Notable Voices and the Week in Review: December 8, 2018
How to Promote Yourself without Feeling Gross — Sam Rainer
If you’re a Christian, especially a Christian leader, this promote-yourself-world presents a problem. Promoting yourself can be self-serving, selfish, and annoying. For those of you who have a measure of humility, the thought of marketing your own stuff can feel egotistical. The narcissists out there don’t help either. When others are recommending you, it’s always a good thing! Of course, there are no guarantees that others will speak for you. How do you maintain balance? How do you promote yourself without feeling gross?
20 Mistakes Pastors Make During Christmas — Facts & Trends
When it comes to leading a church throughout the Christmas season, I suppose I’ve made most of the mistakes one can make. The good news is once in a while I got it right; the blessings were enormous. It’s the mistakes that stand out in memory, however. And, human nature being what it is, the failures of others make great reading and, hopefully, great learning experiences without our own trial and error. So, here are my candidates for the top 20 mistakes we preachers make during the Christmas season…
Why the North American Church is Unlikely to Experience Revival — Chuck Lawless
First, a caveat: I strongly believe that revival is the gift of God, and He grants it sovereignly according to His plan. My point with this post, though, is not that we somehow control God’s event calendar; instead, it’s that our church culture doesn’t exhibit some of the characteristics that have preceded God’s great movements. Here’s why I wonder if the North American church will experience revival:
3 Ways Pastors Can Engage Congregants’ Minds — Brandon Smith
Instead of merely lamenting on social media about the current state of theology, pastors should be springing into action. The survey results from 2016-2018 did not change much, however what did change changed for the worst. Theology among evangelicals is not improving, according to the survey. We can blame culture and politics and media or we can first blame ourselves. After all, we are public theologians long before we are counselors, motivators, or organizational leaders. We should expect our congregations to get their theology from elsewhere if not from us. They may love Jesus deeply, but not the Jesus of the Bible; they may love Jesus with their hearts, but not with their minds.
This Week at ThomRainer.com:
American Churches Are at a Tipping Point
If current trajectories continue, American churches will pass a tipping point. Our congregations will begin a likely unstoppable path toward decline that will rival many European churches of the past century…READ MORE
The Five Most Common Ways Churches Guide New Believers
It’s one of the most common questions we get at Church Answers. What resources or approaches do you use for new believers…READ MORE
Primary Factors That Led to a Pastor’s Call to Ministry
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode490.mp3
Five Types of Interventions for Churches Needing Revitalization
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Rainer on Leadership
http://media.blubrry.com/thomrainer/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/Episode491.mp3
Five Incredible Tips from a Real Life Bi-Vocational Church Revitalizer
by Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe | Revitalize & Replant
http://media.blubrry.com/revitalizereplant/s3.amazonaws.com/TheExchange/RevitalizeReplant/RR-Episode070.mp3
