Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 85

Five Early Findings from Churches That Are Regathering

The regathering of churches for in-person services is garnering a lot of attention in both the religious and secular media. I totally get that. There are very few organizations other than churches that meet as a large group every week. The implications are significant. 

We are following closely as more churches open for in-person gatherings. While we are not yet seeing even half of the churches open, more are added each week. It thus behooves us to get these early reports. Those that are open will be making adjustments. Those that are not yet opened can plan accordingly.

For now, we see several early trends. The list is not exhaustive, but these five findings are the most common we are observing. 

Most churches are cooperative with local and state officials and desire to comply with their guidelines. While the media will highlight adversarial relationships between churches and governments, such tension is simply not the norm. To the contrary, the vast majority of church leaders desire to work with governmental entities. The real story is not a battle between church and state, but a cooperative spirit between the two.


Early attendance is significantly lower than the pre-quarantine era. At this point, one-half of the churches we have surveyed have an attendance of 60 percent or less than the pre-quarantine numbers. We rarely hear of a church that has an attendance of 80 percent or higher. For now, those churches are the outliers. 


Returning senior adults present a unique challenge for many church leaders. We have numerous reports that senior adults are among the most eager to return to in-person services. Frankly, this trend is going contrary to our initial expectations. We thought most senior adults would be the last returning group because of potential health concerns. But as many of these older adults return, leaders are concerned how to minister to them spiritually and protect them physically. 


The negative church members and naysayers are back. When the pandemic began, many churches had to hit the pause button on a number of fronts and issues. One of the unintended positive consequences was the pause taken by the negative church members. It has been a blissful silence for churches. Now that churches are planning to regather, the pause is lifted and the acrimonious few are back. 


Most churches are utilizing some type of extra service at least for the short-term. The regathering churches are adding space to allow for social distancing. Some are adding services. Others are adding overflow rooms. Some are doing both or providing other creative solutions. The need for extra space has been exacerbated by children coming to the worship services who were previously segregated in their own age-graded area. 

For certain, the way churches are returning is changing regularly. These five findings will undoubtedly change as church leaders make necessary adjustments. Stay posted to ChurchAnswers.com as we continue to provide the latest updates on the regathered church.

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Generosity in a Time of Loss

There are a lot of promises given in Scripture to those who follow Christ.

I enjoy reading those promises. Well, I don’t enjoy all of them. One promise reminds those who follow Christ that life is hard. John 16:33 states, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Did you catch the imperative in the verse? Christians will suffer in this world. 

I found John 16:33 to be true in February 2011. My wife, Rachel, and I had recently joined a church planting team in Hendersonville, Tenn.. We were celebrating so much in life, like this new position in ministry that God had called us to. We were excited as I was ending my seminary education. God had blessed us with an energetic two-year old named Canon. And our second son, Will, would soon be born.

But that excitement soon turned to grief. On February 6, 2011, we found out that our soon-to-be-born son was going to be delivered and that he wouldn’t live long after his birth. William Thomas Rainer lived for 60 minutes.

Our world came crashing down.

My story is one of many. You may have that same moment when your world came crashing down. You may have friends or family that have walked through a time of loss. We all go through loss: loss of a child, loss of a job, loss of a dream, loss of a spouse, loss of a friend, loss of community, loss of something held so dear.

Too often, we deal with hard times and suffering reactively. I learned a few lessons when my son died, but I learned them reactively. My hope is that these brief words will help you proactively deal with suffering, and that, specifically, you will be prepared to live a life of generosity in hard times.

Lead your family generously.

Shortly after Will died, I put on my work blinders. I had just taken a new ministry position and I hid my grief in my work. My emotional and spiritual availability to my family became minimal. I made the mistake of not leading my family generously. When you go through a loss, stop and listen to your family. Answer the hard questions as best you can. Show an abundance of love and grace. Help them start to uncover God’s big picture. Point your family to Scripture. Lead your family generously.  

Let God use you generously.

Allow me to preface my comments: it’s healthy and appropriate to grieve during (and beyond) a time of loss. Allow others to serve you. It takes time and people pouring into you to make it through a time of loss. 

At the same time, God still has a plan for you. God will allow your faith in Him to shine bright. Your response during a difficult time has the opportunity to make a huge impact. You don’t have to act like a superhero. Just keep praising God and give Him His due glory.

For me, it was a simple tweet that said, “I praise the Lord for the life and death of my son, William Thomas.” 

After time, God will use your story. God will connect you with others who are walking through the same loss as you. Let God use you generously.

Generously fall in love with God.

We won’t have all of our questions answered about why things happen the way they do in life until we are face-to-face with our Savior. Not having all the answers is part of us being finite and God being infinite. If we hold to that truth, it produces a vulnerability about who we are as humans. During a time of loss, that vulnerability becomes very evident. Here’s some advice: run to that vulnerability, but don’t stay there. Seek God’s face. Turn to Scripture. Get on your knees and pray. Sing songs of praise as loud as you can. Your vulnerability will turn to an unfiltered awareness of just how awe inspiring God is. And that will lead you to generously fall in love with God.

As I recently drove to my son’s grave, I was captured in the thought that Christians will suffer. Then my thoughts quickly turned to Christ’s empty grave. While my son’s grave will remain until Christ’s return, I can generously tell others that Christ suffered the unfathomable for us, conquered death, and gave us the most generous gift through His resurrection: eternal life with Him.

And that makes me want to live generously for Him.

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What Does Summer 2020 Look Like for Children’s Ministries?

2020 has not been what we expected. Graduations, proms, sports seasons, and vacations were all canceled. Birthday parties turned into drive-by parades. Family gatherings turned into Zoom calls. Children’s ministries completely reinvented themselves to reach kids digitally. Now it is summer. 

Summer is typically one of the busiest times for children’s ministries, but this summer will obviously be different. For most churches, VBS and camps have been canceled. Weekly programming has not resumed.

How do you do children’s ministry in a summer that will be so very different? 

Think differently. Many of you have done the same programming year after year, but you have many more options than simply “do what we’ve always done” or “do nothing.” Just like you had to get creative during the shut-down season, this summer gives you an opportunity to do something totally different. That can be overwhelming, but let those creative juices flow. Experiment. Have you had an idea that you were curious if it would work? Now is the time to try. 
Think smaller. Depending on your community, large group gatherings may not happen this summer. Many big events are geared around large groups. In fact, that is often how we measure ourselves and compare our ministries with others. This summer, you have the unique opportunity to think smaller. Instead of a huge VBS, do neighborhood backyard Bible clubs. Have age groups gather in homes for Bible study. Meet in parks. Look for opportunities to dig deep with the few this summer. 
Help kids reconnect. Kids have been isolated for months. Not only have they not been at church, but they haven’t been at school, sports, childcare, dance classes, or had any social involvement. They need each other. What can you do this summer to help kids reconnect with each other and acclimate to being in social environments again? Host some small parties with the only purpose being fellowship, or equip volunteers and families to host summer gatherings. Consider partnering kids to have summer “pen pals” and encourage them to email, text, or write old-fashioned letters.
Maintain digital outlets that are working. Everything you have done during quarantine doesn’t have to go out the window. What really worked? What really connected? What tools can you continue to use while life is not completely “normal”? 
Host online events. We hosted one of Yancy’s at-home concerts for our preschool families and it was a hit! It gave families something new to do, and it pointed kids toward Jesus. Next, we are preparing for a Family Scavenger Hunt that will involve lots of photos and selfies. 
Check out VBS alternatives. LifeWay has done a great job outlining four ways to do VBS. 
Serve the community. Many non-profits and ministries have suffered from the quarantine as well. Many could use some volunteer time. Are there ways that you can empower families or small groups of kids to serve the community?

I would love to hear what you have planned for the summer. How are you being creative?

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12 Marks of Bad Church Websites

When our church consulting teams hire “spies” to visit churches, we usually give them only the name and address of the church. We want them to see if the church has a website and if the website is actually attractive and helpful. Here are several problems our “spies” have found with websites.

The church doesn’t have a website. It’s almost hard to believe today that a congregation has no Internet presence, but it does happen. A church without a website seems almost non-existent in a world where potential guests first turn to the Internet to learn about them.
The website looks cheap or out of date. Ask some young people to critique your church’s site. If they tell you it’s not attractive, it’s probably not. You likely already know if the site was cheap. 
The site has no contact information. Maybe it’s just an oversight, or perhaps the church has no one to answer phones or respond to emails. Either way, the church has closed the door on a primary means of communication.
The site provides no information about the services. Again, it’s almost unbelievable that a church would have a website with no service information. On the other hand, a church that thinks about only its own members probably sees no need to include service times (and, our experience is that the church with no service information on their site also doesn’t respond to requests for information). 
The information is out of date. It’s always nice to know the details about the church’s community-wide Thanksgiving dinner – except when it’s January of the next year! Sometimes the dated information is deeper in the site than the home page, but any dated material is almost useless material.
Spelling or grammar errors are common. I realize that website writing does not always require complete sentences, etc., but the errors we’re talking about here are basic writing errors such as misspelled words. Somebody in the church should catch these problems before the public catches them. 
Links don’t work. Sometimes links to pages about other events go nowhere. Sign-ups for upcoming events aren’t functioning properly. Home page links to staff information go to blank pages. Again, potential guests should not be the first to recognize these problems.
No driving directions are provided. Providing a clearly identified street address for the church is a start. With the numerous options available for linking to maps and driving directions, though, not providing those links is a serious omission.
Stock pictures don’t reflect the church. The pictures may reflect the “vision” of the church, but website visitors will not know that. If the pictures are all young families and the congregation is only senior adults, the visiting family with preschoolers will probably be surprised.
No recorded or streamed sermons are available. Like it or not, potential guests may choose to listen to a sermon before deciding whether to attend. Not making sermons available may well make the decision for those guests.
Childcare information is not provided. Young families will likely look elsewhere if this information is not available.
The site does not include an easily located, clearly described plan of salvation. You never know who may visit your site. If a non-believer checks out the site, will he/she have the opportunity to read and respond to the gospel? 

  What other marks of bad websites have you seen?

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Five Reasons You Need to Get Back in the Habit of Church Attendance

The transition is moving forward. Every week more churches are beginning the process and stages of opening the doors of the church facilities for in-person services.

We are back. 

I get it. The church never closed. The church is the people, not the building. Someone reminds me of those points daily. 

But the doors to the church facilities closed. The opportunity to gather for worship in-person closed. A lot has transpired over the past few months.

Now it is time to return to in-person gathered worship. Though this statement is admittedly not theologically precise, it is time to “return to church.” Why is it important to get back in the habit of regular and faithful attendance? Why should those connected to a local congregation make a new commitment to attend as regularly as possible? Here are five reasons.

The Bible mandates we gather for worship. The writer of Hebrews is unequivocal: “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT). Gathering for worship is not an optional activity. It is not an occasional activity. It is an ongoing and regular commitment.


The Bible emphasizes the importance of the local church. Think about it. After the four gospels, almost all of the New Testament is about the local church or directed to the local church. Throughout the New Testament, different local congregations met together and worshipped together. It is simply what believers do. 


When we gather together, we encourage each other. I am a classic introvert. Admittedly, I adjusted well to streaming services and Zoom community groups. But I readily admit I did not get or give the same level of encouragement as those times when we were physically present with each other. Look at Hebrews 10:25 again. The act of gathering is an act of encouragement. 


When we gather together, we encourage our pastors. The encouragement of one another includes the encouragement of our pastors. They desperately need it. You cannot know the challenges of a pastor unless you have been one or are one. The stress and responsibilities they have had during the pandemic have been especially challenging. The world acts surprised when a pastor takes his life. Sadly, I know the depths of pain many pastors feel. There are plenty of critics and discouragers for pastors. I pray that many people will return to the in-person gatherings with new levels of commitment. Our pastors will be greatly encouraged. 


We grow spiritually when we commit to faithful attendance. We grow as a believer in Christ when we have a committed prayer life. We grow when we are committed to read Scripture daily. We grow when we share our faith regularly. We grow when we serve in ministry. And we grow when we commit to attend worship services faithfully. That attendance is a spiritual discipline. It is a vital and necessary act toward greater spiritual maturity.

The pandemic and quarantine have been transformational moments for our world and our churches. We now have the incredible opportunity to hit the reset button in our own lives. For many Christians, committed church attendance was waning before the pandemic. God has reminded us, perhaps even given us a major wake-up call, how really important the gathered church is. 

Get ready to return to the gathered church. But do so this time with a new enthusiasm and faithful commitment every week. 

It’s a habit we cannot and should not neglect.

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It’s More than a Building

By Mike Glenn

I’m a sucker for old church buildings. I love finding sanctuaries that were built in the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries, going inside, and just sitting down. There is something holy about the architecture, the stained glass windows, and the craftsmanship we can’t seem to replicate in our post-modern construction. These days, everything is pre-fabricated, cost-effective, and multi-purpose. There’s nothing in our modern facilities testifying to the extravagance of worship or the gloriousness of our God.

Recently, if you’ve been in one new church, you’ve been in them all.

Knowing this, you might understand why I get so upset when I see a church building go up for sale. Of course, there are times when selling church property makes sense for a congregation. The growth of a city makes the property worth many times over what the congregation paid for the property. I’ve seen property sold, another property bought, and a new building built with no new money required from the congregation.

It happens.

But not much.

Most of the time, it’s a congregation that has dwindled down to a handful of dedicated members who can no longer afford to maintain their facility and when, approached by a developer, see a way to salvage the memory of the church by investing the profits of the sale into various ministries and mission efforts.

So, the church building is sold and turned into a restaurant, a condo, or an office building. In a few months, the newspaper will run an article on how some local architect redid the church building for their new clients, making the stained glass windows a focal point of one of the rooms. It will be a beautiful space.

And it will break my heart.

There could still be a church there. In fact, there could be a viable and creative congregation making a kingdom difference in that community – if there had only been a conversation with someone with a little faithful imagination.

Remember, the building is being sold by a group of people who are sure no one will come, and being bought by a group of people who are sure people will come IF THERE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN THE BUILDING.

Why can’t a church be what’s different in the building?

Most of the time, there are still a lot of people around the building. It’s just not the same people the church was reaching in its heyday. The church may have been a very successful Caucasian church at one time. Now, the white community has either died out or moved out and the church is surrounded by a Hispanic community. An African-American church could be  surrounded by Kurdish communities, and a blue-collar suburb could now be transitioning to a hipster community.

What if, after a thorough study of the changing demographics, a strategy could be put in place to reach the new communities? What if a staff was hired and put in the church, not to serve the existing members, but to reach those in the surrounding community?

At Brentwood Baptist Church, we have found this to be a very effective strategy. There are several reasons that make this work.

First, you’re getting a facility for nickels on the dollar. Most of the time, the buildings will require some kind of major repair (new heating units, new sound and lighting systems), but even with that, the cost of restoring the facility is far less than new construction.

Second, you don’t have to go through zoning or deal with city regulations. Because a church is already on the property, usually a church can stay on the property. This can save months of frustrating bureaucratic red tape. Besides, the community is usually glad to see the new church coming in because the property is being upgraded.

Third, most of the time, the current church is excited to know ministry will continue in their facility and the faith of the founding members can be honored and celebrated. Sure, this ministry will look differently than many will have envisioned, but having a building come alive again with laughing children and life-transforming ministry excites many transitioning congregations.

Lastly, having a staff that looks like the neighborhood and understands the culture of the surrounding community creates instant inroads into ministry, missions, and evangelism. We’ve found it’s not unusual for a repurposed congregation to quickly be in more than one service.

Like I said at the beginning of this article, I’m sure there are times when selling a church facility makes sense for a congregation. Having said that, I will still admit it breaks my heart when I see a church facility for sale. There are still so many possibilities, so many people to reach.

And after all, we believe in resurrections – both of people and churches

Mike Glenn has served as the senior pastor at Brentwood Baptist since 1991. Under his leadership, the church has grown to a membership of over 10,000. He is married to Jeannie, and they have twin sons, two daughters-in-law, and two granddaughters. He writes at MikeGlennOnline.com and is a frequent contributor for the Jesus Creed blog on Patheos.com . You can follow Mike on Twitter @mikeglenn.

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Five Reasons Your Church Members Are Disagreeing about When to Regather

By Thom S. Rainer

It has become a common theme at Church Answers. We are hearing from pastors and other church leaders about members who have divergent opinions on the timing for regathering the in-person services. 

No surprise here. 

It might be helpful, however, to understand the reasons behind the disagreements. We see five major themes. 

Strong extroverts and strong introverts will have major disagreements on timing. The reason is obvious. The extrovert is dying to resume interaction with fellow church members. He or she thrives on in-person gatherings and conversations. The strong introvert, however, has done well seeing few people and interacting with few people during the quarantine. I fit the latter category.


Different church members have different sources of authority on the coronavirus. Some of it could be related to political leanings. For others, it could be connected to the type of news that comes through social media. For some, they listen to certain friends and family members. In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of different opinions out there. 


Age and health can be factors of divergent opinions. Two of the common themes about COVID-19 have been the vulnerability of the older population and those with underlying conditions. It would not be unexpected for those two groups to be more likely to prefer a later opening than an earlier opening. One of my sons has chronic asthma. I worry about him returning to in-person services too soon. 


Parents with children may decide to wait. Most churches will not segregate the children from the adult worship services at the onset of the regathering. Some parents will be hesitant to bring the kids to the worship services for health reasons and for fear of disruption. 


Attitudes toward change affect opinions about regathering. For example, if a change resistant church member learns that the church must have additional services for social distancing, he or she may prefer to wait until the church can return to “normal.” Change-receptive church members, however, are often eager to try new services and new ideas. They will be ready to return and experiment with the new approaches. 

It’s cliché for you pastors and church leaders to hear, but you can’t please everyone all the time. Take the path you deem is best for the church and for the health of those who will attend. Listen to voices of wisdom. And pray that God will honor your decision and protect everyone involved.

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Five Reasons Pastors Should Have Hope in the Post-Pandemic Era

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We are talking about hope today. There are many pastors who are concerned about what the church will look like in the post-pandemic era. Mark and Thom share five reasons pastors should have hope in this new chapter of ministry. 

It is still Christ’s church
Your community is likely to know you better after the pandemic due to the live-streaming exposure
Prayer ministries grew during the pandemic
The community likely recognizes more today the importance of the local church
God sustained during the pandemic, and He is not going away

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:

Church Answers











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When the Vision Stops

By Sam Rainer

Not every church leader will face a vision-crushing blow. But they exist. They hurt like a heavy-weight sucker punch. You didn’t see it coming, and it was hard like an Acme anvil. Church leaders (especially us pastors) can overreact. We can cry wolf when it’s just sheep around. There are cases, however, when one event jars everything loose, when something unforeseen grinds the church to a halt. The vision stops. No one moves.

How do you respond when your church experiences collective blackout? How do you lead when you’re shell shocked with everyone else? When it’s impossible to think about a new vision, what are the immediate next steps?

For any leader shepherding followers through a major crisis, the first step is to care for people. When a bomb hits, most of your people will not know what to feel. When people are numb, they’re not thinking about the future. No one wants to see a beautiful vision painted when the canvas has vomit on it. This caring process is a cleaning process. Forget about grand plans and get on your knees and scrub. Sometimes it’s all you can do to shepherd people.

Once the air clears, the next step is to describe reality. People don’t stay numb forever. They become angry. And confusion only exacerbates anger. It’s a mess. Don’t deny it. You’ve got to wake up people to present reality. Be real. Be honest. Explain what happened. Even if confidentiality prevents full disclosure, be clear in what you can describe. Clarity helps people realize the present can lead to the future. Don’t leave people stuck in the mud of ambiguity.

 After people understand what happened, most likely they are still not ready for long-term goals. A vision-crushing blow does just that—it obliterates culture, expectations, and hopes. Church leaders should create reasonable short-term goals to bridge the gap. Many people will be ready for the next step. Few will be ready for the last mile. As a leader, you must rebuild, if not build a new vision. Following a major crisis, short-term goals help frame a new vision.

Lastly, pastors should shepherd people towards little victories. These small wins help people move again. A vision-crushing blow freezes everyone, but time thaws. It’s the leader’s responsibility to create a pathway—or process—to get disciple-makers moving together in the right direction. Tangible, visible victories motivate followers to move together. There is something attainable just in front of them. Little victories (as opposed to giant goals) help people realize a new vision is possible.

Sometimes the vision stops. A big, nasty bomb goes off. Everyone is blinded. Everyone freezes. Your reaction as a leader in the crucial moments (sometimes it’s mere hours) following the vision-crushing blow may determine if a new vision will form. But in that moment, it’s not time to form this new vision. You should care for people. Describe what happened. Create short-term goals. And look for little victories to get everyone moving again.

When the Vision Stops

By Sam Rainer

Not every church leader will face a vision-crushing blow. But they exist. They hurt like a heavy-weight sucker punch. You didn’t see it coming, and it was hard like an Acme anvil. Church leaders (especially us pastors) can overreact. We can cry wolf when it’s just sheep around. There are cases, however, when one event jars everything loose, when something unforeseen grinds the church to a halt. The vision stops. No one moves.

How do you respond when your church experiences collective blackout? How do you lead when you’re shell shocked with everyone else? When it’s impossible to think about a new vision, what are the immediate next steps?

For any leader shepherding followers through a major crisis, the first step is to care for people. When a bomb hits, most of your people will not know what to feel. When people are numb, they’re not thinking about the future. No one wants to see a beautiful vision painted when the canvas has vomit on it. This caring process is a cleaning process. Forget about grand plans and get on your knees and scrub. Sometimes it’s all you can do to shepherd people.

Once the air clears, the next step is to describe reality. People don’t stay numb forever. They become angry. And confusion only exacerbates anger. It’s a mess. Don’t deny it. You’ve got to wake up people to present reality. Be real. Be honest. Explain what happened. Even if confidentiality prevents full disclosure, be clear in what you can describe. Clarity helps people realize the present can lead to the future. Don’t leave people stuck in the mud of ambiguity.

 After people understand what happened, most likely they are still not ready for long-term goals. A vision-crushing blow does just that—it obliterates culture, expectations, and hopes. Church leaders should create reasonable short-term goals to bridge the gap. Many people will be ready for the next step. Few will be ready for the last mile. As a leader, you must rebuild, if not build a new vision. Following a major crisis, short-term goals help frame a new vision.

Lastly, pastors should shepherd people towards little victories. These small wins help people move again. A vision-crushing blow freezes everyone, but time thaws. It’s the leader’s responsibility to create a pathway—or process—to get disciple-makers moving together in the right direction. Tangible, visible victories motivate followers to move together. There is something attainable just in front of them. Little victories (as opposed to giant goals) help people realize a new vision is possible.

Sometimes the vision stops. A big, nasty bomb goes off. Everyone is blinded. Everyone freezes. Your reaction as a leader in the crucial moments (sometimes it’s mere hours) following the vision-crushing blow may determine if a new vision will form. But in that moment, it’s not time to form this new vision. You should care for people. Describe what happened. Create short-term goals. And look for little victories to get everyone moving again.

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