Top Posts of 2016 at ThomRainer.com – Part One
This year, 2016, was another great year at ThomRainer.com. Thanks to all of you who have read, commented on, and shared the posts and podcasts here at the site. This week, I’ll be sharing some of the biggest posts and podcasts of the year. We have some great plans for 2017, and I can’t wait to see what this next year will bring.
TOP 10 POSTS OF THE YEAR: #6 THROUGH #10
Posts 1-5 coming Wednesday, December 28, 2016
#6 — Autopsy of a Deceased Pastor
Autopsies are not a pleasant topic. I get that. But I would be negligent if I did not share with you about the numbers of pastors who are dead in ministry. You need to know. You need to grasp this reality. You need to pray for them. You need to walk alongside them.
How did these pastors die? My figurative autopsies uncovered eight common patterns. Some pastors manifest four or five of them. Many manifest all of them.
#7 — The Five Kinds of Churches That Must Change or Die
Okay, I have some tough news for you who are members or leaders of about 100,000 churches in America.
Change or die.
You read that correctly. In fact, if your churches don’t make substantive changes in the next few years, your church will die.
So what churches are at risk? Instead of naming the specific churches, I have listed them in five categories. The categories are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
#8 — The Three Most Common Sentences of Dying Churches
If churches could speak, what would their words be on their deathbeds?
You don’t have to wait until a church closes its doors to hear some of the sentences that led to its death. Indeed, these three sentences, or something similar to the words, are pervasive in too many churches.
#9 — Eight Reasons Many Bible Belt Churches Are in Trouble
The buckle of the Bible Belt is coming off. That means the entire belt will soon fall off. And it is happening rapidly.
There are thousands of churches in the Bible Belt. Sadly, too many of them are not adjusting to the changing realities of the area. They still act like it’s 1975. Here’s why:
#10 — Ten Things Pastors Would Love to Hear from Their Church Members
It is a simple question.
What do you hear from your church members that gives you the greatest encouragement?
The responses from the pastors were amazingly similar. In fact, I was able to focus on ten specific areas. Here are summary statements of those areas.
