Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Jan 20, 2016

  6 Things You Need to Know About Pastors Who Leave

  LifeWay Research recently released a study about pastors who left the pastorate before they were retirement age.

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  Jan 17, 2016

  5 Favorite, 5 Least Favorite Instruments Used in Worship

  I wanted to hear from churchgoers what their favorite and least favorite instruments are. Some of the responses were anticipated. Many were not.

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  Jan 13, 2016

  6 Early Warning Signs of Church Dropouts

  If everyone who had dropped out of our congregations in the past decade returned, the typical church would triple in worship attendance.

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  Jan 6, 2016

  7 Traits of Churches With Increasing Per Member Giving

  One of the key metrics of financial giving in a church is per member giving: What is the average giving per member or per attendee? Per member giving is often masked by fluctuations in attendance and membership. The most effective measure is to calculate the average giving per member.

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  Dec 24, 2015

  5 Huge Stressors on Pastors: A Christmas Request

  I love this time of year. I love celebrating the Savior's birth, and I love getting together with family.

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  Dec 23, 2015

  9 Worship Service Surprises That Made Guests Return

  In a recent Twitter survey, I asked respondents to share with me a singular event that impressed them in a church worship service. In fact, most of the respondents said they were "delighted" or "surprised," and that the one event made them desire to return to the church.

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  Dec 20, 2015

  16 Trends in American Churches in 2016 (Part 2)

  I have been writing on trends in churches for two decades. I certainly don't have a perfect record with my predictions, but my overall record is pretty good.

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  Dec 16, 2015

  16 Trends in American Churches in 2016 (Part 1)

  I have been writing on trends in churches for two decades. I certainly don't have a perfect record with my predictions, but my overall record is pretty good.

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  Dec 12, 2015

  7 Situations Where Your Church Should Not Have Greeters

  I am an advocate for churches having greeters. Most of the time.

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  Dec 9, 2015

  Two Major but Under the Radar Changes in American Churches

  The two major changes have a similar theme: decentralization. The first is a decentralization of facilities. The second is a decentralization of leadership. Let's look at each of these major shifts