Rainer on Leadership

The prevailing wisdom for pastors is longer tenure is better. This principle is generally true. A string of shorter tenures is usually not healthy for churches. But it is possible to stay too long. What are some of the warning signs? When you become the lightning rod with every change effort. When you give up on innovation and find deep comfort in the status quo of the past. When your physical body can no longer take the demands of ministry. When apathy or anger dominates your feelings. When you consistently blame the congregation for lack of progress. When your primary motivator is paying the bills or cruising to retirement. When you would rather let the church die than die trying to save it. Resources: My Church Staff “The Daily Walk Bible” Tyndale House Publishers FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Develop your next staff member for $100 per month! Church answers will provide best practices for finding a staff member, then we will provide an expert to help train that staff member. We are starting with two staff positions: stewardship (led by Art Rainer) and worship (led by Mark Harland). Take some of the burden off of yourself; let Church Answers help you develop a great staff team through My Church Staff. Join now for $100 per month and cancel at any time (though we don’t think you’ll want to). Visit My Church Staff to learn more.   The Daily Walk Bible: Your guide to walking daily with God The Daily Walk Bible takes you on a guided path through Scripture. Each of the 366 daily Bible readings is enhanced with a short overview that emphasizes different aspects of God’s story and a devotional to immerse you in what you have just experienced. Every seventh day you’ll pause to reflect, reconnect with what you have read, consider areas where deeper understanding beckons, and open your heart to hear God’s voice. Ready to go deeper? Just download the Filament Bible app and scan the icon at the top of each page for an in-depth exploration of the passage you are reading with notes, devotionals, videos, graphics, and more. Let The Daily Walk Bible be your guide as you explore Scripture throughout the year and discover more of who God is through his Word. Start Walking Through God’s Word Visit The Daily Walk Bible to learn more. The post The Warning Signs You’ve Stayed Too Long at a Church appeared first on Church Answers.

It’s understandable why people would think, “This place is full of Christians. It must be one of the safest places in my community.” But churches are not inherently safe. Quite the opposite. Churches have a target on them! You are a spiritual target for the powers of darkness. Sam Rainer and Matt McCraw discuss some key issues involving church safety. Churches are typically high-trust, high-hospitality, and low-security environments. The way a new person is treated in a church is completely different than at an elementary school. Churches assume the best and start at a place of trust. Schools start at a place of caution. The biggest threats are usually internal, not external. It can be hard to spot a person intending harm because they do not typically announce their motives. Background checks are not enough to ensure safety. There can be no exceptions to the rules, even with your best and most involved people. Resources: “The Daily Walk Bible” Tyndale House Publishers My Church Staff Safe Church Training “Make My Church Safe: A Guide to the Best Practices to Protect Children and Secure Your Congregation from Harm” by Sam Rainer (affiliate link) FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: The Daily Walk Bible: Your guide to walking daily with God The Daily Walk Bible takes you on a guided path through Scripture. Each of the 366 daily Bible readings is enhanced with a short overview that emphasizes different aspects of God’s story and a devotional to immerse you in what you have just experienced. Every seventh day you’ll pause to reflect, reconnect with what you have read, consider areas where deeper understanding beckons, and open your heart to hear God’s voice. Ready to go deeper? Just download the Filament Bible app and scan the icon at the top of each page for an in-depth exploration of the passage you are reading with notes, devotionals, videos, graphics, and more. Let The Daily Walk Bible be your guide as you explore Scripture throughout the year and discover more of who God is through his Word. Start Walking Through God’s Word Visit The Daily Walk Bible to learn more.   Develop your next staff member for $100 per month! Church answers will provide best practices for finding a staff member, then we will provide an expert to help train that staff member. We are starting with two staff positions: stewardship (led by Art Rainer) and worship (led by Mark Harland). Take some of the burden off of yourself; let Church Answers help you develop a great staff team through My Church Staff. Join now for $100 per month and cancel at any time (though we don’t think you’ll want to). Visit My Church Staff to learn more. The post Why Churches Are Not Inherently Safe Places appeared first on Church Answers.

Money is a sensitive subject but ignore financial best practices at your peril. Many churches publish two sets of numbers weekly: worship attendance and giving. There it is, front and center—how many attended and the collective amount they gave. Despite the visibility, churches can struggle with the right amount of financial oversight. What are some common ways financial mismanagement occurs in the church? Major spending outside of the budget. Using part of the budget for unintended purposes. Hiding personal expenses. Burying unnecessary expenses in vague line items. How can you start to solve these problems? Have a consistent process. Multiple checks by multiple people. Transparent reporting. Leadership accountability. Resources: Upward Sports California Baptist University Safe Church Training “Make My Church Safe: A Guide to the Best Practices to Protect Children and Secure Your Congregation from Harm” by Sam Rainer (affiliate link) Brown Church Development Group Church Growth Services: Get your free campaign capacity analysis! FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Who is Upward Sports? Upward Sports is the World’s largest Christian youth sports organization, dedicated to partnering with local churches to use sports outreach to reach the community. Upward Sports offers basketball, cheerleading, soccer, flag football, volleyball, baseball, and soccer as a league offering. When partnering with Upward Sports, your church can reach the community, attract young families, and share the Gospel. Upward Sports will customize your sports outreach strategy to support your church budget and community needs. We know one size does not fit all. Are you looking to engage new families, bless your community, or mobilize your congregation to serve? Consider adding sports ministry in 2025. If you have a gym, field space, or even access to a facility consider Upward Sports. Now is the time to consider using sports as your 2025 outreach ministry! Schedule a call to learn more about launching a first-class, organized, intentional league in the new year! Visit https://www.upward.org/ChurchAnswers/   Are you preparing the leaders in your church for the future? Are you considering pursuing YOUR degree? Let California Baptist University help you live your purpose and achieve your goals! CBU offers a full breadth of courses through its online degree programs. Whether you’re looking to start your degree, finish your degree, or prepare others, CBU’s degree programs provide a flexible, online learning environment for everyone. Classes start every eight weeks; begin any time. An online degree can: Help you gain a better understanding of your life’s purpose; Symbolize competence and integrity in your career; and Provide you with the skills and knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. Your team may benefit from a degree in business, leadership, finance, communications or Christian studies. There are dozens of online CBU programs available to you! Are you looking for a degree to prepare your team for active leadership roles in the church or your organization? Consider the online Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries, which develops servant leaders with the tools for understanding and communicating biblical truths. Financial aid is available, and thanks to CBU donors, online undergraduate degrees in Christian Ministries and Christian Studies may qualify for additional scholarship, making earning your degree more affordable. Visit https://calbaptist.edu to learn more. The post Common Ways Financial Mismanagement Occurs in the Church appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom is joined by Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group, who are “The Church Facility Experts.” In this third episode, we discuss what a church should consider when moving to a new piece of property or completely starting over. Go through the steps (in the first episode) to prove you must relocate because relocating to a new piece of property can be a tough process. Finances are usually the toughest boundary to overcome. Relocating to a new property usually, but not always, doesn’t give you more building on the first phase.  Use the program that you developed to determine your current property doesn’t work and use it to tell you how many acres of land you need. Rule of thumb – 1 Acre per 100 people. Many churches buy too much property, and the dirt delays building.  Take special time to find the right land in the right location. Depending on your location, land cost can be crazy expensive. You will need help assessing the property because there are several issues to consider including shape, topography, easements, zoning, and connection to utilities. Create a Blocking Diagram on the prospective site to confirm the property would be a good location for a church. Some properties are not good for churches. Resources: Brown Church Development Group Part 1: Is Your Church Really Ready for Relocation? Part 2: Moving Your Church to Another Building Church Growth Services Episode Sponsor: The post Things to Consider When Relocating Your Church Facility – Part 3: Starting All Over–New Property, New Building With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom is joined by Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group, who are “The Church Facility Experts.” In this second episode, we discuss what a church should consider before relocating to another building. Calculate the space requirement needed for your current and future ministry needs. This is typically part of what architects call programming. With this, you can know the potential size of the facility you need and the space needed later.  Do a conceptual Master Plan (Growth Strategy) on the prospective property before purchase. This will give you the potential of the relocation site. Do a cost analysis comparing a new site and building to renovation and expanding. Site cost for some of these buildings could be huge savings (parking lots). Inspect the roof as that can be a big cost. Analyze the location – is it where you want to be?  Buildings typically considered: Other church facilities. This usually can work great for a smaller church. Consider parking and land limits. Commercial properties (big box stores, malls, and store fronts). Resources: Brown Church Development Group Part 1: Is Your Church Really Ready for Relocation? Part 3: Starting All Over–New Property, New Building Episode Sponsor: The post Things to Consider When Relocating Your Church Facility – Part 2: Moving Your Church to Another Building With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom is joined by Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group, who are “The Church Facility Experts.” In this first episode, we discuss what qualifies a church for relocation and why you need to prove with data that you can’t stay on the site. Steps to consider before leaving your current facility: Create a Facility Growth Strategy for your current property and identify the limiting factors to your ministry. This will give you tangible reasons to relocate or to stay. You can create a strategy that tells you to stay or go without going into great detail. Some properties will require you to abandon, but most will give you an opportunity to stay if you do your homework.  Once you have a Facility Growth Strategy or just balanced your facility, use creative programming and maximize your ROI with detailed multiple sessions.  A good Facility Growth Strategy will identify growth potential on your property and potential for acquiring surrounding property. Remember the most expensive thing to do is relocate. You must exhaust all avenues to stay. Most churches get pennies on the dollar when they sell a facility. Your facility is worth the most to your congregation so you can afford to pay a lot for surrounding property. Your facility is worth $300 to $400 per SF to you if you are considering starting over. Exhaust the idea of staying on a property before considering relocation. As part of a Facility Growth Strategy, you might need to form an investment group in your church to begin buying surrounding properties. The reality of relocation typically comes down to balancing the ministry space needs with the finances. If you do not consider finances, you will make bad choices. Resources: Brown Church Development Group Part 2: Moving Your Church to Another Building Part 3: Starting All Over–New Property, New Building Episode Sponsor: The post Things to Consider When Relocating Your Church Facility – Part 1: Is Your Church Really Ready for Relocation? With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group appeared first on Church Answers.

Church greeter ministries are among the most undervalued ministries in churches today, even though churches of all sizes can have this ministry. Sam and Thom examine six reasons the ministries struggle or fail. The church fails to understand its importance. The ministry does not have a clear champion. The church does not provide ongoing training for greeters. The pastor does not articulate its importance. There is no system of ongoing recruiting. They have never used the secret guest ministry. Resources: California Baptist University Upward Sports Danny Franks “Make My Church Safe: A Guide to the Best Practices to Protect Children and Secure Your Congregation from Harm” by Sam Rainer (affiliate link) Safe Church Training “Becoming a Welcoming Church” by Thom S. Rainer (affiliate link) FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Are you preparing the leaders in your church for the future? Are you considering pursuing YOUR degree? Let California Baptist University help you live your purpose and achieve your goals! CBU offers a full breadth of courses through its online degree programs. Whether you’re looking to start your degree, finish your degree, or prepare others, CBU’s degree programs provide a flexible, online learning environment for everyone. Classes start every eight weeks; begin any time. An online degree can: Help you gain a better understanding of your life’s purpose; Symbolize competence and integrity in your career; and Provide you with the skills and knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. Your team may benefit from a degree in business, leadership, finance, communications or Christian studies. There are dozens of online CBU programs available to you! Are you looking for a degree to prepare your team for active leadership roles in the church or your organization? Consider the online Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries, which develops servant leaders with the tools for understanding and communicating biblical truths. Financial aid is available, and thanks to CBU donors, online undergraduate degrees in Christian Ministries and Christian Studies may qualify for additional scholarship, making earning your degree more affordable. Visit https://calbaptist.edu to learn more.   Who is Upward Sports? Upward Sports is the World’s largest Christian youth sports organization, dedicated to partnering with local churches to use sports outreach to reach the community. Upward Sports offers basketball, cheerleading, soccer, flag football, volleyball, baseball, and soccer as a league offering. When partnering with Upward Sports, your church can reach the community, attract young families, and share the Gospel. Upward Sports will customize your sports outreach strategy to support your church budget and community needs. We know one size does not fit all. Are you looking to engage new families, bless your community, or mobilize your congregation to serve? Consider adding sports ministry in 2025. If you have a gym, field space, or even access to a facility consider Upward Sports. Now is the time to consider using sports as your 2025 outreach ministry! Schedule a call to learn more about launching a first-class, organized, intentional league in the new year! Visit https://www.upward.org/ChurchAnswers/ The post 6 Reasons Why Most Church Greeter Ministries Struggle appeared first on Church Answers.

More and more churches have a digital ministry, but who is really tuning in? Thom and Sam interview Ryan Burge to get to the facts of digital church services. The results will likely surprise you and run contrary to popular belief. There is no evidence that a large segment of people are online only, which was just 12% of the total survey sample. Only 6% of people who never attend in-person worship had watched online. Among those attending religious services multiple times a week, 57% were also watching online church. In-person attendance seems to drive watching online, not the other way around. Virtual worship has little more than an add-on effect for people who are already religiously engaged. People who don’t attend that much aren’t filling that void with online services, at least not in huge numbers. Your digital worship experiences are likely to be consumed by your highly engaged church members, not the community. Your digital worship experiences are also good for those who cannot attend (e.g. the elderly). The vast majority of people think that gathering in person is superior to joining an online stream, even younger generations. Resources: Tithe.ly 2023 State of Church Giving “Who is Attending Online Church?” by Ryan Burge Ryan Burge The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Tithely provides churches around the world with software tools to help them and their ministries thrive. Nearly 40,000 churches use Tithely for online and text giving, managing their people’s information, volunteer management, child check in, church apps and websites, and communicating through email and text messaging. Made up of a team of ministry-minded people, Tithely’s heart is to see the local church empowered with the tools to fulfill their mission. You can sign up for free at Tithely.com – yes that’s right, it’s free! Tithely’s giving platform comes with no monthly fees and no contracts. Get started taking donations in just 5 minutes at Tithely.com. Also, right now Tithely is offering a free report called “2023 State of Church Giving Report.” You can access that report free by clicking on the link in the show notes. The post The Burge Report: Who Is Really Attending Online Church? appeared first on Church Answers.

The times right before and right after worship services are probably more important than you realize. Pastors have a unique opportunity to interact with the entire church. As a church leader, your persona on Sunday morning is not the whole of who you are, but it’s often the primary way church members form perceptions about you. Thom and Sam talk about the six best practices for pastors before and after worship services. Do: Take the initiative. The most approachable pastors approach others first. Don’t: Retreat to your office and avoid people. Do: Give yourself 5-10 minutes to recharge between services if you have multiple services. Don’t: Check your phone often. It may even be best to not carry your phone. Do: MBWA. Or “management by walking around.” Walk the halls and peek in classrooms. You will learn a lot about the happenings of your church. Don’t: Forgo prayer with people. The message is fresh in minds. Worship has softened hearts. It’s a great time to show someone how to seek God in prayer. Resources: Upward Sports California Baptist University “Seven Reasons We Should Encourage Our Members Not to Use Their Smartphones or Tablets in Worship Services” by Thom S. Rainer FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Who is Upward Sports? Upward Sports is the World’s largest Christian youth sports organization, dedicated to partnering with local churches to use sports outreach to reach the community. Upward Sports offers basketball, cheerleading, soccer, flag football, volleyball, baseball, and soccer as a league offering. When partnering with Upward Sports, your church can reach the community, attract young families, and share the Gospel. Upward Sports will customize your sports outreach strategy to support your church budget and community needs. We know one size does not fit all. Are you looking to engage new families, bless your community, or mobilize your congregation to serve? Consider adding sports ministry in 2025. If you have a gym, field space, or even access to a facility consider Upward Sports. Now is the time to consider using sports as your 2025 outreach ministry! Schedule a call to learn more about launching a first-class, organized, intentional league in the new year! Visit https://www.upward.org/ChurchAnswers/   Are you preparing the leaders in your church for the future? Are you considering pursuing YOUR degree? Let California Baptist University help you live your purpose and achieve your goals! CBU offers a full breadth of courses through its online degree programs. Whether you’re looking to start your degree, finish your degree, or prepare others, CBU’s degree programs provide a flexible, online learning environment for everyone. Classes start every eight weeks; begin any time. An online degree can: Help you gain a better understanding of your life’s purpose; Symbolize competence and integrity in your career; and Provide you with the skills and knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. Your team may benefit from a degree in business, leadership, finance, communications or Christian studies. There are dozens of online CBU programs available to you! Are you looking for a degree to prepare your team for active leadership roles in the church or your organization? Consider the online Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries, which develops servant leaders with the tools for understanding and communicating biblical truths. Financial aid is available, and thanks to CBU donors, online undergraduate degrees in Christian Ministries and Christian Studies may qualify for additional scholarship, making earning your degree more affordable. Visit https://calbaptist.edu to learn more. The post 6 Do’s and Don’ts for Pastors Before and After Worship Services appeared first on Church Answers.

Almost 25 years ago, we completed a research project that yielded the book “Surprising Insights from the Unchurched.” The study was a breakthrough in many ways, shattering long-held myths about how the unchurched felt about the church. What about now? Do the unchurched today have feelings similar to those of a generation ago? Thom and Sam reveal their new research. The unchurched and churched believe local churches are generally good for their communities, with almost 6 out of 10 unchurched people agreeing or strongly agreeing. The unchurched believe churches are still relevant but not trustworthy. A significant surprise emerged in the data: Non-attendees view the church as more relevant today than churchgoers! But the issue of trust was a different story. Attendees generally trust their churches (81%) and pastors (76%), while trust levels were lower among non-attendees with churches (30%) and pastors (35%). The unchurched are open to friendships through church but are intimidated to visit because they don’t feel welcome. Over half of non-attendees believe the church would be a good place to make new friends, but they are intimidated to visit a church alone. The unchurched don’t attend mainly because of indifference and not because of busyness or antagonism. Churched people care more about worship style, programming, and denominational preferences than the unchurched. But the top reason churched people attend a particular church is because someone invited them. The church and unchurched alike attend a particular church primarily because someone invited them. Resources: California Baptist University Upward Sports “Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them” by Thom S. Rainer (affiliate link) FREE Research Report! New Surprising Insights Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Are you preparing the leaders in your church for the future? Are you considering pursuing YOUR degree? Let California Baptist University help you live your purpose and achieve your goals! CBU offers a full breadth of courses through its online degree programs. Whether you’re looking to start your degree, finish your degree, or prepare others, CBU’s degree programs provide a flexible, online learning environment for everyone. Classes start every eight weeks; begin any time. An online degree can: Help you gain a better understanding of your life’s purpose; Symbolize competence and integrity in your career; and Provide you with the skills and knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. Your team may benefit from a degree in business, leadership, finance, communications or Christian studies. There are dozens of online CBU programs available to you! Are you looking for a degree to prepare your team for active leadership roles in the church or your organization? Consider the online Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministries, which develops servant leaders with the tools for understanding and communicating biblical truths. Financial aid is available, and thanks to CBU donors, online undergraduate degrees in Christian Ministries and Christian Studies may qualify for additional scholarship, making earning your degree more affordable. Visit https://calbaptist.edu to learn more.   Who is Upward Sports? Upward Sports is the World’s largest Christian youth sports organization, dedicated to partnering with local churches to use sports outreach to reach the community. Upward Sports offers basketball, cheerleading, soccer, flag football, volleyball, baseball, and soccer as a league offering. When partnering with Upward Sports, your church can reach the community, attract young families, and share the Gospel. Upward Sports will customize your sports outreach strategy to support your church budget and community needs. We know one size does not fit all. Are you looking to engage new families, bless your community, or mobilize your congregation to serve? Consider adding sports ministry in 2025. If you have a gym, field space, or even access to a facility consider Upward Sports. Now is the time to consider using sports as your 2025 outreach ministry! Schedule a call to learn more about launching a first-class, organized, intentional league in the new year! Visit https://www.upward.org/ChurchAnswers/ The post NEW Surprising Insights from the Unchurched (Releasing New Research) appeared first on Church Answers.