Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  May 1, 2015

  When Church Staff Turn Against Each Other

  While we can never eliminate all difficult issues between co-workers, we can seek to manage the relationships in the most healthy and godly manner. Unfortunately, in some churches, one or more staff members will turn against another in an unhealthy, unbiblical, and ungodly manner. Allow me to share eight thoughts about these bad situations.

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  Apr 30, 2015

  6 Ways Millennials Are Educating Their Churches Theologically

  In recent years, however, I have noticed a remarkable—and welcomed—return by younger leaders to the fundamentals of the faith, basic theological education, and the deepening of doctrinal roots.

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  Apr 28, 2015

  Five Ways Church Members Hold the Church as a Financial Hostage

  Do you know any church members who have made demands based upon their financial giving to the church? Okay, that's probably a rhetorical question because most of you readers certainly have experienced that discomfort. I asked a number of church leaders to share with me how this "hostage taking" usually takes place. Here are the five most common responses

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  Apr 11, 2015

  5 Organizational Reasons Many Churches Hit Attendance Plateaus

  As I have noted in other posts, the number one reason for declines and plateaus in churches is declining frequency of attendance of church members. Though there are many possible explanations for this reality, some of the reasons are in the category of organizational issues. Let me note five of them.

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  Apr 8, 2015

  9 Ways to Deal with Church Bullies

  In my earlier post, I dealt with the traits of church bullies. I now move from descriptive to prescriptive. How do we deal with church bullies? What can we do to prevent such bullying? Here are nine of my suggestions:

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  Apr 4, 2015

  One Key Reason Most Churches Do Not Exceed 350 in Average Attendance

  Nine out of ten churches in America have an average worship attendance of less than 350. And that percentage has not changed significantly for many years. Yet the unchurched pool of persons is increasing in most communities. There are people yet to be reached. But most churches will never exceed 350 in attendance. Why?

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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.