Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Jan 12, 2013

  The Death of the Mall and the Future of Church Buildings

  Is it fair to suggest any relationship between the decline of the malls and the future of the church buildings? I think so. To be sure, most malls are adversely affected by the growth of online shopping. There are not too many brick and mortar stores that don't feel the impact of the Internet.

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  Jan 5, 2013

  Five Lessons for Pastors From the Fiscal Cliff Fiasco

  I am stating the obvious. Indeed I am mirroring the emotions of tens of millions of Americans. My statement? I am fed up with politicians. I am fed up with a congress and executive branch that fails to lead. I am fed up with last minute and dramatic decision-making. I am fed up with "kicking the can down the road" on major decisions. I am fed up with the lack of courage obvious at so many levels.

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  Dec 29, 2012

  Ten Common Things Church Members Communicate to Pastors

  Pastors are like information sponges. If they aren't studying, they are receiving a regular deluge of information from church members. I asked twenty-two pastors to share with me the most common items they hear from their church members.

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  Dec 26, 2012

  The Top Seven Regrets of Pastors

  I recently interviewed more than twenty pastors who had been in ministry for at least 25 years. Below are the top seven regrets noted in order of frequency. The first, lack of practical training for local church ministry. The second, overly concerned about critics.

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  Dec 4, 2012

  Ten Steps to Deal With Inward Drift in Established Churches

  An established church develops certain patterns or traditions while simultaneously forgetting its original purpose and passion. By almost any metric, the majority of North American congregations are established churches. They often include discouraged leaders and frustrated members. So how does a church move from an inward drift to an outward focus?

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  Nov 15, 2012

  Adultery and Leadership

  What is the impact on a leader and his or her leadership when he or she is involved in an affair? I have been disgusted as I heard different pundits attempt to answer this question. The typical perspective regurgitated about the Petraeus and Broadwell affair is that, outside of the security concerns, it's really no big deal.

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  Nov 13, 2012

  Why Accountability Is Weak in Many Organizations

  What makes organizations weak? Is it a failure of good strategic planning? Are there cultural issues that preclude good performance? Researchers found that accountability was the weakest link in organizational behavior.

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  Nov 3, 2012

  Millennials, Politics, and an Open Letter

  At least in 2008 the Millennials proved to be a generation motivated by a strong centralized federal government. Most every study of the Millennials indicates that the same desire is still alive and well today. It is not unusual to see people look to the government for solutions when few alternatives seem available.

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  Oct 16, 2012

  Eight Terrible Church Visits

  When I led a church consultation company, one of the more common facets of my consultation was an on-site visit to a worship service. The person I hired to conduct the visit could know nothing about the church. What makes for a bad first-time experience? Being asked to introduce yourself and everyone talking in code.

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  Oct 13, 2012

  Ten Things Pastors Like About Pastoring

  We wanted to know what pastors like about their ministry. Here are their top ten responses listed in reverse order, followed by a comment from a representative pastor. Preaching. "My sense of God's call to ministry was a call to preach. It's still what I love to do more than anything."