Thom S. Rainer's Blog, page 92
March 17, 2020
Should You Publish a Book?
Podcast Episode #624
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When thinking about writing and publishing a book there are a lot of questions. What’s the reason for writing, what should the process look like, and what are my publishing options are just a few of the questions Thom, Sam, and Jess Rainer answer on today’s Rainer on Leadership episode.g others.
Highlights:
Why should you publish a book?
What are the different options to publishing a book?
Why is guided publishing such a good route to go?
How do you get started publishing?
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Church Future Indicator
Know Your Community Report
Craft Book Company – Use the coupon RainerPodcast to get $200 off any product.
The coupon can be applied at checkout and will be limited to the first 5 uses.
Episode Sponsors
Vanderbloemen has been serving churches for nine years, but did you know that Vanderbloemen also serves Christian schools, nonprofits, and Christian businesses? So if you’re listening, and you know a Christian school, nonprofit, or values-based business that is hiring, contact our friends at Vanderbloemen for your staffing needs.
For more information, visit Vanderbloemen.com.
The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including the new Master of Arts in Church Revitalization in partnership with Church Answers and the Revitalization Network. This 37-hour degree is designed to help students move established churches from flatlining to flourishing.
Learn about this program and more by visiting sebts.edu. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Scrappy Church.
March 16, 2020
The Foster Church Movement
By Thom S. Rainer
Fostering and adoption are typically words connected to families and individuals.
But now the movements are connected to congregations as well. It is an exciting time.
Let’s get my meanings clear so we can be on the same page. Here are three definitions I often use together:
Revitalization is the process where a church seeks to get healthier using its own internal resources of people, funds, and processes.
Adoption is the process where a church seeks to get healthier by being adopted by an external organization, usually another church.
Fostering is the process where a relatively healthy church provides people and other resources for a relatively unhealthy church over a specified period of time.
Revitalization, adoption, and fostering could have different approaches, but the essence of each is consistent. “Revitalization” takes place with a church’s internal resources. “Adoption” takes place externally. I coined the word “fostering” as a natural extension of “adoption.” Both words are used of human families and congregational families.
Here are some essential principles of fostering a church:
The essence of fostering is one church caring for another. The relationship takes place when a relatively healthy church makes itself available to help a less healthy church. Both churches are typically in the same community or in nearby communities.
One common form of fostering is for the healthier church to provide specific resources the less healthy church does not have. It is not uncommon, for example, for the fostering church to provide the foster church a preacher when they have no pastor. Some churches provide musically talented people. Some help with community ministries. The possibilities are many, but this approach has specificity to it.
Another form of fostering is to provide a mass of people with no predetermined roles. One church with which I had familiarity sent twelve of its members to be a part of a dying church of ten people. The commitment was for one year. Though the twelve members from the healthier church did not have preconceived roles at the onset, they quickly began to settle into ministries where the dying church needed the most help, and where the members of the healthier church were naturally gifted. And it was a big boost to the dying church to see their attendance double in one week!
Fostering typically begins relationally between members of two churches, often the pastors. A pastor of a healthier church I know intentionally developed a relationship with the pastor of a struggling church over coffee once a week. In that relationship the pastor of the healthier church was able to offer some of his church members to help the struggling church.
Fostering should have a clearly defined ending point, usually less than a year. Otherwise, the foster church can develop a dependency on the healthier church. The goal is to help the struggling church move to a new level of health that is sustainable without the resources of the healthier church.
Fostering may lead to adoption. If the fostered church sees it cannot move forward without the foster “parent,” the fostered church may request adoption. The healthier church, however, should not begin the relationship with a secret goal of adoption. If adoption is a possibility going into the fostering relationship, it should be made clear on the front end. Anything less is deceptive.
I have marveled at the church planting movement, the church adoption movement, and the revitalization movement. I am thankful to God for His work in these congregations.
Now, a new and growing movement is beginning to emerge. It is called the foster church movement.
I am convinced it too is a movement of God.
Stay tuned. We will have a lot more to say about the foster church movement in the days ahead.
March 15, 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Update and FREE Virtual Revitalize 2020 Information
Good afternoon,
Due to the rapidly evolving situation, and increasing concerns regarding the spread of COVID-19, we must regretfully inform you that the Revitalize 2020 event in Bradenton, Florida has been canceled.
This decision was not an easy one to make. Our leadership evaluated all options, but in the end, we decided to cancel the event with the safety of our attendees in mind. We sincerely apologize and ask for your understanding of these unexpected circumstances. Our team will begin issuing refunds for your registration immediately, and your account should be credited in the next 5 to 10 business days.
Our team is committed to the work of church revitalization, and we are partnering with Idea Network and the North American Mission Board to offer a virtual Revitalize 2020 event on April 20 and 21, 2020 at no cost to you. Join us for this special training on revitalization by registering online at HERE. The virtual conference will include sessions by:
Thom Rainer – Anatomy of a Revived Church
Mark Clifton – Revitalizing a Rural or Small Town Church
Josh Teis – Revitalizing Yourself by Creating a Cabinet of Mentors
Jenny Smith – Revitalize Your Volunteer Program
Michael Pigg – Revitalizing Through a Core Group
Sam Rainer – Know Your Community to Reach Your Community
Register now to join us for this special online event on Monday, April 20, 2020 at 2:00 pm Eastern and Tuesday, April 21 at 10:00 am and 2:00 pm Eastern: REGISTER FOR ONLINE REVITALIZE 2020 EVENT.
Please don’t hesitate to contact our team by email if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Thom S. Rainer
Pray for 3Circle Church
Location: Fairhope, Alabama
Pastor: Chris Bell
Weekly Worship: Sundays at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM, Central
Fast Facts: On Sunday, March 1 a team of thirteen 3Circle Church staff members and spouses including lead pastor, Chris Bell, traveled to Israel for an educational tour of biblical sites. The first cases of the COVID-19 virus were reported in Palestine shortly after the team arrived, and they were quarantined in their hotel as a precaution.
The 3Circle Church team members tested negative for COVID-19 and were cleared by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. As of Tuesday, March 10 the team is back in the United States, and is completing a medically-supervised quarantine as an extra precaution.
Please pray for Pastor Chris, the other staff members, and their spouses who are currently under quarantine. Pray for their continued health, and for their families and those caring for them in their absence. Also pray for 3Circle Church as they minister to their congregation and community today without their lead pastor and several staff members.
Let’s lift all churches and church leaders up in prayer today as they seek the Lord’s wisdom during the COVID-19 emergency. May we see God glorified in the middle of this challenging time.
Website: www.3CircleChurch.com
“Pray for . . .” is the Sunday blog series at ThomRainer.com. We encourage you to pray for these churches noted every Sunday. Please feel free to comment that you are praying as well.
If you would like to have your church featured in the “Pray for…” series, fill out this information form.
March 13, 2020
Why Joy is So Effective (and Underestimated) When Leading Others – Interview with Josh Teis
Podcast Episode #623
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In today’s episode we talk with Josh Teis, pastor of Southern Hills located in Las Vegas Josh Teis. Along with an incredible church, Josh has also initiated an incredible movement called Idea Network. Idea Network and Josh are very much defined by the joy they exude. Thom and Sam talk with Josh about why joy is so effective and underestimated when leading others.
Highlights:
How do you maintain high levels of joy while shepherding?
How does joy show people the right direction?
Why is laughter a good leadership tool?
How does a leader’s joy affect the culture of the church?
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Church Future Indicator
Josh Teis
Idea Network – Free Book
Revitalize 2020
Idea Network
Church Revitalization Certification
Episode Sponsors
Vanderbloemen has been serving churches for nine years, but did you know that Vanderbloemen also serves Christian schools, nonprofits, and Christian businesses? So if you’re listening, and you know a Christian school, nonprofit, or values-based business that is hiring, contact our friends at Vanderbloemen for your staffing needs.
For more information, visit Vanderbloemen.com.
The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including the new Master of Arts in Church Revitalization in partnership with Church Answers and the Revitalization Network. This 37-hour degree is designed to help students move established churches from flatlining to flourishing.
Learn about this program and more by visiting sebts.edu. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Scrappy Church.
March 12, 2020
What If Promises Are Broken When I Lead a Revitalization?
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Promises, promises. You are told the church is ready for change but after arriving those promises are quickly broken. Thom and Mark discuss the reasons why promises may be broken and how to move forward.
Highlights:
Some promises are conditional, but you didn’t know it.
Many promises are made without knowing the implications of the promises.
Promises made in desperation often are not honored.
Most revitalization leaders have to deal with broken promises of some of their closest allies and friends.
Be cautious of those who make multiple promises as you begin a revitalization.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Revitalize 2020
Rainer on Leadership Episode #117
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
March 11, 2020
8 Reasons the Fall of a Church Leader Hurts So Badly
By Chuck Lawless
Seldom does a week go by that I don’t learn about a church leader who has fallen. I want to be merciful toward those who fall, but we also need to know how much pain such a fall causes. Perhaps remembering these realities will help all of us fight harder for holiness. Here are eight reasons the fall of a church leader hurts so badly:
We never expect church leaders to fall. We know it happens, but never to the people we love. Not to the leaders we know and love. When it does, we’re caught seriously off guard.
We genuinely love our leaders. Somehow, even in the largest churches where our interaction with the leaders is limited, we still grow to love the folks who bring the Word of God to us each week. That love increases the pain when a fall happens.
We watch a leader’s family suffer. We love them, too. Sometimes, we’ve watched the kids grow up. Now, we agonize on behalf of that family, often having no idea what to do or say. The awkwardness of the situation keeps us from reaching out – and the pain just deepens.
We watch a church grieve. Some are angry or embarrassed. Others weep deeply. Still others choose not to believe the truth, instead defending the leader to the end. Some members will likely leave the church. The future suddenly feels uncertain, and a congregation hurts corporately.
We know it’s not a good witness. Nobody likes for the enemy to win, even temporarily. The fall of a leader makes the work of the church harder, and members most concerned about the gospel recognize that.
A fall can create a faith crisis for others. To whom do we turn if our spiritual leaders cannot be trusted? Why would God allow a beloved leader fall into sin? For some members – particularly newer believers and those on the fringes – the crisis can lead to their departure.
It makes us feel vulnerable. If pastors can fall, it can surely happen to me. That’s frightening. Most of us don’t want the reminder that we, too, could fall.
It feels like it will never end. When a fall does happen, people tend to talk about others who’ve fallen in the past. Those conversations make it feel like falls are becoming the norm – and that’s defeating and discouraging.
Church leaders, let’s challenge each other to stay faithful. Our love for God and for our congregations demand it.
March 10, 2020
Which Methods of Personal Communication Work Best in the Church?
Podcast Episode #622
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It is a common question asked by church leaders, especially pastors. What are some of the ways in which I can communicate interpersonally within the church to individuals or small groups who need to hear specific messages? Thom and Sam will be discussing which methods of personal communication work best in the church.
Highlights:
Personal communication is with individuals or small groups.
In-person communication is the most intimate and memorable.
Phone calls are important when both tone and content are necessary.
Use email when documentation is needed.
Text messages are good for communicating quickly but not for assigning tasks.
Letters are formal and should be utilized more positively than negatively.
Social media is the least effective form of personal communication.
Pay attention to new collaborative methods of communication, like Slack and Trello.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Know Your Community
Anatomy of a Revived Church by Thom S. Rainer
SamRainer.com – How Best to Communicate
GroupMe
Voxer
Marco Polo
Slack
Trello
Episode Sponsors
Vanderbloemen has been serving churches for nine years, but did you know that Vanderbloemen also serves Christian schools, nonprofits, and Christian businesses? So if you’re listening, and you know a Christian school, nonprofit, or values-based business that is hiring, contact our friends at Vanderbloemen for your staffing needs.
For more information, visit Vanderbloemen.com.
The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including the new Master of Arts in Church Revitalization in partnership with Church Answers and the Revitalization Network. This 37-hour degree is designed to help students move established churches from flatlining to flourishing.
Learn about this program and more by visiting sebts.edu. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there.
Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Scrappy Church.
March 9, 2020
How Do You Revitalize a Church when the Median Age of a Member is 75 Years Old? – Revitalize and Replant Bonus Episode #3
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In today’s bonus episode of Revitalize and Replant we want to give you a small taste of the type of content you will receive at Revitalize 2020. Many churches in need of revitalization have many older members with great passion for the gospel who are living in neighborhoods which have drastically changed. How does a church successfully revitalize with this demographic make-up?
Highlights:
Celebrate those who are there.
Learn the hopes, dreams. and gifts of the current ministries.
Unlock the potential of cross-generational congregations.
Become very familiar with the demographics of your community.
Keep the focus outward.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast:
Revitalize 2020
Know Your Community Report
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit the podcast page to submit your question. If we use it on the show, you’ll get a copy of Autopsy of a Deceased Church and Reclaiming Glory.
What to Do If Your Successor Does Not Honor You
By Thom S. Rainer
You weren’t looking for accolades or recognition. But, at the very least, you expected your successor at your church to be kind. You certainly did not expect him to generate a culture of negativity about you.
But he did. You have either retired or moved to another church. You were looking forward to this next season of life. Then you start getting word from friends at your former church that your successor is creating a culture for people to complain about you. The negativity is getting back to you.
To be clear, your successor does not have to say anything directly negative about you. But he has open forums, listening sessions, and surveys. He knows what he is doing. He is creating a gripe session about you.
You are not certain of his motives. You have always honored your predecessors. Is it ignorance? Is it insecurity? Is it malice?
It is a difficult time for you. While you did not expect to be revered, you are shocked at the negativity. How do you respond? Should you respond? What do you do? Here are five suggestions:
Pray and leave it with God. Your pain may tempt you to do something or say something. Give it time. Give it to God. Let Him deal with it. He’s a lot better at it than you are.
Don’t be defensive. When you get that call or email or text about how your successor is speaking of your ministry at your former church, don’t say negative things about him. Don’t try to deal with the reasons for the negativity. Let it go. You’ve already given it to God.
Confide in very few people. You have a few people you can trust with your pain. Your spouse should be first among them. But keep that group of confidants very small. Don’t let the word get out that you are angry or defensive.
Give it time. Your successor will eventually have to deal with some of the same issues for which he is criticizing you. He will eventually stop making you the scapegoat in his own insecurity. It may take longer than you would like. It will probably take longer than you like. But, eventually, your silence will speak volumes. Eventually, he will not be able to blame you for everything. You might even receive honor in the future.
Focus on your new life and ministry. Don’t dwell on your past ministry. You are no longer there. Yes, it hurts when a successor creates a negative culture about your ministry at that church. But you are in a new ministry and a new season of life. Don’t let your successor take that joy away from you. Rejoice in the Lord. Always.
Most new pastors will have the wisdom, maturity, and kindness to speak well about their predecessors. But a few will not. And you will likely experience that pain at least once in your life and ministry.
You will be fine. You’ve got this. Even more, God’s got you.
