Sam Rainer's Blog, page 17

A Brighter Tomorrow Awaits Your Church

If God can save any person, He can save any church.

No church should die. Ever. Perhaps a church is far gone, deep into a toxic state of disunity. Perhaps a church has decades of decline. Perhaps a church has veered far from doctrinal convictions. Would the death of these churches advance the kingdom? Would their death glorify God?

No.

If God can save any person, then He can save any church. If we believe in redemption for people (anyone!), then we must also believe the same for churches.

This c...

Ten New Year’s Resolutions for Every Pastor

It’s that time of year when people partake in the annual ritual of making well-intended promises that end up broken by February. I also realize the presumptuous nature of this post—as if I could tell you what promises to make (and then inevitably break). However, I do believe every pastor should consider these ten resolutions. Perhaps they will get you thinking.

1. I will pray for church members daily. Start by praying for your most outspoken antagonists. One of the best resolutions you can make...

Four Essentials of a Great Christmas Eve Service

Christmas Eve is the most likely time an unchurched person will walk into your worship space. It’s a huge opportunity. My fear is some churches go through the motions since Christmas Eve is the peak of the busy season and volunteers are short in supply.

Your Christmas Eve service is worth the effort. Families are often together during this time. That uncle who refuses to go to church will often capitulate and go to a Christmas Eve service since the rest of the family is going together. Those who...

Ageism: The Real Struggle for Church Staff Close to Retirement

The magical age for ministry is somewhere between 38 years-old and 56 years-old. I use the word “magical” because far too many churches look at the age of a ministry candidate as some sort of magic bullet. Any younger than the mid-thirties, and you’re too young. Any older than the mid-fifties, and you’re too old. I’ve read a lot of articles and posts defending those who are on the younger side. Some megachurch hires a 26-year-old lead pastor, and it’s championed as innovative.

However, I don’t s...

Seven Ways to Equip Your Church to Give Sacrificially

Giving patterns in churches are changing. The ways in which people give are changing. What does not need to change is the heart for sacrificial giving.

How can you equip your congregation to give sacrificially? Here are seven items to consider.

1. Teach why sacrificial giving is necessary for God’s mission. If what you are giving does not change your lifestyle, then it’s not sacrificial. Not all giving is sacrificial, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Leaving a great tip is generous, but t...

The Danger of Envying Another Church and How It Affects You

Maybe you’re like me. Maybe you’ve looked at another church or pastor with envy.

It’s that spark of elation you feel when first hearing about a mega-platform pastor falling—envy. I’ve felt the flicker of “I knew it!” without even knowing the person. Envy must be stomped out.

Church envy happens at the local level as well. Some will look at the church with the bigger budget or more talented staff and believe pragmatism must be driving the success, not the Holy Spirit. Some pastors will attack the...

Major Warning Signs Stress is Starting to Impair Your Leadership

Every pastor gets overwhelmed. The pressures of ministry are real and many, and seasons of stress are bound to occur. I’m sure many of you have stories of severe storms in which the stress was overwhelming. However, when ongoing stress starts to define a pastor, it becomes a contagion that spreads to others.

Unresolved stress can ruin church leadership. In fact, it can turn normally humble pastors into tyrants. When the causes of stress go ignored, when a pastor refuses to deal with the root of ...

Breaking Out of the Loneliness and Discouragement Cycle in Ministry

Loneliness and discouragement are often connected in a vicious circle. One leads to the other. They feed off each other. When compounded together, church leaders often feel trapped and hopeless.

Far too few admit it out loud, but it’s a common problem in ministry.

The church is supposed to be a place of belonging and hope, but many church leaders experience the opposite—isolation and discouragement.

What causes this problem? Sometimes people are just mean and hurtful. But let’s dig deeper.

Vulne...

Why Sermon Preparation is Not Devotional Time

Every Monday morning, I swivel in my desk chair—praying, pondering. Yellow legal pads fill with chicken scratch in a language only I understand. About fifty Mondays a year, around 3:00 p.m., I start to wonder if I’ll have anything worthwhile to say the following Sunday. The other two Mondays I’m on vacation.

I know it’s the Holy Spirit, but many weeks it feels like sheer luck. My sermon comes together and cogent points begin to form. I’ve heard of some pastors using their sermon preparation as a...

How to Handle the Unsolvable Problems that Inevitably Arise in Your Church

No leader can solve every problem. 

Some problems have staying power. And good leaders admit it when a solution to a problem will not come to fruition. Allow me to offer you two perspectives—one from the solution side and the other from the problem side.

1. Leaders can select the right problem to solve but craft a poor solution.

2. Leaders can attempt to solve the wrong problem. 

As a pastor, I have been guilty of both—poor solutions to the right problems and good solutions to the wrong problems...