Sam Rainer's Blog, page 9

The Big Warning Signs Your Church Bylaws Are Working Against You and Not for You

Every church needs a good set of bylaws. Put simply, the bylaws are written legal documents establishing the governance of a church. Church polity and ecclesiology will have an impact on the contents of bylaws. The size and structure of a church will also affect bylaws. For example, multi-site churches will differ from single-site churches.

Consider the following points about church bylaws.

Bylaws are subordinate to the constitution of the church. The constitution is usually a much shorter do...

The Top Ten Reasons Why Pastors Have Anxiety (And How to Overcome It)

“The best pastors have a healthy level of paranoia.”

My father’s advice struck me as odd. I was in my early 30s, pastoring through a difficult situation with the potential to split my congregation. I was anxious. He didn’t feed my anxiety, but his words weren’t comforting either. The advice was honest. And real.

At the time, a group of people intended harm, and I needed to be cautious. Or, as my father put it, have a healthy level of paranoia.

“I emphasize the word healthy,” he reminded me, “But...

Eight Ways Any Church Can Get the Attention of the Neighborhood

God’s mission travels in one vehicle: the church. In the same way that different kinds of vehicles travel our roadways, many different churches share the good news message. No congregation has a corner on the Kingdom, and every Bible-believing church has the potential to be an asset in the Kingdom of God. 

The neighborhood will have one of three perspectives on your church: negative, neutral, or positive.

Negative: The neighborhood knows who you are and would rather you not be there.Neutral:...

Why Smaller Churches Must Be Better at Hospitality than Larger Churches

It’s not fair. I know. Smaller churches must be better at hospitality than larger churches. First, I will explain why. Then I will demonstrate how this perceived inequity is to the benefit of smaller churches.

Guests have different expectations of different-sized churches. When new people or families walk into an extraordinarily large church, most will expect anonymity. A 500,000 square-foot campus with thousands of people has a different feel than a smaller church with one hundred people.

For e...

The Looming Deferred Maintenance Crisis in Many Churches (and How to Solve It)

“It’s a custom color. Bradenton plum.”

The church council member and I laughed together about the project in front of us. He had been part of the original capital campaign in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“The color was popular then, but I think it’s time for an update,” he said as we prioritized the deferred maintenance projects for our upcoming capital campaign.

A few years ago, we started tackling facility projects. Our church had done too few updates in the last forty years, and now we wer...

Why Your Congregation Is Likely More Optimistic about the Future Than You Realize

Over 80% of churchgoers predict a promising future for their churches. Is this figure what you would expect? Until I saw the research, I would not have guessed optimism was so high among churchgoers.

Where did this statistic originate? The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) conducted a national survey in August 2022 of almost 6,000 adults in the United States. They reported several findings, but the optimistic figure stood out to me.

45% of churchgoers are very optimistic about the fut...

The Top Ten Next Steps for New Church Members

Congratulations! You joined a church. Now what? While every church has a different procedure for church membership, there are some simple things you can do to honor God in your decision. These items apply to everyone.

First, read your Bible every day. A national research study revealed something remarkable. The number one way people grow spiritually is daily Bible reading, but only 35 percent of active churchgoers study their Bibles at least once a week. Ask anyone if they want to be healthier s...

How to Check Back into Your Church Job If You Have Been Checked Out for a While

Tens of millions quit their jobs during the Great Resignation. Beginning in March 2021, most areas of the economy experienced a mass of people leaving their current places of employment and seeking other jobs and careers. Over two years, a large portion of workers considered career changes and geographic relocations. The hospitality, education, and healthcare sectors were hit especially hard.

Pastors and paid church staff were not immune from this phenomenon. As a result, a Great Reshuffling als...

The Disappearance of the 30-Something and 40-Something Pastor (Here’s Why)

We’re all getting older. Almost every demographic in the United States is having fewer children. Population growth is slowing, and immigration rates are not fast enough to keep up with the aging nation.

In 1970, the median age was 28. Half the population was older than 28, and half the population was younger than 28. This midpoint is now approaching 40. So we’ve shifted from a younger nation to a middle-aged nation.

The economic implications of this shift are enormous but beyond the scope of th...

The Gritty Work of Church Revitalization: An Unglamorous Calling for the Glory of God

Ministry isn’t glamorous. And the moment that ministry does become glamorous, you become an anti-minister. Church revitalization is gritty work, but God is glorified in the impossible challenge of leading a church back to health.

The church’s biggest problem is not a lack of giving, a lack of people, or a lack of leadership. The church’s biggest problem is the lack of assurance in pursuing God’s glory. Slow giving trends are a symptom of a greater problem. The decline in average worship attendan...