Thom Rainer Articles

  • Eleven Vital Steps to Minimize Risk of Child Sex Abuse in Your Church

    Most church leaders and church members are shocked and unprepared when allegations of child sex abuse arise in their churches. But it is a huge risk in all churches.

  • Five Unique Christmas Gifts for Your Pastor and Church Staff

    A farmer gave our family a basket of corn from his harvest. It meant a lot. We were struggling financially, so the gift of food really helped. But, even more, it was an act of love from a hardworking man. I appreciated his heart as much as I appreciated the physical gift.

  • Five Surprising Insights About the Unchurched

    They aren’t antagonistic. They welcome a conversation with believers. They aren’t staying out of church for the reasons you may think.

  • Five Reasons a Christmas Eve Service Reaches the Unreached

    While Easter is the day most churchgoers decide to show up at the same time, Christmas Eve is indeed prime time for the unchurched. Why is that? Here are five key reasons.

  • Five Personal Leadership Lessons I've Learned the Hard Way

    I have positional leadership, but that does not mean I am truly a leader. There are several reasons for this rather negative self-assessment, but the essence of my own evaluation comes from my failure to learn quickly and adjust.

  • Four Differences Between Programs and Ministry Solutions

    I saw some non-program church leaders using the same resources as churches that were program-centered. I realized then that the definition of programmatic was not necessarily tied to the resources used. Instead I began to see four distinctive differences between what I now called programs and ...

  • Seven Ways Pastors Can Deal With the Monday Blues

    It can be the toughest day of the week for pastors. They have preached with passion and conviction. They have prayed for lives to be impacted. They have worked 15 hours on Sunday. Some have taken the barbs from critics. Others have self-doubt about their sermons. Some are considering quitting.

  • The Seven Deadly Sins of Church Announcements

    Have you ever had a cringe moment listening to church announcements? Most of you are probably nodding your head affirmatively. So what are the biggest factors in bad church announcements? Here are seven of the deadliest.

  • Five Categorical Lies About Pastors

    I’ve had enough. I’ve heard the lies too many times. It’s time for them to end. The lies are about pastors and staff. They are false statements that seem to have some traction. They are diminishing the respect of pastors. And, for the most part, they are undeserved.

  • Five Reasons Why Churches Are Dying and Declining Faster Today

    “In the past, I’ve been able to lead churches to growth. I can’t do it anymore. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” A pastor shared those sentences with me just three days ago. He was frustrated. He was confused. He was exhausted. And he is not alone.
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