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 rise (1960s – 1990s), fall (2000s), and needed comeback of church recreation ministries.




 	

 	What started with bowling alleys and roller skating has expanded into a variety of sports.




 	

 	The appeal of sports is broad, reaching across multiple demographics.




 	

 	Almost no one in the community will find recreation ministry controversial.




 	

 	Recreation ministry is a unique combination of fun, physical health, and mental health.




 	

 	Too many churches abandoned recreation ministry, and there is a void for faith-based leagues.




 	

 	With the right ministry partner, any church of any size can have a recreation ministry.




 	

 	How Upward is at the forefront of this comeback.



Resources:

 	Upward


 	Episode #2 - How to Make Sports Work for Your Church and Not Against You


 	Episode #3 - What the Future of Church Recreation Ministry Looks Like (Start Now)

Episode Sponsor:


 	* Is your church looking to reach the community? As a pastor or leader, is your desire to reach new families? Use sports as your bridge into the community. As the World’s largest Christian youth sports organization, Upward Sports desires to come alongside your church to advance your mission and promotes Jesus by using sports as your ministry tool. Imagine … families coming to your church, field, local school, parking lot, with their child each week to play in your league. This is where connections are made, relationships are formed, the Gospel is shared, and lives are changed.


 	* By partnering with Upward Sports, your church will customize your unique player package, choose the sport you want to offer, access ministry resources, devotions, coach resources, and gospel materials.


 	* As a self-sustaining ministry, sports outreach fits any church of any size… that is looking to reach their community.


 	* Now is a great time to offer a winter league to prepare for a spring 2024 league.

A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #1 – Why We Need a Church Recreation Ministry Comeback More Than Ever

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https://youtu.be/flFFzgwYsus

One of the signs of a healthy church is people asking tough questions. These questions may be theological, or they may involve life issues. When people are comfortable asking about difficult subjects, it shows trust in leadership. Thom and Sam discuss the importance of having a church culture that encourages asking hard questions.

 	

 	People don't ask tough questions when they don't trust you.




 	

 	People don't ask tough questions when they don't know you.




 	

 	People don't ask tough questions when they don't understand you.




 	

 	People don't ask tough questions when they expect you to ignore them.




 	

 	People don't ask tough questions when they expect you to dodge them.




 	

 	People don't ask tough questions when they expect you to judge them.



Resources:

 	“Every Woman’s Bible” (Discover This Bible)


 	* “Every Woman’s Bible” (Bulk Purchasing)


 	* Tyndale House Publishers


 	* Upward Sports


 	Get your FREE eBook, Deferred Maintenance


 	The Everything Church Resource Directory


 	* The Hope Initiative


 	* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector

Episode Sponsors:

Discover your story in God’s story and find a life of extraordinary purpose.

Every woman brings her own questions to the Bible: If I’m God’s child, why does my life sometimes feel ordinary or even disappointing? Why does the Bible say such hard and confusing things about and to women? How can I understand God and my own identity and place in God’s story?

Every Woman’s Bible doesn’t shy away from the questions women ask. In these pages, active and impactful women of yesterday and today share age-old truths with modern relevance. Contributions from more than 100 women around the world—from every continent—explore the heartfelt needs, gritty challenges, and uncommon faithfulness of women of the Bible, throughout history, and today. Serious study and deep reflection will help you clarify your calling through personal stories, insights, inspiration, and study notes that dig into personal needs during your Bible reading—all created by women, for women.

You’ll find . . .

 	

 	Insight and transformation through deep study
 	Personal growth through reflective content
 	Connection to a global community of women
 	Powerful learning through access to additional study and devotional resources in the Filament Bible App
 	Greater understanding of God through digging into passages that are often difficult for women
 	Challenge through learning from a diverse group of women from many walks of life



This beautiful Bible is created in community across socio-economic lines and international borders,

Why People Don’t Ask Tough Questions in Church

https://youtu.be/590nmINYH78

Thom and Sam are delighted to welcome Brady Shearer to the Rainer on Leadership podcast. Brady is the CEO of Pro Church Tools. His work helps churches navigate what he calls "the single biggest communication shift we've seen in the last 500 years." Here are some questions they will discuss:

 	

 	Why is Gen Z really different from previous generations?




 	

 	Can smaller churches be a positive development?




 	

 	What has taken place to cause such a dramatic shift in communications?



Resources:

 	Upward Sports


 	“Every Woman’s Bible” (Discover This Bible)


 	* “Every Woman’s Bible” (Bulk Purchasing)


 	* Tyndale House Publishers


 	* Pro Church Tools


 	The Pro Church Tools Show


 	* Nucleus


 	Social Sermons


 	* “Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up” by Abigail Shrier (affiliate link)


 	* Ryan Burge


 	The Everything Church Resource Directory


 	* The Hope Initiative


 	* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector

Episode Sponsors:

Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities.  Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community.  Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings.

At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel.  Learn more today at Upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

**As a partner of Rainer or Leadership, Upward Sports is offering a $500 sports start up grant to listeners. Head over to Upward.org/ChurchAnswers and schedule a call… tell them we sent you! Your sports grant will assist you in a 2024 LEAGUE!

Discover your story in God’s story and find a life of extraordinary purpose.

Every woman brings her own questions to the Bible: If I’m God’s child, why does my life sometimes feel ordinary or even disappointing? Why does the Bible say such hard and confusing things about and to women? How can I understand God and my own identity and place in God’s story?

Every Woman’s Bible doesn’t shy away from the questions women ask. In these pages, active and impactful women of yesterday and today share age-old truths with modern relevance. Contributions from more than 100 women around the world—from every continent—explore the heartfelt needs, gritty challenges,

Three Major Future Shifts for Churches You May Not Expect: An Interview with Brady Shearer

https://youtu.be/2Oi5sB3jvAo

The Southern Baptist Convention is experiencing a decline in the scope and scale that is unprecedented in American church history. As the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., the declines in the SBC are noteworthy for many reasons. Ryan Burge joins Thom and Sam on this special episode to discuss what's happening and what the future may hold for the SBC.

 	

 	Membership peaked in 2006 at over 16 million, but today membership is around 13 million, where it stood in 1978.




 	

 	The rate of membership decline has increased, especially in the last three years.




 	

 	The decline in attendance is equally astounding at almost 40%, from a peak of 6.2 million in 2009 to around 3.8 million today.




 	

 	The warning shot from 2005: "A Resurgence Not Yet Realized"




 	

 	Baptisms peaked in 1972 (with fewer members) and have declined by 60% (445k in 1972 compared with 180k in 2022).




 	

 	What got us here? Fights, factions, scandals, and an archaic system of funding.




 	

 	Another big factor is demographics. The SBC became dependent upon its constituency increasing its population size. The opposite took place.




 	

 	What does the future hold? Likely more of the same. The SBC is like a slowly deflating balloon. Every controversy acts as another pinhole, releasing more air. Due to its size, the SBC will not disappear overnight, but it's unlikely the denomination will ever return to its former size.



Resources:

 	Tithe.ly


 	2023 State of Church Giving


 	Ryan Burge


 	“The 2022 Data on the Southern Baptist Convention is Out” by Ryan Burge


 	* 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 Burge Report: A Deep Dive into the Decline of the Southern Baptist Convention

https://youtu.be/I5sqtgPQiJY

It is fascinating to engage church leaders and members about their understanding of discipleship. Frankly, it means different things to different people. Sam and Thom discuss the importance of getting clarity about discipleship in a local church.

 	

 	Why it is important to define (or at least clarify) the term




 	

 	Personal discipleship and corporate discipleship




 	

 	Programs and discipleship




 	

 	Can you measure discipleship in your church?




 	

 	The false dichotomy of evangelism and discipleship



Resources:

 	“Every Woman’s Bible” (Discover This Bible)


 	* “Every Woman’s Bible” (Bulk Purchasing)


 	* Tyndale House Publishers


 	* Upward Sports


 	“Simple Church: Returning to God's Process for Making Disciples” by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger


 	* “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life” by Donald S. Whitney 


 	The Everything Church Resource Directory


 	* The Hope Initiative


 	* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector

Episode Sponsors:

Discover your story in God’s story and find a life of extraordinary purpose.

Every woman brings her own questions to the Bible: If I’m God’s child, why does my life sometimes feel ordinary or even disappointing? Why does the Bible say such hard and confusing things about and to women? How can I understand God and my own identity and place in God’s story?

Every Woman’s Bible doesn’t shy away from the questions women ask. In these pages, active and impactful women of yesterday and today share age-old truths with modern relevance. Contributions from more than 100 women around the world—from every continent—explore the heartfelt needs, gritty challenges, and uncommon faithfulness of women of the Bible, throughout history, and today. Serious study and deep reflection will help you clarify your calling through personal stories, insights, inspiration, and study notes that dig into personal needs during your Bible reading—all created by women, for women.

You’ll find . . .

 	

 	Insight and transformation through deep study
 	Personal growth through reflective content
 	Connection to a global community of women
 	Powerful learning through access to additional study and devotional resources in the Filament Bible App
 	Greater understanding of God through digging into passages that are often difficult for women
 	Challenge through learning from a diverse group of women from many walks of life



This beautiful Bible is created in community across socio-economic lines and international borders, by women united by their bond through Christ. This is your invitation to a global community. Together, in these pages,

The Confusion about the Word “Discipleship”

https://youtu.be/Pz_ZE5cxkQc

Thom welcomes Dr. Naomi Cramer Overton, "Every Woman’s Bible" General Editor and CEO of Stonecroft, and Misty Arterburn, Associate Editor for the "Every Woman’s Bible." The Every Woman’s Bible by Tyndale House Publishers is a study Bible for the heart and mind. The relevant and timely features in this Bible focus on what hundreds of women say they desire from a Bible. Over one hundred scholars, writers, and contributors—all women—from around the world invite readers into serious study and deep reflection through this Bible and to connection in the global community.

 	

 	Why do you see women as central to God’s mission?




 	

 	Why do you see the Every Woman’s Bible as a Bible for such a time as this?




 	

 	Tell us about your vision to see women being transformed and transforming.




 	

 	What do you want church leaders to know as they consider this Bible for their ministries?




 	

 	Why create a woman’s study Bible for heart and mind?




 	

 	What was your approach in tackling the difficult questions this Bible addresses?



Resources:

 	* Upward Sports


 	“Every Woman’s Bible” (Discover This Bible)


 	* “Every Woman’s Bible” (Bulk Purchasing)


 	* Tyndale House Publishers


 	* “Being God's Image: Why Creation Still Matters” by Carmen Imes


 	The Everything Church Resource Directory


 	* The Hope Initiative


 	* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector

Episode Sponsors:

Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities.  Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community.  Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings.

At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel.  Learn more today at Upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

**As a partner of Rainer or Leadership, Upward Sports is offering a $500 sports start up grant to listeners. Head over to Upward.org/ChurchAnswers and schedule a call… tell them we sent you! Your sports grant will assist you in a 2024 LEAGUE!

Discover your story in God’s story and find a life of extraordinary purpose.

Every woman brings her own questions to the Bible: If I’m God’s child, why does my life sometimes feel ordinary or even disappointing? Why does the Bible say such hard and confusing things about and to women? How can I understand God and my own identity and place in God’s story?

Every Woman’s Bible doesn’t shy away from the questions women ask.

Why Every Woman in Your Church Needs This Bible: An Interview with Naomi Cramer Overton and Misty Arterburn

Rainer on Leadership

A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #1 – Why We Need a Church Recreation Ministry Comeback More Than Ever

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