Sam Rainer's Blog, page 3

Why Don’t Pastors Use All Their Vacation Days?

About half of all American workers do not take all their allotted paid time off—the reasons why are relatively consistent across socioeconomic and demographic lines.

Half (52%) feel they don’t need the vacation time.Half (49%) are worried they would fall behind at work.A little less than half (43%) say they would feel bad about giving their co-workers additional work.

What about pastors? Few pastors use all their vacation days. One-third of the pastors say they always take fewer vacation...

How to Do Proper Exit Interviews When Church Staff Leave (Plus Downloadable Guide)

The personnel committee gathered for their monthly meeting. As the lead pastor walked into the room, he could feel the tension. The group was too quiet, and every eyeball followed the path to his seat. 

They started with a prayer as usual, but as soon as amen was said, one of the members released the pressure, “Pastor, why did Jeremy leave our church?”

“Well, God called him to another church.”

The pastor was slightly confused why everyone seemed stressed about the student pastor’s departure. 

“I...

Five Powerful Prayers for Your Christmas Eve Service

Most churches will have more guests during a Christmas Eve service than in any other service throughout the year.

What will you say to God with all these new people listening?

As pastors, we have the unique opportunity in a Christmas Eve service to lead our congregations—and numerous guests from the community—in prayer.

These five prayers can serve as guides, helping to set a joyful tone and celebratory atmosphere for the birth of Jesus.

Prayer 1: Open with a prayer of anticipation for the Savio...

The Urgent Reality of Church Safety: New Issues Every Congregation Now Faces

Every church has a dual calling when it comes to the evils of the world: ensure safety and confront danger.

Ensure safety (internally): The church must be a place where every person is protected from harm.Confront danger (externally): The church is also called to send people out to preach the gospel in dangerous places.

A safe church is a threat to the enemy. An unsafe church undermines the gospel and is an asset to the enemy.

The High-Trust and Low-Security Environment

Churches, by natur...

Ten Non-Negotiable Rules for Child Safety in Churches

Make My Church Safe releases this week! I wrote it to be a concise guide to the best practices in making your church safe for members and attendees of all ages. Get your copy today!

Child security is one of the most important discipleship issues in the church. We must create robust security measures in our churches, making our campuses internally safe for children, so they can grow to spiritual maturity and become equipped to confront the dangers of evil in the world.

Millions of people voluntee...

A Brief History of First-Wave Church Bloggers, Content Creators, and Influencers in the Internet Age

Before streaming videos, podcasting, and social media, there was a time when blogging ruled the Internet. Sam interviews Marty Duren and Ben Cole, two early adopters of the medium whose widespread influence gained national attention. From 2004 to 2010, bloggers like Marty and Ben shaped the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention. They reflect on this period of influence and give their thoughts on what will happen in the future.

You can find them at blog.martyduren.com and x.com/BaptistBlo...

Churches Are Still Relevant But Not Trustworthy: An Unexpected, New Perception Gap

How do the unchurched really feel about the American church? Do these feelings differ from those who regularly attend church? The Church Answers Research team just completed a new, significant study to answer these questions. 

We surveyed 604 people in the United States from a variety of backgrounds. We asked the same questions of two groups.

Those who attend church regularly.Those who do not attend church regularly. 

After comparing the two groups, we found new, surprising insights of th...

My Church Took a Direct Hit from a Major Hurricane—Here’s What I Learned

Floridians are a tough bunch. Hurricanes happen. We prepare for them and know how to weather storms. But two back-to-back major hurricanes in as many weeks is a lot, even for the most grizzled local. Helene brought a record surge to our coastal community, and Milton was a nasty wind event. I rode out both storms. Milton’s eye passed through my neighborhood, and the backside of the eyewall was like nothing I’ve experienced in previous storms. My church, West Bradenton, responded immediately. Here...

Pastors, Stop Trying to Fix People’s Problems

I once made the mistake of giving my cell number to a troubled transgender alcoholic. For several nights in a row, I had the privilege of answering my phone at 2:00 AM, only to have the same conversation ending with the same advice: “Stop going to gay bars, getting drunk, and picking fights with drag queens.” My advice was simple. The situation was not. 

The mistake was not that I reached out to someone desperate for help. Of that, I have no regrets. My mistake as a pastor was buying into this p...

Getting Your Church Recession Ready Without Killing Your Ministry

I am not an economist.

But I am a pastor who must plan a church budget for 2025. What are the odds of a recession?

J.P. Morgan Research increased the recession probability by year-end 2024 from 25% to 35%. Other economists put the likelihood of a recession by year-end 2025 around 45%.

Here is the bottom line: There is a 50/50 chance you need to budget for a recession in 2025.

I know, that’s not helpful. Basically, the economists are saying anything can happen.

Since 1950, the United States has e...