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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Six Simple Tips to Start Ha...

09.28.2021

Working in ministry can be demanding and stressful, but sometimes we forget to have fun in our callings. Perhaps you need a lighter season. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss some ways to restart the fun in your vocation. ...

Rainer on Leadership episodes:

09.28.2021 Six Simple Tips to Start Having More Fun in Ministry Working in ministry can be demanding and stressful, but sometimes we forget to have fun in our callings. Perhaps you need a lighter season. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss some ways to restart the fun in your vocation. ...
09.21.2021 Knowing and Enjoying God: An Interview with Tim Challies Knowing and enjoying God should be integral to the Christian life. However, many of us struggle to grow in the means of grace and develop a deeper relationship with God. On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership Thom and Sam ...
09.14.2021 Five Ways to Plagiarize-Proof Your Sermons Thom and Sam look at the challenging issue of plagiarism in sermons. They suggest five things you can do to avoid this mistake. 1. Cite verbally and/or in writing every source that you used to write a sermon. 2. Be ...
09.07.2021 How the Neighborhood Church Could Make a Comeback It’s time for the neighborhood church to make a comeback. The stigma of small churches is fading. Incredible potential is right around the corner. Imagine what could happen if neighborhood churches got healthy on a large scale. The neighborhood church ...
08.31.2021 Five Ways to Enjoy Your Community to Reach Your Community Church leaders should love their community as much as their churches. Love for a congregation mismatched with disdain for a community will cause you to retreat in an unhealthy church bubble. What are some ways church leaders can learn to ...
08.24.2021 How Much Should You Shepherd Church Members on Social Media? If a church member was at the main intersection in town with a bullhorn yelling at people, then you would want to know about it. Social media is the bullhorn, and there is a lot of noise out there. While ...
08.17.2021 The Importance of Pastoral Succession for the Future Health of Your Church – An Interview with William Vanderbloemen Pastoral succession is an important process many churches overlook. On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership Thom and Sam talk with William Vanderbloemen about why it is important for the future health of your church now more than ever. What ...
08.10.2021 Developing a Culture of Generosity in Your Church: An Interview with Church Growth Services The concept of generosity is an important part of the Christian faith. However, many pastors and church leaders struggle to develop a culture of joyful giving in their congregations. On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership Thom and Sam talk ...
08.03.2021 Six Common Mistakes Mid-Career Pastors Make Experienced pastors are not immune from mistakes. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss some common blindspots for mid-career pastors. These mistakes are not career killers, but they can set back a ministry. While all pastors can fall into these ...
07.27.2021 From $1.06 and 25 People to a $700,000 Budget and a Church of 450 – An Interview with Jonathan Smith Imagine a church on life support one year that has moved to thriving within a few years. Though you've heard of church turnarounds, you've rarely heard a story this dramatic. Sam and Thom interview Jonathan Smith with Texas Baptists to ...
07.20.2021 Navigating Tough Conversations with Your Kids – An Interview with Jimmy and Kristin Scroggins One of the greatest challenges of parenting is navigating the crucial conversations that we must have with our kids. On today’s episode, Thom and Sam talk to Jimmy and Kristin Scroggins about having hard conversations with our kids that point ...
07.13.2021 The Voice is Back! An Interview with Jonathan Howe Jonathan “The Voice” Howe returns for an episode. We find out what he's been doing. What Jonathan is doing now. Some of our favorite memories of working and traveling with Jonathan. How Jonathan helped launch Rainer on Leadership. What has ...
07.06.2021 Celebrating 20 Years of “In Christ Alone” – An Interview with Keith Getty On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership we are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the hymn, IN CHRIST ALONE. Thom and Sam discuss the song’s success with writer Keith Getty and learn what’s next for Getty Music. Keith and Kristyn ...
07.05.2021 The Miracle in the Cow Pasture: The Future of Rural Churches – An Interview with B. J. Rutledge The rural church is brimming with opportunities. Indeed, it may be one of the most fruitful mission fields in the world. Thom and Sam interview B. J. Rutledge about his leadership in a rural church that defied all expectations. You ...
06.29.2021 Tips for Handling Controversial Cultural Topics with Your Congregation Not every cultural issue deserves the attention of church leaders. Some issues, however, are unavoidable. Other issues desperately need the voice of the church. How can you discern when to speak and what to say? It seems just about anything ...
06.22.2021 Make the Most of the Rest of Your Summer with These Five Tips For most churches, the summer months can be a lull. Families vacation and people tend to be in and out of the church more. It's rare to have high attendance Sundays in the summer, but there are ways to make ...
06.15.2021 Preaching with Humility – An Interview with Dr. Jim Shaddix Being a humble pastor is challenging. On today’s episode, Thom and Sam talk to Dr. Jim Shaddix about the importance of preaching with humility. Dr. Jim Shaddix Jim Shaddix serves as Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in ...
06.08.2021 The Mysterious Missing Spiritual Discipline of Gathering In this episode, Thom and Sam look at worship attendance from the perspective of a spiritual discipline. Is attendance really a spiritual discipline, and what are the implications if it is? Gathering with other believers is not usually viewed as ...
06.01.2021 Is Your Church Equipped to Handle a Suicide Epidemic? – An Interview with Dr. Matthew Sleeth Every single day, someone you know is thinking about committing suicide. Ten million Americans will consider killing themselves in the upcoming year. On today’s episode, Thom and Sam talk to Dr. Matthew Sleeth about how Christians—and our churches—can offer hope ...
05.25.2021 Five Characteristics of Pastors Who Overcome a Church Bully Almost every pastor at some point will be confronted by a church bully. This person is usually a control freak, and turns on the pastor when the pastor does not do his bidding. Thom and Sam look at five traits ...
05.18.2021 What Church Leaders Are Doing to Recover Evangelism Churches are not reaching people for Christ because they are not trying to. On today's episode, Thom and Sam discuss what church leaders are doing to recover evangelism. The death of evangelism due to liberalism The death of evangelism due ...
05.11.2021 New Membership Classes are More Important Than Ever Post-COVID Many churches dropped membership classes during the pandemic. Now is the time to restart them. In fact, church membership classes are more important than ever. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss several reasons why churches must keep providing these ...
05.04.2021 Five Keys to Improving Your Leadership at a Mid-Size Church The popularity of mid-size churches is growing. Mid-size churches are too big for one person to lead but not big enough for a full staff. These churches have unique leadership challenges and opportunities. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss ...
04.27.2021 Five Reasons Why the Smaller Church Is Viewed More Favorably Today Thom and Sam discuss five reasons for the amazing phenomenon of the smaller church becoming the church of choice today. Reason number four may surprise you. 1. The demographic reality: the younger the generation, the more likely they are to ...
04.20.2021 How Leaders Should Apologize Publicly Most leaders will not want to be in a position where they have to apologize publicly, but it is likely to be necessary at some point. Thom and Sam look at key issues to consider when you need to apologize ...
04.13.2021 The Best Way to Lead Your Church in an Uncertain Year Nobody is certain of the future, but this year is more uncertain than most. On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership, Thom and Sam discuss ways to lead your church forward in an uncertain year. Nobody is certain of the ...
04.06.2021 Lessons from Chick-fil-A: How to Transition to a New Career in 2021 Like people in other professions, pastors are exhausted and struggling with decision fatigue. A great reshuffling is occurring. Many pastors and church staff are considering a transition. On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership Thom and Sam interview Dee Ann ...
03.30.2021 Five Reasons Why Many Church Leaders Neglect Personal Finances: An Interview with Art Rainer 1. They have not been trained to handle personal finances. 2. They don't practice money milestones. 3. They are busy serving others. 4. They have an attitude of "It can wait." 5. They don't have an "emergency kit." Resources: How ...
03.23.2021 Cultivating Leadership Resilience When Exhausted Every leader experiences seasons of exhaustion. It is important to discern between exhaustion and burnout. Do not let the urgent make you lose sight of the important. Temporarily avoid the people who drain your energy. Create a strict schedule that ...
03.16.2021 What You Should Expect for In-Person Easter Services This Year Many churches did not hold in-person Easter services last year, but this year we are expecting the majority to do so. While the priority of celebrating the resurrection remains, this Easter may feel differently for people. For some, it will ...
03.09.2021 Dealing with Pandemic Anxiety and Stress in Your Life and in the Church: An Interview with Dr. Gregory L. Jantz On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership, Thom and Sam interview Dr. Gregory L. Jantz, an expert in treating depression and anxiety. Dr. Jantz provides a leading-edge framework for understanding and overcoming any type or level of anxiety, and provides ...
03.02.2021 How to Handle an Unruly Business or Leadership Meeting On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership Sam Rainer and Thom Rainer discuss how to handle an unruly business or leadership meeting. Even the best churches have meetings that go sideways. Surprise attacks happen, but sometimes you feel something is ...
02.23.2021 Five Major Ways Church Giving Has Changed On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership Sam Rainer and Thom Rainer discuss five major ways church giving has changed. Ten percent plus givers are becoming fewer quickly. Giving to vision has never been more important. Denominational support is waning ...
02.16.2021 Four Mindset Changes Church Leaders Must Make in 2021 On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership, Sam Rainer and Thom Rainer discuss four mindset changes church leaders must make in 2021. 2019 is not coming back. Evangelism is not just another ministry. You can't hold on to all of ...
02.09.2021 Leading a Simple Church in a Post-COVID World: An Interview with Eric Geiger Eric Geiger is the Senior Pastor of Mariners Church in Irvine, California. Before moving to Southern California, Eric served as senior vice-president for LifeWay Christian Resources. Eric received his doctorate in leadership and church ministry from Southern Seminary. Eric has ...
02.02.2021 The Number One Missing Ingredient in Church Leadership Thom and Sam have a fascinating discussion regarding the number one missing ingredient in church leadership. Accountability: It's more than a system. It's more than theology. It's a spiritual discipline. Pray that God will introduce people and situations to keep ...
01.26.2021 Should Pastors Be Friends with Church Members or Not? As a pastor, you are part of the body of Christ. Within the body, friendship is important, even for pastors. Thom and Sam discuss friendship with church members and offer sound advice for pastors. Yes! But we've all been burned... ...
01.19.2021 Five Often-Overlooked Benefits of Established Churches Depending on your definition, most churches fall into the category of established. Thankfully, It is no longer uncool to lead an established church. Thom and Sam talk through five often-overlooked benefits of established churches. Current revenue stream (you have at ...
01.12.2021 What Every Church Leader Needs to Know About the Messiness of Divorce – An Interview with Toni Nieuwhof Toni Nieuwhof joins Thom and Sam to share what every church leader needs to know about the messiness of divorce. Toni Nieuwhof is an attorney, pharmacist and church leader who, along with her husband, Carey Nieuwhof, founded Connexus Church north ...
01.05.2021 The 100 Factor of Negativity Are you looking to be more positive in the new year? Today we look at how destructive negativity can be for you and your team. On today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership, Thom and Sam discuss the 100 factor of ...
12.29.2020 Five Things You Should Do As You Lead Your Church to a New Year We are about to welcome in a new year! In today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership, Thom and Sam discuss five things you should do as you lead your church to a new year. Emphasize again the church's vision and/or ...
12.22.2020 Why People Love Traditional Christmas Eve Services You will likely have more guests on Christmas Eve than any other service throughout the year. Here are several reasons why people love traditional Christmas Eve services. * You will likely have more guests on Christmas Eve than any other ...
12.15.2020 Calming a Restless Heart Through Music: An Interview with Kristyn Getty We have an incredible interview with Kristyn Getty to talk with her about the new album from Keith and Kristyn Getty, Evensong, which reached number 1 on Billboard in the Kid’s Album category. * New album released in early October: ...
12.08.2020 Why I Stopped Preaching Are you contemplating leaving pastoral leadership for other areas of Christian ministry? Sam has an intimate conversation with Thom regarding the reasons behind his conscious and prayerful decision to stop preaching. * Overcoming the concern that I was not being ...
12.01.2020 How to Minister to Church Members We Can’t Visit Thom and Sam Rainer discuss practical ways to effectively minister to church members we can’t visit during this difficult time of quarantine and social distancing. * Call them. * Make certain the church sends a digital prayer list every week. ...
11.24.2020 How to Lead When Disaster Strikes: An Interview with Stephen Kyle and Tim Songster Pastor Steven Kyle from Hiland Park Baptist Church, has revitalized the church where he is serving with incredible growth. After growing a declining church from approximately 600 to over 2000, and expanding with two other multi-site campuses and revitalizing both ...
11.17.2020 Does Your Church Need a Mentoring Ministry? – An interview with Kevin Harris from Radical Mentoring On this episode of Rainer on Leadership, Thom and Sam are joined by Kevin Harris, President of Radical Mentoring. We take some time to discuss how your church could benefit from a strong mentoring ministry. In 2002, Kevin Harris, underwent ...
11.10.2020 Five Unusual Situations for Pastors (with thanks to the community of Church Answers) Members of the Church Answers community have filled our inboxes with questions dealing with unusual situations. Thom and Sam take an interesting look at five of these unusual situations for pastors. * Deciding to pay the salary of a dying ...
11.03.2020 Some Surprises of the Post-Quarantine Church: An Interview with Carey Nieuwhof An expert in practical local church leadership, Carey Nieuwhof joins Thom and Sam to discuss his most recent book and a few surprises of the post-quarantine church. Carey Nieuwhof is a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church. He’s ...
10.27.2020 When to Keep Confidentiality with Church Members It’s a tough word to say and requires wisdom to keep. We hear a lot about what we should and should not keep confidential. Today’s episode of Rainer on Leadership is packed full of great information for church leaders concerning ...

Older episodes

Rainer on Leadership

What's Rainer on Leadership about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Rainer on Leadership episodes:

Six Simple Tips to Start Having More Fun in Ministry

Knowing and Enjoying God: An Interview with Tim Challies

Five Ways to Plagiarize-Proof Your Sermons

How the Neighborhood Church Could Make a Comeback

Five Ways to Enjoy Your Community to Reach Your Community

How Much Should You Shepherd Church Members on Social Media?

The Importance of Pastoral Succession for the Future Health of Your Church – An Interview with William Vanderbloemen

Developing a Culture of Generosity in Your Church: An Interview with Church Growth Services

Six Common Mistakes Mid-Career Pastors Make

From $1.06 and 25 People to a $700,000 Budget and a Church of 450 – An Interview with Jonathan Smith

Navigating Tough Conversations with Your Kids – An Interview with Jimmy and Kristin Scroggins

The Voice is Back! An Interview with Jonathan Howe

Celebrating 20 Years of “In Christ Alone” – An Interview with Keith Getty

The Miracle in the Cow Pasture: The Future of Rural Churches – An Interview with B. J. Rutledge

Tips for Handling Controversial Cultural Topics with Your Congregation

Make the Most of the Rest of Your Summer with These Five Tips

Preaching with Humility – An Interview with Dr. Jim Shaddix

The Mysterious Missing Spiritual Discipline of Gathering

Is Your Church Equipped to Handle a Suicide Epidemic? – An Interview with Dr. Matthew Sleeth

Five Characteristics of Pastors Who Overcome a Church Bully

What Church Leaders Are Doing to Recover Evangelism

New Membership Classes are More Important Than Ever Post-COVID

Five Keys to Improving Your Leadership at a Mid-Size Church

Five Reasons Why the Smaller Church Is Viewed More Favorably Today

How Leaders Should Apologize Publicly

The Best Way to Lead Your Church in an Uncertain Year

Lessons from Chick-fil-A: How to Transition to a New Career in 2021

Five Reasons Why Many Church Leaders Neglect Personal Finances: An Interview with Art Rainer

Cultivating Leadership Resilience When Exhausted

What You Should Expect for In-Person Easter Services This Year

Dealing with Pandemic Anxiety and Stress in Your Life and in the Church: An Interview with Dr. Gregory L. Jantz

How to Handle an Unruly Business or Leadership Meeting

Five Major Ways Church Giving Has Changed

Four Mindset Changes Church Leaders Must Make in 2021

Leading a Simple Church in a Post-COVID World: An Interview with Eric Geiger

The Number One Missing Ingredient in Church Leadership

Should Pastors Be Friends with Church Members or Not?

Five Often-Overlooked Benefits of Established Churches

What Every Church Leader Needs to Know About the Messiness of Divorce – An Interview with Toni Nieuwhof

The 100 Factor of Negativity

Five Things You Should Do As You Lead Your Church to a New Year

Why People Love Traditional Christmas Eve Services

Calming a Restless Heart Through Music: An Interview with Kristyn Getty

Why I Stopped Preaching

How to Minister to Church Members We Can’t Visit

How to Lead When Disaster Strikes: An Interview with Stephen Kyle and Tim Songster

Does Your Church Need a Mentoring Ministry? – An interview with Kevin Harris from Radical Mentoring

Five Unusual Situations for Pastors (with thanks to the community of Church Answers)

Some Surprises of the Post-Quarantine Church: An Interview with Carey Nieuwhof

When to Keep Confidentiality with Church Members

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