Sam Rainer's Blog

Changing the worship ministry in a church can be one of the most emotionally charged initiatives leaders undertake. Music touches deeply held personal preferences. Yet the worship ministry of many churches needs intentional change, not because of stylistic trends, but because of how people engage and grow. Healthy churches are navigating significant shifts that affect how they worship together.

At its core, the success of worship ministry should not be measured by how people feel, but by how wel...

Let’s assume the best. Someone is deciding on a new church for all the right reasons. Maybe it’s you. Finding a new church can be both exciting and intimidating. Whether you’re moving to a new area or starting a new season of life, it’s wise to ask good questions before committing to a local congregation. The goal isn’t to “shop” for a perfect church (because none exists), but to discern where you can worship, grow, and serve faithfully. These questions aren’t about consumer preferences. They’re...

Every leader has a handful of books that change how they see the world. For me, one of those books is Reframing Organizations by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal. I first read it years ago as an academic text, but it has stayed with me far longer than most books from graduate school. The reason is simple: it taught me how to see my church differently.

“Reframing” is the ability to look at the same situation from multiple perspectives. Most leaders, pastors included, tend to lead through one dominant...

A demographic and ministry shift is underway. Thousands of pastors are approaching retirement age, and few younger leaders are ready to take their place. The wave is coming, and every church will soon feel its impact.

An Actuarial Reality: The Aging of the Pastorate

It’s frustrating when someone says you’re too young, or too old. You can’t help your age. Frankly, you didn’t have any say as to the day or year of your birth. But here’s reality: pastors and church leaders are getting older. There’s...

We talk about “church hospitality.” But how much do we really know about it?

The hospitality industry spends billions of dollars studying guest experience, testing everything from first impressions to restroom lighting to perceived fairness while waiting in line. Meanwhile, many churches rely mostly on intuition or tradition. Yet hospitality is more than greeters and coffee; it’s a science.

What happens when we take what the world’s best researchers know about hotels, restaurants, and customer e...

When a church becomes discouraged, energy drains away and mission focus fades. Evangelism slows. Outreach dwindles. Over time, discouragement settles like fog over the entire congregation. Yet, God specializes in breathing new life into tired hearts and weary churches. Even the most downtrodden church can rediscover hope, strength, and purpose.

Understanding Discouragement

Discouragement is a negative emotional state characterized by a loss of motivation and confidence, often resulting from fail...

I love the process of discovery through research. The journey begins with a question and swerves through multiple twists and turns before finally arriving at an answer. Our team at Church Answers recently conducted a research project that took several months to complete. We wanted to know if unchurched people felt differently about the church than those who are regular attendees. A survey of current research did not yield the results we desired, so we embarked on a study of our own. We found new...

Almost two decades ago, a church member asked me a straightforward question: “What things should we all do all the time?” This person understood individual calling and spiritual gifts, which can vary with each believer. He wanted to know the timeless expectations of every church member that never change.

Simple question. But a challenge to answer.

The question was more off-the-cuff, but it got me thinking. Over time, I landed on these seven expectations that I now teach at every membership class...

Some churches have disagreements over matters of consequence—doctrine, governance, or leadership. This article is not about such cases. 

We’ve encountered some strange reasons for church conflict. 

There was the time a church fought over the appropriate length of the pastor’s beard.Or the case of a church fighting over whether to build a children’s playground or to use the land for a cemetery.We witnessed a conflict over people leading worship with their eyes closed during a portion of the ...

In my 20s, I served at a church that gave me a key to my office but not any other lock on the campus. They trusted me to open God’s Word every Sunday but not the door to the flower closet. 

Trust is the foundation of every healthy church. Without it, unity crumbles, ministry slows, and relationships fracture. With it, your church will pursue God’s mission together.

How can we define trust in the context of ministry? Trust is the confident expectation that others will act with integrity, competen...