Sam Rainer's Blog, page 19

The Frustrating Paradox of Serving with an Amiable Autocrat

It’s possible to be a pleasant tyrant.

Nice dictators exist, at least in the leadership sense. I refer to these types of leaders in the church as amiable autocrats. Friendly church dictators rule from their positional authority. They order everyone around because their title enables them to do so, and they do it with a smile.

Amiable autocrats are typically well-liked by the general congregation, but their teams are miserable. These church leaders genuinely like other people but enjoy telling th...

Which Methods of Personal Communication Work Best in the Church? Phone Call, Email, Text, and Social Media

Like me, you probably get a lot of messages throughout the day. They all coalesce in my smartphone. I assume most of you have the same setup. It’s convenient. But the message amalgamation can become a source of stress, especially for task-oriented people. I’m among your ranks.

So, I’m giving my thoughts about when you should use each communication channel: In-person, phone call, email, text, and social media.

In-person. This channel of communication is the most intimate. However, it can be the b...

What Should You Do When You Get Hate Messages? Four Options to Consider

Most leaders get them. Every so often, someone will send an unwarranted venomous note, letter, or email. If you’ve ever received one, then you know they rarely come from someone close. Most of the time, they come from people you hardly know. In the church, these malicious messages are usually about irrelevant specifics, not the essentials of discipleship or the direction of a leader’s vision. Most annoyingly, they often come as a surprise from someone who has never expressed any previous disagre...

Winning Over Three Kinds of Your Most Difficult Church Members

Every church has difficult people. Most people will be difficult at some point. Likely, you’ve been a difficult person. Some are consistently difficult, while others are only difficult in certain scenarios.

Do not confuse difficult people with antagonists.

Difficult people challenge you. Antagonists are hostile. Difficult people can be supportive. Antagonists default to opposition. Difficult people are usually stubborn because they believe they are right. Antagonists are bullies because they are...

What Will Happen to the All-White Church in America? Ten Trends in the Next Ten Years

Demographics tend to change slowly. You can see the patterns emerging, and, for the most part, you can know what is coming years in advance. Most people do not pay attention to these gradual shifts because it does not have an immediate impact on their lives. 

Then we hit an inflection point, and everyone seems to notice. 

We’re now at an inflection point demographically in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau recently confirmed two noteworthy milestones.

1. The white population declined for...

Five Often-Missed Questions in Church Revitalization

A new movement is beginning to take shape in North America. More pastors and church leaders are focusing on church revitalization. People are starting to do something with these churches that are on every street corner.

I’m excited.

While it’s too early to tell how widespread a revitalization movement will become, I have high hopes. For the last several decades, we’ve written off too many churches, assuming they are destined to die. We don’t write off individuals in this way, so why would do the...

One of the Most Overlooked Ways to Get Your Church to Solve Community Problems

The call to shepherd a church is a call to shepherd the community. The responsibility of pastoring a church comes with the mission of serving the community. Churches are not islands in the community, set up to isolate believers from the ails of society. The walls of the church are not protective barriers to community problems. Quite the opposite—the church should be the vehicle by which people are sent into the hardest, darkest parts of the neighborhood.

But how? Most will agree the church shoul...

Why Am I Struggling to Implement Vision in My Church? Three Common Snags Holding Pastors Back

Vision without strategy is merely a dream. Several variations of the preceding phrase are attributed to any number of writers and thinkers. It’s an important thought. Strategy is the pathway to vision. Many pastors have a vision for their churches, but they don’t know how to create a pathway to accomplish their goals.

Strategy is how ideas get implemented. I believe it’s easier to formulate a vision than it is to think strategically. Many pastors have an idea of where they want to go, but they s...

A Few Surprising Perspectives about Your Unchurched Neighbors

They are your neighbors. When you pull out of your driveway, you wave at them as they water their lawn. Your kids attend the same school; they play touch football in your yard. You may have even picked up their mail while they were on vacation. But have you ever invited them to your church?

We are all guilty on some level of not being obedient to the imperative of Acts 1:8, sharing the gospel message with all who will listen. And many of us have not taken the step of inviting our neighbors to ch...

The Difference Between Curious and Caring Pastors (And Why It’s Better to Be Caring)

Both curious and caring pastors ask about members and staff. Both curious and caring pastors inquire about those who are not acting normally. An illness, family issue, or work-related problem should raise a leader’s level of awareness about a particular individual.

Both the curious leader and the caring leader exhibit good management skills when inquiring about followers experiencing difficulties. All leaders should ask about followers. Ignorance derived from apathy is not only poor leadership, ...