The purposes of the church originate with the early churches in the New Testament. When Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Church in 1995, the purposes became commonplace in conversations in churches around the world. Thom takes a detailed journey about the purposes of the church through nine episodes. Keep all of them together to share with your…

The purposes of the church originate with the early churches in the New Testament. When Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Church in 1995, the purposes became commonplace in conversations in churches around the world. Thom takes a detailed journey about the purposes of the church through nine episodes. Keep all of them together to share with your…

The purposes of the church originate with the early churches in the New Testament. When Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Church in 1995, the purposes became commonplace in conversations in churches around the world. Thom takes a detailed journey about the purposes of the church through nine episodes. Keep all of them together to share with your…

The purposes of the church originate with the early churches in the New Testament. When Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Church in 1995, the purposes became commonplace in conversations in churches around the world. Thom takes a detailed journey about the purposes of the church through nine episodes. Keep all of them together to share with your…

The purposes of the church originate with the early churches in the New Testament. When Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Church in 1995, the purposes became commonplace in conversations in churches around the world. Thom takes a detailed journey about the purposes of the church through nine episodes. Keep all of them together to share with your…

The purposes of the church originate with the early churches in the New Testament. When Rick Warren wrote The Purpose Driven Church in 1995, the purposes became commonplace in conversations in churches around the world. Thom takes a detailed journey about the purposes of the church through nine episodes. Keep all of them together to share with your…

No presidential election in recent history has been as volatile and polarizing for churches as the 2020 election. While the 2024 election will still be a challenge for churches, it will not be nearly as bad as the previous election. Thom and Jess examine why the conflict will not be as great in 2024. Sides have been chosen. The major party candidat…

The adverse effects of COVID on the world in general and the church in particular are without precedent. However, there are indications we have now reached a new normal. Thom and Jess review four of those indications. The rate of church decline is not as steep. Church leaders and members have adjusted to a new normal. The level of urgency is not as…

The “Bible Belt” is that mythical part of the United States with the highest per capita church attendees. Thom and Jess look at the major shifts in the region and predict whether there will still be a Bible Belt in ten years. A review of the 12 to 15 states most often included in the Bible Belt. How cultural Christianity affects the Bible Belt. Blu…

While most people would consider a church with an average worship attendance of 50 to be small, those churches are larger than 50% of churches in America. In this three-part series, Thom and Jess discuss the implications of these developments. In this third of three podcasts, they show how smaller churches have more opportunities than ever. Resourc…

While most people would consider a church with an average worship attendance of 50 to be small, those churches are larger than 50% of churches in America. In this three-part series, Thom and Jess discuss the implications of these developments. In this second of three podcasts, they discuss how we should consider structuring smaller churches today. …

While most people would consider a church with an average worship attendance of 50 to be small, those churches are larger than 50% of churches in America. In this three-part series, Thom and Jess discuss the implications of these developments. In this first of three podcasts, they discuss the reality of this new landscape. Resources: Chaney & Assoc…

All the data points to steep declines in conversions in churches in recent years. In this second of two parts, Thom and Jess examine why evangelism has become a lower priority in churches today. Spiritual warfare Fewer pastor role models The busy culture Resources: Chaney & Associates “Pray & Go” by Thom S. Rainer “When the People Pray” by Thom S. …

All the data points to steep declines in conversions in churches in recent years. In this first of two parts, Thom and Jess look at the aging of church members as a major issue. Resources: Chaney & Associates “Effective Evangelistic Churches” by Thom S. Rainer (affiliate link) The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Church Answ…

A common refrain among some self-identified Christians is that church membership is not in the Bible. Thom and Jess explore the background and reality of this issue from a biblical and cultural perspective. How “membership” became misconstrued. What does the Bible really say about membership? The paradigm shift began to take place with I Am a Churc…

Many pastors and church leaders don’t feel comfortable discussing money and giving in the church. Thom and Jess share some ways church leaders communicate giving in very natural (even supernatural) ways. Resources: Chaney & Associates “Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate: A New Vision for Financial Stewardship” by J. Clif Christopher (affiliate link) …

While pastors and staff may get tired of hearing themselves say the same thing every week, it can be highly effective. Thom and Jess discuss how pastors use redundant messaging to communicate a vision that sticks. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Church Answers Central Membership Episode Sp…

Thom and Jess examine the power of groups in a church, focusing specifically on including a pastor’s class. It is absolutely amazing how many people, both church members and non-members, will join this class. Resources: Chaney & Associates “How to Lead a Healthy Small Group: A Practical and Easy-to-Use Guide” by Kevin Mills (affiliate link) The Eve…

Church members have many opportunities to connect with members of their community. Thom shares some of the ways effective churches are doing it. The porch ministry The single-parent connection Getting to know families through sports Bonus: Taking care of the car Resources: Upward Sports Know Your Community The Everything Church Resource Directory T…

Pastors and other church leaders often lament that community sports and travel teams have priority over church for many families. In this episode, Thom shares how you can turn this negative into a positive. When a church sponsors a team . . . You’ve got coaches! If the church had its league . . . Resources: Upward Sports The Everything Church Resou…

In this episode, Thom looks at three ways some churches are reaching out to their communities. These are not traditional types of outreach, but they are proving to be highly effective. Build-your-own sports ministry Gifts for the neighborhood The power of “we’ve prayed for you” Resources: Upward Sports Good News Neighbors Toolkit The Everything Chu…

One of the fast-growing movements in churches today is the growth of Christian schools owned and controlled by a church. There is indeed much to celebrate with this movement. But there are a few cautions as well. Thom unpacks these issues in two episodes. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Ch…

One of the fast-growing movements in churches today is the growth of Christian schools owned and controlled by a church. There is indeed much to celebrate with this movement. But there are a few cautions as well. Thom unpacks these issues in two episodes. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Ch…

While we use many metrics to assess the health of churches, the most important is conversion growth. In this episode, Thom explains how to calculate it and why we are likely making a big mistake. Resources: Chaney & Associates Church Health Scorecard “Bridges of God: A Study in the Strategy of Missions” by Donald McGavran (affiliate link) “Understa…

You can’t find much, if any, historical evidence for embracing transfer growth in American churches until around 1970. In this third of three episodes, Thom shows how smaller churches in America reaped the consequences of the adulation of transfer growth. Resources: Chaney & Associates How the Boomers Killed Many American Churches (The Church Answe…