Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Nov 11, 2014

  Top 10 Ways Churches Drive Away First-time Guests

  If you attend a church regularly, you've probably noticed the phenomenon. A guest shows up for a worship service, but he or she never returns. It is, unfortunately, a common issue in many churches.

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  Oct 31, 2014

  10 Reasons Why I'm Not Giving Up on Local Churches: A Plea for Revitalization

  The naysayers are at full throttle. "Local churches are dying!" "Churches are no longer relevant." "The church is full of hypocrites." "I don't need the institutional church." The naysayer nabobs of negativity are in full force. It's easy to give up. It sadly can be easy to believe God has given up on our churches. But He has not. I am convinced He has not.

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  Oct 27, 2014

  7 Things I've Learned from Joyous Pastors' Wives

  For certain, I have learned from other spouses of ministers as well. But the most frequent comments have come from pastors' wives. In this article, I share with you the lessons I've learned from pastors' wives who tell me they have found great joy and meaning in their lives. Here are seven of those lessons:

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  Oct 22, 2014

  8 Causes of Pastoral Ministry Slump

  The "slump" metaphor is used often in sports. The baseball hitter is in a slump because he has not gotten a hit in 15 at bats. The football quarterback is in a slump because he has only completed eight passes in the past two games.

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  Oct 20, 2014

  Seven Good Things About the Houston Subpoena Controversy

  I share the outrage of millions who were stunned when the city of Houston issued subpoenas to five area pastors. I am stunned and angered by this massive encroachment upon local churches by a governmental body. But there is an additional perspective to this horrendous act.

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  Oct 13, 2014

  Seven Things I've Learned From Joyous Pastors' Wives

  In this article, I share with you the lessons I've learned from pastors' wives who tell me they have found great joy and meaning in their lives. One, they understand and accept that criticisms and unreasonable expectations are a part of church life and leadership.

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  Oct 7, 2014

  Eight Ways for Pastors to Affair-Proof Their Marriages

  Too many families of pastors are torn apart because of affairs. And too many churches are left reeling with the consequences in their own congregations. What can a pastor do to affair-proof his marriage?

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  Oct 2, 2014

  Fourteen Symptoms of Toxic Church Leaders

  A toxic church leader, one that is figuratively poisonous to the organization, is rare. But it is that church leader who brings great harm to churches and other Christian organizations. And it is that leader that hurts the entire cause of Christ when word travels about such toxicity.

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  Sep 29, 2014

  Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Give Up on Established Churches

  If you truly believe that established churches have no hope, there is no reason to read this post. I am not, however, among those pessimists. I am an obnoxious optimist about our churches.

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  Sep 20, 2014

  8 Things Pastors Do When Their Churches Are in a Slump

  The meaning of "slump" is more evident in sports. When a baseball player, for example, is in a slump, we surmise that he is not hitting as well as he was earlier in the season.