Who Moved My Pulpit? Quotes

“One of the biggest benefits of the low-hanging fruits effort is to show the naysayers that it can be done.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Here is another great contribution of the low-hanging fruit. You and many other people get to see what is working or not working on a relatively small scale. With this collective insight and wisdom, you are able to proceed more wisely with the larger change later. You get greater”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Successful low-hanging fruit results will be clear, compelling, and, potentially, paradigm shifting.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“It’s really okay for low-hanging fruit to fail. It means the trial run did not work, but the church did not invest the resources in a major endeavor. Successful low-hanging fruit efforts are evident to almost everyone in the church. At the very least, there is a sense of encouragement in the congregation that something went well. Typically, though, the evidence is so compelling that the church becomes highly enthused. The excitement is palpable.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Turnaround begins with you. Outward focus begins with you. Revitalization begins with you.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“This outward focus prepares the members for change. It gets them looking beyond their own needs to the needs of their community and the world.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Simply stated, your church will not likely be ready for change until it experiences some action steps of an outward focus.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“As leaders, we do not want to change people. We want God to change people. And that includes us leaders as well.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Here is the principle: If you know you have to make a difficult decision with someone, don’t delay. The situation will only worsen. But please be certain you have no other alternatives.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“If you are not being criticized, you are not leading. Such is the reality of leadership. Such is the reality of change leadership.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“change leadership involves an ongoing prayer conversation with God to give you love for all the sheep. He will teach you how to love these sheep.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Leaders are first to care for the sheep. They are to love the sheep. They are to serve the sheep. If change is attempted without love, you have failed already.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“If you love change more than you love people, you have already failed as a leader.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Do not enter into change leadership lightly. Do not begin the process without concerted prayer. And realize that change is all about people. If you don’t deal with people issues in leading change, you will fail. It’s just that simple.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“The essence of this facet of change leadership is simple and clear: become a voice of hope and provide a clear vision for the church to move forward in a strategic fashion. Change leaders who provide hope and vision are the most successful change leaders.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Vision is critical to lead change. Vision statements are likewise important in the process. But leaders who shape a vision without a foundation of hope are not doing the church any favors. Such is the reason I shared the hope factor first.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“As a leader, you are constantly confronting realities, communicating realities, and communicating the urgency of the moment. You may tire of the redundancy. You may think it’s time to be quiet for a season. But it’s not. You communicate. And then communicate. And then communicate again.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“But it is not just a matter of communicating reality; it is communicating that reality with a sense of urgency. Too many of our church members treat their congregation as a religious country club. They pay their dues and expect to be served. It is the “me-first” attitude that is endemic in the unhealthy churches in America. We must communicate the urgency of the gospel. We must remind people again and again that John 14: 6 is true, that Christ is the only way of salvation. We must tell the hopeless that they have hope in Christ. We are running out of time, and we can’t do church business as usual. It is time for our churches to wake up. It is time to lead change in our churches.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Your church members may not receive bad news well, especially if they have been in denial. They may offer excuses for the challenges of the church. They may point to numerous ministries in the church as proof the church is moving forward. In other words, church members often view activities as evidence the church is making a difference. But often in many of our churches, activities mean the church is just, well, busy. Leading change in the church means you must communicate the reality of the true health of the church.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“The same rationale applies to worship services. You want guests to have a positive experience. You want them to return. You desire for them to hear the gospel and to connect with believers. Ask an outsider, someone who has never been to your church, to attend a worship service. Ask them to observe and take notes if possible. Ask them to be honest and blunt. You want to learn. You want to improve.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Find someone who has never been to your church. That’s usually a pretty easy task. Ask them to assess all of the church’s facilities, from the signage to the parking lot to the exterior to the interior. Ask them to take copious notes. Perhaps you can even pay them a small stipend for the effort. Actually, let me make it easier on you. Go to ThomRainer.com and get the free facility audit. Have the guest complete it. Make certain you ask them to be perfectly transparent and truthful, even if the process is a bit painful. After they have looked over all of your facilities and grounds, take the information and assess it yourself. Perhaps you bring in a few key leaders. It’s time to face the reality of what guests see when they come to your church.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Your role as a change leader has three major components. First, you have to lead the congregation to face reality. Then you have to communicate that reality and the steps needed to move forward again and again. Finally, you must communicate with a sense of urgency.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Prayer is not an option in leading change in the church; it is foundational. You are not smart enough to lead change. You need to pray for wisdom. You are not brave enough to lead change. You need to pray for courage. You are not strong enough to lead change. You need to pray for strength.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Leading effective change in your church without prayer will not work. And it’s not very smart either.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Sometimes the confused includes those who want to hang on to some tradition for their own sense of security and comfort. They may sincerely believe the tradition to be vitally important. They don’t see that there is no intrinsic or doctrinal value in these items.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“The blamers resist change because they do not need to change, at least from their perspective. The problems all reside with other people and other situations. They don’t see anything wrong with themselves. Blamers will blame. Blamers do not want to change.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“The entitled church member treats the church more like a country club than a church. They view their financial offerings as dues to get perks and privileges. They make pastors and other church leaders cringe when they say, “You do know we pay your salary.” The entitled church member is the antithesis of the biblical church member described in 1 Corinthians 12. The apostle Paul describes that type of church member as giving, functioning, and sacrificing. He or she is a member of the body of Christ for the greater good of the church. Others come first. An entitled church member expects his worship style. She expects her color of the rooms and temperature in the worship center. They expect their pastor to jump when they call. After all, they think, it’s our church. We should be able to get what we want. The entitled church member resists change constantly. These church members do not want anything that upsets their way of doing church to be introduced to the congregation. Church is about their perks, their desires, and their comfort. Biblical church members will gladly accept change to reach people with the gospel, and to bring glory to God. Entitled church members are in churches to get their needs met. Change is thus difficult and sometimes futile.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“The denier is one of the most difficult to lead in change because he or she does not think anything needs changing. The church is just fine the way it is, and there is no motivation to do things differently. Denial is the fastest path to death.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“Pastors and other church leaders make mistakes. Church members often exacerbate them.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church

“I simply know that if something is important to the church, it really cannot be over-communicated.”
― Thom S. Rainer, Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church