My latest list of great books features ten volumes published in 2020: (5.0) Always a Guest: Speaking of Faith Far From Home by Barbara Brown Taylor (Westminster John Knox, 2020) (4.5) Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump by Heidi B. Neumark (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020) (4.5) Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World by Tyson Yunkaporta (HarperOne, 2020) (4.5) The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket Read More …
Thom Rainer
Book Recommendations – November 2018 (#1762)
My sharing of good books on this blog have evolved from traditional book reviews to book ratings. In recent months I've shared a list of 8-12 books I read the prior month that were published in the current year followed by some additional detail about the top 2 books. This month, 4 books share the top spot with ratings of 4.5. Rather than extending my commentary to this larger number, I'm simply providing a list. (4.5) How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology Read More …
December Book Recommendations (#1497)
During the last month I managed to work through a good deal of what was left on my list of books I hoped to read by the end of the year. Ratings (on a scale of 1 to 5) follow. (5+) Churchless: Understanding Today's Unchurched and How to Connect with Them by Barna Group with George Barna and David Kinnaman as editors (2014) (5) Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World than Actually Changing the World by Eugene Cho (2014) (5) Autopsy of a Read More …
Changes in Worship Services (#1414)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared a list of rapid changes in church worship services. His list includes the disappearance of choirs (down 10% in just 10 years), the emergence of screens as normative in worship, a shift toward more casual dress for worship, and longer sermons. So What? Worship services have changed dramatically in recent years. Rainer's use of the word rapid to describe several shifts is significant. As religious Read More …
Sermon Prep (#1142)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently facilitated a Twitter poll asking pastors to share how long they spend preparing a sermon. The results show that most pastors take between 10-18 hours to prepare each message. More specifically: 70% prep between 10 and 18 hours, 15% prep between 7 and 9 hours, 10% prep for 6 hours or less, and 6% devote 19 hours or more to prepare each message. So What? Sermons vary widely in many respects, Read More …
Churches Should (#1103)
Church leaders should expect newcomers at all worship services, and plan accordingly. Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared a list of helpful hints reflecting on his visits to a number of churches over the last seven months. He recommends congregations: have plentiful signage on the outside and inside, offer user-friendly websites, and help newcomers easily locate parking and restrooms. So What? Rainer's recommendations Read More …
Unity in Your Church (#1083)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared four ways you can advance the cause of unity within your local congregation/church/community of faith: preach on it, talk about Jesus' emphasis on it, model it, and get everyone on the same page -- literally (using a single resource for congregation wide study). So What? While I usually use this blog as a forum to promote Christian unity on a broader scale, it is of great significance that this begin Read More …
Executive Pastor Trends (#0983)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently wrote about the role of executive pastor. The position itself is a relatively new construct, arriving in the latter half of the twentieth century. Initially attractive primarily to megachurches, the value of this position is now seen by congregations significantly smaller in size. This observation is one of five trends Rainer highlights: More executive pastors in smaller churches More executive Read More …
Pastoral Regrets (#0973)
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently asked more than twenty pastors who had been in ministry for at least 25 years a single question: “What regrets do you have about the years you have served as a pastor?” The top seven answers follow: Lack of practical training for local church ministry Overly concerned about critics Failure to exercise faith Not enough time with family Failure to understand basic business and finance issues Failure to Read More …
Choosing Larger Congregations (#0868)
More and more Christians are choosing to worship in larger congregations. Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, recently shared seven trends relating to American megachurches. His list (for another trend originating from the same data Rainer relies upon, consider reading my recent post) begins with a trend that has an impact that reaches far beyond megachurches (typically defined as congregations that average 2,000+ in weekend worship attendance): Further Read More …