- 1. 12 Reasons for Optimism About the Future for Local Churches
- I know. I have been a spokesman for gloom and doom of the local church. I've even written a book about church autopsies—not necessarily a topic of hope and joy. There have, however, been reasons for my ...
- Created on 10 June 2014
- 2. 7 Do-Overs Pastors Wish They Had
- We are certainly to move forward from past failures and regrets. Paul told us to “forget what is behind and reach forward to what is ahead” (Phil. 3:13). But we can learn from the wisdom of others, even ...
- Created on 20 March 2014
- 3. 10 Areas Where Pastors Need Training for the 21st Century
- Any pastor or other church staff member should be prepared in biblical truths. Theology is a key discipline as well. Indeed, none of the classical disciplines should be forsaken, nor any of the practical ...
- Created on 13 March 2014
- 4. 11 of the Most Common Mistakes Churches Make
- I was recently in Arkansas speaking with a pastor who is a daily reader of my blog. He expressed gratitude for all the free content, but then he made a kind plea. He said that the blog has so much content ...
- Created on 12 February 2014
- 5. 10 Common Topics of Church Member Arguments
- For many years I served as a consultant to churches and denominations, a role I relinquished when I became president of LifeWay more than eight years ago. Part of our consultative process was interviewing ...
- Created on 27 January 2014
- 6. 11 Reasons Pastors Are Trusted Less Today
- A day does not pass that I do not hear from a hurting pastor. Serving in that role has to be one of the most challenging vocations today. Sure, there are some bad and immoral pastors. But the vast majority ...
- Created on 24 January 2014
- 7. 7 Predictions for American Churches in 2014
- Predicting is as much of an art as it is a science. And if any prognosticator is honest, he or she will tell you that they don’t always get it right. I know. I certainly don’t always get it right. But ...
- Created on 03 January 2014
- 8. 7 Habits of Joyful Pastors
- I have in front of me the names of 20 pastors I know well. It did not take me long to assemble the names by the specific trait I was seeking. Simply said, I wanted to find out what names I would write ...
- Created on 25 December 2013
- 9. 7 of the Greatest Stressors on Pastors
- Most pastors love their calling. Most pastors could not imagine doing anything else. Most pastors have joy in their ministries. I want to be clear that I don’t view pastors as a depressed, melancholy and ...
- Created on 18 December 2013
- 10. 7 Reasons Why Church Worship Centers Will Get Smaller
- A seismic shift is taking place in American church facilities, a shift that will become even more noticeable in the years to come. Church worship centers or sanctuaries will become smaller than they were ...
- Created on 09 December 2013
- 11. Thom Rainer: Pastors and Christmas Gifts
- I am always grateful when pastors and church members share with me topics of interest to them. Those suggestions tend to be viewed by more readers than my own ideas. I guess that says something about my ...
- Created on 03 December 2013
- 12. 7 Trends in Church New Member Classes
- One of the most significant changes in church practices in the past 15 years is the requirement of an entry class to be granted church membership. In a 1997 survey I did, only 17 percent of churches were ...
- Created on 22 November 2013
- 13. 4 Steps Forward for the Very Sick Church
- In my previous post on my website, I addressed the issue of very sick churches, noting that as many as 40 percent of American congregations fall in that category. Several readers commented they would like ...
- Created on 14 November 2013