Sam Rainer's Blog, page 3

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...

The Real Reasons the Unchurched Do Not Attend (What Your Church Can Do About It)

Do people who attend church regularly have different perceptions of the church than those who do not attend regularly? We wanted to know how both the churched and the unchurched feel about the church.

The Church Answers Research team conducted a large, national study. After comparing the church with the unchurched, we found new, surprising insights.

The unchurched don’t attend mainly because of indifference and not because of busyness or antagonism.

We asked the unchurched why they do not attend...

The Shift in Churches Caused by 9/11

The events of September 11, 2001 marked a profound and sad moment in American history, influencing almost every aspect of society in the short term. The immediate aftermath saw a noticeable increase in religious observance, but the long-term impact on churches and religious communities was less pronounced.

Where Were You During the Attacks?

I was walking to my Tuesday banking class on the University of South Carolina campus. As I entered the Darla Moore School of Business, I could tell a major e...

The New Mid-Size Church Advantages

Fifteen years ago, I wondered if mid-size churches might go extinct. Would they dwindle as people transferred into megachurches and planted new churches? The mid-size church is still here, and I’m glad I did not publish my thoughts. Now, they have several growth advantages in North America.

What is a mid-size church?

An exact definition does not exist, but most experts will use average worship attendance figures as the primary consideration. Karl Vaters offers this breakdown in his book, The Gra...

Catalyst vs. Analyst: How Effective Pastors Master Both Roles in Their Churches

Effective pastors are both analysts and catalysts. Good leaders must accurately describe reality. Good leaders must create a better future. An analyst has a proper understanding of present reality. A catalyst knows what to create for a better future. The analyst helps followers understand the present. The catalyst inspires followers to move towards the future.

All effective leaders are both analysts and catalysts to a degree, but most tend to lean one way or the other. The analyst is more like a...