Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 76

Why Church Leaders Should Write More Handwritten Notes

Handwritten notes are rare. Electronic communication has all but erased the whimsy of cursive writing. The average adult writes something by hand about every 41 days—even rarer is a handwritten note snail-mailed to a friend. The average home receives a personal letter in the mail every seven weeks. 

In our wired world, handwritten notes seem to be a waste of time and money. Who would have thought fifty years ago that a postage stamp would cost much more than wireless texting into the sky? You can fling SMS characters through the air in an instant. Why take the time to write a letter or send a card? 

I believe every leader—especially pastors—should write handwritten notes. It’s not just for nostalgia. There are good leadership principles found in a handwritten note. 

Investment. Handwritten notes take time. Time is money. Money is important. When you take the time to write someone a handwritten note, you are sending a message that is greater than the few sentences contained in the note. A handwritten note demonstrates personal investment in an individual. 

Beauty. Even if you have sloppy penmanship, there is a beauty to handwritten notes. The slant and curves of letters give a glimpse into your personality. There is a vulnerable beauty to writing something by hand and giving it to someone. 

Memory. People tend to keep handwritten notes. Electronic communication is permanent in a different sort of way. The email masses stay in internet hinterland even after you hit the delete key. Handwritten notes are memorable to the person, not just contained in the memory of the computer. 

Gratitude. Handwritten notes show gratitude in a much greater way than other forms of electronic communication. You don’t typically ask for things in a handwritten note. Handwritten notes usually have thankfulness as their purpose. 

When do I use handwritten notes? Our staff sends a signed card to every person we pray for in our weekly staff chapel. I also write personal notes to church members who minister faithfully. The notes are as much for maintaining my humility as they are thanking a member. I will also occasionally write a note to a key national leader or influencer, especially if I had the opportunity to meet him or her.

Take the time to write a handwritten note. Make it a weekly habit. You might be surprised at the fruit from such a simple discipline.

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Eleven Characteristics of Pastors who Guarded Themselves Against a Fall

As I hear of church leaders who fall in some way, I’m also reminded of pastors who finished well—who served God faithfully until God called them home. Here are some of their characteristics that challenge me.

They loved Jesus with an obvious, undying love. You could just listen to their words and watch their actions—and you knew how deeply they loved the Lord. Their hearts melted when they talked to Him and about Him.
They never thought the story was about them. Nor did they ever make it about them. They knew the story was always about Jesus. Always.
They never assumed a fall wouldn’t happen to them. They knew it could, no matter how hard they fought against it. They recognized the power of sin.
They deeply loved their family and the people of God. They so loved others that they never, never wanted to let them down. Allowing themselves to fall would have simply brought them too much pain.
They prayed continually. Most of the men I’ve known who finished well lived lives marked by prayer. In fact, I often turned to them when I most needed prayer support.
They memorized scripture regularly. I loved hearing them teach not only because they knew the Word, but also because the Word just fell from their lips. I always wanted to memorize more when I heard them.
They set wise boundaries for themselves. By taking steps like including others in their ministry tasks, they made it more difficult for the enemy to win.
They focused where they were and weren’t concerned about “greener grass.” They stood firmly wherever God placed them, and they rejoiced with whatever ministry He gave them. They weren’t always looking for something new.
They learned to rejoice in the difficult times of life and ministry. Rather than get frustrated with God and His plan, they, like the apostle Paul, learned to “take pleasure in weaknesses . . . and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ” (2 Cor 12:10).
They finished well in all their ministry settings. That’s not to say they never hit rough patches; it’s simply to say they worked through those times, pressed on faithfully, and gained the love and respect of their congregations. If we finish well today wherever we are, we’re more likely to finish well in the end. 
They never really retired. Sure, they stepped away from full-time paid ministry, but they never stopped preaching the Word. They seldom passed on an opportunity to teach the Scriptures—which means they always knew others were watching their lives.

What would you add to this list as you think about others who guarded themselves against a fall? 

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My COVID Manifesto for My Church

I love my church, and I will not stop believing God has full control of this congregation.

When everything seems in COVID chaos, I will remember He is always in control.

 

I love my church, and I will pray for my pastor every day.

Pastors are confronted with decisions and conflict daily. I will pray for them regularly.

 

I love my church, and I will not get into fights and feuds over masks and similar issues.

When I act like Christ, I always put others before myself.

 

I love my church, and I will attend faithfully.

Now is the time for the body of Christ to come together. I will be a part of that reunion.

 

I love my church, and I will continue to support her.

I will give abundantly and serve joyfully. My commitment will not wane in trying times.

 

I love my church, and I will point others to my congregation.

I will invite people enthusiastically and be a gospel bearer every week.

 

I love my church, and I will not engage in gossip and negative conversations.

When others attempt to engage me, I will walk away or offer positive words instead.

 

I love my church, and I will be an encourager to others.

I will intentionally encourage through spoken words, notes, and social media.

 

I love my church, because Christ loves my church.

My commitment is firm in good times and in the stresses of COVID.

I truly believe God has a better future for my congregation.

In His power and strength, I will be a part of it.

 

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Why the Status Quo is So Tempting (and Dangerous)

Ronald Reagan once stated, “Status quo, you know, that is Latin for the mess we’re in.” Most churches (and church leaders) that clamor for the status quo are messes. You don’t often hear of a healthy church championing the status quo. Visionary leaders don’t compel others to stay the same.

Of course, not everything in a church—even an unhealthy one—needs to change. The status quo is not necessarily the enemy. The status quo simply refers to the existing state of affairs. Sometimes the status quo is healthy. If daily exercise is status quo for you, then you’re disciplined. Healthy habits don’t need to be changed. 

The problem with the status quo in the church is that many are not healthy, and every church could be healthier. Satisfaction with the status quo is the same as believing you’ve arrived. Nobody reaches glorification on this earth, and the last time I checked billions still need to hear the gospel. Here’s why the status quo is so tempting . . . and dangerous. 

The status quo opposes more. Every church should seek to reach more people and go to more places. The temptation of the status quo is that you can be satisfied with the current mission footprint of a church. The danger is that people do not hear the gospel because you were supposed to go and reach them. Most people that push for the status quo are wanting to stay put, and I’m not aware of the biblical mandate “just stay put.” 

The status quo is highly contagious. Have you ever been part of a meeting in which a lot of effort was exerted for nothing? Then someone speaks up and says, “Let’s wrap this up and reconvene later.” And everyone quickly agrees. It’s easy to convince people to stay the same. It’s harder to get them to change. And that’s why too many church meetings end with few, if any, action items.

The status quo discourages risk. One of the great temptations of leadership is to build a culture of maintaining the status quo. When people don’t expect big things, then even little things seem like grand accomplishments. Church leaders can feel quite good about themselves when everyone congratulates the little accomplishments. It’s easy to neglect big things when you’re receiving a steady stream of praise for the little things. The danger is status quo churches will miss the grand rewards of great risks for the kingdom. 

The status quo encourages complacency. If everyone is happy with the way things are, then why go and upset people? The danger is God doesn’t call people to happiness. The status quo is completely inward. It focuses on people already in the body without considering those who need to be reached. 

The status quo leaves people unprepared for disruption. The struggle between good and evil will play out in your congregation—somehow, some way, and at some point. It’s inevitable—there will be a disruption, even if you work hard to prevent it. Status quo leaders leave their people unprepared for what will inevitably occur. You might as well go ahead and build a culture that expects disruptions because they happen. 

“Don’t move.”

“Stay the same.”

“No need to grow.”

“We’re content with the people we have.”

Those statements don’t make for a compelling vision. But the status quo would not make such bold declarations. It’s more subtle. Don’t be lured by the temptation of the status quo. Its hook is dangerous and sneaky.

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Five Ways Churches Are Responding to a Second COVID Spike

Though a number of pundits told us to expect a second COVID spike, we were all hoping it would not happen.

In many areas, the spike has happened.

We at Church Answers are in constant conversation with church leaders, so we were really curious to know how churches are responding. Between our Church Answers’ community of 2,000 leaders and social media, we heard directly from over 200 church leaders. They shared five responses that we list here in order of magnitude. 

Taking extra caution. The number one response is a commonsensical response. The church leaders see the COVID numbers on the rise, so they adjust with additional cautions. Several churches strongly encouraged the members to resume wearing masks. A number of churches decided to move their small groups to digital only, even though they began meeting in person just a few weeks earlier.


Making no changes. For the most part, the churches in this second most frequent category felt like their current level of cautions were sufficient. Even with greater numbers of COVID cases, they saw no need to make changes. A few leaders in this category told us that the number of cases in their areas had not increased.


Offering more options. The third most frequent response was making changes by offering more options. The most common option was additional worship services. “We had moved back to our pre-COVID number of services of two,” a Pennsylvania pastor told us. “But we are seeing an increase in COVID cases, so we are going back to three services to allow for even more social distancing.” 


Deciding to close again. This response was a distant fourth. Some leaders thought the numbers of cases warranted their closing again. Many of them actually dreaded the second closing more than the first. They thought a number of church members would give up on attending. The leaders nevertheless decided to close again as an abundance of caution.


Keeping the status quo of not opening. A few of the church leaders told us they had not opened at all since the pandemic began. This second spike in COVID cases meant that most of them would not open until some time in 2021. One pastor shared that his church will not open before April 2021. To be clear, very few churches are in this category.

These are the top five responses we received to our inquiry about responses to the second COVID spike. Let us hear from you. How is your church responding?

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What Is Fueling Your Strategy?

Recently, my family went on vacation. We have three growing kids and needed a little bit of extra room for the long drive to Florida, so we rented a van. The entire drive my wife talked about how spacious the van was and that we needed one. I couldn’t help but think about the fuel economy and that our current car gets way better gas mileage. This got me thinking about fuel economy in strategic leadership.

Whether you are leading a church, an organization, a team, an initiative, or a project they all need fuel. Like any good pastor I came up with an acronym to help me explain the F.U.E.L. you need to lead strategically.

Future – Some pastors call this vision and others call this mission. The point is to make sure to communicate a clear and compelling preferred future. Ideally the preferred future inspires or solves a felt need. Without a compelling future then you are just wasting fuel. Your team will often burn out. This can happen when you change the end goal or direction.

Utilities – In this analogy think of your utilities as all the tools and resources you need. Some of the utilities you will need include communication channels, budget, curriculum, sermon material, time, or facilities. When a car doesn’t have enough fuel it won’t make it to its final destination. Leaders must provide the needed resources to make the future happen. Sometimes it means changing priorities or even reallocating resources.

Execution – Effective execution must be broken down into next steps. Sometimes next steps are listed as goals with assigned deadlines. There is a difference between wasting fuel and being efficient with the fuel you have. When leaders don’t have a road map you could drive an hour in the wrong direction. Repeatedly getting lost or making wrong turns enough will force you to run out of fuel.

Leaders – Every great plan needs to have the right leaders. The team executing the plan should be made of the right staff and volunteers. You would never put diesel fuel into a gasoline engine. It is important to make sure you have assembled the right team for the task at hand.

F.U.E.L is what will sustain your team through the long haul of any project or initiative. Think of each element like the dials on your car dashboard. You need to monitor them often to ensure everything is working properly. 

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Answering Kids’ Hard Questions During Uncertain Times

It always happens at the least convenient times. Kids ask questions that you just didn’t see coming. One minute they will be telling you about Paw Patrol and the next they will be asking a deep question about the Trinity. 

In the days we are now in, our children are overhearing conversations containing deeply divided opinions about the pandemic and politics. Naturally they will have questions. 

Their questions could be deep and theological such as, “Where did God come from?” They could be questions you aren’t ready for such as, “Where do babies come from?” or “What does fill-in-the-blank mean?” Kids can ask questions that can shock you, such as, “Is there really a God?” or “How do we know that Jesus was real?” During this season, they may ask pointed questions about political views they have heard from others.

Here are my basic guidelines when answering tough questions:

Don’t panic. When we panic, we communicate that it isn’t safe to ask questions. We want to be the safest place for that child to turn. Take a deep breath and prevent yourself from saying, “Why would you ask that?” or “How could you think that?” or “Why would you be thinking about that?” 
Clarify what they are actually asking. Do you remember the show “Everybody Loves Raymond?” One of my favorite episodes was when the daughter asked, “Why are there babies?” The dad flips out and prepares himself to answer, only to find out that she wasn’t even asking what he was thinking.  You can watch the clip here. Take the time to make sure you know what kids are really asking. Ask clarifying questions before launching into your answer. You may be relieved.
Answer according to age and maturity. A 3-year-old can not handle the same depth of answer as a 10-year-old.  Some 5-year-olds are much more mature than others and require deeper answers. Your preteen can likely handle a more nuanced conversation about politics. Your 5-year-old needs you to keep answers simple. 
Answer according to your relationship with the child. If you are a church leader or volunteer, there are some questions that you need to pass off to parents. You should not answer “Are Santa and the Tooth Fairy real?” no matter how passionate you might be about the subject. Always bring the parents in on any topic that might be controversial.  
Always be honest. The easy thing is to answer with a vague, quick, pat answer even if it is not entirely true.  Our goal is not easy. Our goal is for kids to know Christ and have a Biblical worldview.
Always point back to Scripture. Always. Start with what the Bible says.  If it doesn’t say anything, then say that. “The Bible doesn’t really say …”
Always separate your opinion from the Bible. This is especially important for questions that are not directly addressed by Scripture.  Make sure kids know that you are sharing what you think, not what is straight from the Bible.
“I don’t know” is a perfectly good answer. It is totally OK to ask the child to give you some time to find an answer or to suggest that you research the question together. You do not have to be the walking library of answers. It is very good to model that none of us know everything.

It is a great thing when kids ask questions, even if it is intimidating. Every question can provide a teachable moment to point kids towards God. Questions show that kids are thinking and gives you a peek into thoughts they are processing. And don’t forget, if they are asking YOU, that signifies a great level of trust. Listen carefully, trust God to lead you as you answer, and definitely write these questions down to bring you a smile later.

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Eight Warning Signs Your Church is Drifting from God’s Mission

God’s mission is clear: He seeks and saves the lost. A church excited about the gospel is a church with a laser focus on making disciples. Churches with purpose pour collective energy into one direction.

Churches without purpose tend to drift. Like the flotsam and jetsam in the sea, a church adrift does little more than float along as aimless debris. I have yet to see a church drift towards God’s mission. The current of apathy always pulls away. It’s obvious to point out drifting churches as lacking purpose. But what causes this drift? What are some early warning signs of an unraveling in a congregation? Let’s look at eight practical indicators. 

The chatter is all about people and not Jesus. Not all chatter is gossip. People talk—it’s part of being human. Conversations in the church can be about any number of things. Not all of them are bad. However, when people start talking about themselves without any mention of Christ, your church is not only drifting, the congregation is dangerously inward.
You no longer celebrate God’s mission in a worship service. When people go, the church should celebrate. When God sends, the church should erupt in praise. A lack of a celebratory spirit over God’s mission is one indication a church is drifting.
The percentage given to missions out of the budget is shrinking. One clear way to determine a church’s priorities is the budget. If your church is giving less and less to missions each year, then it is likely drifting.
Church leaders do not speak about the lostness of the nations. Do your church leaders call attention to the billions that don’t know Christ? Is your church broken over people who have never heard the gospel? Worse yet, sometimes church leaders rant and rail against other nations as if they don’t deserve the gospel. Mission drift often occurs when people believe cross-cultural sending doesn’t apply to their congregation.
New believers are perceived as disturbing the peace of the body. If a small group or Bible class would rather not deal with the messiness of assimilating a new believer, then it’s drifting from God’s mission. The messiness of new believers should be seen as God’s beautiful work, not as a disturbance to the status quo.
There is more of a focus on the older generation than the younger generation. All generations are important. In fact, a church full of just one generation—young or old—is disobedient. Every church is called outward to reach others unlike those already there. However, the reality is most people are saved at a younger age, not older. The church should resource the ministries with the greatest fruit. Additionally, children don’t often get to voice their preferences or concerns. Therefore, sometimes in churches, the older generation’s concerns trumps that of the younger generation. A church drifts when the older generation is willing to sacrifice the souls of the younger generation in order to cling to their preferences.
Few care about the persecuted church. Your church should be acutely aware of what is currently happening to Christians all over the globe. And your people should be praying. Often.
It takes more to win less. It is possible for a church to grow numerically and do less kingdom work. People can gather for worship while personal evangelism is drying up in their lives. Praying for lost friends does not happen haphazardly. Sharing your faith is not accidental. When a church grows numerically while having fewer conversions, it’s potentially drifting without purpose.

No church is perfect. No person bats 1.000 spiritually. Everyone will drift at some point. Every church will struggle for a season with finding a purpose. The problem comes when people seek the status quo rather than seeking the lost. The problem is exacerbated when whole churches become comfortable drifting.

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9 Reasons Young Church Leaders Want a Mentor

I’ve just recently started my 25th year as a seminary professor. Throughout those years, I’ve seen students and young pastors increasing and almost desperately want a mentor. Here are some reasons why:

They take ministry responsibilities seriously. They take them so seriously, in fact, that they want a veteran leader to walk with them so they get “it” right.
They’ve seen other church leaders get hurt in ministry. It’s far too easy to get hurt and remain in that pain when we’re fighting these battles on own—so these young leaders want someone walking with them to keep them focused.
They see great value in learning about life from older leaders. Even if these young church leaders weren’t leaders, they would still want senior saints to walk beside them. They delight in learning from others.    
The work of ministry can be frightening to them. Ministry is a life-and-death work. We minister to all kinds of people in all kinds of pain—and young leaders want guidance from others.
They don’t want to do ministry alone. They believe without question that a plurality of leaders is the biblical norm—and that belief pushes them to lean on others. A mentor can be a source of great strength and accountability for them.
They want to see faith lived out. The reality is that many church leaders have never seen a genuine, on fire, Holy-Spirit believer—but they certainly want to see it. A mentor’s faith can thus become another source of strength and encouragement.
They have friends who have a mentor, and they’ve seen the value of a mentoring relationship. In fact, seeing a successful mentor/mentee commitment only makes them long for it even more.
Many of them have never really been discipled. Yes, they’re in leadership positions—but those appointments aren’t a guarantee they’ve previously been discipled. Some young leaders are operating in their own strength, and they don’t even recognize their tendency.
They know their ongoing struggles with sin. They might be hiding their battles temporarily, but this generation is quite willing to be honest with someone—particularly an older someone who’s conquered particular temptations. They welcome accountability with someone they respect.

Young church leaders, I encourage you to prayerfully seek a godly mentor. Older believers, I plead with you to make connections with young leaders and give them some of yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

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7 Reasons Not to View Other Churches as Competition

Your reaction to this title might be, “Duh, of course we should not compete with other churches.”

But, in reality, many church leaders do play the dangerous game of comparisons. They are seeing how their church stacks up to other churches. It’s a form of competition. And though the title might state the obvious, allow me to remind you with seven clear reasons why it’s wrong to compete.

We are on the same team. Competition and comparisons imply that churches are on different teams. Not true. Though our doctrinal alignments may not be perfect, all true churches of the Lord Jesus Christ are on the same team. We fight the same enemy. We have the same mission.


A mindset of competition distracts from a mindset of the Great Commission. When you focus on something, you are doing so to the exclusion of everything else. If you are focusing on measuring your church compared to others, you are doing so to the exclusion of focusing on the Great Commission. 


Every local church is different. We have different sets of members. We are located in different contexts. We have different strengths and challenges. We can’t compare our church with other churches because God gave us each local church as a unique expression of His ministry.


Comparison and competing with other churches are forms of lust. You desire something that is not yours. You are not content with that which God has given your church. You want something God does not want your church to have. 


Comparison and competing with other churches are demonstrations of a lack of gratitude to God. Instead of praising Him and thanking Him for what He has given you in your local church, you instead issue a form of complaint to God that He has not given you what the other church has. It is a total and sinful lack of gratitude.


You are not true to your call when you compete and compare your church to other churches. God has called you to the church where you currently serve. He has not called you to another church that is a point of comparison. You have the “grass is greener” syndrome when you make such comparisons. 


God does great things when His leaders work together. We can do so much more together. And though we may differ on tertiary doctrinal issues, we agree on much more. When God’s leaders work together, iron sharpens iron and the mission of God becomes richer and more effective. 

I am excited to see many church leaders and churches working together for God’s glory. Our community of 2,000 church leaders at Church Answers Central is a key example of that synergy and effectiveness.

We would love to have you join this message board built for ministry. Try it out for free and see what God can do when many of us work together.

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