Thom S. Rainer

Latest

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  Jan 28, 2017

  6 Church Land Purchase Trends

  I have noted on numerous occasions the incredible pace of change impacting churches. Another change is increasingly become more evident: how and when churches make land purchases. Here are six major shifts

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  Jan 25, 2017

  7 Steps to Take If 'The Cartel' and Bullies Run You Out of Church

  A bully-led personnel committee ran Frank out of the church. They never told the pastor why they wanted him to resign. Jan was a very active layperson in the student ministry. A cartel of jealous church members pushed her out of the church.

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  Jan 23, 2017

  Should a Staff Person Fill the Pulpit When There Is No Pastor?

  Should a staff person become the interim preacher until the new pastor arrives?

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  Jan 21, 2017

  7 Questions Pastor Hires Should Ask If They Barely Receive a Positive Vote

  You receive a vote of 72 percent. Should you go to that church?

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  Jan 19, 2017

  5 Questions Your Church Should Ask About Communications

  Annual evaluation is commonplace in work, in school, and in life. A new year presents the opportunity for us to take a moment to evaluate where we are at the beginning of the year, where we want to be at the end of the year, and how we can get from A to B during the year.

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  Jan 15, 2017

  15 Top Responses to the Word 'Baptist'

  What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Baptist"? That is the question I asked in the Twitterverse. And many responded ... quickly and frequently.

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  Jan 13, 2017

  6 Statements That Can Kill a Church

  Words can kill churches because they often have deadly actions behind them. As we begin this new year, please allow me to share six statements that I have heard from church members whose churches have died.

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  Jan 8, 2017

  5 Common Greeter Mistakes to Correct

  Greeter ministries, like any other ministries, can get in a rut. And since we are about to greet a new year, let's have an honest conversation about how to begin a new year with some improvements in your greeter ministry.

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  Jan 3, 2017

  10 Major Trends for Churches in 2017

  For those who read my blog regularly, you know I do a "trends post" every year early in January. This next statement sounds totally immodest, but I'm pretty good at predictive trends.

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  Dec 31, 2016

  7 New Year's Resolutions Every Pastor Should Make

  I admit it. I used to hate New Year resolutions. They seemed so contrived and short-termed. I've probably had resolutions to lose over 2,000 pounds over the course of my life.