Thom S. Rainer

Op-ed Contributor

Latest

Sep 29, 2014
Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Give Up on Established Churches
If you truly believe that established churches have no hope, there is no reason to read this post. I am not, however, among those pessimists. I am an obnoxious optimist about our churches.
Sep 20, 2014
8 Things Pastors Do When Their Churches Are in a Slump
The meaning of "slump" is more evident in sports. When a baseball player, for example, is in a slump, we surmise that he is not hitting as well as he was earlier in the season.
Sep 17, 2014
5 Reasons Many Churches Are Not Growing Evangelistically
It's for you pastors who are frustrated that the church members are not evangelistic. It's for you church members who wonder why the pastor does not reach more people. After all, some may surmise, that is why we pay our pastor.
Sep 15, 2014
5 Incredible Steps to Close the Back Door in Your Church
By "closing the back door," I am referring to assimilating or keeping those who have already become a part of the church. The sad reality is that many churches have less than one-half of their members show up at any one point. They are "walking out the back door."
Sep 14, 2014
5 Ways to Use the Offertory to Enhance Financial Stewardship
But in churches with very healthy giving relative to their demographics, something different takes place in the offertory. It is meaningful. It is engaging. And it makes a difference. Here are five ways I have seen it done well in a number of churches.
Sep 6, 2014
Six Major Implications of the Growth of Multisite Churches
It is one of those topics that almost always engenders lively discussion. Some church leaders are incredibly and positively excited about the multisite church movement. Others view the movement with many questions if not some level of suspicion. But recent studies tell us that we should not ignore this movement.
Aug 24, 2014
7 Traits of Pastors Who Lead Breakout Churches
Most of you have heard the dire information and statistics about congregations in North America. Indeed, I have been among the purveyors of the negative news. For sure, the overall picture is gloomy. There is no hiding from that reality. But I remain an obnoxious optimist about churches across our nation. And one of the primary reasons I do so is some ongoing research and observations about churches that have truly been revitalized.
Aug 10, 2014
7 Ways to Lead 'Unleadable' People in a Church
The email came to me just as I quoted. Though I didn't think "unleadable" was a word, I knew exactly what the pastor meant. He was in an established church. He had been there for less than four years. And he was frustrated. Very frustrated.
Jul 30, 2014
3 Views on How Long a Sermon Should Be
The reality is there are two major trends taking place related to sermon length. I have been following these trends through anecdotal information and social media polls for three years. There are growing numbers of respondents who believe sermons should be longer. There are also growing numbers of respondents who believe sermons should be shorter. And there aren't many people in the middle of those two divergent views.
Jul 19, 2014
When Is It Time for a Pastor to Leave a Church? 7 Scenarios
I am reticent to write this article. I do not want to encourage pastors to leave churches too early. Frankly, many pastors have shared with me that, in the aftermath of their departures, they realized they had made a mistake. They left too soon.