Sam Rainer's Blog, page 9

Making the Decision to Go to Seminary: Six Considerations Before Going

They inevitably find their way into my office, excited about God’s calling on their lives. I’ve had several conversations with people wanting advice about attending a seminary (or a similar institution). God has called them to ministry. They feel seminary will add clarity to this calling. 

Perhaps. But before a seminary education can help with a calling, one must have a clear plan for seminary. After working through the spiritual aspect of someone’s calling, I typically offer practical advice. T...

How to Discern If a Church Member Is Guilty of Gossip

Gossip is a destructive force in the church. Once the rumors of gossip spread, it’s hard to correct if they are false. Even if partially true, gossip is always wrong because what is shared is inappropriate and hurtful.

Gossip fosters an environment of distrust and suspicion.Instead of focusing on productive work or conversations, individuals involved in gossip discuss improper matters about others.Gossip is often based on hearsay or speculation, which can lead to a distorted understanding o...

Reflections on My First Sermon after Twenty Years of Ministry

I preached Philippians 1.

After standing in the pulpit for a few awkward moments, I said, “Hi.”

“Hi.” The congregation responded.

It was a Sunday night service on a holiday weekend. My pastor was on vacation. The smaller crowd was the core. They knew what they were getting. I was twenty-three years old. Only now can I admit I preached that first sermon not having read the entire Bible yet.

Rookie preachers tend to go very short or very long. I was the former. I think I finished the sermon in und...

Why Your Church Is Larger Than You Realize (And Pastors Are Busier Than Ever)

How big is your church?

It’s a common question. The top metric of success in a church is worship attendance. Maybe it shouldn’t be. But average weekly worship attendance is the most common and most touted church health metric. This figure includes children, assumes each person is counted only once, and includes all worship services during the week but excludes traditional Wednesday night and Sunday night activities.

Your church is likely much larger than your worship attendance average.

Let’s us...

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...