Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Apr 3, 2015

  9 Traits of Mean Churches

  I received two emails this week from church members who made that very statement. The members are from two different churches in two different states. One of the churches belongs to a denomination; the other is non-denominational. In both cases the church members made the decision to drop out of local church life altogether.

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  Apr 1, 2015

  9 Traits of Church Bullies

  Church bullies are common in many churches. They wreak havoc and create dissension. They typically must have an "enemy" in the church, because they aren't happy unless they are fighting a battle. They tend to maneuver to get an official leadership position in the church, such as chairman of the elders or deacons or treasurer. But they may have bully power without any official position.

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  Mar 24, 2015

  7 Distinguishing Habits of Highly Effective Pastors

  Determining the effectiveness of a pastor is a highly subjective exercise. While certain metrics may prove helpful, they do not tell the whole story. In that context, I reviewed my 40 years of serving churches in a variety of capacities and noted several very effective pastors I knew well. My list was lengthy: nearly 30 pastors total.

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  Mar 21, 2015

  9 Common Tensions Pastors Face

  Every day, pastors and other church staff make intentional decisions about what is important in their lives and ministries. Often, the decisions they must make are between competing demands. These decision points are tensions in the lives of pastors and church staff. The directions they choose shape their ministries.

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  Mar 12, 2015

  9 Thoughts on Church Splits

  For over thirty years I have been professionally and personally connected to the local church. I have served as a pastor, church consultant, author, seminary dean, and church resource provider. The most painful moments of my tenure have been those occasions where church dissension is great, and where church splits take place.

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  Feb 22, 2015

  The Top 10 Most Fiercely Defended Traditions in Churches

  I recently embarked on a major research project for a new resource I will soon be offering. Part of my research included a long review of thousands of comments made on this site over the past few years. Though my research had another purpose, I became intrigued by the comments related to church traditions.

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  Feb 18, 2015

  5 Thoughts About Church Memorials

  Many churches have them. They can be found in varying degrees of emphasis from one church to another. They are church memorials, areas of a church designated in memory of someone who was a member of the congregation.

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  Feb 14, 2015

  9 Concerns about Church Members Who Withhold Their Financial Gifts

  The story is too common, but I hear such stories repeatedly. My most recent conversation was with a church leader where an affluent church member offered to make a large contribution to the renovation of the worship center. He had one stipulation: the worship center had to be named in memory of his late mother. The leader politely declined. The affluent member did not make the donation. To the contrary, he began withholding all of his gifts to the church.

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  Feb 2, 2015

  3 Major Trends in Sermon Length

  The opinions about the "right" sermon length are varied, but they are typically intense. Several months ago, I conducted a social media poll to find out the preferred sermon length of preachers. Since that time, I have been observing pastors' preaching on podcasts and in person. I have also been asking them directly about their sermon length.

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  Jan 31, 2015

  6 Observations about Speaking to Pastors Right Before They Preach

  For most pastors, preaching is one of the most important facets of their ministries. It is that time when they get to expound on God's Word. Much of their training has focused on preaching, and they often spend 15 to 20 hours preparing each sermon.