Showing results by author "Thom Rainer" in All Categories

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.

This Silver Medallion Book award-winning national interview survey of unchurched people sheds insight on who the unchurched next door are, what objections they raise, and how to connect with them, taking into account their various faith stages, based on the Rainer scale with rankings from U5 to U1.

Following Jesus is a journey none of the people in this book ever expected to take. Why did they? What difference did it make? The book you’re looking at is dangerous. If you listen to it, you’ll see that God is still active in saving even the most unexpected people: An atheist woman who viewed Christians as “idiots.” A married couple high in the leadership ranks of the Mormon church. An African-American man who became a Black Muslim out of hatred for white Christians. And much more!

Best-selling author, Thom S. Rainer, guides listeners toward a practical framework and game plan for making a difference for those who visit their church to help make churches more hospitable to guests.

"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.

Think about an incredibly joyful event in your life. 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.

What does a scrappy church look like? Let's take a look together.

No one wants to see a church die. And yet, far too many churches are dying. For more than 25 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 12 consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it's not gloom and doom because from those 12 themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged.

Best-selling author and ministry leader Thom S. Rainer drew an exceptional response when he posted a 500-word declaration about church membership to his daily blog. Thoughtfully expanded to book form, I Am a Church Member begins to remedy the outbreak of inactive or barely committed church members, addressing without apology what is expected of those who join a body of believers.

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.

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?

Nine out of 10 churches in America are either declining or growing slower than the communities 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.

Some churches advocate one-on-one discipling, others try getting everyone into a small group, while still others training through mission trips or service projects. Yet others focus all their efforts on attracting people to a large group gathering to hear biblical teaching and preaching. But does one size really fit everyone? Based on careful biblical study and years of experience making disciples in the local church, Bobby Harrington and Alex Absalom have identified five key relationships where discipleship happens in our lives.

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.

In Persuasive Apologetics, pastor and professor Jeffrey M. Robinson explores what's below the surface of intellectual-sounding objections to Christianity. He shows what it means to contend for the truth through real-life examples of communicating with those who hold differing beliefs.

Based on case studies of 400 American churches, authors Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger prove that the process for making disciples has quite often become too complex. Simple churches are thriving, and they are doing so by taking these four ideas to heart: Clarity. Movement. Alignment. Focus. Each idea is examined here, simply showing why it is time to simplify.

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. 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.

This first-of-its-kind comprehensive study of the formerly unchurched explodes some common myths as to what it takes to reach people. It also provides insight into how the Christian church can develop effective approaches for reaching the growing number of unchurched in North America.

Churches committed to following Christ's example want this world changed for the sake of eternity. While the supernatural piece of making that happen goes without saying, how does a body of believers do its part to be in that "sweet spot" where true spiritual transformation occurs?

Why do so many young adults (18 to 22) leave the church, and what will it take to bring them back? This important question is examined and duly answered in Essential Church?, a follow-up to Thom S. Rainer's best-selling Simple Church and cowritten with his son, research expert Sam Rainer.