Thom S. Rainer

Thom S. Rainer

Op-ed Contributor

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  • Courageous. A Movie. A Movement.

    Courageous. A Movie. A Movement.

    Courageous is indeed a great movie. But, even more, it could very well prove to be the beginning of a movement.

  • Five Characteristics of Healthy Church Leaders

    Five Characteristics of Healthy Church Leaders

    They spend time in prayer and the Word. They have longer tenure in the church.

  • Remembering September 12, the Day After

    Remembering September 12, the Day After

    It was on the day after, September 12, that I begin to hear the questions. How could this happen? Why did this happen? Why did God let such evil people take the lives of so many innocent victims?

  • Church Staff: Some Observations

    Church Staff: Some Observations

    There are no longer consistent norms for the portion of a church budget that should be dedicated to personnel costs. Each church has a different rationale or contextualized reasons for the inclusion or exclusion of specific paid staff.

  • Leadership and Decisiveness

    Leadership and Decisiveness

    Many leaders fail simply because they refuse to make a decision. Some insist on more and more information.

  • When Hope Comes to Church

    When Hope Comes to Church

    The reports can be discouraging. The statistics can be demoralizing. The trends can be disheartening. Year after year we hear about the dismal state of American congregations.

  • When Hubris Comes to Church

    When Hubris Comes to Church

    Simple defined, hubris means pride or arrogance. In churches hubris is an insidious enemy. It comes at a time when members are typically feeling great about the health of the church.

  • When Pastors Experience Depression

    When Pastors Experience Depression

    Depression was once a topic reserved for “other people.” It certainly was not something those in vocational ministry experienced. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that ministers rarely admitted that they were depressed.

  • Energizers and De-energizers

    Energizers and De-energizers

    Energizers bring out the best in everyone around them, and our data show that having them in your network is a strong predictor of success over time. De-energizers, by contrast, are quick to point out obstacles, critique people rather than ideas, are inflexible in their thinking

  • A Missing Element in Local Church Discipleship

    A Missing Element in Local Church Discipleship

    Too many times we think of local church discipleship as a program where church members meet at a specific time.

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