Sam Rainer's Blog, page 15

Four Underrated Leadership Tips Pastors Can Exercise Daily

Your body needs regular exercise to stay in shape. Your mind needs to be stretched and challenged to stay sharp. For leaders to grow, regular workouts are necessary. Pastors lead within a dynamic environment—the church. You may not think of your church as “dynamic,” but it is. A church of fifty people means at least fifty opinions exist on any decision.

Some daily exercises are obvious, and they are often repeated in books and conferences: Read more, stick to a devotional time, get better sleep,...

Leaders: Don’t Miss the Power of Symbols in Your Church

My first church was a megachurch of six people. The congregation was small in number, but it felt like a mega task to shepherd them. One of the first questions I asked of the lone deacon was, “What’s the deal with the old bell out front.”

“I don’t know, but it’s really important.”

On our first workday, the lone deacon handed me a paintbrush and gave me the honor of painting the bell red. Why red? I don’t know; perhaps it was the only color of paint the church had on hand.

Everyone in the communi...

Why I Don’t Expect Everyone in My Church to Agree with Everything I Say

Why I Don’t Expect Everyone in My Church to Agree with Everything I Say

A pastor spends hours researching a sermon, then someone in the church challenges one of the main points. A pastor prays for months about a new vision, then someone in the church disagrees with the proposed direction. A pastor studies in seminary for years, then a person in the church takes issue with a doctrinal stance. Most pastors know these frustrations. While pastors should care deeply about preaching, doctrine, and vis...

Why Every Young Pastor Needs an Old Mentor

“Sometimes the being is more important than the doing.”

My mentor shared this wisdom at our last meeting. He’s in his late-80s, almost 50 years ahead of me. He retired from a church in Indiana and moved to Bradenton several years ago. I inherited him with my church when I was called as pastor a few years ago. Unfortunately, he recently moved back to Indiana to be closer to family.

God gave me a spiritual heavyweight of encouragement with him. He sat a few rows from the back—prayerfully listening...

How to Handle a Church Staff Person’s Moral Failure

We recently covered this topic on a Rainer on Leadership episode , but I wanted to expand our conversation in this article.

Few models exist on how to handle the moral failure of a staff person. Indeed, there is little consensus among pastors about what to do, even with something as explicit as adultery. Researchers asked pastors, “If a pastor commits adultery, how long, if at all, should the pastor withdraw from public ministry?” As you will see, the answers vary greatly.

Surprisingly, 1 in 4 ...

The Big Opportunity to Reduce Ministry Stress for the Long Haul

If you’re not careful, stress can lead to burnout. Stress is unavoidable. Burnout doesn’t have to happen. When ministry stress builds, you can take one of two paths. The first path is one leading to frustration and anxiety. On this path, you expend the energy created by stress on yourself. Frustration and anxiety are exhausting. The second path is a better choice, one where you channel the energy created by stress into a more productive response.

Productive use of stress lowers stress. When lead...

Three Disciplines Often Missing from Preaching Today

Perhaps the title of this post should be “Three disciplines often missing from my preaching.” I can certainly grow in these areas. However, I don’t believe I’m alone. Through my interactions with other pastors, I have found many of us missing three disciplines in preaching. What are they?

1. Preaching with patience. I must credit my friend, Kevin Smith, with this one. He’s given me this advice. Pastors teach their congregations the benefits of patience and expect patience from their people. Howe...

The Church Should Do More to Address Issues of Mental Illness

The church does not speak enough about mental illness. It’s a significant issue that remains largely silent in most churches. The church can do more. The church should do more. Research reveals that 65% of family members in a household of someone with acute mental illness believe the church should talk more openly about the subject so the topic will not be taboo. Yet two-thirds of pastors rarely or never highlight mental illness in their sermons or large-group gatherings.

The National Alliance o...

Five Reasons Lead Pastors Should Be Involved with VBS

Few church programs are as ubiquitous as Vacation Bible School (VBS). Churches across all denominations prepare for the summer influx of kids. It’s fun. You get to dance in the sanctuary! It’s also fruitful. Kids are saturated with the gospel for a week. “I was saved at VBS” is a typical testimony I hear among adults.

If you’re a lead pastor, it’s tempting to take off that week because you’re not really needed to lead VBS. Many churches have longstanding volunteers and leaders who run with VBS e...

The Growth of the Hispanic Population in the U.S. and What It Means for Your Church

Most people do not notice demographic changes because they happen slowly over many years. Then these changes reach an inflection point and everyone notices.

In the United States, the 2020 census revealed an inflection point. The white population declined nationally for the first time since 1790. All the nation’s growth is attributable to people of color. Almost every county in the United States grew in racial diversity. Additionally, the youngest generation is now minority white. This change is ...