Thom Rainer Articles

  • Five Reasons Church Members Attend Church Less Frequently

    About 20 years ago, a church member was considered active in the church if he or she attended three times a week. Today, a church member is considered active in the church if he or she attends three times a month. Something is wrong with this picture. For 2,000 years, the local church, as messy as ...

  • Eight Major Changes in Churches the Past Ten Years

    What are some of the major changes that have taken place in congregations that are doing relatively well? What are some of the ways these congregations have adapted to new realities? Here is a hint: None of the changes in healthy churches have compromised doctrine, diminished the centrality of ...

  • Eight Reasons Churches Became Too Busy

    In an earlier post, I talked about how our churches can become more intentional about doing real ministry instead of busy work. But in this article, I address how churches became so busy. Perhaps understanding the origins of dysfunctional busyness will help churches avoid this problem in the ...

  • Seven Habits of Long-Tenured Pastors

    I have been following these long-tenured pastors for years. And I have seen consistently seven patterns, or habits, in their lives.

  • Ten Common Sentiments Pastors Wish They Could Express

    I love pastors. I respect pastors. No, they aren’t perfect. Indeed, they often have many struggles and challenges. As I reviewed the thousands of comments I have heard from pastors, I began to see a pattern of silent expressions.

  • Five Ways Pastors Can Reverse Negative Sentiments in a Church

    What can a pastor or church leader do to help move the congregation more positively? After hearing from pastors and church leaders, I can offer five suggested paths that have proved fruitful in other churches.

  • Seven Common Mistakes Churches Make When They Have an Interim Pastor

    “Interim” sounds like a pregnant pause anticipating something down the road. So when you put the adjective in front of “pastor” or “church,” it just feels like less than ideal.

  • Seven Ways to Deal with 'Gnats' in Ministry

    I hate gnats. I particularly hate the gnats called the no-see-ums or sandflies. They are present certain months of the year on the beach. Though almost invisible to the naked eye, they can pack a powerful sting.

  • Five Things the Traditional Church Is Doing Well

    The email stung me. The writer spoke of my negativity about local churches, about how much of my writings are about problems in local congregations.

  • Five Reasons Growth May Be More Difficult in Your Church

    Cultural Christianity is dying. One no longer has to be a Christian or in a church to be accepted by society. That relatively easy pool of prospective attendees for our churches is disappearing.
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