Rainer on Leadership

Leaders often face decision making roadblocks that affect the health of their church or organization. Today we discuss how to overcome these roadblocks.

Vocational ministry is not the cake walk many make it out to be. And sometimes men or women enter ministry for the wrong reasons.

Leaders should desire to leave their church or organization better than when they arrived. Today, we tackle eight characteristics of leaders who leave a legacy that lasts.

Dwayne Pickett, pastor of a large megachurch in Jackson, MS, joins us to discuss his new book and how inner city ministry isn't really that different than ministry in other contexts.

In churches who are dying, you often hear statements like the ones we cover today. Today we explain how to identify the personalities of sick churches.

Podcast Episode #347 We have discussed evangelism a lot over the past few weeks and even launched a new site focused on it at EvangelismRenewal.com. Today we discuss six statements that can kill evangelism in your church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Evangelism is often the least natural ministry in many churches. * If there is not explicit intentionality about evangelism, it wi...

Podcast Episode #346 It can be frustrating to work for a bad leader. But does that mean you have to leave immediately or attempt a coup? Not at all. Today we cover six steps to consider when you work for a bad leader. Some highlights from today's episode include: * A bad leader is not the same thing as a bad person. * A primary characteristic of the best leaders is decisiveness. * If you work for...

Podcast Episode #345 We get questions every day from several venues—blog comments, emails, tweets, and so many more. Here are the top 10 that we get the most and how to answer them. Some highlights from today's episode include: * The starting point for a church's revitalization is different in every situation. * Your church is usually farther along in its need for revitalization than you realize....

Podcast Episode #344 Improving your preaching and teaching doesn't happen accidentally. It takes intentionality and work. And today we cover 15 ways you can improve your preaching or teaching. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Intentionality is always key to improvement. * What gets calendared gets done. * Sermon prep alone is not sufficient for the personal devotional life a pastor...

Podcast Episode #343 Stability is often a goal for churches. Unfortunately stable churches are often stagnant churches. So when we talk about stable churches today, it's in that context. And there are five reasons that can be a very bad thing for a church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Stable doctrine can be good thing. Stagnant ministry is not. * A stagnant church is not a churc...

Podcast Episode #342 Regular church attendance has waned in recent years as the commitment level from members has dropped. Today, we address five major reasons for this drop in attendance. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Is the church so important that you need to gather with other believers on a regular basis? Yes. * It is extremely difficult to make disciples of church members if...

Podcast Episode #341 There are danger signs in any vocation. But if you ignore these, it might be more than just your job that you lose—it could be your ministry that's lost. Thanks again to Chuck Lawless for the post from which these warning signs come. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Living for your days off is a miserable way to live in ministry. * If you consistently don't get...

Podcast Episode #340 Raechel and Amanda from She Reads Truth join us to discuss how they got started, what went into the production of one of the hottest Bibles on the market, and what's next for the She Reads Truth family. Some highlights from today's episode include: * She Reads Truth was born from the desire to read God's Word more. * "When we create reading plans, we want to let Scripture inte...

Podcast Episode #339 If any of these danger signs are present in your church, you need to take note. They can signal decline, dead theology, or even death of the church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * There is a growing danger of the exclusivity of Christ being lost in many churches. * Any rationale that minimizes evangelism is contrary to Scripture. * Evangelism doesn't just happ...

Podcast Episode #338 Karl Vaters joins us to discuss issues found most often in small churches. However, these issues manifest themselves in any size church in any setting. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Small churches are not a problem, virtue, or excuse. * Just because your church is small does not mean you can't do good ministry. * There's not a single command to the New Testam...

Podcast Episode #337 These eight signs are almost always evident in churches that are on their way to death. Does your church exhibit any of these? Some highlights from today's episode include: * Blogs create fans, podcasts create family. * Four consecutive years of decline indicate a problem that must be addressed. * If your congregation is mostly senior adults, you're only a few funerals away fr...

Podcast Episode #336 Mike Harland is back to talk about those things which can become private distractions to our worship. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Church leaders would rather not talk about "dress code" for those leading worship, but it can be problematic. * As a leader, you have to be responsible for people in your ministry. * In the social media age, ministry leaders need...

Podcast Episode #335 Art Rainer joins us to talk about generosity and money matters related to his new book The Money Challenge. Some highlights from today's episode include: * God has designed us not as hoarders but as conduits through which His generosity flows. * Debt cripples your ability to live generously. * Pastors are often hesitant to preach on finances as a way to avoid conflict that may...

Podcast Episode #334 Nearly every pastor I talk with says their church is just too busy. So why does this happen? Why do we let it become like this? Today, we tackle eight reasons. Some highlights from today's episode include: * In the past, churches looked to programs to grow the church. That's not the case today. * There's nothing wrong with programs as long as they are the means, not the end. *...

Podcast Episode #333 Churches often find themselves in a rut or a case of the doldrums. Today, we cover five ways your church can snap out of a negative spiral. Some highlights from today's episode include: * It's hard to stay mad at someone if you're praying for that person. * Ongoing ministry and missions should be taking place in the local community of a church. * Some leaders have too much pri...

Podcast Episode #332 Revitalization continues to be a topic of interest in churches, and today Andrew Davis, pastor of FBC Durham, NC, joins us to talk about his journey of revitalization and his discipline of Scripture memorization. Some highlights from today's episode include: * "When a church needs revitalization, there are typically toxic forces at work in that church." * Pastors need allies,...

Podcast Episode #331 We cover seven regrets many pastors and church staff have and how to overcome them. And we also talk about Chuck E. Cheese. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Seminaries are great, but no school can teach everyone everything needed for ministry. * Critics will always be present for leaders. * There can be healthy critics; it's just hard to see them that way. * Whe...

Podcast Episode #330 Ever wondered what your church wants from its pastor? Today, we cover the top ten things church members desire in a pastor. Some highlights from today's episode include: * A church wants to know that their pastor loves them. * Effective preaching requires adequate time for preparation. * Much of a pastor's ministry is judged as effective or not based upon the preaching ministr...

Podcast Episode #329 Distractions are a real part of worship services. Mike Harland joins us today to talk about how to eliminate—or at least minimize—distractions in your worship service. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Music leaders should see themselves as the enemies of distraction in worship services. * Churches that aren't extremely careful with their slides can be disruptive...

Podcast Episode #328 A post by Chuck Lawless serves as the basis for today's podcast. Dr. Lawless has been consulting with churches for nearly two decades and shared ten things he had learned from dozens of church consultations. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Most of the time, when a church consultant is called in, it is too late. * Every church should consider having a health che...