Rainer on Leadership

By Thom Rainer

What's Rainer on Leadership about?

Your online home for leadership lessons for both the church and the workplace.

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The Six Most Simple Adjustm...

09.20.2019

Your church can become more welcoming regardless of how welcoming you may think it already is. Today we cover six simple adjustments that cost little to nothing that will have exponentially great results.

Rainer on Leadership episodes:

09.20.2019 The Six Most Simple Adjustments to Become a Welcoming Church – Rainer on Leadership #573 Your church can become more welcoming regardless of how welcoming you may think it already is. Today we cover six simple adjustments that cost little to nothing that will have exponentially great results.
09.17.2019 Getting under the Hood of Church Giving to Increase Generosity in Your Congregation – Rainer on Leadership #572 Increasing generosity is not just about asking for more money more often. It's about building the spiritual discipline of giving.
09.13.2019 How Churches Should Respond to Seven Major Changes – Rainer on Leadership #571 We recently highlights seven changes are facing today. In this episode, we discuss how to combat these changes.
09.10.2019 Seven Ways to Hurt Your Pastor – Rainer on Leadership #570 We hear from hundreds and hundreds of pastors every week. Many of them are hurting. Today, we cover seven most common ways church members hurt their pastors.
09.06.2019 Leading Millennials in Your Church – Rainer on Leadership #569 Troy Pollock from Pushpay joins us today to discuss church technology and how you can better reach Millennials in your church.
09.03.2019 Seven Things Pastors Would Like Church Members to Know about Their Children – Rainer on Leadership #568 Children of pastors often feel like they live in glass house. Today, we take a look at an older post from ThomRainer.com on their thoughts about being seen as a pastor's kid.
08.30.2019 Seven Things We Should Celebrate Regularly in Our Churches – Rainer on Leadership #567 What you celebrate, you become. And today we discuss ways churches can celebrate how God is working in them and through them.
08.27.2019 Seven Major Ways Pastors Discern It’s Time to Leave Their Church – Rainer on Leadership #566 One of the most frequently asked questions we get asked relates to when it's time to take a pastorate or leave one. Today we cover seven ways to sense it's time to leave.
08.23.2019 Six Reasons Longevity Is Critical for Change Leadership – Rainer on Leadership #565 Change in a church does not happen overnight. Leading a group of people to change takes time. Today we look at six reasons why longevity is so critical to change.
08.20.2019 Six Reasons Pastors Must Become Change Leaders – Rainer on Leadership #564 Determining the correct pace of change is often the most important aspect of leading change—because change is needed in nearly every church situation.
08.16.2019 Six Reasons Why the Minimization of Numerical Metrics Is Dangerous – Rainer on Leadership #563 Metrics have a bad reputation in some churches. In others, they're too much of the focus. Today, we discus why you should take a balanced approach to metrics.
08.13.2019 Six Reasons Why “People Are Saying . . .” Is the Most Frustrating Comment for Church Leaders – Rainer on Leadership #562 When a pastor hears the phrase "People are saying . . . ", it brings a great deal of anxiety. But should it? Today, we discuss the reasons for the anxiety and how to deal with it.
08.09.2019 Five Updates on Pastoral Attire – Rainer on Leadership #561 Pastoral attire seems to be a hot issue in almost every church. Today, we discuss the response to another recent podcast on the subject and provide a few updates.
08.06.2019 Five Reasons Some Churches Celebrate Debt Retirement – Rainer on Leadership #560 Debt can drag down a church's finances and keep it from being able to minister as it would like to. So when a church retires its debt, it's typically a cause for celebration.
08.02.2019 Should Pastors Announce Their Upcoming Vacation? – Rainer on Leadership #559 Pastoral vacations can lead to some disagreements between church members—mainly on whether or not the church should know it's coming. Today we discuss both sides of the issue.
07.30.2019 Six Ways a Church Failed the Guest Friendliness Test – Rainer on Leadership #558 Every church thinks they're a guest friendly church. But as we discuss today, guest friendliness is not something at which every church excels.
07.26.2019 Six Reasons a Healthy Culture Is Imperative for Inviting Others to Church – Rainer on Leadership #557 Church culture is important to the outreach of a church, and subsequently, how much members will invite others. Today we discuss how inviting can create and improve the church culture.
07.23.2019 Six Ways Toxic Members Deter Invitations to Church – Rainer on Leadership #556 When toxic members are present in a church, resources are spent on overcoming the fallout of toxic members. As a result, members are less likely to invite others to church.
07.19.2019 Why the Pendulum on Church Metrics May Be Swinging Too Far – Rainer on Leadership #555 There is a pendulum swing in church leadership circles as it relates to the viewpoint of church metrics. Numbers and tracking numbers aren't inherently bad, but they can be abused.
07.16.2019 Seven Reasons Why More Churches Are Calling on Interventionists – Rainer on Leadership #554 Churches who want to become healthier often need outside eyes and a fresh perspective. Today, we discuss how consultants (interventionists) can help.
07.12.2019 Seven Thoughts on Pastoral Attire in Worship Services – Rainer on Leadership #553 Pastoral attire has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Today, we examine why that has happened and how to adapt to this change.
07.09.2019 Six Common Mistakes Made by Preachers from the Pulpit (That Might Get Them in Trouble) – Rainer on Leadership #552 Preachers sometimes say some strange things from the pulpit. Today, we discuss some of the things that get said that can cause problems for a preacher.
07.05.2019 10 Responses from Fired Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #551 Almost every pastor has had to deal with being fired—often for little to no reason. Today, we discuss a recent post on the topic and explain it further.
07.02.2019 Six Reactions to the Increase of Declining Church Stats – Rainer on Leadership #550 The pace of decline for many churches is accelerating. The stats are quite alarming. Today, we cover a recent post on the topic.
06.28.2019 Seven Ways Healthy Church Members Pray for Their Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #549 Church members who are unifying are church members who pray for their church. Today, we discuss seven areas that you can pray for your pastor and church staff.
06.25.2019 Seven Ways to Be a Unifying Church Member – Rainer on Leadership #548 Church members who are determined to be unifying can change the entire ethos of a church, and a church with unifying church members is a blessing to a pastor.
06.21.2019 Eight Updates on Sunday Evening Services – Rainer on Leadership #547 We've discussed Sunday evening services before on the blog and podcast, but things haven't changed much in local churches. The services are still declining on the whole.
06.18.2019 Seven Updated Strategies for the Pastor’s First 90 Days – Rainer on Leadership #546 The first 90 days of a pastor's tenure can set the tone for the future of ministry. Today, we update our discussion on the topic with some new insights.
06.14.2019 Six Reasons Why Churches Should Not Abandon the Boomer Generation – Rainer on Leadership #545 The Baby Boomer generation, one of America's largest generations, has shaped our churches for the past 75 years. Today, we discuss how to better reach them as they entire retirement.
06.11.2019 Five Intriguing Updates on Gen Z and Churches – Rainer on Leadership #544 America's next generation, Gen Z, is starting to influence and shape the church. Today, we look at five specific characteristics of this generation and how they are influencing the church.
06.07.2019 Six Unique Additions Some Churches Have Made to Their Worship Services – Rainer on Leadership #543 Corporate worship is stale in many churches. These six additions can help re-engage your members during corporate worship and spur them to further ministry.
06.04.2019 Six Cultural Pastoral Issues Where Pastors Often Struggle – Rainer on Leadership #542 Pastors are faced with different ethical and moral issues in society on an almost daily basis. Today we highlight six major cultural issues facing pastors and churches today.
05.31.2019 10 Main Reasons People Leave the Church – Rainer on Leadership #541 Churches lose members and attendees for a variety of reasons. Some good. Many not. Today, we review a recent blog post on the most common reasons people leave the church.
05.28.2019 Update on the Early Launches of Pray and Go – Rainer on Leadership #540 When Pray and Go launched earlier this year, we were excited about the potential it had for creating an outward focus in churches. The early reports are strong indicators that this is happening in churches across the country.
05.24.2019 Five Ways to Lead Your Groups to Become Outwardly Focused – Rainer on Leadership #539 Groups are one of the most important factors in getting people to stick with a church. The community that is built in groups helps your church members become more well-rounded disciples.
05.21.2019 Facility Crises and How Churches Are Responding – Rainer on Leadership #538 Almost every church has some kind of facility issue. From being too big or not big enough, facilities rarely match the pace of a church's growth or decline.
05.17.2019 New Patterns in Ministry Training – Rainer on Leadership #537 How ministers are trained has radically changed over the past few decades thanks mainly to the rise of digital training. Today, we discuss these changes and where they might be headed.
05.14.2019 Hiring Several Part-time Staff Rather Than One Full-time Staffer – Rainer on Leadership #536 The way churches hire staff is changing. Today we begin a three-part series on emerging trends in the church with a discussion on church staffing.
05.10.2019 What Pastors Need to Do When They Are Deeply Hurt – Rainer on Leadership #535 Pastors often are hurt by church members or church circumstances. Today we discuss how to deal with this hurt and why you shouldn't just throw in the towel at the first sign of hurt.
05.07.2019 Seven Key Ways to Alleviate the Pain of Low Attendance Days – Rainer on Leadership #534 Low attendance days happen in the life of every church. While they are often unavoidable, you can potentially improve them and make them fewer and farther between.
05.03.2019 Reaching the Nominally Churched – Rainer on Leadership #533 After discussing who the nominally churched are in the last episode, today we focus on how to reach them.
04.30.2019 Understanding the Nominally Churched – Rainer on Leadership #532 To reach the nominally churched and to get them more involved in church, you must first understand them. Today we discuss who the nominally churched are before we discuss how to reach them in the next episode.
04.26.2019 Six Common Reasons Pastors Lose Their Temper – Rainer on Leadership #531 With the criticisms pastors get, it can be easy to have a quick temper. Today, we discuss reasons for losing your temper so that pastors may recognize them and better deal with them.
04.23.2019 Does Co-Pastoring Really Work? – Rainer on Leadership #530 Co-pastoring is rare but is also seen in some churches in different forms. Today we discuss the pros and cons of co-pastoring and some paths forward for the practice.
04.19.2019 Seven Symptoms of a Dying Church – Rainer on Leadership #529 Dying churches often exhibit symptoms of dying along the way. Today we cover seven of these symptoms and how to combat them.
04.16.2019 Seven Church Member Attitudes That Lead to the Death of Churches – Rainer on Leadership #528 Autopsy of a Deceased Church highlighted 12 reasons churches die. This week, we are looking back at what we've learned in the five years since it was published and highlight a new related video resource.
04.12.2019 Why Giving Goes Down When Attendance Goes Up – Rainer on Leadership #527 It sounds paradoxical, but some churches will see overall growth in attendance while their giving decreases. How is this possible? Today we explain.
04.09.2019 Six Risks I Took As a Pastor (Including Some That Failed Miserably) – Rainer on Leadership #526 Taking risks is part of leadership. Today we discuss a few risks taken during my ministry and how some worked and how some didn't.
04.05.2019 Nine Thoughts on Church Splits – Rainer on Leadership #525 Church splits aren't quite as prominent as they used to be, but they can still be a problem for some churches. Today, we discuss nine reasons for them.
04.02.2019 When to Discontinue a Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #524 Churches and church leaders often struggle to know when to discontinue a ministry or to pivot to something else. Today, we discuss how to process the decision to discontinue a ministry in your church.

Older episodes

Rainer on Leadership

What's Rainer on Leadership about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Rainer on Leadership episodes:

The Six Most Simple Adjustments to Become a Welcoming Church – Rainer on Leadership #573

Getting under the Hood of Church Giving to Increase Generosity in Your Congregation – Rainer on Leadership #572

How Churches Should Respond to Seven Major Changes – Rainer on Leadership #571

Seven Ways to Hurt Your Pastor – Rainer on Leadership #570

Leading Millennials in Your Church – Rainer on Leadership #569

Seven Things Pastors Would Like Church Members to Know about Their Children – Rainer on Leadership #568

Seven Things We Should Celebrate Regularly in Our Churches – Rainer on Leadership #567

Seven Major Ways Pastors Discern It’s Time to Leave Their Church – Rainer on Leadership #566

Six Reasons Longevity Is Critical for Change Leadership – Rainer on Leadership #565

Six Reasons Pastors Must Become Change Leaders – Rainer on Leadership #564

Six Reasons Why the Minimization of Numerical Metrics Is Dangerous – Rainer on Leadership #563

Six Reasons Why “People Are Saying . . .” Is the Most Frustrating Comment for Church Leaders – Rainer on Leadership #562

Five Updates on Pastoral Attire – Rainer on Leadership #561

Five Reasons Some Churches Celebrate Debt Retirement – Rainer on Leadership #560

Should Pastors Announce Their Upcoming Vacation? – Rainer on Leadership #559

Six Ways a Church Failed the Guest Friendliness Test – Rainer on Leadership #558

Six Reasons a Healthy Culture Is Imperative for Inviting Others to Church – Rainer on Leadership #557

Six Ways Toxic Members Deter Invitations to Church – Rainer on Leadership #556

Why the Pendulum on Church Metrics May Be Swinging Too Far – Rainer on Leadership #555

Seven Reasons Why More Churches Are Calling on Interventionists – Rainer on Leadership #554

Seven Thoughts on Pastoral Attire in Worship Services – Rainer on Leadership #553

Six Common Mistakes Made by Preachers from the Pulpit (That Might Get Them in Trouble) – Rainer on Leadership #552

10 Responses from Fired Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #551

Six Reactions to the Increase of Declining Church Stats – Rainer on Leadership #550

Seven Ways Healthy Church Members Pray for Their Pastors – Rainer on Leadership #549

Seven Ways to Be a Unifying Church Member – Rainer on Leadership #548

Eight Updates on Sunday Evening Services – Rainer on Leadership #547

Seven Updated Strategies for the Pastor’s First 90 Days – Rainer on Leadership #546

Six Reasons Why Churches Should Not Abandon the Boomer Generation – Rainer on Leadership #545

Five Intriguing Updates on Gen Z and Churches – Rainer on Leadership #544

Six Unique Additions Some Churches Have Made to Their Worship Services – Rainer on Leadership #543

Six Cultural Pastoral Issues Where Pastors Often Struggle – Rainer on Leadership #542

10 Main Reasons People Leave the Church – Rainer on Leadership #541

Update on the Early Launches of Pray and Go – Rainer on Leadership #540

Five Ways to Lead Your Groups to Become Outwardly Focused – Rainer on Leadership #539

Facility Crises and How Churches Are Responding – Rainer on Leadership #538

New Patterns in Ministry Training – Rainer on Leadership #537

Hiring Several Part-time Staff Rather Than One Full-time Staffer – Rainer on Leadership #536

What Pastors Need to Do When They Are Deeply Hurt – Rainer on Leadership #535

Seven Key Ways to Alleviate the Pain of Low Attendance Days – Rainer on Leadership #534

Reaching the Nominally Churched – Rainer on Leadership #533

Understanding the Nominally Churched – Rainer on Leadership #532

Six Common Reasons Pastors Lose Their Temper – Rainer on Leadership #531

Does Co-Pastoring Really Work? – Rainer on Leadership #530

Seven Symptoms of a Dying Church – Rainer on Leadership #529

Seven Church Member Attitudes That Lead to the Death of Churches – Rainer on Leadership #528

Why Giving Goes Down When Attendance Goes Up – Rainer on Leadership #527

Six Risks I Took As a Pastor (Including Some That Failed Miserably) – Rainer on Leadership #526

Nine Thoughts on Church Splits – Rainer on Leadership #525

When to Discontinue a Ministry – Rainer on Leadership #524

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