Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 74

7 Goals a Pastor Ought to Have in Leading a Church Staff

I fear that too many pastors expect their staff to have their own goals, but the pastors have no goals in how they lead that staff. As a young pastor, I led the same way. Now many years later, I think a lot about the goals I have for my staff. Here are some of them:

I want them to use their gifts fully, even if their doing so eventually results in the Lord’s calling them to serve elsewhere. I don’t want to hoard their gifts, nor do I want to stifle them. If I’m privileged to work with them for a little while the Lord grows them, I’m okay with that.
I want to provide them opportunity after opportunity to grow. For me, that means supporting them if they want further education, challenging budget teams to provide continuing education funds, and pushing staff to serve out of their comfort zone even while I support them if they fail.
I want them to see me in their office as much as in my office. That is, I want to stop by regularly, check on them and their family, pray for them, and encourage them. I don’t want them to have to search for me any time they need something.
I want them to look forward to staff meetings with anticipation, not with dread. It’s my responsibility as a leader to make sure these meetings are productive, supportive, and visionary. I want our time together to be a valuable highlight of the week.
I want God to use them in greater ways than He’s ever used me. I can’t say with integrity that I thought that way years ago—I saw staff then as a means to build my ministry—but I suspect age has turned my heart in a different direction.
I want them to know I know the names of their spouse and kids. That might seem like an unnecessary goal, but I’ve known pastors who know very little about their staff’s families. My experience is that staff will serve better if they know their family is loved and appreciated.
I want us to pray together regularly and laugh together often. I want us humbly approaching God’s throne as a team even as we have fun serving together. Neither one of these things happens by accident.

I’m sure there are other goals to consider. What might you add?

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Twelve Major Trends for Churches in 2021

While escaping 2020 has been a stated goal for many people, there will still be challenges in front of us as we move into 2021. Churches will be among the organizations to confront clear and present challenges.

Of course, the topic of COVID is unavoidable as congregations move forward to a new year. The devastation the pandemic has wreaked among people and organizations has also been acutely felt by churches and their leaders. 

While predicting future trends is never a precise effort, we do see enough data points to suggest these twelve trends are potentially powerful movements that will affect congregations, some for better and some for worse. They are not listed in any particular order.

Massive growth of co-vocational ministry. It will be increasingly common for churches to have fewer full-time staff. Some will hold other jobs because churches cannot afford full-time pay and benefits. Some of the staff will choose to be co-vocational so they can have a marketplace ministry. Both of these factors will result in a massive number of staff moving from full-time to co-vocational.
Baby boomers will be greater in number than children in the majority of churches. This demographic shift has three causes. First, the birthrate is declining. Second, the boomer generation is large in number, second only to millennials. Third, increasing longevity means boomers will be around for a while. If a church is not considering what senior adult involvement looks like, it’s already behind the curve
The micro-church movement begins in about 5,000 North American churches. A new manifestation of the multi-site movement will be multi-site campuses with 50 or fewer congregants. The early adopter churches, estimated to be around 5,000, will define this movement and become the models for future micro-churches.
Digital church strategies will complement in-person strategies. We’ve seen some leaders advocate a “digital first” strategy while some insist on an “in-person first” approach. As we have followed thousands of churches, we are seeing more strategies where neither approach is a priority over the other. Church leaders are moving toward blending these two important areas in a complementary fashion. We will be looking at this reality in future articles.
The number of adopted churches will begin to catch the number of closed churches. This trend is very positive. While we are not seeing a decline in the numbers of churches on the precipice of closing, we are seeing a major trend develop as more of these very sick churches get adopted by healthier churches. This development means more neighborhoods will have a gospel witness.
Church fostering will move into the early adoption stage. Church fostering takes place when a healthier church helps a less healthy church for a defined period, usually less than a year. We anticipate 30,000 churches (meaning 15,000 foster churches and 15,000 fostering churches) will enter into this relationship in 2021. Again, this trend portends well for the overall gospel witness of local congregations.
Once the pandemic stabilizes and the number of cases decline, churches’ average worship attendance will be down 20% to 30% from pre-pandemic levels. As of today, we are seeing quicker recovery among smaller churches. If this pattern continues, churches over 250 in attendance (before the pandemic) will have the greatest challenge to recover.
The new definition of a large church will be 250 and more in average worship attendance. These “new” large churches will be in the top ten percent of all churches in North America. Before the pandemic, a church would need an average worship attendance of 400 to be in the top ten percent.
Denominations will begin their steepest decline in 2021. In terms of membership and average worship attendance, denominations overall will begin a greater rate of decline. This negative trend can be attributed to three factors. First, the churches in the denominations will decline more rapidly. That factor is the single greatest contributor. Second, there will be fewer new churches in the denominations. Third, the combination of church closures and church withdrawals from denominations will be slightly greater than previous years.
Giving in churches will decline 20 percent to 30 percent from pre-pandemic levels. For the most part, the decline in congregational giving will mirror the decline in attendance in churches.
Overall conversion growth in local churches will improve. This indicator is mostly positive. We define conversion growth as the average worship attendance of the church  divided by the number of people who became followers of Christ and active in the church in one year. For example, if a church has 20 conversions and an average worship attendance of 200, its conversion rate is 10:1 (200 divided by 10). Lower is better with conversion rates. We say “mostly positive” for this trend, because some of the improvement in the conversion rate is due to lower worship attendance.
 Nearly nine out of ten North American congregations will self-define as needing revitalization. Though this trend is troubling, it does indicate at least one silver lining in the cloud. Congregational leaders, particularly pastors, are more open and willing to admit they need help.

We will be following these trends and others closely. Follow us at ChurchAnswers.com as we continue to share this vital information.

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Four Action Steps for First-Time Communication Ministers

If you’re a first-time communications minister, you can be under a lot of stress. You may feel the pressure to perform and get immediate wins for your church.

So where do you start? Do you start publishing content on social media? Do you set up new social accounts ? The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you should do when you begin taking over a communications ministry. 

If you’re just starting out, here are four key action steps you need to focus on during the beginning of your time as a communications minister. Doing these key things will set you up for success in the months ahead.

Conduct an Online Brand Audit 

The goal of an online brand audit is to make sure that all social media accounts are consistent. Here’s what we’re looking for:

Are all the profile images the same and the correct size? Make sure that you’re using the same logo on each account. Also, make sure that it’s in the correct format for each account.

Are the branding images the same on Facebook and Instagram? Just like profiles images, we’re looking for consistency across the board from all channels.

What’s the tone of the social media messages? Fun? Upbeat? Reverent? Try to determine if they’re a consistent voice and tone with your messages. If it’s not consistent, begin the process of determining your voice.

What’s the posting schedule like? Are you consistent with putting content out on all channels? Are any channels dormant and in need of some attention? Do you need to consider shutting down some Facebook Pages or Instagram accounts?

Consider starting a social media calendar. You should start off by planning the first thirty days and no further. Don’t cement anything yet. Wait until you have an established strategy.

Conduct an Audience Audit

One assumption I made early in my career was that most of my church members shared my tastes and interests. This led me to believe that everyone loved Twitter as much as I did. Well, I was wrong.

After doing some research I realized that our church members didn’t use Twitter. Instead, they were heavy users of Facebook and Instagram.

Spend time studying your audience. One easy way to do this is to look at Facebook audience insights. This will give you a breakdown of where the audience is when it comes to age and gender. Then spend time looking at what your audience shares on their own personal timelines. This can give you a good sense of where your audience is.

Create Initial Goals

In the movie Jurassic Park there’s a scene where the raptor was “testing” the fence to see the weaknesses. The raptor was trying to figure out what worked and what wasn’t working.

Do the same thing with your social media. Your first few weeks on the job you’ll have a lot of grace. Use it to experiment and try some new things to see how they play with your audience.

If you’re trying to figure what you should experiment with, try Facebook Live. Live video gives you an opportunity to get real-time feedback from your audience. It also may reveal who you’re church’s biggest advocates are. These are the people that you want to have bought into your church’s social media.

Connect with Your Pastor 

Your pastor or church leadership will have goals they want to achieve as a church. They may not have public goals, but they know what success looks like. It may be attendance numbers, a new building, or raising money. Take some time to figure out their goals.

Once you have their goals, plot out how your social media will align with your church’s goals. This will help you and your pastor gets on the same page.

One last thing to remember during your first month, give yourself some grace. You’re going to make mistakes. Anyone who’s ever managed social media has made mistakes big and small. If you focus on the right things in the first month, you’ll set yourself up for success in the months ahead.

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An Example of a Covenant Between Pastor and Church

Not every church has a covenant, and many that do will define a covenant differently. Other churches might have a concept of membership but not have a covenant. The purpose of this article is not to stir up a theological debate but rather provide an example of a covenant between pastor and church.

Generally, a church covenant is a clearly stated way an individual member commits to the body and how the body, in turn, commits to the individual. As you commit to God, you commit to each other in the church. I believe some of the best church covenants focus on expectations. For example, the covenant at my church includes seven membership expectations: Worship, grow, serve, give, pray, seek unity, and share.   

I’ve found several examples of church covenants, but there are far fewer examples of a covenant between leadership and the church. When we revised our bylaws a few years ago, we included an additional covenant for pastors. 

I believe this covenant helps clarify the responsibilities of a pastor in addition to the responsibilities of membership. The church also needs to understand how to hold pastors accountable. Unmet expectations are often a source of tension between pastors and the church. When a clearly written covenant exists, there is less of a chance unmet expectations cause conflict. 

Here is our pastor’s covenant. I prefer the “I will” statements because they make explicit the actions and behavior expected of pastors.

 I commit as a pastor within the body of Christ to join West Bradenton Baptist Church and to fulfill the expectations of church membership. Additionally, I commit to the following expectations as a pastor:

I will seek God’s guidance for West Bradenton Baptist Church in order to steward resources entrusted to the church in a way that gives God glory.


I will shepherd, care for the church, and lead with grace, truth, and love.


I will teach all of God’s Word at all costs.


I will equip members of the church for the work of ministry. 


I will protect the doctrine of West Bradenton Baptist, and I will guard the church against false teachers and false teaching.


I will act in a way that is above reproach, making my family the priority of my ministry. I understand the way I live will affect the church I lead, and I will live in a way that elevates the reputation of West Bradenton Baptist Church. 


I will lead the church in exercising discipline in a way that is gracious and loving, protecting the health of the church as a whole while guiding members towards reconciliation.

An additional covenant will certainly not solve all the problems that can occur in the relationship between pastor and church. But it’s a good starting point. Your expectations may be different than the seven listed for our church. Whatever you expect of pastors, and whether or not you desire a covenant, it’s a good practice to put them in writing.

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Seven Heartfelt Prayers by Pastors for Their Churches in 2021

I could begin this article with another cliché about 2020, but I won’t.

Pastors are ready to move forward. Church members are ready to move forward. Indeed, it’s time to move forward.

In that light, I asked pastors a simple question on social media: “What are your prayers for your church for 2021?” I received hundreds of responses, but the answers were amazingly consistent. Here are the top seven prayers in order of frequency:

Unity in the church. Many pastors noted that 2020 has not only been a time of stress, it has been a time of stress resulting in disunity and bickering. Masks or no masks? Gather or not gather? Social distance or not? Many of the members took their complaints to social media.  I wish we could devise a rule that requires members to spend twice as much time in the Bible as they do on Facebook. We might have revival.
Embracing the community. It has truly been heartwarming to see so many pastors have renewed conviction to be a gospel presence in their neighborhoods. These pastors are now praying that their church as a whole reach and minister to the community. Your church address is no accident. Your church was placed in your community to be a gospel presence. 
More evangelism. One pastor put it this way, “I am not praying for our church to do more evangelism; I am praying for our church to do any evangelism.” Another pastor marveled at how far so many churches have strayed from the priority of sharing the gospel. “We have become so busy doing good things,” a pastor noted, “that we have neglected the best things.
Embracing change. A number of pastors prayed that their church members will embrace change more readily in 2021. They realize the urgency of the moment. Business as usual will result in decline or even the death of the church. Many of these pastors have experienced worship wars and other conflicts. They know major change must take place, so they are praying it will come without major conflict.
Eradication of COVID. Very few of us really expected the pandemic to last this long at this level of intensity. COVID has taken its toll on our health, on our emotions, on our marriages and families, on our businesses, and on our churches. Like all of us, pastors are ready for the pandemic to get under control.
Return of church members. “I want us all to be back together again,” a Michigan pastor commented. “I really miss a lot of my church members.” Though these pastors are realistic and know not everyone will return, they are ready for as many as possible to gather again in the worship services, groups, and ministries.
Elimination of the unnecessary activities. “One of the positive consequences of the pandemic,” a Florida pastor shared on social media, “is that we were able to see we really didn’t have to have all the programs, activities, and meetings we had. It’s my prayer that we will continue to refine our ministries and eliminate all the busyness that really did not make a difference.”

 Thank you, pastors. You are on the front lines of ministry. You deserve our gratitude and not our criticisms. We pray with you for these seven prayers and many more you expressed.

 Have a great Christmas, and may 2021 truly be a wonderful new year.

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The New Christmas Album You Just Have to Hear

My worship pastor and his family put out a Christmas album, and you need to hear it. There isn’t a Church Answers Christmas album of the year award, but if there was, this one would be it.

Jordan and Heather Richmond and their kids all contributed. It’s their family project for families. Parents and kids will enjoy listening together. I’m excited for them. Getting your children to clean their room is hard enough, much less contributing to a Christmas album.

You can listen in several ways. Start streaming the album today!

Listen on Spotify.

Listen on Apple Music.

Listen on Amazon.

Listen on YouTube.

Merry Christmas! I hope this album is a blessing to you. Jordan and Heather are incredible worship leaders, and I’m thankful they are making their album available to the public.

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Doing More With Less

One of the things that sets good cooks and great cooks apart is the ability to know just how much spice to add to a dish. The ability to self-edit and restrain the impulse to enhance a recipe with a heavy hand creates a master chef. This is true for pastors and church leaders as well. Knowing how to not overburden the church with too many activities, programs, and initiatives is one of the characteristics that distinguishes good and great leaders.

I have observed that churches that maintain sustained healthy growth do less while many plateaued or struggling churches push themselves to do more in an effort to make something happen. These churches that attempt to do everything or extend themselves beyond their capacity, end up not doing anything well. In contrast, the churches that focus on doing less have learned to be first-rate with what they can do with excellence.  

One exercise that our church goes through at the end of each year is to evaluate what programs, personnel, or practices we need to either retire, replace, or renovate. In a series of meetings with leadership, we go through a rigorous and laborious process of evaluating everything we did during the year. Our goal is to find places where we can cut out any place we have collectively identified as ineffective or inefficient. Our goal is to ensure that we are aligning to the mission of the church and accomplishing the goals that were established for a particular area. Each year we eliminate 10% of our operational practices or programs without damaging our ministry.

At one time, we had over 75 ministries operating throughout our church. Many of the activities were duplicated by other ministries and we experienced high turnover in leadership because the same individuals were responsible for multiple tasks. We learned that we have been called to make disciples and not make new programs.

Listed below are the questions we ask ourselves to come to consensus on what adjustments need to be made in the coming calendar year.

What are the programs volunteers are quitting and withdrawing their support?
What are the programs that are hard to get people to commit to and serve?
In which programs are we connecting with the unchurched the most?
In which programs and ministries are we needing stronger leadership?
In what areas of the church are we experiencing healthy spiritual growth?
Are financial resources being used effectively for this event, program, or objective?
Does this particular program align with the church’s values?
What do we sense from God concerning this program, event, or objective?
What would it take to bring this ministry one more level up in its effectiveness? 
If this ministry, program, or objective was eliminated, who would miss it?
What spiritual fruit was produced from this activity?

These questions are not an exhaustive list, nor do they get to the heart of every issue that needs to be raised. Yet, they do promote lively discussion and lead us to make improvements with buy in from the staff and leadership.  

It took years to develop a staff and lay leadership that could carry out this exercise. This process takes a tremendous amount of trust among the leaders and loads of grace is given without threats of job loss, shame, or negative consequence to an individual. Rarely have we had to eliminate a staff person or volunteer. However, this annual process has led to persons being reassigned, job descriptions being rewritten, and oftentimes a promotion for some. We continue to do it because the team is committed to ensuring that the church stays focused on its mission and purging ourselves of programs and activities that pull us away from Christ’s call. Learning to say “no” to some things allows us to say “yes” to the things that will give the highest return for the Kingdom.

I encourage you, with your team, to take this season to do a ministry evaluation. Examine the ministries that are thriving and those that are barely surviving and make some difficult choices. Having less on our to do list can allow us room to do much more than we ever imagined. One bright spot in this pandemic, is that it has taught us how to do more with less.

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Most Churches Are Not Ready to Be Ethnically Diverse: What You Can Do to Prepare Your Church

Is it real? Is the United States really becoming more diverse? I’ve had well-meaning people ask me these questions. They don’t see ethnic diversity in their circles. First, it’s possible to live in an area of the country that is largely homogenous. Second, and more likely, it’s easy to miss the growth of ethnic diversity. If you happen to be in a place that is largely homogenous, then it’s unlikely to remain so in the future because the demographic landscape in the United States is reaching a tipping point. We will soon become minority white.

The graph below reveals a striking trend. My grandparents came of age when the United States was 87% white. My future grandchildren will grow up in a nation that is minority white. Sometime around 2040, the United States will become minority white, but preschools are already minority white. In short, diversity is spreading out and getting younger. Ethnic diversity was once limited to large urban centers (New York, San Francisco, and Miami). Now people of ethnic backgrounds are moving everywhere. Additionally, the birth rates of immigrants are driving much of this change, which is why this shift is now evident in preschools.

In 1960, one in one thousand marriages was between a white person and a black person. Interracial marriage was still illegal in sixteen states. Today, one marriage in six is between ethnicities. By the time my young children get married, one in three marriages will be between ethnicities. This issue of diversity is not only a demographic reality, it’s a gospel reality. What humanity segregates, God brings back together. Racial segregation is a vile lie from the pit of hell.

More importantly, our churches should reflect this demographic change. Indeed, the church should lead with this demographic change. Public schools will become ethnically diverse simply because of who moves into the neighborhood. Why shouldn’t our churches also make this same shift? The tribes and nations are moving in together. The church should move out to them. Ethnically diverse neighborhoods are not Nineveh. They are a taste of Heaven.

While specific churches are leading the way with this issue, a movement of tens of thousands of churches does not exist. Perhaps we’re at the beginning stages of such a movement. I certainly hope so. For this movement to pick up steam, however, a few things will likely need to occur. Below are four ways more churches might transition to become multiethnic.

A diverse staff. In most cases, churches will not become more diverse until the staff is more diverse. This diversity is especially important with the visible staff positions, like senior pastors and worship pastors.


Heterogeneous mergers. Church mergers are becoming more prevalent. These mergers come in many shapes and sizes. However, we need to see more mergers between two (or three) congregations with different ethnicities. Most church mergers are homogenous—two churches with a similar make up of people.  Stories of heterogeneous mergers are far too rare.


Geographic focus. The last twenty-five years have brought about a renewed focus in church planting, as well as the proliferation of multisite churches. Planting sites and churches in diverse areas of the country is a huge need. These sites and new churches can start as multiethnic.


Preschool and children’s ministry. Even if a church might resist a merger, or even resist the idea of becoming multiethnic, the children of the church will never know the difference. If a church has a diverse preschool and children’s ministry, then within a generation, it’s more likely to be a multiethnic church.

These four paths of diversity are more general in nature. But there is a personal level. What can you do as an individual leader to help your church move towards cultural and racial diversity? Every church leader can do something. In fact, if pastors started doing these four items, then many strides could be made towards cultural and racial diversity in our churches.

Individual relationships. You should intentionally develop a relationship with another church leader in your community who is not of your ethnic background. When you build bridges to other leaders in this way, you also tear down walls in congregations.


Organizational relationships. You should get involved in an organization or event that is not for your ethnicity. Traveling to a different international context broadens your worldview. In the same way, getting involved with people of different ethnicities broadens your understanding of cultural issues in your own backyard.


Read more diversely. You should read books, blogs, and publications that have a different ethnic audience than your own. Diving into the ideas of others strengthens your appreciation for their struggles and victories.


Listen to people of color. Perhaps the easiest way to grow as a multiethnic leader is to listen to ethnic leaders. Simply pay attention to their social media feeds. Go to a meeting with them and observe. Attend their church and worship as they do. I bet you learn something.

The move towards racial and cultural diversity in our churches probably doesn’t feel like a pressing need. The tyranny of the urgent seems to get our attention on a daily basis. Growing ethnically comes more as a gnawing reminder that there is more to do. But this growth is important. In fact, the health of the church in twenty years depends upon our steps in this direction today.

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9 Reasons Young Seminarians are Interested in Church Revitalization

For years, seminary students were more interested in church planting than in working in a church that needs revitalization. That’s changing, though—and here are some reasons why:

They have a new burden for churches where they grew up. I’m always concerned they’re simply wanting to “go back home,” but that’s not what I’m seeing. They’re thinking missiologically about reaching people they know and renewing churches they love.
They welcome the challenge. They’re not interested in mundane ministry and easy Christianity. They want a challenge, even if it means the hard work of church revitalization.
They’ve seen some of the struggles of church planting. They’ve learned from others that starting a new church isn’t as glamorous as they once thought. For example, that’s particularly become the case for plants that used to meet in schools or theaters prior to COVID.
They see the value of having older people in their church. In fact, they deeply desire for their church to include multiple generations. They want to lead, but they also want the support and mentoring of veteran believers.
They’ve seen what happens when churches don’t do evangelism or discipleship—and they want to make a difference. You might argue they’re idealistic in their goals, but their passion is nonetheless real. Whereas they may have once only judged unhealthy churches, more and more young leaders want to step into the mess.
They understand that church plants and missionaries need healthy sending churches. While they may not be called to either of these tasks, they know their responsibility to be senders. Frankly, some churches in need of revitalization also still have resources they can contribute to this work.
More seminaries are focusing on church revitalization. At a minimum, they’re offering at least one course (if not a degree) in this area. Thus, seminarians are getting exposure to revitalization they may not have gotten ten years ago.
Some of their heroes actually revitalized churches long before “church revitalization” was popular. As young leaders learn these stories, they realize that revitalization is indeed possible. And, they learn the importance of pastoral tenure in turning a church around. 
They’re more open to bi-vocational work than my generation has been. That truth makes them more open to church planting, too, but it also applies to unhealthy churches that cannot yet afford a full-time pastor.

What are your thoughts? 

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Seven Reasons Your Online Worship Attendance Is Declining

I remember clearly that first conversation with a pastor whose church started offering streaming worship services for the first time. The quarantine had just begun. With a bit of trepidation, he decided to lead his church into the digital world.

The pastor was amazed. “Our attendance went from 140 to 650!” he exclaimed in his email. Of course, he was referring to the shift in attendance from in-person to digital. He was wondering if a strategy of “digital first” or even “digital only” would be his church’s future. 

Six months later, he wrote me another email. His excitement was obviously missing this time. “Help me to understand what happened,” he wrote. “We had 650 viewing our first online service. Now we typically have 10 to 15. What are we doing wrong?” 

His situation was not an anomaly. We’ve heard from hundreds of church leaders. Most of them have similar stories. The burst of online attendance is waning, usually significantly. Our team at Church Answers has been researching this phenomenon. Though our work is far from complete, we see at least seven key reasons most churches are experiencing a dramatic decline in online viewing of worship services. 

The curiosity factor has ended. When churches began offering streaming services, a lot of people viewed them out of curiosity. We found that a number of viewers were unchurched or nominally churched. They had no plans to stick around long-term. Of course, because so many churches began offering streaming services, the event moved from a phenomenon to just another item on the internet.
Church leaders have begun to focus their energies on regathering in-person. As churches have reopened for in-person services, the focus and energy have been invested back into these services. Church leaders simply can’t do everything, so the early efforts to improve and promote quality digital services have waned. This reality leads to our third point.
Many churches don’t have the resources to do both digital and in-person services well. During the quarantine, church leaders were able to focus much of their attention on streaming worship services. It was, after all, the only option. Now that a number of churchgoers have ended their quarantine and started attending in-person services, church leaders are putting their efforts into those gathered services.
Church leaders are struggling to find stickiness in the digital church. It’s a new world for most of us. How do you get a digital viewer to return? Can sticky relationships be developed outside of in-person gatherings of small groups, ministries, and worship services? How do you get to know someone who may or not identify himself or herself in the digital crowd. 
Many streaming worship services lack in quality. I was recently getting my hairs cut and was able to begin a conversation about church with my stylist. She was unchurched but told me she tried to view a couple of streaming worship services. Her question was telling: “Is the music always that bad in churches?” It took me a while to understand clearly her consternation, but I finally got it. She was referring to the audio mix of voices and instruments. Unless a church knows what it’s doing, the music can really sound bad via the internet.
There is a lack of clarity of leadership for streaming worship services. Does the pastor take the lead in promoting and producing the services? Or is it the worship leader? Or is it the person responsible for sound and lighting? For many churches, no one has come forward to be the person of primary responsibility for the streaming services. Without clear leadership, this ministry flounders.
There is simply an overall weariness. The pandemic is a real struggle for many people, including church leaders and members. As Jess Rainer recently said, “Church leaders have to make decisions they have never made before.” Now church leaders feel the pressure to have a clear digital strategy added to their seemingly unending to-do list.

 For these reasons and others, many church leaders simply don’t have the capacity to give attention to streaming services. Such neglect is reflected in waning digital attendance. Yet the digital world is still a mission field that should not be neglected. 

In the weeks ahead, we will be sharing with you how a few churches are reaching this mission field while doing all of the other ministries expected of them. 

Stay tuned . . .

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