Rainer on Leadership

Podcast Episode #302 Unfortunately, pastors and staff members are forced out of churches every week. It's a pain that many in the ministry have felt at least once and maybe more. Today, we discuss how to respond when it happens to you. Some highlights from today's episode include: * For the sake of your family, you can't have a victim mentality when you're forced out of a church. * If you're force...

Podcast Episode #301 This is an episode we hope churches won't need to consult, but unfortunately many of them will. Extramarital affairs by pastors and staff are a reality and when it happens, churches need to be prepared. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Churches don't prepare for this because churches don't think they will need to be prepared for this. * There's this misunderstan...

Podcast Episode #300 We celebrate episode 300 with cupcakes and listener questions. We cover everything from welcome packets to marketplace pastors to Bible Belt churches and refusing members or money. Some highlights from today's episode include: * It's good to include member stories in your guest welcome packet to tell how God is moving in your church. * You can have church bullies at any level—...

Podcast Episode #299 Jimmy Scroggins joins us again and leads us through the major changes he had to make at Family Church as well as what he learned in the process. Some highlights from today's episode include: * "Don't waste a good crisis." * "When you have the crunch of a crisis, people give you more latitude to make hard decisions." * "The toughest change we had to make was cancelling the sing...

Podcast Episode #298 Greeters are important to the first impression your church makes with guests. So, today, we talk about where greeters should be, what they should do, and how to train them. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Every church may think they have greeters, but many actually don’t. * If I led a church, I would have greeters in the parking lot. * Door greeters are an exte...

Podcast Episode #297 Unanimous votes are rare when pastors are hired. But what if the vote isn't even close to unanimous? Well, on today's podcast we discuss a recent post on how to respond when that happens. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Cases can be made both for and against secret ballot votes to call pastors and staff. * A pastoral candidate's age difference from the congrega...

Podcast Episode #296 Multisite used to be something only large churches tried. Now, smaller churches are getting in on the strategy. Today we discuss why this is a good thing for smaller churches to consider. Some highlights from today's episode include: * All things being equal, "new" reaches people more than "old." * You can start a new church/site/service and reach people you wouldn't reach wit...

Podcast Episode #295 When you hear these statements often as a pastor, you should be concerned. These statements are often lead indicators of church death. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Evangelism should be an outgrowth of who we are in Jesus Christ. * Evangelism is not necessarily a program or technique. It should be a way of life. * When we give money as an offering to our chur...

Podcast Episode #294 Jimmy Scroggins returns to talk bivocational marketplace ministry and church-based ministry training. Some highlights from today's episode include: * If you're going to reach every neighborhood, you're going to need multiple models of church planting. * The economics of urban church planting often do not work for the "launch large" model. * "There are a lot of people in our ch...

Podcast Episode #293 Last week we discussed how to respond when church giving increases. Today, we look at the other side of the coin—decreased giving. Unfortunately, of these too scenarios, this one is far more common. Some highlights from today's episode include: * You have to know why church giving has decreased before you can respond strategically. * Pastors, be transparent with the staff when...

Podcast Episode #292 In my trends for 2017, I mentioned an increased intentionality on evangelism in the church. Today, we look at five keys to evangelistic growth in your church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * The top 6% of evangelistic churches reach one person each year for every 20 in attendance. * The author of salvation is God—not an evangelistic methodology or a program. *...

Podcast Episode #291 Today's episode may be a dream for many church leaders. But often, more money for churches can lead to more problems for churches if not handled well. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Today's podcast episode may be about the dream scenario for many pastors and churches. * Faster growing churches tend to have lower per capita giving. * Giving patterns of families...

Podcast Episode #290 At the beginning of each year, we predict trends to look for in the church during the coming year. Today we explain why I chose these ten trends for 2017. Some highlights from today's episode include: * In some ways, outreach and evangelism were easier in the past. A greater intentionality is needed today. * The gospel does not change, but how we reach people with it does. * I...

Podcast Episode #289 We look back at our trend predictions for 2016 and see how we fared. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Decreases in worship center size have much to do with the Millennial generation and their desire for community. * Replanting and church acquisitions are becoming the preferred methods for successful church revitalization. * When people move into gentrified commu...

Podcast Episode #288 Churches often find themselves with ministries that no longer fit their needs or the needs of those in the community. But pastors often struggle to eliminate them. Today, we discuss how to kill ineffective ministries to allow your church to be more efficient with time and money in ministry. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Most of our churches are too busy, and...

Podcast Episode #287 Jimmy Scroggins joins us to tell the story of Family Church in West Palm Beach, FL, and how they have moved to a model of neighborhood churches. Some highlights from today's episode include: * If a church calls you as its pastor after not having one for five years, you were not at the top of their list. * "We decided to abandon the regional megachurch strategy in favor of a ne...

Podcast Episode #286 Church bully cartels are a very real problem in too many churches. Today we look at cartels and how to confront them when they are present in your church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * We have too many Christians who choose to remain silent when faced with sin in the church. * It's a sin to be silent when God has called us to speak up against injustice. * Chr...

Podcast Episode #285 Church budgets and staff salaries are sometimes sore subjects in churches. Today we examine six trends in church budgeting and salaries that affect churches of any size or denomination. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Growing churches typically have lower per capita giving than established churches. * Having a large outside income at a church can discourage tit...

Podcast Episode #284 Jeremy Roberts joins us to discuss the results of his church's Invite Your One day. Invite Your One is an intentional high-attendance Sunday in which your church members are encouraged to invite others to church. Jeremy and his church saw remarkable results and today, he shares his story on the podcast. Through the end of the year, the Invite Your One program is on sale for 50...

Podcast Episode #283 Mark Hall, founder of Casting Crowns, joins us to discuss worship, student ministry, and how he and Casting Crowns are rooted in their local church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * "Student ministry is all about discipleship." * "My goal for a student when they graduate is that they have their own walk of faith, not their grandmother’s." * "Worship can very eas...

Podcast Episode #282 Jim Shaddix joins us to discuss what a healthy relationship between the pastor and worship leader looks like in the local church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * "One of the hardest things to do as a worship leader is to worship personally." * "The tough part of a pastor working with a worship pastor is when they don't see eye to eye on worship practice." * "Wo...

Podcast Episode #281 Louie Giglio joins us to discuss the wedding of worship and theology and how the Passion movement has made that a cornerstone of its existence for the past two decades. Passion is an annual gathering of 18-25 year olds. The next event will take place January 2-4, 2017, in Atlanta, GA, at the Georgia Dome, with more than 60,000 college students expected to fill up the dome and...

Podcast Episode #280 Mike Harland joins us to kick off a four-part series on worship in the church by examining the four essential qualities of a worship leader. Some highlights from today's episode include: * "Musical worship should be led skillfully." * "Music is not our message in the church. It is our language." * "Shepherds develop flocks. Musical artists don't develop people, typically." * "...

Podcast Episode #279 When I look at what is happening in the Bible Belt, there are causes for concern as well as opportunities for growth. Today we look at why there is concern and how you can overcome those concerns. Some highlights from today's episode include: * Culture and people have changed over time, but many churches have not. * Many churches refuse to admit that the world around them is c...

Podcast Episode #278 With 70-80% of churches in decline, many are looking for ways to reverse the trend. These five questions will help you address the issue of decline in your church. Some highlights from today's episode include: * In the past, as much as 30% of church attendees came because they thought it was culturally necessary. * Even though rural areas are declining in population, there are...