Sam Rainer

Latest

• 
  Mar 10, 2022

  What does a humble pastor really look like?

  Humility includes the capacity to assess your abilities and limitations accurately. Power naturally disrupts this ability. Good leadership exists in the constant tension between authority and humility.

• 
  Feb 27, 2022

  If your church attendance is stagnant right now, it’s not all bad

  It’s always a good sign when the median age drops in a church. But in many cases, you need two new people to replace one older person to retain attendance levels because the older generation tends to be at church more often.

• 
  Feb 20, 2022

  5 Strategies for being a more approachable pastor on Sunday morning

  Your weekend worship experiences are a concentrated time, meaning you have the most people on campus for a short duration. It’s your chance to interact with your congregation and for others to see you interacting.

• 
  Dec 30, 2021

  10 New Year's resolutions for every pastor

  I also realize the presumptuous nature of this post — as if I could tell you what promises to make (and then inevitably break). However, I do believe every pastor should consider these ten resolutions.

• 
  Dec 19, 2021

  Ageism: The real struggle for church staff close to retirement

  For those who are older on your church staff, what can be done? How can a church move away from the blatant ageism that seems to be so rampant in congregations?

• 
  Dec 9, 2021

  Dangers of envying another church and how it affects you

  A constant negative focus on other pastors and churches produces restlessness in your ministry. When you are green with envy for another church, the grass will always be greener at a place other than your current church.

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  Nov 29, 2021

  Major warning signs stress is starting to impair your leadership

  Unresolved stress can ruin church leadership. In fact, it can turn normally humble pastors into tyrants. When the causes of stress go ignored, when a pastor refuses to deal with the root of stress, then leadership becomes impaired.

• 
  Nov 14, 2021

  Why sermon preparation is not devotional time

  Sermon preparation is not — and should not be used as — devotion time. Sermon writing is devotional to an extent. Both involve prayer. Both elevate Scripture. Both require the work of the Holy Spirit. But they are different.

• 
  Nov 9, 2021

  How to handle unsolvable problems that arise in your church

  What should you do when you encounter the inevitable problem that appears unsolvable? What if you cannot ignore the issue?

• 
  Nov 3, 2021

  Apathy: Why it's hit the Church and how to break out of it

  Now is the time to start breaking the apathy cycle. One way to kickstart energy in the church is by re-emphasizing your membership class. As churches recover from the pandemic, unfortunately, the membership class is often one of the last things to return.