s beautiful. 

We bring life to the woman battling cancer and give her dignity and worth despite how different her body may look. We are life givers who reflect, build, and breathe life into a hurting, dark, and hard planet as bosses, teachers, employees, wives, daughters, church members, TJ MAXX shoppers, and neighbors.

We see examples of this all throughout Scripture through women (some mothers some not)  like Hannah, Mary the mother of Jesus, Priscilla, and Dorcas who reflected the goodness, sacrifice, care, and compassion of God through their unique gifts and circumstances. 

This Mother’s Day let’s celebrate the biological moms, foster and adoptive moms, and spiritual mothers who are inviting others into the life that comes through a relationship with the God of the universe who bends down to build and breathe life into the souls of men and women all across the world.

 

**You can now pre-order Jacki’s book, The Calling of Eve, set to release on July 5th, to learn more about how women have been thread through the redemptive story from creation to present day. Click here to pre-order. 

The post What We Learn From Our First Mother Eve appeared first on Church Answers.

Why Every Young Pastor Needs an Old Mentor

“Sometimes the being is more important than the doing.”

My mentor shared this wisdom at our last meeting. He’s in his late-80s, almost 50 years ahead of me. He retired from a church in Indiana and moved to Bradenton several years ago. I inherited him with my church when I was called as pastor a few years ago. Unfortunately, he recently moved back to Indiana to be closer to family.

God gave me a spiritual heavyweight of encouragement with him. He sat a few rows from the back—prayerfully listening every week. He held no formal leadership position in our church. He did not need it because his prayers moved mountains.

Every young pastor needs an older mentor. I know that’s not a new thought. I press the point because it’s hard to overstate the value of wisdom from someone 50 years older than you. Unfortunately, young pastors tend to dismiss the oldest generation of leaders. Not overtly, of course. Few would explicitly state they don’t want to hear from someone older. The dismissal comes more in the form of time.

Our ears can only listen to so much before words start melting together. Podcasts, meetings, texts, phone calls, blogs, sermons—how many of them come from the oldest generation? If you’re like me, you tend to listen to people your age, maybe ten years older. Listening to the oldest generation takes effort. It’s not efficient. My mentor talks slowly, with careful nostalgia. But, if I pay attention, what I hear is the greatest hits album of his ministry. It should be played over and over again.

My old mentor brings hope. He got through the tough stuff and knows the way! He’s already taken the machete and blazed a trail. I need to follow his path.

My old mentor connects me to a significant generation. He helps me understand the oldest in my congregation. I can ask him questions without fear of offending him.

My old mentor forces humility. He has my permission to knock me down if necessary. But, usually, he gently picks me up.

My old mentor focuses my perspective. I want to major on the majors and minor on the minors. But what are the majors and minors?! He helps discern them for me.

My old mentor teaches friendship. It’s incredibly healthy to have friends who are much older (or younger) than you.

My old mentor reveals the value of prayer. If you were to ask him how he did it, he’d simply respond, “Prayer.” His one-word answers are usually accompanied by a story of God’s provision. These stories are worth the time of a thousand podcasts.

They are in your church, sitting near the back, quietly listening. Inside of them is decades of wisdom. Befriend one of them and strike gold. Sometimes the being is more important than the doing.

The post Why Every Young Pastor Needs an Old Mentor appeared first on Church Answers.

Seven Traits of the Successful Pastor of 2027

The conversations can be discouraging these days. Declining attendance. Conversions down. The great resignation. Closing churches.

Indeed, I have been one of the negative voices speaking about these topics. While my motivation has been to warn rather than discourage, I know the regular conversation of negativity can be disheartening.

Let’s flip the switch. Let’s take a trip five years into the future and look at what successful pastors did over those years. By “successful,” I mean pastors who led churches faithfully, reached their communities, and consistently made disciples. I am not speaking of numerical growth, though numerical growth would often accompany churches led by these pastors.

This exercise is not one of prophetic utterances. Instead, it’s a combination of biblical faithfulness, common sense, and how the pastors have responded during and since the pandemic. We’ve learned a lot from these leaders, and I think we will continue to learn from them as they manifest these seven traits.

They did not forsake or forget the importance of prayer. These pastors are leaders of prayer. They pray personally. They lead their churches to embrace the priority and importance of prayer. Acts 6:4 is a true reflection of their leadership approach and priority. They brought back the priority of evangelism. The last words of Jesus on earth were a command to be witnesses (Acts 1:8). These pastors did not go the path of many church leaders, forsaking and forgetting evangelism. It is sadly amazing how many Christians and churches don’t think it’s important to share the good news of Christ. They dealt with toxicity promptly. I have never known a pastor who confronted toxic members in the church who thinks it was done too quickly. The typical response is, “I should have done this a long time ago.” They had grit. Serving as a pastor is tough work. One pastor with long tenure told me, “I get up in the morning and do my calling as a pastor. Then I go to bed, wake up the next day, and do it again.” This pastor is persistent. This pastor has tenacity. This pastor has grit.  They loved their community more deeply and tried to serve and reach the residents more urgently. I absolutely love how more pastors realize that they don’t just pastor a church; they pastor a community. The pastors who succeed five years from now will have deeply connected to the communities in which their churches are located. They rediscovered joy. Ministry can seem like it’s one critic and naysayer after another. Successful pastors five years from now will still see the joy of their calling every day. They might even discover a bit more levity. They took faith risks. These pastors knew they could not plan everything. They understood they had to expect the unexpected. And they knew they had to lead their churches into new and exciting endeavors and areas.

Let’s see who is still around and thriving in pastoral ministry in 2027. I am willing to say with some confidence that it will be pastors who had these seven traits.

What do you think?

The post Seven Traits of the Successful Pastor of 2027 appeared first on Church Answers.

How to Handle a Church Staff Person’s Moral Failure

We recently covered this topic on a Rainer on Leadership episode , but I wanted to expand our conversation in this article.

Few models exist on how to handle the moral failure of a staff person. Indeed, there is little consensus among pastors about what to do, even with something as explicit as adultery. Researchers asked pastors, “If a pastor commits adultery, how long, if at all, should the pastor withdraw from public ministry?” As you will see, the answers vary greatly.

Surprisingly, 1 in 4 pastors (not church members) are unsure how long a pastor should withdraw from ministry after committing adultery. As the above figure demonstrates, about 1 in 5 pastors believe withdrawing for a year is wise. But another 1 in 4 pastors believe permanent withdrawal from ministry is the best option. A few even believe three months or less is appropriate. If a pastor is dealing with the moral failure of a staff person and calls peers for advice, the likelihood is high that those peers will give widely different answers. How can a pastor have discernment in such a situation?

The Path Forward After a Moral Failure

How should you discern a plan of action following the moral failure of a staff person? The following questions will help you determine a path forward with a staff person after a moral failure.

What is the degree of offense? Avoid making quick decisions if possible. When leaders make emotional decisions, the repercussions are often not good. Instead, take the necessary time to understand the entire situation. Too many leaders make the mistake of finalizing decisions without hearing from all involved parties. When analyzing the situation, no leader should act alone. When staff moral failures occur, leaders need the advice of trusted counselors within the church and outside the church.

Does the staff person deny it or not? Allegations of a moral failure are much different than an admission of a moral failure! A majority of pastors (73%) believe allegations should be kept in confidence with church leaders during an investigation. If the staff person denies the allegations of a moral failure, the path forward must include an investigation. You should meet with the accuser and the staff person separately first, and you should not meet with them alone. Bring in the elders, the personnel committee, or whatever group helps oversee the staff. If no such group exists, bring in a couple of other trusted church leaders.

What is the level of remorse? If the staff person admits to the moral failure, you should discern the level of remorse. When a broken staff person is ready to repent, the process should include much grace. When a staff person is defiant, the process should include firm discipline.

What are the church’s policies and/or covenant? Many churches have clear guidelines detailing the process of working through a moral failure. Many churches also have a covenant for pastors and staff, which also helps provide biblical support for the process of discipline or reconciliation. Before you move forward with a plan, make sure you understand the guidelines in the church’s policies, as well as any covenantal requirements of staff.

Leading Your Church to Heal

When a staff person has a moral failure, you must not only have a plan for the guilty individual but also the church. Both the staff person and the church need a path forward towards healing.

First, you must tell the truth. The church should know about the moral failure. It is impossible to heal unless you know what hurt you. There is no need to share all the details, or even the other parties involved, but the church should understand the big picture of what happened.

Second, if you are the lead pastor, you must teach about healing. Put the current sermon series on hold and focus on teaching your church about healing.

Third, it is essential to spend time with people, especially those most affected by the moral failure. Put your vision on hold. The season of healing from a moral failure is not the time to launch new endeavors.

The hurt may last for a while. The pain may feel intolerable. You may even be tempted to go to another ministry to escape the situation. But leading your church to heal is paramount. Churches facing this type of pain need their pastors to own the problem and demonstrate the grace of Christ. One day, Jesus will remedy all the pain. Lead your church to believe it.

 

The post How to Handle a Church Staff Person’s Moral Failure appeared first on Church Answers.

A Challenge to Pastors, and 5 Reasons We Often Don’t Accept the Challenge

I realize many debate the nature of a call to gospel ministry, but God does call people to serve Him in unique ways. I know without question, for example, that God called me to preach His Word—and He still calls out people today.

At the same time, I’m convinced it’s the pastor’s responsibility to help believers recognize their calling, guide them toward obedience, and then launch them into His work. We must call out the called. Too often, though, we don’t fulfill that calling. Here’s why:

1. No one’s challenged us to call out the called. In my 45+ years as a Christian, I can recall only a few pastors who intentionally introduced their church to ministry calling and challenged their members to pray about it for their own lives. We haven’t seen it modeled, so we don’t do it.

2. Our approach has been to wait for someone to come to us—not to seek out those who might be called. It ought to work both ways, in fact. On one hand, some who are wrestling with a call might initiate a conversation with us. On the other hand, though, we need to keep our eyes open for believers whose lives might suggest a calling. Like Paul seeking out Timothy (Acts 16:2-3), we need to watch for those to affirm—and at least initiate a conversation about ministry with them.

3. We often struggle with the possibility of sending out our best. After all, we’ve already worked hard to reach people and then equip them. We’ve spent hours with them to prepare them to do ministry—and now we want to encourage them to think about taking steps of faith that might move them beyond our church? At least from a human perspective, it makes little sense to send out our best.

4. Sometimes ministry has been so difficult for us that we’re not sure we want to recommend it for anyone. When you’ve been wounded one too many times, it’s not easy to call the next generation into that potential anguish. Indeed, it’s often easier to discourage rather than encourage them, to push them away from ministry rather than toward it. That personal pain, though, doesn’t eliminate our responsibility to raise up the next generation of church leaders and missionaries.

5. If our church does have some members who are called to ministry, recognizing that reality usually means more work for us. That is, we now must consider how to disciple them, how to give them opportunities to test their giftedness, how to hold them accountable for their spiritual growth, and how to guide them into future preparation like seminary. It’s a lot of work if we take this responsibility seriously.

Here’s my suggestion. Look around to see whose giftedness might suggest a call to ministry. Ask other leaders if they know someone in the church who’s expressed interest in ministry. Preach a message on calling, and invite those who want to know more to have lunch with you. Follow up, and see where the Lord leads. You won’t regret calling out the called when you see God use them among your neighbors and the nations.

 

The post A Challenge to Pastors, and 5 Reasons We Often Don’t Accept the Challenge appeared first on Church Answers.

Disunity in the Church and Among Christians Destroys Evangelism

The unnamed church was reaching many people. Members were sharing the gospel. Members were inviting people to church.

Then it stopped.

How could something so positive stop dead in its tracks? It did not take long to discover the problem.

The church was reconfiguring its worship center and foyer. They needed a larger welcome center, so they reduced the worship seating capacity.

The focal point of the contention was the remodeling of the worship center. The old pews had been removed. The church was meeting in its family life center during the construction. A decision had to be made: pews or chairs?

No one anticipated the strong emotions that resulted. In fact, the controversy became known as the “pews versus chairs” argument. There were members with strong feelings on both sides.

In the meantime, the growth came to a standstill. The steady flow of guests almost stopped completely. The feeling of unity changed into an atmosphere of contention. One church member said it succinctly: “The change in the attitude seemed like it happened overnight. We went from an evangelistic church to a fighting church.”

Jesus on Unity: Fighting the Evil One

Jesus prayed a powerful prayer of unity to the Father. His followers obviously heard it because John recorded his words. As Jesus prays, he says these telling words: “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Understand the context in which Jesus was praying these words. He was praying for unity for his followers. He was praying that they would all be singularly focused on the mission he had given them. But he knew that Satan, called the evil one, would do everything in his power to distract the followers of Christ and destroy their unity.

The unnamed church was on a mission for Christ. They were going into neighborhoods and praying for the families in the homes. Many of those families started visiting the church. Some of them became followers of Christ. The excitement in the church was palpable. But the spiritual momentum stopped.

The evil one will try to stop Great Commission obedience and activity. He did indeed succeed at this church. The people started fighting over pews and chairs. Their spiritual and emotional energy focused on an incredibly trivial matter. Church members were more concerned about their seating arrangement than seeing people become followers of Christ.

Jesus on Unity: The Specific Prayer

Jesus continued to pray to the Father, this time with a specific prayer on unity: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:20-21).

A fascinating aspect of this passage is that Jesus prayed for those disciples in his immediate presence. But he also prayed for all future believers: “for all who will ever believe in me through their message.”

That part of the prayer is breathtaking. Jesus is praying for our unity right now. He is praying for our churches to be unified today. He looked over time and space and saw us in our churches at this very moment. And he simply prayed that we would be one, that we would be unified.

Jesus on Unity: The Reason for the Prayer

While it may seem self-evident why Jesus prayed this prayer for unity, Jesus wants us to be certain we understand the importance of the matter. Read his words closely: “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” (John 17:23).

Did you get that? When Christians and churches are unified, unbelievers in the world will see the gospel in that unity. The world will know that God sent Jesus. The world will know that Jesus came to die for our sins. The world will know that God loves them so much that he sent his one and only Son to be a sacrifice for us.

You cannot be a fighting church and be effectively evangelistic. You cannot be snarky and argumentative on social media and be effectively evangelistic. That divides Christians before the watching world

Unity is imperative for the Great Commission.

Your Prayer for Unity

Would you consider praying for unity among Christians and unity in the church?  I would encourage you to begin the prayer by praying for your own attitude. Are you at odds with anyone else? Are you seeking to get your way in the church rather than yielding to the preferences of others? Are you more concerned about putting someone down on social media instead of lifting Jesus up?

Your prayer may indeed be one of the most important prayers you utter. Churches and Christians without unity are churches and Christians without the power of the Great Commission.

Such is the reason you need to pray for unity in your church right now.

Such is the reason you need to pray that you will be a source of unity yourself.

 

This article was taken from an upcoming book by Thom Rainer. The book has not yet been given a final title.

The post Disunity in the Church and Among Christians Destroys Evangelism appeared first on Church Answers.

Spider-Man, Jesus, and the Ripple Effect of Free Will

When Peter Parker first learns he has special spider-like powers, he’s more interested in using them for his own personal gain rather than serving others. When he has the chance to easily stop a robbery, Peter chooses not to intervene because the man being robbed had just conned him.

Thinking he got revenge, Peter soon discovers that the same escaping robber shot his beloved Uncle Ben. As a crying Peter sees his uncle labor through his final breaths on the sidewalk, he recalls the penetrating last words Ben spoke to him earlier that evening: “With great power comes great responsibility.” At that point, the superhero known as Spider-Man is born.

What we’re seeing here is a powerful phenomenon called “the ripple effect.” It’s the idea that every event in life, whether good or bad, is like a rock thrown into a pond—the ripples spread out and impact everything else around it. In the case of Peter Parker, the murder of one innocent man (his uncle) rippled forward to save thousands of lives later on. On a larger scale, the same can be said of the murder of Jesus. The murder of that innocent God-man brought immeasurable good to billions of people throughout history. And it continues to do so two thousand years later. 

Sometimes we can see how tragedy ripples forward for good, but most of the time we can’t. But God always can. In fact, He guarantees it.¹

It’s not just that good can come from evil but that some greater goods can be achieved in no other way. Suffering can draw us closer to God, wake us up to what is truly important, and prod us to develop the kind of virtue that can only grow in the face of evil and hardship. A person can’t develop perseverance unless there are obstacles to overcome. And there’s no way to develop courage unless there’s evil or danger to face. In other words, we can’t get better unless we have opposition. 

If God had not given his creatures free choice, there would be no need for heroes and no possibility of growth. If there was no evil to fight and no virtue to develop, we wouldn’t experience the deeper satisfaction of an expanded soul. Good times don’t grow our character like bad times. Even the sinless Jesus learned obedience through suffering.²

God knows that love is worth the pain of evil, especially since He will one day end the effects of evil on the redeemed. Once the full number of people have accepted the free pass into His Kingdom provided by the sacrifice of His Son, Christ will come back and right all wrongs.³ God will then quarantine evil in a place called hell. 

In the meantime, while we’re waiting for Christ to come, we’re stuck in a world of trouble. Since it’s not heaven yet, there is evil to fight, souls to be won, and growth to be achieved. Fictional stories about Hollywood heroes like Spider-Man can help us realize that. 

 

Adapted from Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God by Frank Turek and Zach Turek. Copyright © 2022. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

 

[1] God doesn’t say everything is good, but He promises that all things will work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

[2] The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 5:7-10, NIV).

[3] God’s Kingdom arrived when Jesus came the first time, but it will not be fully completed until Christ comes the second time. In the meantime, we are left in a world where suffering exists because of Adam’s sin and our own.

The post Spider-Man, Jesus, and the Ripple Effect of Free Will appeared first on Church Answers.

The Big Opportunity to Reduce Ministry Stress for the Long Haul

If you’re not careful, stress can lead to burnout. Stress is unavoidable. Burnout doesn’t have to happen. When ministry stress builds, you can take one of two paths. The first path is one leading to frustration and anxiety. On this path, you expend the energy created by stress on yourself. Frustration and anxiety are exhausting. The second path is a better choice, one where you channel the energy created by stress into a more productive response.

Productive use of stress lowers stress. When leaders use stress to focus on others (rather than themselves), something remarkable happens. Stress becomes a way to solve problems rather than the problem itself.

What’s the trigger? How can pastors reduce ministry stress? Compassion.

The way you counter rising stress levels is to raise your level of compassion for others correspondingly. This mentality is not natural. I have about as much compassion as a boxing champ stepping into the ring to defend his title when I’m stressed. Since the point of ministry is not to beat people up, something has to give. Here are some practical steps to raise your level of compassion during a season of rising stress.

Let go of ideals and unachievable goals. Pure idealists make terrible pastors because they halt progress at the expense of perfectionism. A pure idealist pastor will have 500 bulletins reprinted because someone omitted an Oxford comma. Don’t be that person. (I have to work hard not to be that person.) When ideals are not attained, the perfectionist pastor often stresses and then blames the stress on the congregation. For the sake of others, stop being a perfectionist. You can show compassion to your church simply by demonstrating a willingness to let go of ideals and unachievable goals.

Bring trusted people in closer and serve them. Don’t go at it alone. When you’re stressed, go to the people you trust most. Sure, unload on them if needed. Every church leader needs friends who listen. But your friends are more than release valves. When your stress levels rise, figure out small ways to serve them. Send a note of encouragement. Buy someone a small gift. The biblical principle of It is more blessed to give than to receive actually works!

Pray for others—especially your antagonists—at the times when stress tends to peak. We all live in some sort of rhythm, with weekly patterns and daily routines. When stress levels tend to go up, schedule a time to pray. But pray for the people who cause your stress. Serve them in prayer.

Call someone with few friends, a widow, or a homebound person. Call and listen. Just listen. Listening is one of the best ways to serve others. Listening with compassion is a discipline that will help minimize your stress.

Take a day off and bring joy to your family. Your family will feel your stress by greater degrees than your church. Demonstrate how they are first, not the church. And do something they like, not something you like. For example, you don’t serve your family by dragging them through one of your hobbies. Instead, take a day off and make their idea of fun the priority.

The big way to reduce ministry stress is to show compassion. It’s not natural—well, at least for me. The inclination is to move inward, be selfish, and do things that please just you. An inward focus is ultimately self-defeating. Channel the energy of stress in a positive way. Use it to serve others.

 

The post The Big Opportunity to Reduce Ministry Stress for the Long Haul appeared first on Church Answers.

Five Ways to Reach and Keep Guests in a Post-COVID World

While culture was moving away from Christianity before COVID, the gap in a post-COVID world is even bigger. We certainly cannot expect the unchurched to attend because it’s the perceived cultural thing to do.

Several years ago, I wrote an article about this challenge, and most of the information is still relevant today. The difference is more of degree and urgency today. Here are five key steps to reach and retain guests from my previous article. Most of these can be implemented in your church right away.

1. Create a culture of inviting. One of the primary reasons our churches do not have guests is straightforward: We are not inviting people to come. In my older research for the book, The Unchurched Next Door, we found that nearly eight of ten unchurched persons would come to church if we invited them and accompanied them to the worship services. If we invite them, many will truly come. The data we are seeing affirms that this older research still has validity.

2. Make certain you have a positive “guest flow.” Nelson Searcy, in his book Fusion, created this guide for the number of first-time guests each week in our worship services. If the number of first-time guests in your church is fewer than 5, you need to find out where the challenges reside.

3 first-time guests for every 100 in worship attendance: maintenance mode5 first-time guests for every 100 in worship attendance: growth mode7 first-time guests for every 100 in worship attendance: rapid growth mode

3. Be prepared for the guests when they arrive. The studies we have seen indicate we have between five and seven minutes to make a good first impression when the guests do arrive.

4. Find a way to get contact information from guests. Ask guests to complete a guest card but remember, less is more. If we simply ask for an email and a name, we are likely to get higher responses. And if we say we will make a contribution to a local ministry (such as $5 for every card turned in), we will get even a higher response.

5. Contact guests within 24 hours. If you have their email address, send them a quick but personal email. If you have their mobile number, send them a text. These contacts can be brief, but they almost always increase the likelihood of a return visit. Your goal is not only to reach guests, but to retain them as well.

Let me encourage you to look at our resource called Invite Your One (www.InviteYourOne.com) to see our proven method for creating a culture of invitation in your church. We are hearing some great reports from churches using it since they have regathered.

I would love to hear from you about these issues. We truly live in a remarkable time full of opportunities.

 

 

The post Five Ways to Reach and Keep Guests in a Post-COVID World appeared first on Church Answers.