By Sam Rainer I average one about every other day. Someone wants our church to become a mission partner. The requests come through different means—email, in-person, lunch meetings, over coffee, phone calls, and social media. The asks all differ slightly, but the spirit of most of them is the same: Will you support my ministry? […]
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Seven Ways to Love Your Community
By Sam Rainer Church leaders should love their churches where they are now, not where they wish their congregations could be in the future. That’s a given, or at least should be. But what about the community? Church leaders should love their communities as much as their churches. Granted, some churches are easier to love […]
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Eight Ways Pastors Can Cultivate Long-Term Tenures
By Sam Rainer Generally, long-term pastor tenures are better than short-term pastor tenures. The context where the pastor ministers can impact the tenure. The church body can impact tenure. And the pastor can impact tenure length. Here are eight ways pastors can cultivate their long-term tenures. Elevate your family above your career. You simply cannot […]
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Why I Don’t Require Office Hours for Ministry Staff
Requiring office time propagates a culture of “ministry must come to me” rather than “I go to people.” Every hour someone is sitting behind a desk is an hour not spent discipling or evangelizing. You create ministry. You don’t wait on ministry to happen. The Bible doesn’t call pastors to office hours, but rather to equip the saints.
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Stop Getting Mad at People Who Question Change
Bold change almost always raises questions from people. Getting mad at people who raise the questions does nothing to help move them through the process of change.
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How Pastors Discern Their True Friends
Pastors must work to maintain friends in the church. The stakes are too high. The result of isolation is depression, burnout, or moral failure. You can’t be wise on your own. You need God’s Truth and good friends.
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Seven Steps towards a Greater Gospel Focus in Your Church
Repeating these seven steps consistently will begin the process of gradually shifting the culture of the church toward a greater gospel focus.
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Seven Reasons to Consider Not Requiring Office Hours for Ministerial Staff
I’ve never liked the idea of requiring office hours for pastors and ministry staff. Ministry demands a “go” mentality. It’s hard to go when you have to sit at a desk all day.
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