Rainer on Leadership Thom Rainer

https://youtu.be/ahajr1DNchc



More churches are stunned when confronted with a major facility cost. They did not take care of the need, and they set aside funds for the need. Thom discusses this issue with Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group. They are “The Church Facility Experts.”







When the roof comes down.

HVAC is more than an acronym.

Drainage and water issues are foundational problems.

Plumbing and electrical systems: a shocking problem.

Flooring lifespan.

Parking lots.







Resources:



* Brown Church Development Group





* How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry?





* Church Health Scorecard





* Calvary Church (Muscatine)





* Why the Exterior of Your Church Facility Is Important for Growth With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group





* Is Your Church Facility Really Safe? With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group



Episode Sponsor:

https://youtu.be/0QFhhBQzhv8



Many church leaders do not think much about the safety of their church facilities. Safety issues are essential to protecting those who come to our churches. Thom discusses this issue with Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group, who are “The Church Facility Experts.”







Overall strategic safety concerns.

Safety for children.

Accessibility concerns.

Asbestos and lead paint concerns.

Mold growth concerns.

Fire safety systems concerns.







Resources:



* Brown Church Development Group





* How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry?





* “Make My Church Safe” by Sam Rainer





* Why the Exterior of Your Church Facility Is Important for Growth With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group





* The Big Things That Can Go Wrong with Your Church Facilities With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group



Episode Sponsor:

https://youtu.be/fOHlVt9fD1w



Hundreds, if not thousands, of cars pass your church every day. What is their first impression of your facilities when they see them only from the outside? Thom discusses this issue with Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group, who are “The Church Facility Experts.”







Facility first impressions are more important than you think.

What does the signage say to passersby?

What does the exterior appearance say?

What does your parking lot say?

What does the landscaping say?

You will also learn about the door to nowhere.







Resources:



* Brown Church Development Group





* How Do You Build a Church Facility Design for Ministry?





* Is Your Church Facility Really Safe? With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group





* The Big Things That Can Go Wrong with Your Church Facilities With Todd Brown and Isaac Brown of Brown Church Development Group



Episode Sponsor:

https://youtu.be/kBjDBo-FsTM



In this week's episode, Sam asks Thom about some of the biggest shifts in the American church in the last thirty years. They discuss what has changed and why the shifts occurred. Some things changed for the better, and others changed for the worse.







Cultural Christianity died.

Transfer growth increased rapidly.

Evangelism programs disappeared.

Modern worship became predominant.

Megachurches peaked and declined.

Multisite churches proliferated.

Median church size dropped by half.

Denominational decline increased.

Institutional loyalty and trust eroded.







Resources:



* Upward Sports





* Filament Bible Collection





Tyndale House Publishers





“The Surprising Return of the Neighborhood Church” by Sam Rainer





* Get your FREE eBook, Deferred Maintenance





The Everything Church Resource Directory





* The Hope Initiative





* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector



Episode Sponsors:



Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities.  Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community.  Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings.



At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. By the way, it's not too early to start thinking about winter sports leagues at your church. Learn more today at Upward.org/ChurchAnswers.



**As a partner of Rainer on Leadership, Upward Sports is offering a $500 sports start up grant to listeners. Head over to Upward.org/ChurchAnswers and schedule a call… tell them we sent you! Your sports grant will assist you in a 2024 LEAGUE!



Discover more ways to interact with God’s Word with the Filament Bible Collection



The Filament Bible app is your gateway to a deeper, more enriching Bible-study experience. Seamlessly connect every page of your Bible to a treasure trove of resources, including:







25,000+ study notes for understanding

350+ videos for insight

40+ maps and infographics for context

400+ profiles and articles for enrichment

1,500+ devotions for daily inspiration

audio Bibles for immersion

a library of worship music for personal reflection







Start your enhanced Bible journey today! Find your Filament Bible at FilamentBibles.com.

https://youtu.be/oyINqkSBOFE



How many people are really leaving their childhood faith? Ryan Burge joins Thom and Sam on this special episode to unpack important data for churches. Retention rates are a good indicator of how well a church disciples people. Keeping people is a major part of church health. The hosts discuss the data concerning national trends with church retention.







A retention rate is the percentage of people who were raised in a certain faith tradition that still affiliate with that same tradition as adults.

Mainline Protestants struggle with retention. The rate was 76% in the 1970s. Today it is 58%.

Conservative Evangelicals fare better. Retention rates in the 1970s were 78%. Today it is 73%.

When a mainline Protestant leaves their tradition, they are almost as likely to become an evangelical as a none (14% vs 20%).

When evangelicals leave, the most likely landing spot is nones at 13%. But that’s that many folks at the end of the day.

The exvangelical movement is really not that big. The mainline to evangelical pipeline is actually larger.

What might the future hold? The aging of congregations and "leaky boats" with more holes.







Resources:



Tithe.ly





2023 State of Church Giving





* “How Many People Leave Their Childhood Religion?” by Ryan Burge





Ryan Burge





Know Your Community





* Church Health Scorecard





* “The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church” by Sarah McCammon (affiliate link)





* The Everything Church Resource Directory





* The Hope Initiative





* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector



Episode Sponsors:



Tithely provides churches around the world with software tools to help them and their ministries thrive.



Nearly 40,000 churches use Tithely for online and text giving, managing their people’s information, volunteer management, child check in, church apps and websites, and communicating through email and text messaging.



Made up of a team of ministry-minded people, Tithely’s heart is to see the local church empowered with the tools to fulfill their mission.



You can sign up for free at Tithely.com - yes that's right, it's free! Tithely's giving platform comes with no monthly fees and no contracts. Get started taking donations in just 5 minutes at Tithely.com.



Also, right now Tithely is offering a free report called “2023 State of Church Giving Report.” You can access that report free by clicking on the link in the show notes.

https://youtu.be/ZBhSPkhfOas



Even with the best of motives, we all make decisions we later realize are not God's will. What should a pastor do when facing this dilemma? Thom and Sam discuss some strategies for unwinding bad decisions. They offer some helpful tips on the best approaches to guide a church back to the starting line.







* No leader gets every decision right. Give yourself some grace.

* A one-off bad decision does not mean you are a bad pastor.

* The will of God is not always easy to discern!

* The more risks you take, the more likely the chance you will get some things wrong.

* Start with impact in mind. You don't need to tell everyone unless it affects everyone.

* Apologize if necessary but don't sulk. Offer your next solution.

* Have a posture of learning.

* Stay positive and keep leading.

* Some decisions can't be undone. Move forward the best you can.







Resources:



* Filament Bible Collection





Tyndale House Publishers





Upward Sports





The Everything Church Resource Directory





* The Hope Initiative





* Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector



Episode Sponsors:



Discover more ways to interact with God’s Word with the Filament Bible Collection



The Filament Bible app is your gateway to a deeper, more enriching Bible-study experience. Seamlessly connect every page of your Bible to a treasure trove of resources, including:







25,000+ study notes for understanding

350+ videos for insight

40+ maps and infographics for context

400+ profiles and articles for enrichment

1,500+ devotions for daily inspiration

audio Bibles for immersion

a library of worship music for personal reflection







Start your enhanced Bible journey today! Find your Filament Bible at FilamentBibles.com.



Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities.  Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community.  Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings.



At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. By the way, it's not too early to start thinking about winter sports leagues at your church. Learn more today at Upward.org/ChurchAnswers.



**As a partner of Rainer on Leadership, Upward Sports is offering a $500 sports start up grant to listeners. Head over to Upward.org/ChurchAnswers and schedule a call… tell them we sent you! Your sports grant will assist you in a 2024 LEAGUE!