Thom S. Rainer

Latest

• 
  Aug 29, 2018

  Why I'm Retiring From Lifeway

  Tonight, during the regularly scheduled meeting of the LifeWay board, I announced my retirement as president and CEO. I will step down when the new CEO is named, or in one year, whichever comes first.

• 
  Aug 26, 2018

  Back to School: 5 Ways Your Church Can Have a Major Impact

  Let me share with you what I have heard about great success stories of churches as a new school year approached. They are basic but profound.

• 
  Aug 19, 2018

  5 Ways #MeToo Will Impact Churches

  The #MeToo Movement will be one of the historic markers of 2018. Its impact is felt in the entertainment industry, in politics, in businesses and, undoubtedly, in churches.

• 
  Aug 17, 2018

  7 Traits of Healthy Churches

  A member of the Church Answers community recently asked about the characteristics of healthy churches today. Immediately, I began to review churches that were having great community impact, whose members regularly had gospel conversations, and whose leaders faithfully preached the Word with power every week.

• 
  Aug 12, 2018

  Top 8 Areas Where Pastors Wish They Were Better Equipped

  I asked seasoned pastors to share with me the areas they wish they could be better prepared and better equipped. The results were voluminous, and the needs are great. Here are the top eight:

• 
  Aug 5, 2018

  5 Things That Happen When A Toxic Member Leaves a Church

  I will save the discussion for later on how to deal with toxicity in the church. For now, let's look at what happens in a church when toxic members leave.

• 
  Jul 29, 2018

  If I Could Change One Thing in My Church It Would Be ...

  I put the statement on social media. The responses were voluminous. After a couple of days, I had to stop counting and tally the results. There were hundreds of them.

• 
  Jul 25, 2018

  5 Reasons Church Revitalization Leaders Must Be Risk Takers

  Indeed, I believe church revitalization leaders should be consummate students of risk taking and change leadership. Let me offer five reasons why:

• 
  Jul 22, 2018

  Baby Boomers Are Returning to Church

  The rebellious generation may become the religious generation.

• 
  Jul 20, 2018

  5 Reasons North American Churches Will See a Wave of Revitalization

  Here is where I take a contrarian position compared to many others, including positions I have held in the past: Of the 300,000 churches in need of revitalization, 100,000 will revitalize organically or internally, and another 100,000 will be revitalized through replanting. It's a bold assertion, but something that could very well unfold over the next five to ten years.