Rainer on Leadership

By Thom RainerBusiness Religion & Spirituality Christianity Education Courses Management

Favorites
102
Followers
Typical duration
23 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Rainer on Leadership episodes

February 20, 2024Should Pastors Endorse Political Candidates?
Elections are contentious. They have been for most of our nation’s history. The tensions surrounding this year’s coming election season should not be a surprise. To what degree should pastors be involved in the political process? Thom and Sam discuss this hot-button issue on today’s episode.
Pastors have always been part of the political process as influencers in their churches.
Do not let the fear of government or loss of tax status drive your decision.
Elections matter to the church, and your people need a shepherd to help navigate the political realm.
Endorsing individuals is risky if you do not know them personally.
Candidates always disappoint. Jesus never will. Stick with Jesus in the pulpit.
Call your church to pray, especially in the weeks leading up to election day.
Speak directly about clear biblical issues. Be cautious about non-biblical issues.
Resources:
NTV Economic Bible (Spanish)
Tyndale House Publishers
Upward Sports
The Hope Initiative
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
Episode Sponsors:
The Economy Bible NTV, Seed Edition is an affordable edition of the Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV). The NTV translation renders the message of the original texts of Scripture into clear, contemporary Spanish. The scholars who worked on it kept in mind the concerns of both translation theories: formal-equivalence and dynamic-equivalence. Their goal was to be both faithful to the ancient texts and eminently readable. The result is a translation that is both accurate and powerful. This Bible offers a low price, which makes it ideal to distribute to groups, give as a gift, or use as an outreach resource! This Bible is the perfect resource for churches and missional use.
NTV Economic Bible (Spanish)
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!

The post Should Pastors Endorse Political Candidates? appeared first on Church Answers.
23 min
February 13, 2024Should We Close Our Church? Five Issues to Consider
Sadly, Church Answers is getting an increasing number of consultation requests from churches wanting to deal with the issue of possibly closing their churches. Thom and Sam look at the five issues churches should consider before making such a dramatic move.
What will be the gospel presence in your community if the church closes?
Are your current members willing to make dramatic changes at the church?
What is your church currently doing to reach the community with the gospel?
What is the deferred maintenance of your facilities?
Have you considered becoming a site of another church?
Resources:
Upward Sports
NTV Economic Bible (Spanish)
Tyndale House Publishers
Brown Church Development Group
Get your FREE eBook, Deferred Maintenance
Good News Neighbors Toolkit
The Hope Initiative
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
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!
The Economy Bible NTV, Seed Edition is an affordable edition of the Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV). The NTV translation renders the message of the original texts of Scripture into clear, contemporary Spanish. The scholars who worked on it kept in mind the concerns of both translation theories: formal-equivalence and dynamic-equivalence. Their goal was to be both faithful to the ancient texts and eminently readable. The result is a translation that is both accurate and powerful. This Bible offers a low price, which makes it ideal to distribute to groups, give as a gift, or use as an outreach resource! This Bible is the perfect resource for churches and missional use.
NTV Economic Bible (Spanish)
The post Should We Close Our Church? Five Issues to Consider appeared first on Church Answers.
23 min
February 09, 2024A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Episode #3 – How Does Church Design Impact the Culture of a Church? With Todd Brown
Todd Brown is the CEO of Brown Church Development Group, a national church design/build firm. In this three-part podcast series, we will look at ministry focused design. In this third part, we talk with Todd about the ways in which church design impacts the culture of a church.
Institutional versus relational ministry.
Care about people, but it is not reflected in design.
The most impactful attributes of relational spaces:
Feels like you are a family.
Multiple areas to sit.
Resources:
Brown Church Development Group
“Know Your Community”
Why Any Size Church Should Have a “Path” for Guests (and Members Too): An Interview with Todd Brown
How to Right-Size Your Church’s Facilities: An Interview with Todd Brown
What You Really Need to Know about a Church Master Plan: An Interview with Todd Brown
Episode #1: How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry? With Todd Brown
Episode #2: How Do Groups Change a Facility? With Todd Brown
Episode Sponsor:
The post A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Episode #3 – How Does Church Design Impact the Culture of a Church? With Todd Brown appeared first on Church Answers.
22 min
February 09, 2024A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Episode #2 – How Do Groups Change a Facility? With Todd Brown
Todd Brown is the CEO of Brown Church Development Group, a national church design/build firm. In this three-part podcast series, we will look at ministry-focused design. In this second part, we talk with Todd about what it means to balance a facility, focusing on groups.
How to effectively reach the community by avoiding limiting ministry.
The most recent trends in church architecture.
How life groups change a church facility.
Resources:
Brown Church Development Group
“Know Your Community”
Episode #1: How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry?
Episode #3: How Does Church Design Impact the Culture of a Church? With Todd Brown
Episode Sponsor:
The post A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Episode #2 – How Do Groups Change a Facility? With Todd Brown appeared first on Church Answers.
23 min
February 09, 2024A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Episode #1 – How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry? With Todd Brown
Todd Brown is the CEO of Brown Church Development Group, a national church design/build firm. In this three-part podcast series, we will look at ministry focused design. In this first part, we talk with Todd about how to build ministry value in a facility design.
Worship space seating shape and site lines.
Intentionally build as if you expect guests.
Reflect the most important values.
How a “Know Your Community” report can inform a facility design.
Resources:
Brown Church Development Group
“Know Your Community”
Episode #2: How Do Groups Change a Facility? With Todd Brown
Episode #3: How Does Church Design Impact the Culture of a Church? With Todd Brown
Episode Sponsor:
The post A Special Three-Part Series with Brown Church Development Group: Episode #1 – How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry? With Todd Brown appeared first on Church Answers.
25 min
February 06, 2024Should I Plan to Retire from My Church? Five Questions
The median age of pastors continues to get older. At Church Answers, we often speak with pastors who are contemplating retirement. Sam and Thom address the five most common questions we ask these pastors so that we can help them in their decision-making process.
1. What do you discern God is saying?
2. How much joy do you have in your current church?
3. Have many members hinted about your need to retire?
4. What is your financial condition?
5. What would you do after retirement?
Resources:
NTV Economic Bible (Spanish)
Tyndale House Publishers
Upward Sports
Church Answers Certifications
Christian Money Solutions
8 Money Milestones Program
EST. Church Podcast Episode #370: How Your Church Can Use Sports Outreach to Invite Families In
The Hope Initiative
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
Episode Sponsors:
The Economy Bible NTV, Seed Edition is an affordable edition of the Nueva Traducción Viviente (NTV). The NTV translation renders the message of the original texts of Scripture into clear, contemporary Spanish. The scholars who worked on it kept in mind the concerns of both translation theories: formal-equivalence and dynamic-equivalence. Their goal was to be both faithful to the ancient texts and eminently readable. The result is a translation that is both accurate and powerful. This Bible offers a low price, which makes it ideal to distribute to groups, give as a gift, or use as an outreach resource! This Bible is the perfect resource for churches and missional use.
NTV Economic Bible (Spanish)
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!
The post Should I Plan to Retire from My Church? Five Questions appeared first on Church Answers.
23 min
January 30, 2024How Do We Reach the Never Attenders?
In last week’s episode, Thom and Sam looked at the growing reality of the Never Attenders in the United States. Today, they discuss how churches might reach this group.
Over one in three Americans is a Never Attender.
The Never Attender used to be an outlier group with typical demographic characteristics. Today, the group is a cross-section of most demographic groups.
It is likely that the growth of the Never Attenders came from Cultural Christians.
Simply put, our church’s outreach must focus more on evangelism than reaching transfers.
Most churches in America have little to no emphasis on evangelism.
But we do know that many Never Attenders will be receptive to the gospel.
Resources:
California Baptist University Pre-College Credit
Who Are the Never Attenders Today?
Good News Neighbor Toolkit
“The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church” by Sam Rainer
The Hope Initiative
“The Unchurched Next Door: Understanding Faith Stages As Keys to Sharing Your Faith” by Thom S. Rainer
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
Episode Sponsor:
Eligible high schoolers can earn college credit online, the first class is free (not including books and course materials), and they get a significant discount ($166 per credit vs. $613 per credit) for every subsequent class. They can choose from more than 30 available courses. Here are just a few additional details not included on the flier:
This program is open to third-culture kids, homeschool students, private and public school students, etc.
Students can start during any eight-week session – summer, fall, spring, each semester has two sessions as indicated on the flier
The first-class free offer is limited. I do not yet know for how long, but we should market it as temporary for now.
Many students have successfully completed courses during their normal school year. Classes are asynchronous, so they can access course materials at their convenience.
Sometimes universities have similar programs and they make classes specific for high school students – HS students sitting with other HS students. In our program, participants sit in on real college courses, with actual college student peers. They get the real deal through our experience.
The post How Do We Reach the Never Attenders? appeared first on Church Answers.
24 min
January 23, 2024Who Are the Never Attenders Today?
Based on the outstanding research of Ryan Burge, we can see more clearly who are and who are not attending church today. Thom and Sam look at his latest research on the Never Attenders, a growing group in America.
Ryan Burge has become the go-to person for much research on the composition of church attendance.
In 2008, 20% of all respondents reported never attending religious services. By 2022, that share had risen to 34%, over 45 million Americans who are new to this category.
In the past, the most prominent predictor for Never Attenders was political and age: Democrats and young adults.
Today, the Never Attenders are coming from almost every demographic group. They look like the demographic composition of America.
Next week: How do we reach the Never Attenders?
Resources:
California Baptist University Pre-College Credit
Get your FREE eBook, 5 Generosity Megatrends
Ryan Burge
Good News Neighbor Toolkit
“The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church” by Sam Rainer
“Essential Church: Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts” by Thom S. Rainer
The Hope Initiative
Why We Love Gen X Church Members, EST. church podcast
“Bridges of God: A Study in the Strategy of Missions” by Donald A. McGavran
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
Episode Sponsor:
Eligible high schoolers can earn college credit online, the first class is free (not including books and course materials), and they get a significant discount ($166 per credit vs. $613 per credit) for every subsequent class. They can choose from more than 30 available courses. Here are just a few additional details not included on the flier:
This program is open to third-culture kids, homeschool students, private and public school students, etc.
Students can start during any eight-week session – summer, fall, spring, each semester has two sessions as indicated on the flier
The first-class free offer is limited. I do not yet know for how long, but we should market it as temporary for now.
Many students have successfully completed courses during their normal school year. Classes are asynchronous, so they can access course materials at their convenience.
Sometimes universities have similar programs and they make classes specific for high school students – HS students sitting with other HS students. In our program, participants sit in on real college courses, with actual college student peers. They get the real deal through our experience.
The post Who Are the Never Attenders Today? appeared first on Church Answers.
21 min
January 16, 2024How to Create a Useful Evangelism Budget for Your Church
Many churches give to missions through the operating budget. But what about funds for the work of evangelism in the community? On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss the importance of allocating a portion of the budget for evangelism. The co-hosts give some practical tips on how much this budget line item should be and what should go into it.
The budget is a great place to determine a church’s priorities.
If evangelism is a priority, then the church should fund the work.
Consider splitting the evangelism budget into thirds: training people, digital resources, and gifts for neighbors.
A great digital resource is Good News Neighbors.
Plan on at least four major emphases a year to help change the culture.
Starting small is better than not at all.
Consider putting a layperson in charge of the budget and empowering them to be the gatekeeper for implementation.
Resources:
California Baptist University Pre-College Credit
Brown Church Development Group
Good News Neighbor Toolkit
“The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church” by Sam Rainer
The Hope Initiative
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
Episode Sponsor:
Eligible high schoolers can earn college credit online, the first class is free (not including books and course materials), and they get a significant discount ($166 per credit vs. $613 per credit) for every subsequent class. They can choose from more than 30 available courses. Here are just a few additional details not included on the flier:
This program is open to third-culture kids, homeschool students, private and public school students, etc.
Students can start during any eight-week session – summer, fall, spring, each semester has two sessions as indicated on the flier
The first-class free offer is limited. I do not yet know for how long, but we should market it as temporary for now.
Many students have successfully completed courses during their normal school year. Classes are asynchronous, so they can access course materials at their convenience.
Sometimes universities have similar programs and they make classes specific for high school students – HS students sitting with other HS students. In our program, participants sit in on real college courses, with actual college student peers. They get the real deal through our experience.
The post How to Create a Useful Evangelism Budget for Your Church appeared first on Church Answers.
24 min
January 09, 2024Five Key Objectives of an Excellent Interim Pastorate
Sometimes churches view interim pastors as “band-aids” to keep the church together, but a good interim will do much more. Thom and Sam discuss what defines a successful interim pastorate. Whether short-term or long-term in duration, these five key objectives can make or break an interim role.
Objective 1: Teaching the church a new pastor will not be a silver bullet.
Objective 2: Making tough staffing decisions before the new pastor arrives.
Objective 3: Preparing the church for a season of change.
Objective 4: Freeing the organizational culture as much as possible for a new vision.
Objective 5: Leading the church to have fun, heal up, and get unified.
Resources:
California Baptist University Pre-College Credit
Interim Pastor Certification
Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector
Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.
Episode Sponsor:
Eligible high schoolers can earn college credit online, the first class is free (not including books and course materials), and they get a significant discount ($166 per credit vs. $613 per credit) for every subsequent class. They can choose from more than 30 available courses. Here are just a few additional details not included on the flier:
This program is open to third-culture kids, homeschool students, private and public school students, etc.
Students can start during any eight-week session – summer, fall, spring, each semester has two sessions as indicated on the flier
The first-class free offer is limited. I do not yet know for how long, but we should market it as temporary for now.
Many students have successfully completed courses during their normal school year. Classes are asynchronous, so they can access course materials at their convenience.
Sometimes universities have similar programs and they make classes specific for high school students – HS students sitting with other HS students. In our program, participants sit in on real college courses, with actual college student peers. They get the real deal through our experience.
The post Five Key Objectives of an Excellent Interim Pastorate appeared first on Church Answers.
26 min