Thom S. Rainer

Latest

• 
  Jul 20, 2013

  Ten Ways to Be a Better Pastor: Church Staff Perspective

  In my Monday post, I looked at the issue of pastor/staff relationships from the perspective of the lead pastor or senior pastor. In this article we hear from the staff perspective, those other than the senior pastor who serve on a church staff.

• 
  Jul 17, 2013

  Nine Steps for a Pastor's First 90 Days

  I remember well receiving a call from one of my sons. It was his first day on the job as a new pastor. It was also his first fulltime ministry position. His words were amusing: "Okay, Dad. I'm here. What do I do next?"

• 
  Jul 12, 2013

  How Many Hours Does a Pastor Work Each Week?

  It is one of the most unpredictable jobs one could have. There will be weeks when there won't be much taking place out of the ordinary, and the pastor will work a "mere" 40 to 45 hours. There will be other weeks filled with meetings, emergency hospital calls, a wedding, two funerals, and line of members waiting to see the pastor. That workweek could total 80 hours.

• 
  Jul 6, 2013

  Five Reasons 'Kicking the Can' Leadership Leads to Disaster

  Okay, I'm joining the crowd. The majority of Americans are tired and angry about political leaders who put off major decisions, often called "kicking the can." It's called breaking the law when I kick the can. It's called politics when they do it in Washington. And they kick the can with billions and billions of dollars at stake.

• 
  Jul 2, 2013

  Ten Things I've Learned About Pastors in Two Years

  Though this blog is four years old, I did not get serious about the pace of my blogging until about two years ago. If you have spent any time at my blog, you know that I devote a lot of my writings to local church matters in general, and to pastors specifically.

• 
  Jun 29, 2013

  When Christians Fire Christians

  I feel like I'm walking on metaphorical eggshells with this blogpost. My challenge is that I am asked about this issue almost as much as any other. The question typically comes from a pastor or other church leader, but it could come from a leader of another Christian organization. Should we as Christians fire other Christians who work in our organization?

• 
  Jun 26, 2013

  12 Biggest Challenges Pastors and Church Staff Face

  What is fascinating, if not discouraging, about this survey is that virtually all of the challenges noted by these pastors and staff were internal challenges. It appears that many of our churches in America are not effective conduits of the gospel because the members spend so much energy concerned about their own needs and preferences.

• 
  Jun 24, 2013

  How Much Time Do Pastors Spend Preparing a Sermon?

  Most church members give little thought to the amount of time it takes a pastor to prepare each sermon. In reality, sermon preparation is a large portion of a pastor's workweek. Unfortunately, this work is invisible to typical church members.

• 
  Jun 20, 2013

  Four Ways Churches Break Attendance Barriers

  After 25 years of consulting and researching local congregations, I have found four common approaches churches take to break attendance barriers regardless of size. There are certainly more than four possibilities, but allow me to evaluate these four more common approaches.

• 
  Jun 18, 2013

  How Long Does a Pastor Preach?

  Preaching is central to the worship services in most churches. Indeed most services are built around the message. The sermon is critical to the life and health of a church.