2 Ways to Solve the Guest Experience Problem You Don’t Know You Have
by: Thom Rainer
Two approaches to keeping yourself grounded and aware of how your church is perceived by guests.
ABOUT THOM RAINER
Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers, an online community and resource for church leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Rainer served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Before coming to LifeWay, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Should I Go to Church in My Family Room? 6 Key Considerations
by: Thom Rainer
Many churches see the digital church attendees as an extension of the ministry of the church.
7 Important Lessons Every Church Leader Can Learn from Their Critics
by: Thom Rainer
Critics, Dealing with Critics, Leadership Disciplines, Thom Rainer
Critics and naysayers are in every church. They can make your life miserable . . . unless you learn to deal with them.
Top Ten Ways Churches Drive Away First-Time Guests
by: Thom Rainer
Guest, Guest Experience Boot Camp, Guest Experiences, Thom Rainer
The top ten reasons first-time guests said they did not return to a church.
8 Responses of Leaders When Their Church is in a Slump
by: Thom Rainer
Many pastors will tell you about times when their churches were in a slump. What do they do to lead their churches out of this perceived slump?
7 Key Characteristics of Break-thru Churches
by: Thom Rainer
Break-thru churches, Breakout Churches, Church Revitalization, Thom Rainer
Break-thru churches have pastors who intentionally adopted seven traits that become key to the churches’ turnaround.
Do Your Homework: 9 Questions to Ask BEFORE Leading a Church Revitalization Effort
by: Thom Rainer
Church Revitalization, Recasting Vision, Thom Rainer, Visionary Leadership
Leading a church revitalization is difficult. Indeed, it can’t be done outside of God’s power.
Five Steps to Get Beyond the Sacred Cows in Your Church
by: Thom Rainer
Are organizational memories, commonly known as sacred cows, hindering our effectiveness for the gospel?
3 Church Trends That Aren’t New But are Changing Rapidly
by: Thom Rainer
Entry Point Classes, Executive Pastors, Ministry Trends, Multiple Venue Churches, Thom
Three church trends that have moved from the category of “exception” to the category of “mainstream.”
The Art and Science of Predicting What’s Ahead for the American Church, Part 2
by: Thom Rainer
Predicting is as much of an art as it is a science. Each of my predictions are based on both objective and subjective information, and I have a fairly high level of certainty about each of these trends.
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Thank you for this information. I'm going to use this article to improve my work with the Lord.
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Thank you Ed for sharing your insights into the Church Growth Movement. I have my reservations with Church Growth models because it has done more damage than good in the Body of Christ. Over the years, western churches are more focused on results, formulas and processes with little or no emphasis on membership and church discipline. Pastors and vocational leaders are burnt out because they're overworked.
I do believe that the Church Growth model is a catalyst to two destructive groups: The New Apostolic Reformation and the Emerging Church. Both groups overlap and have a very loose definition. They're both focus on contemporary worship, expansion of church brand (franchising), and mobilizing volunteering members as 'leaders' to grow their ministry. Little focus on biblical study, apologetics and genuine missional work with no agenda besides preaching of the gospel.
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Thank you for sharing such a good article. It is a great lesson I learned from this article. I am one of the leaders in Emmanuel united church of Ethiopia (A denomination with more-than 780 local churches through out the country). I am preparing a presentation on succession planning for local church leaders. It will help me for preparation If you send me more resources and recommend me books to read on the topic. I hope we may collaborate in advancing leadership capacity of our church. God Bless You and Your Ministry.
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