Sam Rainer's Blog, page 5

The Hidden Reason Churches Nail Worship

It’s you. You’re the reason—hidden in plain sight. I’m writing to you, pastor. The hidden reason churches nail worship is because the pastor leads out in worship.

Most churches will only worship to the level of their pastors. If you’re the stoic stander, your church will be full of Sunday morning totems. If you raise your hands, then people in the church will follow your lead. When pastors immerse themselves in worship, churches do the same.

Stop blaming your worship pastor for the lack of energ...

The Real Story Behind Transfer Growth and Churches: A Twenty-Five-Year Analysis

Transfer growth occurs when someone moves his or her membership from one church to another within the same community. In this article, I posit that most of church growth in the last twenty-five years has been via transfer—mainly from smaller churches to larger churches. But first, I want to analyze more deeply what defines transfer growth and why it occurs.

What Is Transfer Growth?

Growing a church should be a spiritual exercise through obedience to the Great Commission. God has not changed His ...

From Idea to Implementation: Three Keys for Change Efforts in Churches

Most church leaders have ideas, but not all ideas lead to change. What separates the dream from reality?

In 1948, two graduate students at the Drexel Institute of Technology overheard a supermarket executive discussing a fundamental problem—the need for an automatic system to read each product item. Working together, the two students helped change the way retailers do business. They created the idea of a barcode.

Before the barcode, supermarket clerks had to punch numbers into a keypad. It was s...

How to Know When You’ve Stayed Too Long as a Pastor

The prevailing wisdom for pastors is longer tenure is better. I believe this principle is generally true. A string of shorter tenures is usually not healthy for churches. But it is possible to stay too long. What are some of the signs?

When you become the lightning rod with every change effort. Challenging the status quo is disruptive. You should expect people to push back when significant changes are proposed. The pastor will, at times, be the focus of criticism. If you lead, you will be challe...

Discipleship Requires Management as Much as Leadership (Why Pastors Can’t Neglect Church Operations)

Pastors manage churches as much, if not more, than leading them. Making disciples requires pastors to be involved in the day-to-day operations of a church.

If you’re not willing to manage a church, you’re not qualified to lead a church. Should pastors be involved in every task? No. However, every pastor should have some involvement in the daily operations of church life. Shepherds—by God’s design—are among the sheep. Why is it tempting, and dangerous, to neglect the task of management?

It’s temp...

Eight Essential Qualities of Pastors Who Love Their Jobs

You can do your job well without loving it. However, for pastors, the calling often goes beyond mere duty. It encompasses a passion for serving and guiding their flocks. What distinguishes pastors who love their jobs from those who do their jobs? It boils down to several essential qualities.

They embrace awkward moments. At my first church, the lone deacon would take a smoke break in the middle of my sermon. (Yes, I preached too long.) Then, there was the time someone brought a pet parrot to chu...

How Pastors Get Compassion Fatigue (Plus Ways to Overcome It)

You’ve likely heard of decision fatigue, when someone makes several decisions in a short amount of time and then struggles to make additional decisions. However, compassion fatigue among pastors may be more prevalent.

Compassion fatigue is an excessive weariness due to the cumulative effect of caring for, listening to, and helping people with emotional and spiritual problems. The issue is more pervasive than most realize because pastors are the first spiritual responders in moments of crisis. Th...

The One Unexpected Question That Reveals the Heart of Your Church

At Church Answers, we receive a lot of questions about churches. There are hundreds of daily interactions in our membership forum, Church Answers Central. I also ask many questions when I’m consulting and coaching. Over two decades, I’ve refined the types of questions I ask and the way I ask questions. Some questions don’t elicit much of a response. Other questions cause people to pause and think. Then, there are the questions that get people talking.

Some of the best learning experiences as a l...

Distracted Energy: The Big Three Time Wasters for Pastors (And How to Get Rid of Them Forever)

The pace of ministry can switch from comfortable to chaotic with one phone call.

The daily activities of a pastor are often fragmented. Church work often happens in short conversations and activities—10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. Quick, hopscotch exchanges are normative in the daily management of the church.

These irregular patterns occur because of the nature of shepherding. Managing a church means you have several different roles that are constantly changing.

Liaison. Pastors are the spok...

How to Manage a Constant Complainer in the Church

The grouchy grumbler. The negative naysayer. The gloomy pessimist. Complaining has many forms. Not every complaint is toxic. Sometimes, a complaint is warranted and can help to identify problems. Additionally, everyone needs to vent from time to time. But many churches have at least one person who complains about everything.

Constant complaining can easily control the narrative within a congregation. People focus on the negative. Complaints get more attention than compliments. When a constant co...