Oliver, lead pastor of Connection Church, couldn't put his finger on why he felt so unsettled. Everything seemed to be going right at Connection-that was until he asked a task force what had happened to one church member: Jill. Oliver couldn't have known how his one simple question could lead to an unraveling of what was really happening within the church.
In this book, respected church consultant, founder and CEO of Church Answers, and author of several church leadership books, Thom S. Rainer, shows how the trend of low church attendance is slowly undermining churches and sending many to the grave. With this leadership parable, Thom illustrates the five key dysfunctions that plague congregations and block healthy church growth. He demonstrates why church leaders need to pay more attention to core issues like unbelief, membership, and dedication to evangelism.
Where Have All the Church Members Gone? will give you hope. The book will give you a plan on how to identify dysfunction and put your church on a path to renewal.
- A story that illustrates common church dynamics: Follow Oliver and his Connection Church task force as they uncover the true reason for dwindling attendance;
- A plan that uncovers the real reasons: Don't let appearances deceive you. Discover ways to pinpoint the key causes of apathy in congregations;
- A guide to the five typical dysfunctions: Find out why people are quietly quitting church and what you can do about it.
A convenient and easy way for pastors to ask for the prayer support they desperately need.
"Will you pray for me?" is a question pastors hear every day. But when have you heard a pastor ask that question for themselves? Frankly, it's rare. That was the question Thom Rainer asked his congregation. The response was overwhelming. Within two days, more than one hundred people committed to praying for him, and the church was transformed over the next year. Thom cannot imagine what would have happened if he hadn't overcome his initial reluctance to be that vulnerable with his congregation.
In this book, there are thirty reflections and thirty prayers that give church members a glimpse into the struggles most pastors face and helps them pray in specific ways. In the back of this book, there are instructions on how to start a prayer ministry for your pastor, a prayer ministry for members of your pastor's family, and a thirty-day prayer challenge.
God promises to honor the prayers of his people.
When the People Pray is an invitation to unleash those promises.
Spend the next 30 days reaching your community in prayer and learn what it means to be a Great Commission Christian.
Pray & Go is a profound and easy-to-use tool that empowers church members to focus outward and learn how to pray regularly. There's hope. Imagine your congregation devoted to prayer. Envision a healthy and growing church dedicated to worshiping Jesus.
Our neighborhoods need prayer like never before. Pray & Go is designed to provide convenient opportunities for everyone in your church to participate in and experience the incredible power of prayer. It's easy. Anyone can do it. Just be present and pray.
When Jesus left his followers to be reunited with God the Father, his parting command to them was to wait. The believers obeyed by gathering, praying together, and waiting for the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon them. Pray & Go is focused on following in the footsteps of those early Christians.
It's a 30-day journey of praying and going, waiting for God and then going outside the church's four walls in obedience to Jesus' command. Both adults and young people enjoy the Pray & Go program because it isn't cumbersome or time-consuming. It requires a small commitment each month to prayer and outreach.
Pray & Go contains 30 daily focus topics to pray for, including:
- Praying for Great Commission church members
- Praying for your pastor
- Praying for unity
- Praying for reconciliation
Just pray and go. Yes, it's that simple. You will be amazed by what God will do when your church family is praying for each other and for the community.
Who is God? Why am I here? How should I live? These are a few of the crucial questions about life that must be answered. What's exciting is that God has provided those answers in Scripture. In I Believe, Thom Rainer outlines the essentials of the Christian faith in a clear and succinct way. You'll learn about prayer, church, angels, heaven, the Trinity, and much more.
Read and discuss these Christian beliefs in a small group at your local church. It was within a church that Thom Rainer first experienced the power of these profound yet simple truths to utterly transform his life.
The urgent need of our day is for Christians to understand who they are, what they believe, and how that affects what they do. The best place to answer those life questions is in the context of the local church. It's nothing short of miraculous what God will do through a group of devoted Christians who become committed and selfless church members.
Studying I Believe with a small group of Christians will give you a solid base of truth on which to anchor your life in Christ.
'We can't compete with the megachurch in our town!'
'A new church was started two blocks from us. We've got plenty of churches without them!'
'We can't reach young families. They all go to the big church that has all the children's and student stuff.'
'We don't have the money or the people the other churches have.'
Bestselling author Thom S. Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has heard comments like these hundreds, if not thousands, of times. They are statements of hopelessness. They are statements of despair. They are statements of defeat. Church leaders don't want to feel this way. They desire to break out of the mediocrity of the same, lame, and tame existence of their churches. They want their churches to make a difference.
There is hope. God's hope. God's possibilities.
What does a scrappy church look like? Let's take a look together.
In this concise book, respected pastor, author, and church consultant Thom Rainer explains how the local church is God's primary plan for reaching the world with his love. "I am a Christian" and "I am a church member" go hand in hand.
What does it really mean to be a Christian? In a world where everything from sports to politics, social media to podcasts, and movies to television vies for our attention, we need to get back to what is essential. We need to know who we truly are and who we serve.
When people finally grasp who they are in Christ and what their participation means to their local church, everything changes. Life begins to make sense. Their purpose becomes clear. Their mission through their local church is confirmed. Their hearts start longing to cooperate with God in the company of fellow believers. When Christians become committed church members, the church becomes healthy. When the church becomes healthy, communities become healthy. When communities become healthy, the world can be transformed.
The urgent need of our day is for Christians to understand who they are, what they believe, and how that affects what they do. And the best place to answer those crucial life questions is in the context of the local church. It's nothing short of amazing and miraculous what God will do through a group of devoted Christians who become committed and selfless church members. I Am a Christian is your first step on that incredible journey.
Discover a Natural Way to Share the Love of Christ.
Think about an incredibly joyful event in your life. Perhaps you got a job you desperately wanted or you were really proud of something you made. Do you remember how you couldn't wait to talk about it? You were willing and eager to have a conversation about it with anyone who would listen! Why doesn't our excitement for Jesus overflow from our lives in a similar and natural way?
In this book, Thom Rainer explores what makes so many Christians hesitant to talk about the greatest news the world has ever heard. There are real obstacles, challenges, and fears, but God is bigger and stronger than these hurdles. His compassion extends to all who wander, and He wants to show them His love through the lives of His people.
With this helpful guide, you will
- Discover why it is so difficult to share the greatest news in the world
- Identify common objections that are difficult to answer and learn how to respond to them gracefully
- Learn about the three biggest barriers to talking to your friends and neighbors about the gospel and how to bypass those obstacles
- See how God loves to work through our lives to draw others to Himself
A trustworthy and respected guide for pastors and church leadership in the post-quarantine world, providing hope and vision for the future of your congregation.
From thousands of surveys of church leaders and in-person consultations, Thom Rainer and his Church Answers team have gathered the essential wisdom you will need to face the challenges and opportunities that the quarantine crisis creates for the local church, including:
- New and better ways to lead the gathered church
- A wide-open door for growing the digital church
- A moment to rethink the facilities
- New strategies for church growth . . . and much more!
This book is, in effect, your personal church consultant, helping you plan and prepare for the future. In the midst of heartbreak, tragedy, and struggle due to Covid-19, here's hope, wisdom, encouragement and vision.
This book is valuable for those looking for local church and pastor resources to enhance church leadership, grow your church, and serve digital and online church communities in the post-quarantine world.
As a former pastor and founder of Church Answers, Thom S. Rainer is intimately familiar with the ever-present demands that pastors face. He has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of the local church.
Most church members don't see their churches clearly. In almost all of Thom S. Rainer's consultations, church members perceive their church to be friendly. But as he surveyed guests, he found that the guests typically saw church members as unfriendly. The perception chasm existed because the members were indeed friendly . . . to one another. The guests felt like they crashed a private party. Bestselling author Thom Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has a game plan for churches to become more hospitable. In a format that is suitable for church members to read individually or study together, Rainer guides readers toward a practical framework for making a difference for those who visit their church. Churches may use Becoming a Welcoming Church to assess and audit where they are on a spectrum between welcoming and wanting. Additionally, churches can use the companion book We Want You Here to send guests home with a compelling vision for what pastors want every guest to know when they visit.
Nine out of ten churches in America are either declining or growing slower than the community in which they are located. Stated simply, 90 percent of American churches are losing ground in their communities. Change is not an option; it is an urgent need. We don't change our doctrines and biblical foundations, but we do change our methodologies and approaches for this rapidly changing culture. Based on the studies, consultations, and research of over 50,000 churches, best-selling author, Thom S. Rainer, shares how effective change has taken place in many churches. While it is not a formulaic approach, Who Moved My Pulpit? is a clear guide for church leaders who are not satisfied with the status quo, and who yearn for their churches and ministries to make a kingdom difference. True transformational change in the church is possible.
Could you be the answer to the problems you see? "Every day we are faced with the needs of those around us. Emotional. Physical. Spiritual. What are we to do about it? Are these problems for our pastors to address or is there a way for the church member to make an impact that will last? "Bestselling author Thom S. "Rainer "answer these questions by offering nine simple traits that all church members can incorporate into your life "no matter your background, stage of life, or sense of capability. "You can do it. Now it's time to just stand up and say you will!
No one wants to see a church die. And yet, far too many churches are dying. For more than twenty-five years, Dr. Thom Rainer has helped churches grow, reverse the trends of decline, and has autopsied those that have died. From this experience, he has discovered twelve consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it’s not gloom and doom because from those twelve themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged.
Whether your church is vibrant or dying, whether you are a pastor or a church member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church alive to the glory of God and advancement of Christ’s Kingdom!
