6 insights for better church hospitality
This spring, Lifeway Research released the results of a study on how Protestant churches welcome first-time guests. The results, as they say, speak for themselves.
Five Ways to Hurt Your Pastor Deeply
If your pastor resigns this year, you probably will not hear any of these five issues in their reasons for departure. But you can be assured that the ongoing complaints, criticisms, and attacks have taken their toll.
Five Cautions about Church Budgets for the Next Twelve Months
The call from the pastor was not that unusual.
Five Questions for Churches as Worship Gatherings Become Smaller
The trend toward smaller gatherings was slow but perceptible prior to the pandemic. That trend is much more noticeable now.
Seven Reasons Why Most Church Outreach Programs Fail
One of my passions in life is to help churches move from becoming inwardly focused to outwardly focused. When I wrote I Am a Church Member, my key motivation was to demonstrate that biblical church members are always looking outwardly. When I wrote Autopsy of a Deceased Church, my desire was to demonstrate the terrible consequences and deaths of local congregations when the members are inwardly focused.
Fifteen Reasons Our Churches Are Less Evangelistic Today
By almost any metric, the churches in our nation are much less evangelistic today than they were in the recent past. In my own denomination, we are reaching non-Christians only half as effectively as we were 50 years ago (we measure membership to annual baptisms). The trend is disturbing.
FIRST-PERSON: Coronavirus and your church
Church leaders need to begin thinking about how their church should respond to threats from coronavirus right now rather than later, says author Thom Rainer.
FIRST-PERSON: Should churches have stand-and-greet times?
Stand-and-greet times are the top reason why first-time guests don't return to a church, according to Twitter poll by Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources. The poll, though "not scientific," prompts Rainer to explore reasons why guests don't like that part of many churches' worship services.
FIRST-PERSON: When Boomer pastors retire
NASHVILLE (BP) -- On Jan. 1, 2011, the first Baby Boomer turned 65. In fact, on that day, 10,000 of them turned 65. And that pace of aging will continue until 2030, when every Boomer is 65 or older.
FIRST-PERSON: Warnings for church leaders who use social media
LifeWay President Thom Rainer gives seven warnings for church leaders and churches who use social media.
FIRST-PERSON: Lead your church to be evangelistic
LifeWay President Thom Rainer, reflecting on a loss of evangelistic fervor in today's churches, sets forth key steps pastors can take to extend the good news of Jesus Christ in their communities.
