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Romans 12:18 makes clear believers are to do all they can to live at peace with everyone. This same sentiment is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:11, in which Paul instructs the church to live a quiet life and mind your own business. Unfortunately, these instructions go largely ignored by many church leaders. We seem to be more at war than we are at peace. What can we do to regain this theme in our lives? The post Four Glaring Church Leadership Deficiencies You Can Correct Immediately appeared first on Church Answers.

Pastors often ask us what they need to do to reach Millennials, Gen Z, and younger generations. On today's episode, Thom and Sam talk to Esteban Shedd and Loren La Luz from Streetlights about the Streetlights New Testament and why it’s important to find new ways to help the younger generation connect to God’s Word and the Church. The post Why Younger Generations Are Leaving the Church and How to Reengage Them: An Interview with Streetlights Ministry appeared first on Church Answers.

At some point in ministry, most church leaders will face the reality of one or more toxic church members. Thom and Sam examine this challenge and offer tough but challenging steps to deal with this problem. The post How to Handle a Toxic Church Member appeared first on Church Answers.

It’s unreasonable to expect everyone to agree with everything you say. In fact, if you’re doing your job well as a pastor, taking firm stances and having a clear vision, then you will likely have dissent. In most cases, this dissent is not an omen of malevolence, but rather a sign of trust. Thom and Sam discuss why it's not a bad thing that everyone doesn't always agree with you.  The post Your Church Members Won’t Always Agree with You And Why That’s Ok appeared first on Church Answers.

The Bible tells us to remember the prisoners as if we were in prison with them (Heb. 13:3), and the first request of persecuted Christians is that we PRAY for them. In today's episode, Thom and Sam talk to Todd Nettleton, Chief of Media Relations and Message Integration for the Voice of the Martyrs–USA about a wonderful tool to help Christians answer the first request of our persecuted family by helping us to pray specifically and knowledgeably for them. The post Your Call to Pray for the Persecuted: An Interview with Todd Nettleton from the Voice of the Martyrs appeared first on Church Answers.

I have yet to see a church drift towards greater health. The current of apathy always pulls away. But what causes this drift? What are some early warning signs of an unraveling in a congregation? Thom and Sam discuss some key indicators often preceding a decline in church health.  The post The Early Warning Signs Preceding a Decline in Church Health appeared first on Church Answers.

Unless you work for an organization like the CIA, then transparency is often among the top characteristics requested of leaders. Of course, even organizations built on the foundation of secrecy have gotten into trouble for a lack of transparency. Transparency is a healthy leadership characteristic. But why? In the context of a local church, what does a transparent pastor encourage, as opposed to one who is not? The post What Transparent Church Leaders Gain and What Secretive Church Leaders Lose appeared first on Church Answers.

Through our research, we’ve heard from the unchurched about things believers do that make them bristle the most. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss a few of the most abrasive turn-offs. The post Things Believers Do that Make the Unchurched Bristle appeared first on Church Answers.

Pastors typically go through five major tenure stages at a church. Sam and Thom look at the implications of each stage. The post The Lifecycle of a Pastor appeared first on Church Answers.

The Bible is more accessible than ever, yet Bible reading and Bible literacy are on the decline. Many Christians struggle to read Scripture, often ending up confused, bored, and full of unmet expectations. What has gone wrong? How can we change this dynamic? In today’s episode, Thom and Sam talk to Glenn Paauw, Senior Director of Content for the Institute for Bible Reading about how church leaders need to fundamentally rethink how they invite their congregation into the Bible.  The post Moving Your Congregation to Greater Bible Reading and Literacy: An interview with Glenn Paauw from the Institute for Bible Reading appeared first on Church Answers.

Money is one of the most sensitive subjects in the church. It’s also one of the most visible. Churches can struggle with the right amount of financial oversight. On this episode, Thom and Sam discuss four key safeguards for better financial oversight in the church.  The post Four Key Safeguards to Make Sure Your Church’s Finances Stand Up Under Scrutiny appeared first on Church Answers.

There are certain aspects of pastoral ministry that pastors simply do not like. While every pastor is different, our survey found the top ten facets of pastoral ministry like the least. Sam and Thom look at a survey we did ten years ago, and compare it to a recent survey. The post Ten Things Pastors Don’t Like about Pastoring appeared first on Church Answers.

Every church has an organizational culture. Some churches have a culture of optimism. You can feel the energy in worship. Others are pessimistic. You can sense the deadness when you walk into the sanctuary. What is the difference between churches that approach obstacles with a “can do” attitude over others that have a “can’t do” attitude? What makes a church have a lively optimism over a dead pessimism? The post The Difference Between a “Can Do” Church and a “Can’t Do” Church appeared first on Church Answers.

Why must everything be so black and white? Like many of us, Derwin Gray is weary of the racial divide in our society. He longs to see hurts healed, wrongs corrected, and trust replace distrust. In today’s episode, Thom and Sam talk to Derwin about what the Bible has to say about how to heal our persistent racial divides. The post Healing Our Racial Divide – An Interview with Dr. Derwin Gray appeared first on Church Answers.

Can you think of a church that once had a great reputation that is now hardly ever mentioned? Even worse, if it is mentioned, it is done so negatively. There are three big reasons great churches fail. Sam and Thom discuss all three in detail. The post The Three Big Reasons Great Churches Fall appeared first on Church Answers.

Part of shepherding your church is understanding the major cultural influences impacting people in your congregation. News media can have a big effect on the perspectives of your members. How can you be proactive to prevent as much polarization as possible? What news sources are good to track? Thom and Sam answer these questions on this episode.  The post Keeping Tabs on How the News Media Influences Your Church appeared first on Church Answers.

Millions of people are quitting their jobs every month in what many are calling "The Great Resignation." Pastors are not immune from this trend. Thom and Sam discuss how pastors, staff, and church leaders are undergoing a "Great Reshuffling," a term they prefer since you don't really resign from serving the church. What does this trend mean for the future of the church? The post The Great Reshuffling of Pastors and the Future for the Church appeared first on Church Answers.

Many pastors get the Monday blues. Sundays can be emotionally draining and physically exhausting. Making Monday a day full of meetings is not wise for most pastors. Thom and Sam discuss five ways you can be strategic about making Monday a day of recovery. Even if Monday is not a day off, there are some ways you can steward the time to be a better pastor.  The post Five Ways a Pastor Can Use Monday to Recover from Sunday appeared first on Church Answers.

Thom and Sam consistently advocate long pastoral tenure. Every church will have its critics and its problems. We usually urge pastors to stick it out. But there are times pastors need to count the cost and ask if it's really worth it to stay. Could it be that God is using the situation to nudge the pastor to move on? By the way, we are grateful to the listener who recommended we tackle this topic. We are always glad to hear from you. The post Counting the Cost of Staying in a Church appeared first on Church Answers.

A crisis that can get overshadowed by COVID, but is plaguing our communities is the opioid epidemic. Opioids and other addictions are destroying individuals, families, and communities. What role does the church play in bringing help and hope amidst such a destructive force? How can churches step into this space and bring Christ’s healing and freedom to people who are enslaved by their addictions? On today’s episode, Thom talks to Steve Arterburn about this crisis and how churches can help. The post The Silent Epidemic and the Church: Ministering in the Midst of the Opioid Crisis – An Interview with Steve Arterburn appeared first on Church Answers.