Podcast Episode #059

From time to time, we wind up with a backlog of questions to cover on the podcast. This week, we chose some that relate to general pastoral advice.

CHRIS - BREAKING ATTENDANCE BARRIERS

Dr. Rainer, I have enjoyed the podcast and many of your books about the church. I pastor a church in a rural community and I am curious about the different attendance barriers. I have seen things on the 200 barrier but what about some of the other barriers. The church I am in seems to hit about 90 and go back down to 65-70. What kind of barriers are there around the 100 range?

DAN - GENERATION GAPS

Our church is an older congregation and we are a church of 100 or so. I am always struggling as pastor to find places of ministry for people who want to serve, younger as well as older people. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions of ministry ideas? I sometimes suggest tasks and sometimes it makes others who are already serving in those areas like they are not needed. I try to let them know it is a team effort. Thank you for any help you and your team could be.

JAKE - WHEN TO LEAVE

How do you know when to vacate the pulpit? How do the church leaders do that? How are other staff members involved in that process, if at all? Love the blog & podcast, thanks for all the hard work. Sincerely, a simple church youth guy at a 150 year old traditional church, stuck in the biggest rut ever!

BEN - FORMER PASTOR STILL THERE

I am beginning my 2nd year as pastor of a small rural church that includes the former pastor of 20 years. I am now the 4th man to pastor this church since he retired. This pastor is a good man, is emotionally supportive, and gives lip service to my leadership. How do I, as the new guy, lead a church to make some very necessary changes while the patriarch looks over my shoulder?

LENNY - DECEASED CHURCH

It looks like we are headed for a deceased church, with the majority of members over 70 years old and less than ten children still coming. Is there any hope for the church or are we putting too much effort and money into a dying church?

COLLIN - STAFF DEMANDS

How does one separate being a church staff member from being an active Church Ministry member?

BRIAN - CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

My church constitution and by-laws read that new members may be admitted to our church by transfer of letter from a church "of like faith and order."  Many churches I am sure have the same language.  And in years past, that was easy to decipher:  Southern Baptist churches move letters to other Southern Baptist churches.  But in this day of a lack of denominational allegiance, many people are members of many denominations and/or "non-denominational" churches, that line has become blurred.  What do you perceive to be the essential issues that would be "of like faith and order?"

JUSTIN - PASTOR SALARY

How do you know when a pastor is getting overpaid? What If he is getting paid a lot but church is not having people come to Christ or being baptized?

KEN - GROUPS MATTER

Our church does pretty well with Sunday worship and small group discipleship.  How important is one-on-one discipleship for church health and how would I develop it?

Episode Sponsor

This podcast was brought to you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Doctor of Ministry program. If you want more out of your ministry, want to study with a world-class faculty and need to stay where you currently serve, the DMin at Southeastern is the answer for you. Visit SEBTS.EDU/DMIN for more information.

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