Sam Rainer's Blog, page 4

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...

Tattoos, Marlboros, and Ministry: Lessons from My Favorite Unconventional Deacon

One of my favorite deacons had more tattoos than teeth. Herbie was the lone deacon at my first church, a rural congregation of six people. I was in my mid-twenties, serving the church bi-vocationally. The trip was two hours one way to get there. Four-wheel drive was required on some home visits. I was a terrible pastor, lacking experience, preaching skills, and maturity. I led worship, too—from an old karaoke machine. My lone deacon occasionally smoked during the service. The smell of Marlboros ...

The Value of Video Venue Preaching: What are the Pros and Cons?

With the explosion of multi-site churches, the implementation of video venue preaching is not a surprising development. Though estimates vary, there are likely around 10,000 multi-site churches in the United States. Millions of people attend them weekly. Over half of multi-site churches have video venues. Some of the most popular pastors in the nation utilize video venues to broadcast their preaching.

What is a video venue? These venues come in many forms, but they all have one thing in common: ...

A Simple and Quick Checklist Before Preaching Every Sermon

Every preacher prepares differently. You likely already have a personal method of sermon preparation or will create one as you develop and gain more experience. This checklist is not meant to be a comprehensive guide, but I hope you find it useful in the sermon writing process.

Read the text. Multiple times, over and over. Memorize portions of it. Read in various translations. What do you observe? What does the passage say?

Pray the text. Do not neglect this step! You should pray as much as you ...

Six Quick Tips for the Upcoming Church Budget Season

Most churches budget on a calendar year, meaning the spreadsheets come out in full force about the same time as pumpkin spice lattes. Budget season is just around the corner.

Creating a church budget is a laborious—and somewhat thankless—task. It can take several weeks to finalize an annual budget.

Every line item matters. God brought this point to my mind a few years ago during the budget process at my church. As we poured over pages of documents, a mundane expense stood out to me: $1,500 for B...

Should Churches Celebrate July 4th? (And How Much)

Independence Day is a unique holiday for the American church. An overt Christian connection does not exist like with Christmas or Easter. July 4th is also specific to the United States, so churches outside of our country—as expected—would not recognize the holiday.

Four predominant views exist concerning whether American churches should recognize the holiday in a worship service. These views are on a spectrum, and godly people can have widely differing perspectives.

Display of patriotism. Chu...

How to Hold Church Staff Accountable in a Hybrid Work-from-Home Arrangement

I’ve written previously about why required office hours may not be the best arrangement for church staff. Jesus didn’t say, “Stay in the church building.” He said, “Go.” It is much harder to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission from a desk.

Additionally, I have cautioned about the pendulum swinging too far the other way. For example, it would be unwise if every church staff person worked from home and rarely came into the office. A couple of office days are essential. For my ch...