Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Sep 21, 2013

  7 Tips for Introverted Pastors

  I have made no secret of my introversion. In fact, being open and honest about it has been a great relief to me. I think a number of people understand me better. One gift I wish I had been given when I served as a pastor in four different churches was a mentor who would share with me how to function as an introverted pastor. I made a ton of mistakes! I hope my experiences, both bad and good, will prove to be meaningful to pastors today. I have written them in the form of seven tips.

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  Sep 14, 2013

  Three Changing Trends in American Churches

  The three trends I've recently noticed are not new. What is new is that a relatively few churches embraced these concepts a few years ago. Today, they are becoming normative. These three approaches have moved from the category of "exception" to the category of "mainstream."

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  Sep 3, 2013

  How Pastors Should Leave a Difficult Church

  In a recent post, we heard from Chris Bonts as he shared the painful story of his difficult church. Today we conclude the conversation as Chris tells us how to leave a difficult church. As a reminder, this story is very personal for Chris. He experienced these pains to the point that he was pressured to leave the church.

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  Aug 31, 2013

  How Pastors Survive a Difficult Church

  There are great rewards in the pastoral call. And there are times that there is great pain. In this post I have asked Chris Bonts to share his experiences in a difficult church, one where he eventually left under pressure. I encourage you to get his newly-released eBook on this topic.

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  Aug 23, 2013

  The Number One Reason for the Decline in Church Attendance and Five Ways to Address It

  Few people will argue that church attendance in many churches in America is declining. Our own research indicates that the majority of churches in our country are not growing.

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  Aug 21, 2013

  Confessions of a Broken Pastor's Wife

  Not too long ago, I wrote a post about pastors' wives, and what they wish they had known before they became a pastor's wife. The article struck a nerve. Much to my surprise, I discovered a depth and breadth of hurt of which I was unaware. I was ashamed I had been so oblivious to this pain.

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  Aug 10, 2013

  Ten Things Pastors Like Most about Their Jobs

  In today's post, I look at the positive side of being a pastor. Most of these leaders love their work and the churches they serve. So I took to the Twitterverse again with my poll question asking pastors what they like most about their work. Here are their top ten responses.

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  Aug 7, 2013

  Ten Things Pastors Like Least About Their Jobs

  Let me state the obvious: Pastors are humans. That means they have preferences, likes, and dislikes. So I did an unscientific Twitter poll to find out what pastors really don't like about their jobs. By the way, one pastor cautioned me about calling their ministries "jobs." I understand, but it's hard to fit "God-called vocation and ministry" into a 140-character Twitter question.

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  Aug 2, 2013

  Four Thoughts From Non-Christians About Christians

  For now, I have provided four examples of what non-Christians are asking of Christians. They were all comments at different points on my blog. Each section represents a different non-Christian.

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  Jul 26, 2013

  How Many Hours Must a Pastor Work to Satisfy the Congregation?

  In this post, I want to approach the issue from a slightly different perspective. I want to ask the question: How many hours must a pastor work each week to satisfy the congregation? Ultimately, I prefer to hear from pastors and church members and get their perspective.