Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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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.

• 
  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

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  Dec 6, 2015

  5 Reasons Millennial Pastors Are Not Moving to Larger Churches

  They are the largest generation in America's history. At 78 million persons, they surpassed the Boomer generation by two million. Born between 1980 and 2000, they are shaping our businesses, our government, and our culture.

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  Dec 3, 2015

  5 Ways to Lead in Times of Fear

  "I'm not sure there is a safe place in the world today." The comment was from a friend, a strong Christian and an active church member.

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  Dec 1, 2015

  3 Reasons Most Church Christmas Events Are Ineffective

  Tens of thousands of churches will have events to celebrate the Christmas season. The events will range from simple Christmas Eve candlelight services to major musical productions.

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  Nov 28, 2015

  25 Silly Things Church Members Fight Over

  It began as an innocuous Twitter survey. But then it blew up.