Sam Rainer

Latest

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  Dec 12, 2022

  5 demographics churches fail to know about their communities

  Last year, I wrote an article about four often-missed demographics by churches. I will continue the theme this year with five more demographics churches fail to know about their communities. I’ll use my community in Bradenton, Florida, as an example.

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  Dec 4, 2022

  How to be more vulnerable without freaking out your church

  Every person needs friends who can help lighten the load of a heavy season. But you should not use your position as a pastor or church leader to trap people into hearing about your problems.

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  Nov 27, 2022

  What I learned from being a bi-vocational pastor

  I served as a bi-vocational pastor of a tiny church in central Kentucky. We started with six people. It was my first pastorate, and I had no idea what I was doing.

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  Nov 20, 2022

  How to handle incessant urgency for pastors, church leaders

  In this case, his urgent concern was not malicious. But that’s the problem. People mean well when they call you in urgency.

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  Oct 30, 2022

  Pastors with initiative build healthier church relationships

  Many pastors rigorously protect their study time in God’s Word. The same intensity should apply to personal relationships.

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  Oct 16, 2022

  Leading the church when you doubt yourself

  Leaders must recognize doubt for what it is. Pastors especially must be open to the fact they will have doubts. The only response is to worship through the doubt.

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  Oct 9, 2022

  The pastor’s dilemma of balancing the prophetic voice with the shepherd’s hand

  As a pastor, I find it challenging to balance the prophetic voice with a shepherd’s hand.

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  Oct 4, 2022

  10 bad church work habits every pastor should avoid

  When leaders get into a pattern of long-term bad behaviors, they are often detrimental to the church. But do not confuse a bad day with a bad habit.

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  Sep 17, 2022

  5 warning signs of false teachers

  False teachers add to Scripture to control the behavior of others. The motive is often power. Other false teachers will remove from Scripture to live as they want and participate in otherwise prohibited behavior.

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  Aug 28, 2022

  What size must a church be to trigger the need for revitalization?

  Churches are notorious for living in a state of tension between fragility and resiliency. They hang on by their fingernails, but those nails are quite strong.