Rainer On Leadership

Every pastor should take a vacation. But pastors can struggle with knowing how much vacation they should take and how long they should be away. Thom discusses best practices with vacation time. The post How Much Vacation Should Pastors Take? appeared first on Church Answers.

How effective are new mover ministries, particularly those where a card is mailed to every new mover in a specified area? Thom and Sam look at some early results they gleaned. The post Does a New Mover Ministry Really Work? An Early Analysis appeared first on Church Answers.

In the conclusion of this special series on recreation ministry, Thom and Sam talk about the future of recreation ministries in churches. More churches will restart their sports programs. Now is the time to begin. The future is bright! The post A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #3 – What the Future of Church Recreation Ministry Looks Like (Start Now) appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom and Sam continue their special series on recreation ministry. Many church leaders bemoan how sports can pull people away from the church. But what if sports can be used to draw people into the body of Christ? Sports can just as easily work for you. The co-hosts explain how on this episode. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #2 – How to Make Sports Work for Your Church and Not Against You appeared first on Church Answers.

In this special episode, Thom and Sam discuss the history of recreation ministry in churches and why it’s poised for a comeback. Sports are massively popular in culture right now. Churches can use this popularity as a big ministry opportunity. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #1 – Why We Need a Church Recreation Ministry Comeback More Than Ever appeared first on Church Answers.

How a pastor dresses is ultimately much less important than teaching sound doctrine and caring for the congregation. But people do notice what you wear. Should pastors dress up on Sunday since they are leaders? Or should they try to blend in with the congregation and be more relatable? Thom and Sam discuss these questions in this episode. The post The Pastor’s Sunday Attire: Dress Up or Blend In? appeared first on Church Answers.

Sam Rainer takes a different role in this podcast as Thom interviews him about the remarkable story of West Bradenton Baptist Church, a neighborhood church that is making a big difference in its community. The post The Story of the Neighborhood Church That Could: An Interview with Sam Rainer appeared first on Church Answers.

Some churches have the uncanny ability to prolong infighting for decades. Other congregations get to a point where the fighting creates collective exhaustion. Thom and Sam discuss what happens when a church stops fighting because everyone is tired. The post What Happens When a Church Exhausts Itself on Fighting appeared first on Church Answers.

At Church Answers we love a good turnaround story, especially when a struggling church gets healthy and begins to thrive. In this episode, Thom and Sam interview Gary Moritz of City United Church in Lunenburg, MA. This comeback story is incredibly inspirational. The post A New England Church Comeback Story Everyone Needs to Know: An Interview with Gary Moritz appeared first on Church Answers.

Charitable giving is up—a near record of $485 billion in 2021, despite surging inflation. However, giving to churches has dropped even though giving to non-profits is up by 4%. In the early 1980s, churches received over half of all charitable giving. Today, churches receive less than a third of all charitable giving. Mike Stadelmayer joins Sam to discuss what’s going on with these trends. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Church Growth Services – Episode #3 – Churches Are Getting Less of Total Charitable Giving Every Year—What’s Going On?: An Interview with Mike Stadelmayer appeared first on Church Answers.

Interest rates are rising, and some churches are experiencing an increase in debt service payments. Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services joins Sam for a special series on generosity. In this episode they discuss the controversial topic of debt and how churches can avoid holding too much debt for too long. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Church Growth Services – Episode #2 – The Implications of Churches Holding More Debt for Longer Periods of Time: An Interview with Mike Stadelmayer appeared first on Church Answers.

How strong is the financial foundation of churches today? Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services joins Sam for a special series on generosity. In this important interview, Mike shares three megatrends affecting every church. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Church Growth Services – Episode #1 – Three Generosity Megatrends Your Church Cannot Afford to Ignore: An Interview with Mike Stadelmayer appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom and Sam welcome Jeff Gissing, Acquisitions Director for Tyndale Bibles, to discuss a unique and powerful telling of the gospel, “God With Us”. An ordained Presbyterian Pastor, he enjoys teaching High Sunday School and leading a small group at his local church. The post God With Us: An Interview with Jeff Gissing appeared first on Church Answers.

One of the key reasons many churches are not growing today is that many of their church members do not know the essentials of the Christian faith. Thom and Sam examine this phenomenon and offer key steps for the church to move forward. The post Five Reasons a Healthy Growing Church Must Teach the Essentials of Christianity appeared first on Church Answers.

It seems that every church that has a renewed emphasis on prayer sees greater health in all areas of the church. Thom and Sam share how effective praying churches have motivated and equipped members for more powerful prayer. The post How to Get Your Church Members to Become Prayer Warriors appeared first on Church Answers.

On this week's episode, Thom and Sam discuss why the typical church must replace a third of its congregation every year to maintain the same number of attendees. Most pastors feel this problem, but the Church Answers team has data on the issue. The post The Break-Even Dilemma: Why Your Church Has to Replace a Third of Attendance to Stay Even Each Year appeared first on Church Answers.

Todd Brown is the CEO of Brown Church Development Group, a national church design/build firm. In this three-part podcast series, we will look at the components of a church master plan. We will also get a high-level overview of the master plan. In this third part, we talk with Todd about the key critical issues of a church master plan. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: What You Really Need to Know about a Church Master Plan: An Interview with Todd Brown appeared first on Church Answers.

Todd Brown is the CEO of Brown Church Development Group, a national church design/build firm. In this three-part podcast series, we will look at the components of a church master plan. We will also get a high-level overview of the master plan. In this second part, we talk with Todd about what it means to right-size your church. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: How to Right-Size Your Church’s Facilities: An Interview with Todd Brown appeared first on Church Answers.

Todd Brown is the CEO of Brown Church Development Group, a national church design/build firm. In this three-part podcast series, we will look at the components of a church master plan. We will also get a high-level overview of the master plan. In this first part, we talk with Todd about the concept of "paths" in a church. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Why Any Size Church Should Have a “Path” for Guests (and Members Too): An Interview with Todd Brown appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom and Sam share five reasons why pastors above the age of 70 will become increasingly common. The post Why Pastors Above the Age of 70 Will Become Increasingly Common appeared first on Church Answers.