Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Jan 25, 2017

  7 Steps to Take If 'The Cartel' and Bullies Run You Out of Church

  A bully-led personnel committee ran Frank out of the church. They never told the pastor why they wanted him to resign. Jan was a very active layperson in the student ministry. A cartel of jealous church members pushed her out of the church.

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  Jan 23, 2017

  Should a Staff Person Fill the Pulpit When There Is No Pastor?

  Should a staff person become the interim preacher until the new pastor arrives?

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  Jan 21, 2017

  7 Questions Pastor Hires Should Ask If They Barely Receive a Positive Vote

  You receive a vote of 72 percent. Should you go to that church?

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  Jan 19, 2017

  5 Questions Your Church Should Ask About Communications

  Annual evaluation is commonplace in work, in school, and in life. A new year presents the opportunity for us to take a moment to evaluate where we are at the beginning of the year, where we want to be at the end of the year, and how we can get from A to B during the year.

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  Jan 15, 2017

  15 Top Responses to the Word 'Baptist'

  What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Baptist"? That is the question I asked in the Twitterverse. And many responded ... quickly and frequently.

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  Jan 13, 2017

  6 Statements That Can Kill a Church

  Words can kill churches because they often have deadly actions behind them. As we begin this new year, please allow me to share six statements that I have heard from church members whose churches have died.

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  Jan 8, 2017

  5 Common Greeter Mistakes to Correct

  Greeter ministries, like any other ministries, can get in a rut. And since we are about to greet a new year, let's have an honest conversation about how to begin a new year with some improvements in your greeter ministry.

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  Jan 3, 2017

  10 Major Trends for Churches in 2017

  For those who read my blog regularly, you know I do a "trends post" every year early in January. This next statement sounds totally immodest, but I'm pretty good at predictive trends.

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  Dec 31, 2016

  7 New Year's Resolutions Every Pastor Should Make

  I admit it. I used to hate New Year resolutions. They seemed so contrived and short-termed. I've probably had resolutions to lose over 2,000 pounds over the course of my life.

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  Dec 27, 2016

  11 Vital Steps to Minimize Risk of Child Sex Abuse in Your Church

  Most church leaders and church members are shocked and unprepared when allegations of child sex abuse arise in their churches. But it is a huge risk in all churches.