Rainer on Leadership

Most pastors and other ministers understand the tax benefits of housing and the ability to take certain deductions, but many are unaware of these three tax benefits. Thom examines all three. Getting RMD tax-free. The power of deductions on Schedule C. Certain educational expenses. Resources: Upward Sports California Baptist University “Housing Allowance for Ministers: Made Easy” by Art Rainer (affiliate link) Christian Financial Health Report 2024 My Church Staff: Interested in the Minister of Music and/or the Stewardship Pastor? Email info@churchanswers.com Church Answers University 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. 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/   Does your church staff have the skills they need to ensure the church succeeds? Have you thought about who can step into leadership? Do you have staff who would benefit from furthering their education? California Baptist University has options for you and your staff! CBU offers more than three dozen undergraduate and graduate degrees online – which can be completed from anywhere in the world. One of these programs is Organizational Leadership. This program helps develop the managerial skills necessary to lead effectively and broaden professional horizons. This online program is designed with the working professional in mind. It will equip you with sought-after leadership skills that are essential to the success of you and your staff. Classes for the Organizational Leadership bachelor’s degree include the topics of exercising influence, complex problem solving, teamwork, decision making and conflict management. You’ll learn to excel and manage in the workplace while integrating ethical principles and integrity to strengthen the foundation of your organization. Professors bring practical, applicable working knowledge into the classroom, while incorporating biblical principles of leadership. Classes start every eight weeks, so students can start any time. Visit https://calbaptist.edu/apply/ to learn more. The post Three Tax Benefits Ministers May Not Know appeared first on Church Answers.

Ryan Burge and others offer fascinating research about the growth of non-denominational churches, especially compared to denominational churches. Sam and special guest Matt McCraw look at five of the implications of this movement. The challenge is still conversion growth. Denominational churches have been abandoned for a variety of reasons. Networks and neo-denominations are forming. Theological distinctives could be challenged. The implications for ministry training and theological education are profound. Resources: California Baptist University Know Your Community Report Upward Sports “Leading the Jesus Way: Learning to Lead from the Master” by Matt McCraw Matt McCraw Ryan Burge Church Answers University Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: Does your church staff have the skills they need to ensure the church succeeds? Have you thought about who can step into leadership? Do you have staff who would benefit from furthering their education? California Baptist University has options for you and your staff! CBU offers more than three dozen undergraduate and graduate degrees online – which can be completed from anywhere in the world. One of these programs is Organizational Leadership. This program helps develop the managerial skills necessary to lead effectively and broaden professional horizons. This online program is designed with the working professional in mind. It will equip you with sought-after leadership skills that are essential to the success of you and your staff. Classes for the Organizational Leadership bachelor’s degree include the topics of exercising influence, complex problem solving, teamwork, decision making and conflict management. You’ll learn to excel and manage in the workplace while integrating ethical principles and integrity to strengthen the foundation of your organization. Professors bring practical, applicable working knowledge into the classroom, while incorporating biblical principles of leadership. Classes start every eight weeks, so students can start any time. Visit https://calbaptist.edu/apply/ 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. Now is the time to consider using sports as your 2025 outreach ministry! Visit https://www.upward.org/ChurchAnswers/ to learn more. The post The Implications of the Rise of Non-Denominational Churches appeared first on Church Answers.

In this NOW series, we delve into three different ways churches can raise money effectively through unique revenue streams. For each of the streams, Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services answers three questions: What is it? How is it used in the church? How are the funds typically raised? Resources: Church Growth Services Get your FREE eBook, 5 Generosity Megatrends Grow Generosity Academy – Use code THOM for 20% off! Episode #1: 4 Ways to Increase Giving Now! Episode #2: You Can Increase Your Building Funds Now! Episode Sponsor: The post Getting Members Ready to Give at Death Now! appeared first on Church Answers.

In this NOW series, we delve into three different ways churches can raise money effectively through unique revenue streams. For each of the streams, Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services answers three questions: What is it? How is it used in the church? How are the funds typically raised? Resources: Church Growth Services Get your FREE eBook, Deferred Maintenance Episode #1: 4 Ways to Increase Giving Now! Episode #3: Getting Members Ready to Give at Death Now! Episode Sponsor: The post You Can Increase Your Building Funds Now! appeared first on Church Answers.

In this NOW series, we delve into three different ways churches can raise money effectively through unique revenue streams. For each of the streams, Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services answers three questions: What is it? How is it used in the church? How are the funds typically raised? Resources: Church Growth Services Get your FREE eBook, 5 Generosity Megatrends Grow Generosity Academy – Use code THOM for 20% off! Episode #2: You Can Increase Your Building Funds Now! Episode #3: Getting Members Ready to Give at Death Now! Episode Sponsor: The post 4 Ways to Increase Giving Now! appeared first on Church Answers.

Sam is delighted to welcome Amanda Jass to the Rainer on Leadership podcast. Amanda is the general editor of the Go Bible with Tyndale Kids. She loves helping families bring fun and faith into the everyday through her work as a children’s writer, editor, and illustrator. She worked as a kids ministry curriculum developer for several years, and she continues to grow in her passion for teaching kids all about God’s love. Here are some questions they will discuss: How does the Go Bible make the Bible more accessible for kids? The Go Bible has tales of transformed people that illustrate how God can use any of us if we let him to transform our hearts and minds. Which Bible story has God used to transform you? How has your experience with kids and children’s ministry impacted your work on the Go Bible? How do you approach Bible stories with adult content when teaching younger kids? How do you hope the Go Bible will impact kids and adults? Resources: Kids GO Bible Kids GO Bible video Tyndale House Publishers Amanda Jass Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: When God calls, it’s time to go! The Go Bible is bursting with fun and engaging content to help kids explore God’s Word and go share it with others. Paired with the accurate, easy-to-read NLT translation, this kids’ Bible plants seeds of faith and shares the life-changing love of God with kids through over 600 features centered on the theme of transformation. Key Benefits of the Go Bible: Easy to Understand The NLT’s accurate and accessible Bible text uses familiar words that speak to the hearts and minds of readers without having to process technical biblical language. Perfect for readers age 7+. Big Font Size and Colored Text The Go Bible is the full Bible formatted with a 9.5-point font size and a two-column format. Chapter numbers are red and verse numbers are blue, making them easy for children to find. Perfect for reading alone or out loud with an adult. Emphasizes the Theme of Transformation The message of the Bible has transformative effects on the lives of believers. That’s why every feature in the Go Bible emphasizes how God’s power transforms the lives of people in the Bible, and our lives today. Packed with More than 600 Features Connecting Bible Truths to Everyday Life Includes several features tying Bible truth to modern-day life. The Go Bible is available wherever Bibles are sold online, KidsGoBible.com or at your favorite local bookstore! Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. The post When God Calls, It’s Time to Go! An Interview with Amanda Jass appeared first on Church Answers.

Shepherding a church is a difficult assignment. The spiritual attacks are real, and growing a church is far more challenging now than in the past. However, there are some great benefits of being in ministry. Thom and Sam share five perks that most pastors enjoy. Flexible hours Creative freedom Mission trips Housing allowance (and other tax benefits) Eternal significance Bonus thought: Family involvement is great in healthy churches. In unhealthy churches, the pastor’s family can experience a lot of pain. Resources: Kids GO Bible Kids GO Bible video Tyndale House Publishers Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. “7 Basics of Belonging: The Meaning of Church Membership” by Sam Rainer (affiliate link) “Housing Allowance for Ministers: Made Easy” by Art Rainer (affiliate link) Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: When God calls, it’s time to go! The Go Bible is bursting with fun and engaging content to help kids explore God’s Word and go share it with others. Paired with the accurate, easy-to-read NLT translation, this kids’ Bible plants seeds of faith and shares the life-changing love of God with kids through over 600 features centered on the theme of transformation. Key Benefits of the Go Bible: Easy to Understand The NLT’s accurate and accessible Bible text uses familiar words that speak to the hearts and minds of readers without having to process technical biblical language. Perfect for readers age 7+. Big Font Size and Colored Text The Go Bible is the full Bible formatted with a 9.5-point font size and a two-column format. Chapter numbers are red and verse numbers are blue, making them easy for children to find. Perfect for reading alone or out loud with an adult. Emphasizes the Theme of Transformation The message of the Bible has transformative effects on the lives of believers. That’s why every feature in the Go Bible emphasizes how God’s power transforms the lives of people in the Bible, and our lives today. Packed with More than 600 Features Connecting Bible Truths to Everyday Life Includes several features tying Bible truth to modern-day life. The Go Bible is available wherever Bibles are sold online, KidsGoBible.com or at your favorite local bookstore! Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. The post Five Perks of Ministry Just About Every Pastor Loves appeared first on Church Answers.

How bad is the job dissatisfaction level of pastors? More than half of pastors have considered leaving their jobs. What are the leading causes? Stress, isolation, and political division top the list. However, 71% of pastors moderately or completely agree that their lives are close to ideal. What’s going on here? Ryan Burge joins Thom and Sam to discuss the true misery level of pastors. Compared with other professions, clergy have some of the highest life satisfaction rates. The longer a pastor is in ministry, the higher the satisfaction rate. Do younger, dissatisfied pastors drop out of ministry? Thus, the higher rates of satisfaction among older, long-term pastors. Pastors of larger churches tend to be more content than those of smaller churches. But, much of this data was collected before the pandemic. Perhaps pastors are satisfied with their callings but disenchanted with their current church situation. Resources: Tithe.ly 2023 State of Church Giving “Are Members of the Clergy Miserable?” by Ryan Burge Ryan Burge Bi-vocational Co-vocational Certification 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: The True Misery Level of Pastors in America appeared first on Church Answers.

Though counterintuitive, some declining churches start to appreciate their pastors more. This dynamic is usually unhealthy, but not always. Thom and Sam discuss what they see in these situations. What was once unheard of has not become more common. In certain situations, churches must shrink before they become healthier and grow. In these cases, the church is supporting a pastor through a difficult transition season. In other situations, declining churches like how the pastor can give them more personal attention and cater the church to their preferences. A greater portion of churches are in decline, so this phenomenon is becoming more common. Smaller is never a good long-term goal. Making disciples the way God designed requires an outward emphasis. Making disciples with an inward focus usually kills a church. Resources: Kids GO Bible Kids GO Bible video Tyndale House Publishers Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. Brown Church Development Group Get your FREE eBook, Deferred Maintenance Good News Neighbors Invite Your One Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: When God calls, it’s time to go! The Go Bible is bursting with fun and engaging content to help kids explore God’s Word and go share it with others. Paired with the accurate, easy-to-read NLT translation, this kids’ Bible plants seeds of faith and shares the life-changing love of God with kids through over 600 features centered on the theme of transformation. Key Benefits of the Go Bible: Easy to Understand The NLT’s accurate and accessible Bible text uses familiar words that speak to the hearts and minds of readers without having to process technical biblical language. Perfect for readers age 7+. Big Font Size and Colored Text The Go Bible is the full Bible formatted with a 9.5-point font size and a two-column format. Chapter numbers are red and verse numbers are blue, making them easy for children to find. Perfect for reading alone or out loud with an adult. Emphasizes the Theme of Transformation The message of the Bible has transformative effects on the lives of believers. That’s why every feature in the Go Bible emphasizes how God’s power transforms the lives of people in the Bible, and our lives today. Packed with More than 600 Features Connecting Bible Truths to Everyday Life Includes several features tying Bible truth to modern-day life. The Go Bible is available wherever Bibles are sold online, KidsGoBible.com or at your favorite local bookstore! Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. The post Why Some Declining Churches Like Their Pastors More as They Get Smaller appeared first on Church Answers.

The annual cost of family health insurance coverage at work is now around $24,000, up about 7% this year. While there are some ways to mitigate these expenses, healthcare costs are up much relative to other goods and services. Since 2000, the cost of medical care has surged by 119%. In comparison, the prices for all consumer goods and services have increased by 85% over the same timeframe. How should churches support pastors with healthcare costs? The health of the pastor has a direct impact on the health of the church. The problem is not unique to pastors. They are in the same situation as many other workers, especially those who are self-employed. Healthcare is one of the more important benefits churches can provide. Should churches pay healthcare for the employee or the family? It depends. There are ways to reimburse church staff for healthcare costs through Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), but make sure you know the tax guidelines. Each full-time staff person must be offered the same amount. Make sure your employee handbook is up to date and you have sought advice from a professional. Resources: Kids GO Bible Kids GO Bible video Tyndale House Publishers Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. Church Answers Central The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector Episode Sponsors: When God calls, it’s time to go! The Go Bible is bursting with fun and engaging content to help kids explore God’s Word and go share it with others. Paired with the accurate, easy-to-read NLT translation, this kids’ Bible plants seeds of faith and shares the life-changing love of God with kids through over 600 features centered on the theme of transformation. Key Benefits of the Go Bible: Easy to Understand The NLT’s accurate and accessible Bible text uses familiar words that speak to the hearts and minds of readers without having to process technical biblical language. Perfect for readers age 7+. Big Font Size and Colored Text The Go Bible is the full Bible formatted with a 9.5-point font size and a two-column format. Chapter numbers are red and verse numbers are blue, making them easy for children to find. Perfect for reading alone or out loud with an adult. Emphasizes the Theme of Transformation The message of the Bible has transformative effects on the lives of believers. That’s why every feature in the Go Bible emphasizes how God’s power transforms the lives of people in the Bible, and our lives today. Packed with More than 600 Features Connecting Bible Truths to Everyday Life Includes several features tying Bible truth to modern-day life. The Go Bible is available wherever Bibles are sold online, KidsGoBible.com or at your favorite local bookstore! Receive a $500 scholarship off of any of our diplomas at Church Answers University. For scholarship information, email cau@churchanswers.com. The post Rising Healthcare Costs and How Churches Can Support Pastors appeared first on Church Answers.