Rainer On Leadership

Every believer is called to Christlikeness. Pastors, however, have a calling to be above reproach. What does this calling mean? On this episode, Sam interviews Matt McCraw. Together, they cover the universal standards for all pastors and what special burdens they carry. The post What Does It Really Mean for Pastors to Be Above Reproach: An Interview with Matt McCraw appeared first on Church Answers.

Women account for six out of ten churchgoers. Frankly, the church cannot thrive if women are not thriving. In this episode, Sam interviews Jacki C. King to discuss some practical insights about women in ministry. A church of any size can have a successful women's ministry. The post What Happens in the Church When Women Thrive in Ministry: An Interview with Jacki C. King appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom welcomes Alex Goodwin, co-founder of the Institute for Bible Reading and co-creator of “Immerse: The Bible Reading Experience” and “Immerse: The Reading Bible,” winner of the 2022 ECPA Bible of the Year award. He counts himself as one of many Christians who have struggled to read the Bible and believes that changing how we interact with Scripture can help us become immersed in its transformative story.  The post How You Can Get Your Church Members Reading the Bible Regularly: An Interview with Alex Goodwin appeared first on Church Answers.

You've likely heard the phrase "blessed subtraction" referring to divisive church members who leave for another congregation. On occasion, they will return. What should you do? Thom and Sam give some tips to church leaders. The post When Difficult People Want to Come Back to Church After Leaving appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom and Sam received a question from a regular listener. Henry from Ontario wanted to know how pastors can best recognize faithful members serving in areas of the church that are often unnoticed. For example, the only time the church notices the tech team is when something goes wrong in the worship service. Most people who serve behind the scenes do not want public recognition. How can the church honor them? The post How to Encourage Church Members Who Serve Behind the Scenes appeared first on Church Answers.

Sam welcomes Ann White, an internationally known author, speaker, Christian TV Host, passionate Bible teacher, Founder and CEO of Courage For Life. Her passion is to equip and encourage people from all walks of life to embrace their God-given courage for life. They discuss the need to have resources available to help people grow both spiritually and emotionally. The post Getting Your Church Leaders and Members Really Reading the Bible: An Interview with Ann White appeared first on Church Answers.

You can't reach your community unless you know your community. On this week's episode, Thom and Sam discuss the most often missed community demographics and why they are important. The post The Community Demographics and Psychographics Churches Most Often Miss appeared first on Church Answers.

Sam welcomes father-daughter duo and theologians Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer. In their book “Pivot,” Scot and Laura help churches to implement practices, establish priorities, and cultivate gospel-centered qualities that form goodness cultures. Scot is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. Laura is a teacher and coauthored “A Church Called Tov” with Scot. The post Pivot: An Interview with Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer appeared first on Church Answers.

Every pastor should take a vacation. But pastors can struggle with knowing how much vacation they should take and how long they should be away. Thom discusses best practices with vacation time. The post How Much Vacation Should Pastors Take? appeared first on Church Answers.

How effective are new mover ministries, particularly those where a card is mailed to every new mover in a specified area? Thom and Sam look at some early results they gleaned. The post Does a New Mover Ministry Really Work? An Early Analysis appeared first on Church Answers.

In the conclusion of this special series on recreation ministry, Thom and Sam talk about the future of recreation ministries in churches. More churches will restart their sports programs. Now is the time to begin. The future is bright! The post A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #3 – What the Future of Church Recreation Ministry Looks Like (Start Now) appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom and Sam continue their special series on recreation ministry. Many church leaders bemoan how sports can pull people away from the church. But what if sports can be used to draw people into the body of Christ? Sports can just as easily work for you. The co-hosts explain how on this episode. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #2 – How to Make Sports Work for Your Church and Not Against You appeared first on Church Answers.

In this special episode, Thom and Sam discuss the history of recreation ministry in churches and why it’s poised for a comeback. Sports are massively popular in culture right now. Churches can use this popularity as a big ministry opportunity. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Upward: Episode #1 – Why We Need a Church Recreation Ministry Comeback More Than Ever appeared first on Church Answers.

How a pastor dresses is ultimately much less important than teaching sound doctrine and caring for the congregation. But people do notice what you wear. Should pastors dress up on Sunday since they are leaders? Or should they try to blend in with the congregation and be more relatable? Thom and Sam discuss these questions in this episode. The post The Pastor’s Sunday Attire: Dress Up or Blend In? appeared first on Church Answers.

Sam Rainer takes a different role in this podcast as Thom interviews him about the remarkable story of West Bradenton Baptist Church, a neighborhood church that is making a big difference in its community. The post The Story of the Neighborhood Church That Could: An Interview with Sam Rainer appeared first on Church Answers.

Some churches have the uncanny ability to prolong infighting for decades. Other congregations get to a point where the fighting creates collective exhaustion. Thom and Sam discuss what happens when a church stops fighting because everyone is tired. The post What Happens When a Church Exhausts Itself on Fighting appeared first on Church Answers.

At Church Answers we love a good turnaround story, especially when a struggling church gets healthy and begins to thrive. In this episode, Thom and Sam interview Gary Moritz of City United Church in Lunenburg, MA. This comeback story is incredibly inspirational. The post A New England Church Comeback Story Everyone Needs to Know: An Interview with Gary Moritz appeared first on Church Answers.

Charitable giving is up—a near record of $485 billion in 2021, despite surging inflation. However, giving to churches has dropped even though giving to non-profits is up by 4%. In the early 1980s, churches received over half of all charitable giving. Today, churches receive less than a third of all charitable giving. Mike Stadelmayer joins Sam to discuss what’s going on with these trends. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Church Growth Services – Episode #3 – Churches Are Getting Less of Total Charitable Giving Every Year—What’s Going On?: An Interview with Mike Stadelmayer appeared first on Church Answers.

Interest rates are rising, and some churches are experiencing an increase in debt service payments. Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services joins Sam for a special series on generosity. In this episode they discuss the controversial topic of debt and how churches can avoid holding too much debt for too long. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Church Growth Services – Episode #2 – The Implications of Churches Holding More Debt for Longer Periods of Time: An Interview with Mike Stadelmayer appeared first on Church Answers.

How strong is the financial foundation of churches today? Mike Stadelmayer of Church Growth Services joins Sam for a special series on generosity. In this important interview, Mike shares three megatrends affecting every church. The post A Special Three-Part Series with Church Growth Services – Episode #1 – Three Generosity Megatrends Your Church Cannot Afford to Ignore: An Interview with Mike Stadelmayer appeared first on Church Answers.