Sam S. Rainer III Archives - Church Executive


How many extra hours are pastors working during COVID-19?

By Sam S. Rainer III The lockdowns did not shorten the workweek. Many people in a variety of professions are working more hours. I wanted to know how COVID-19 affected the workweek of pastors. At Church Answers, I asked a simple question of our community of pastors and church leaders. How many extra hours have […]

Read More >
Share

Creating a financial plan for your church during the outbreak

By Sam S. Rainer III The pandemic has thrust change upon the church. One of the more jarring changes involves finances. In many established churches, the majority of funds come through in-service giving, not online giving. The first week of service stoppages was a wake-up call. Some churches only received a small portion of weekly […]

Read More >
Share

Be the church that embraces children, not just tolerates them

By Sam S. Rainer III There are two kinds of restaurants: those that embrace children, and those that tolerate children. If you’re a parent — especially if you have multiple small children — then you know this reality. When my family of six storms a restaurant, I can tell immediately whether the establishment will embrace […]

Read More >
Share

Why standing meetings are beneficial for church staff

By Sam S. Rainer III You can sit during these meetings if you like; “standing meetings” are different than stand-up meetings. A standing meeting is one that repeats in a regular pattern and is an obligation for people to attend. I have a standing meeting every Monday at 4 p.m. with my worship pastor. We […]

Read More >
Share

Why giving stays strong while attendance drops in churches

By Sam S. Rainer III I’ve noticed a recent trend among churches. The evidence is more anecdotal, but I have no doubt the phenomenon is occurring on a national scale. While more than half of all churches are in some form of attendance decline, a segment of these declining churches experiences either stability in giving […]

Read More >
Share

Why worship pastors & lead pastors should meet weekly

By Sam S. Rainer III  Every Monday at 4 p.m., I meet with both my worship pastors. We review the previous Sunday. We discuss the upcoming Sunday. We laugh together. We hold each other accountable. Sometimes I sing their worship set back to them because I have the voice of a senile cat, and it […]

Read More >
Share

Pastors: stop competing and start hanging out

pastors competing

By Sam S. Rainer III  I enjoy a little friendly competition. Last October, I used my kids as a front to scope out another local church’s Fall Fest. That, and they had a large amount of free candy. My affinity for candy corn sucked me into their festivities. The pastor and I are friends. The […]

Read More >
Share

4 essentials of a great Christmas Eve service

Christmas Eve worship

By Sam S. Rainer III  Christmas Eve is the most likely time an unchurched person will walk into your worship space. It’s a huge opportunity. My fear is some churches go through the motions since Christmas Eve is the peak of busy season and volunteers are short in supply. Your Christmas Eve service is worth […]

Read More >
Share

5 questions to ask at the 2-year mark in your tenure

5 questions to ask

By Sam S. Rainer III  I am in the third year of serving as lead pastor at West Bradenton. Thankfully, my first two years were more joy than angst, defined by encouragement and not disillusion. But even in a healthy church, the third year can bring frustration — for both pastor and congregation. In the […]

Read More >
Share

4 agenda items church staff meetings should cover every week

church meeting agenda

By Sam S. Rainer III I’m weird. I like meetings. They are an opportunity to interact with people. Being an extrovert, I enjoy the collaboration of teamwork. Not all meetings are created equal. Church staff meetings can wander into theological briars and get stuck. Discussions about facility requests can circle on a roundabout like Clark […]

Read More >
Share

HTML Snippets Powered By : XYZScripts.com