Thom S. Rainer

Op-ed Contributor

Latest

Apr 17, 2017
7 Common Mistakes Churches Make When They Have an Interim Pastor
The interim period between two pastors can be a time of great benefit for churches. It is for that reason I encourage churches not to make mistakes common during this interim time.
Apr 9, 2017
7 Habits of Long-Tenured Pastors
I have been following these long-tenured pastors for years. And I have seen consistently seven patterns, or habits, in their lives.
Apr 5, 2017
7 Ways for Pastors to Deal With Church Gnats
They won't ever go away. So you can either leave ministry because of them, or you can deal with them. Here are seven ways you can deal with gnats.
Apr 3, 2017
8 Consequences of Building a Church Too Big
The church built too big. And now comes the aftermath. I also call it "unintended consequences." Here are eight of them:
Mar 30, 2017
9 Changes 'Urgent Churches' Must Make or Die
Time is of the essence. If changes do not happen soon, very soon, these churches will die. The pace of congregational death is accelerating.
Mar 27, 2017
5 Fascinating Lessons From a 'Secret' Guest in Church
The guests showed up, but they never returned. Has that ever happened in your church? You try to be friendly to first-time guests. But you never see them again. At times you wonder why they never returned.
Mar 25, 2017
5 Things Churches Do Well
The email stung me. The writer spoke of my negativity about local churches, about how much of my writings are about problems in local congregations.
Mar 22, 2017
6 Reasons Pastors May Be Staying at One Church Longer
The young pastor, at least by my perspective, impressed me. Though only 34 years old, he had a maturity and wisdom about him that went beyond his chronological age.
Mar 19, 2017
5 Reasons Growth May Be More Difficult in Your Church
Every year another two million American adults become less receptive to the gospel, and less receptive to churches.
Mar 14, 2017
7 Reasons the Pastor's Honeymoon Ends
I love hearing from pastors and other church staff about their honeymoons and the reasons they ended. Here are the top seven reasons I compiled from those conversations.