By Thom S. Rainer You weren’t looking for accolades or recognition. But, at the very least, you expected your successor at your church to be kind. You certainly did not expect him to generate a culture of negativity about you. But he did. You have either retired or moved to another church. You were looking […]
Read More
Leading on the Emotional Plateau
By Sam Rainer Shepherding a church comes with plenty of highs and lows. Some days feel like a roller-coaster ride right after eating two pounds of funnel cake. But leading a church isn’t just peaks and valleys. Plateaus exist. Plateaus can last for a long season. In fact, plateaus are more common for most leaders. […]
Read More
Why Pastors Leave a Church After a Major “Success”
By Thom S. Rainer “I can’t believe he resigned.” The recent comment to me was from a church member of a seemingly healthy church. The pastor had been at the church seven years and decided to leave the congregation. In this particular example, there was no significant conflict. There was no pressure for him to […]
Read More
Why Christian Leaders Struggle with “Dark Nights of the Soul”
By Chuck Lawless If you read church history at all, you’ll learn that men as faithful to God as Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon struggled with bouts of at least heaviness, if not depression. I’m convinced more church leaders than we know face these battles. Here are some reasons we do, followed by a simple […]
Read More
Five Advantages of a Flexible Church Staff
By Sam Rainer Few established churches turn on a dime. Some don’t turn at all. One of the contributing causes is inflexibility. Leading an organization full of inflexible people is like trying to run a marathon without bending your knees. It’s anything but smooth. Every church has some inflexible people. Part of being a pastor […]
Read More
10 Steps to Become a Better Leader in 2020
By Chuck Lawless I want to be the best leader I can be. I know I’m not there yet, and I still have much room to grow. So, as I write this post, I write as a student more than a teacher. Here are some steps I’m taking to improve as a leader in 2020. […]
Read More
The Big Surprise of Simple Church
Five Constants in Seasons of Transition
By Kevin Spratt Vice President, Church Answers In the last two months, I have transitioned from one fast-paced organization to another. It’s been fast, busy, and a ton of fun. The only thing constant about life is change and transition. Every day we take one step closer to something new and one step away from […]
Read More
Three Sentences Pastors Hate to Hear
By Thom S. Rainer The most common place pastors hear one of these three sentences is right before they preach or right after they preach. Of course, the prayerful focus on their message is detoured and distracted immediately. Frankly, I don’t see how most pastors make it to their sermons when they have been blasted […]
Read More
Eight Ways Pastors Can Cultivate Long-Term Tenures
By Sam Rainer Generally, long-term pastor tenures are better than short-term pastor tenures. The context where the pastor ministers can impact the tenure. The church body can impact tenure. And the pastor can impact tenure length. Here are eight ways pastors can cultivate their long-term tenures. Elevate your family above your career. You simply cannot […]
Read More- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 54
- Next Page »