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…

You can’t find much, if any, historical evidence for embracing transfer growth in American churches until around 1970. In this second of three episodes, Thom laments how transfer growth moved many churches from urgency to complacency. Resources: Chaney & Associates How the Boomers Killed Many American Churches (The Church Answers Podcast, 3-Part Se…

You can’t find much, if any, historical evidence for embracing transfer growth in American churches until around 1970. In this first of three episodes, Thom unpacks Sam Rainer’s four types of church growth. Resources: Chaney & Associates How the Boomers Killed Many American Churches (The Church Answers Podcast, 3-Part Series) The Everything Church …

While much has been written on this large generation born between 1946 and 1964, Thom argues that we have not explained why this generation hurt many congregations, some to the point of death. In these third of three episodes, he looks at how we shifted from recognizing conversion growth to transfer growth. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everyt…

While much has been written on this large generation born between 1946 and 1964, Thom argues that we have not explained why this generation hurt many congregations, some to the point of death. In these second of three episodes, he looks at the relationship between the Boomers and the growth of megachurches. Resources: Chaney & Associates Ryan Burge…

While much has been written on this large generation born between 1946 and 1964, Thom argues that we have not explained why this generation hurt many congregations, some to the point of death. In this first of three episodes, he examines a brief history of Boomerism in the church. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Direct…

Thom interviews Steve Chaney, founder and CEO of Chaney and Associates, the premier CPA firm for churches of all sizes. In this episode, Steve and Thom discuss the challenges of a church secretary or bookkeeper who might not have the necessary skills to do the job. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Ini…

Thom interviews Steve Chaney, founder and CEO of Chaney and Associates, the premier CPA firm for churches of all sizes. It is often assumed that a CPA or a bookkeeper understands church and ministry accounting. That is not always the case. Steve and Thom discuss this issue that many church leaders fail to grasp. Resources: Chaney & Associates The E…

Thom interviews Steve Chaney, founder and CEO of Chaney and Associates, the premier CPA firm for churches of all sizes. In this episode, Steve and Thom provide clear warning signs for churches that do their bookkeeping and accounting internally. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory The Hope Initiative Church Answe…

In this three-part series, Jess Rainer and Thom discuss the details of writing a book. You will discover some insights you’ve never heard before. For example, this episode examines four critical issues for authors who desire to publish successfully. Sadly, most authors have never heard about these facts. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everythin…

In this three-part series, Jess Rainer and Thom discuss the details of writing a book. You will discover some insights you’ve never heard before. For example, this episode examines some surprising insights about self-publishing versus commercial publishing. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory Craft Book Publishin…

In this three-part series, Jess Rainer and Thom discuss the details of writing a book. You will discover some insights you’ve never heard before. For example, this episode looks at the nitty-gritty details of actually writing a book. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory “How to Launch a New Church Site: Ten Questi…

It is becoming a common problem. Many church facilities were built for a different church era, specifically when more people attended. Now, your space is too large for the number of people who show up each week. Thom looks at this issue and offers four possible solutions. Resources: Chaney & Associates The Everything Church Resource Directory Brown…