Sam Rainer's Blog, page 13

An Exciting New Way to Train Your Church Staff and Leaders

Church staffing is undergoing a seismic shift. Part-time positions are becoming increasingly popular. Bi-vocational positions have always existed, particularly in smaller churches. Some estimates reveal over half of all pastors are bi-vocational. They are many, but they get only a fraction of the attention given to pastors of larger churches. They receive little recognition, but they are the workhorses of churches that do much of the heavy lifting.

There will be more—not less—part-time pastors a...

The Taxing Consequences of Constant Urgency for Pastors and Church Leaders

“Pastor, I’ve got to show you something.” Sunday mornings come with various tasks, but I could tell by his tone that I needed to stop what I was doing and follow him. The longtime church member guided me down the stairs to our education area below the sanctuary. He pointed at the door.

“Do we have another leak?” I asked.

“No, but it’s just as significant. Every single doorstop in the church is not to code. They will all need replacements.”

I stood with this kind and caring church member, looking...

Increase Your Ability to Listen with These Three Easy Questions

If you’re not listening well, then you’re not leading well. In the church, listening is essential because of spiritual growth. How can you guide someone to being more like Christ if you don’t listen carefully to what they say?

I know I can be guilty of thinking of my next sentence as someone speaks. Just because you’re not cutting people off while they speak doesn’t mean you are listening.

Even when you are listening actively, with the best intentions, you can still miss important cues and infor...

Pastors with Initiative Build Healthier Church Relationships

Leadership requires initiative. Healthy relationships require initiative. You’re the leader as the pastor. You must take the initiative, especially with relationships in the church. Many pastors rigorously protect their study time in God’s Word. The same intensity should apply to personal relationships.

Will you intimately know every person in your congregation? Of course not. Neither will you know every nuance of every passage in Scripture. But you still make the time to study a specific passag...

Follow-up Calls with Church Guests: What to Do and What Not to Do

Phone calls are an important connection point with church guests. Not all guests will give you their phone numbers. For those who do, here are some guidelines to consider.

What to Do When Calling Church Guests

Clearly identify yourself. Make sure you mention your name and the name of your church. It’s easy to forget this step!

Double-check the name of the person you are calling. I tend to make my phone calls in batches. After I’ve made several phone calls, I can lose track of who I am calling. W...

Leading the Church When You Doubt Yourself

When the disciples gathered on the mountain in Galilee right before Jesus ascended, some of them doubted. The source and degree of this doubt are left unknown. Their response in the doubt is critically important. They worshiped. Then Jesus came near. The lesson is simple: Worship through doubt, and Jesus will come near.

The disciples were also called to be leaders in what became the church. The doubters had to lead. Did the doubting worshipers become doubtless leaders? Or did the doubting worshi...

The Pastor’s Dilemma of Balancing the Prophetic Voice with the Shepherd’s Hand

The prophetic voice of a pastor is forth-telling, speaking the truth even when it is difficult. The shepherd’s hand of a pastor is caring, gently dealing with issues in love. As a pastor, I find it challenging to balance the prophetic voice with a shepherd’s hand.

Truth alone can become dry orthodoxy. It’s painful, like scrubbing your kids with steel wool to get them clean. The dirt will be gone, but a gentler approach would accomplish the same goal. Conversely, love alone can become sappy senti...

Ten Bad Church Work Habits Every Pastor Should Avoid

A habit is an ongoing tendency with a pattern of behavior that is difficult to change. Bad habits can develop in church workplaces like in any other place of employment. I’ve assembled a top-ten list of some common bad work habits among church leaders.

1. Procrastination. It’s harmful at any level, but the effects of this bad habit are compounded at higher leadership levels. If a ministry leader or pastor consistently procrastinates, everyone is forced into a last-minute fiasco. If top leaders d...

The Various Voices a Pastor Must Use to Communicate

You’ve likely heard the adage. How you communicate is an essential component of what you communicate. Content is critical, but so is delivery. Finding the voice in which to share content is sometimes just as difficult as determining the content itself.

Leaders are often the first to communicate a new message. As a pastor, your delivery of content will affect how the church receives it. The first time people hear something noteworthy, there is weight to the message and prominence given to the one...

Five Warning Signs of False Teachers

Five Warning Signs of False Teachers

Several years ago, I received an email with a link to a sermon given by a pastor in my community. The person sending the email was genuinely concerned.

“Is he preaching heresy?”

The sermon included a terrible conclusion about how Jesus emptied Himself in Philippians 2. The pastor taught Jesus lost His divinity during the incarnation and then returned to being God through the ascension. He emphasized how we have the same power as Jesus on earth since He was me...