Rainer on Leadership tackles church health, staffing, trends, and next steps, giving pastors clear, actionable advice to lead with confidence.

Released on 12/15/2025
Published by Thom Rainer
Episodes
More Like This
The Burge Report: The Democrats Have a Religion Problem (Does It Matter?)
1/19/2026
26min
When Should a Church Hire an Executive Pastor?
1/15/2026
23min
Digital Worship Fatigue: Why Online Church Can’t Replace the In-Person Gathering
1/12/2026
22min
Church Conflict: Five Common Ways Small Fights Turn into Big Problems
1/8/2026
24min
Does Counting Church Worship Attendance Still Make Sense?
1/5/2026
22min
Five Pastoral New Year’s Resolutions that Aren’t About You
1/1/2026
20min
The Burge Report: Who’s Really Watching Online Church?
12/29/2025
26min
After the Christmas Chaos: The Lightest Work Week of the Year for Pastors
12/25/2025
21min
Religious People Are Happier (And the Data Proves It)
12/22/2025
22min
Unbelievable: 72% of Churches Have No Marriage Ministry!
12/18/2025
21min
NEW Research: What Really Matters in Theological Education?
12/15/2025
25min
Non-Churchy Looking Churches: The Advantages of Big-Box Church Architecture
12/11/2025
22min
Should Churches Look Churchy? The Advantages of Traditional Architecture
12/8/2025
21min
How to Handle Losing Your Church’s Biggest Financial Supporter
12/4/2025
23min
Small-Church Breakout Growth: The Incredible Story of First Baptist Caldwell, NJ
12/1/2025
22min
Why You Should Leave Your Church (A Pastor’s Perspective)
11/27/2025
23min
The Burge Report: How Do Pastors Actually End Up in Ministry?
11/24/2025
23min
The Top Reasons Why It’s Painful for Pastors to Lose Church Members
11/20/2025
22min
An Entrepreneurial-Minded Pastor in an Established Church: The Unique Story of a Baltimore Congregation
11/17/2025
26min
Three Things Every Church Small Group Leader Should Be Doing
11/13/2025
24min
How to Grow Generosity in Your Church (Without Making It Complicated)
11/10/2025
23min
The Unchurched Are Not Angry with You (But They Are Indifferent)
11/6/2025
19min
The Church Number: From 137 to 60 The Shrinking Median Church in America (2000–2023)
11/3/2025
24min
Many Churches Face Future Sticker Shock with Deferred Maintenance
10/30/2025
24min
The Burge Report: The Biggest Little Denomination: The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
10/27/2025
25min
The One-Person Church Communication Plan (That Actually Works)
10/23/2025
29min
How to Get Families in Your Church to Read the Bible Together
10/20/2025
22min
The Least Appreciated People in Your Church (And What To Do About It)
10/16/2025
20min
The Legacy Life with David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby, and Bill High, CEO of Legacy Stone
10/13/2025
27min
How We’re Using AI in Sermon Prep Ethically and Efficiently
10/9/2025
28min
The Unknown Connection Most Unchurched Have with the Church
10/6/2025
24min
Six Essential Pastoral Meetings No One is Scheduling For You
10/2/2025
25min
The Burge Report: The Kids Aren’t Alright—And Church Student Ministry Might Actually Help
9/29/2025
31min
What Really Scares People Away from Church
9/25/2025
29min
The Big Front Door for Guests Just About Every Church Misses
9/22/2025
26min
Building a Worship Ministry that Excels On and Off the Stage
9/18/2025
31min
The Top 6 Gripes About Church Curriculum (and What to Do About Them)
9/15/2025
26min
The Trust Gap: Why Outsiders Won’t Step Inside Your Church
9/11/2025
29min
Five Reasons Churches Should Still Try to Reach Boomers
9/8/2025
23min
Realistic One-to-Two-Year Objectives for Small-Church Revitalization
9/4/2025
30min
Millennials Move LESS than Gen X and Boomers (New Implications for Your Church)
9/1/2025
22min
Which “Higher Standard” Measures Actually Make Sense for Pastors
8/28/2025
23min
How Your Building Shapes Your Ministry: The Baptist T – When Building Design Limits Ministry
8/27/2025
22min
How Your Building Shapes Your Ministry: Five Ways the Baptist T Still Shapes (and Limits) Your Ministry
8/27/2025
24min
The Burge Report: Do Churchgoers Want More or Less Politics in the Pulpit?
8/25/2025
29min
The Loneliness Epidemic Among Pastors
8/21/2025
30min
The Non-Legalist Reasons for Weekly Church Attendance
8/18/2025
25min
Who in the Church Should Hold Pastors Accountable?
8/14/2025
29min
Weekly Church Attendance Patterns by Generation: 2016 to 2024
8/11/2025
24min
The Johnson Amendment Reversal: Endorsing Political Candidates from the Pulpit
8/7/2025
28min
Why the NLT Might Be the Best Bible You’ve Never Considered
8/4/2025
27min
Sermon Illustrations that Connect to the Bible Text (And Your Church!)
7/31/2025
27min
The Easiest (and Most Incredible) Way to Get Information from Your Guests!
7/30/2025
30min
The Burge Report: Is Gen Z More Religiously Engaged than Their Parents?
7/28/2025
31min
The Limits of Pastoral Care: When Counseling Isn’t Appropriate
7/24/2025
30min
The Top 5 Legal Issues Churches Face Today
7/21/2025
30min
Ten Quiet Disrupters in American Church Life (Part 2)
7/17/2025
24min
Ten Quiet Disrupters in American Church Life (Part 1)
7/14/2025
21min
What Young Families Really Want in a Church
7/10/2025
24min
Seven Occasions When You Should Not Hire More Church Staff
7/7/2025
24min
How Much Money Should a Pastor Make?
7/3/2025
26min
The Burge Report: Are Religious People More Prone to Conspiracy Theories?
6/30/2025
32min
The Future of America’s Largest Churches: An Interview with Eric Geiger
6/26/2025
30min
The Shifts in How Churches Choose Small Group Curriculum (What You Need to Know): An Interview with Michael Kelley
6/23/2025
28min
The Best Bible Translation for Preaching
6/19/2025
24min
Four Kinds of Church Leaders Who Will Not Lead in Revitalization
6/16/2025
25min
What Should I Do After Getting Fired from a Church?
6/12/2025
23min
Four Common Reasons Most Churches Aren’t Breakout Churches
6/9/2025
25min
Five Key Tips to Teach Your Church to Tithe
6/5/2025
26min
Eight Causes for a Ministry Slump
6/2/2025
27min
Is There Any Hope for Revitalizing Mainline Churches?
5/29/2025
30min
The Burge Report: Why Are Non-Denominational Churches Growing?
5/26/2025
29min
Are Church Members Cussing More Today Than in the Past?
5/22/2025
22min
Five Reasons Healthy Churches Seek Outside Help
5/19/2025
21min
Why Some Pastors Never Experience Church Growth
5/15/2025
26min
What Is the Right Age to Retire as a Lead Pastor?
5/12/2025
25min
Is Student Ministry Still a Stepping Stone?
5/8/2025
27min
The Pastor’s Dilemma: Loving Preaching, Loathing Sermon Prep
5/5/2025
29min
Approval Addiction, People Pleasing, and How Pastors Can Let Go
5/1/2025
30min
The Burge Report: Does Homeschooling Change the Political and Religious Views of Children?
4/28/2025
25min
A Checklist for Making Your First Hire in the Church
4/24/2025
27min
Um, Uh, and You Know: Killer Fillers in Public Speaking
4/21/2025
23min
Going to a Dead Church on Purpose
4/17/2025
30min
Five Ways to Report Truthful Worship Attendance
4/14/2025
24min
Young Pastors Are Rare (Here Is What Happened)
4/10/2025
32min
How Wedding Ceremonies Are Different Than in the 1990s (A Pastor’s Perspective)
4/7/2025
24min
Should Churches Share Their Campuses with Other Non-Profits?
4/3/2025
29min
The Burge Report: Everyone Is Having Less Sex (What It Means for the Church)
3/31/2025
31min
What’s Often Missed with Student Ministry Safety in Churches
3/27/2025
27min
Seven Power Groups in Churches (The Good and the Bad)
3/24/2025
27min
The Surprise Benefits of a Culture of Continual Education in Your Church: An Interview with Timothy Paul Jones
3/20/2025
29min
What Business Leaders in the Church Want Pastors to Know: An Interview with Steve Graves
3/17/2025
29min
The Ten Commandments of a Pastor’s Vacation
3/13/2025
30min
The Hidden Opportunity of Hospitality in Churches: An Interview with Danny Franks
3/10/2025
25min
Are Smart Phones Killing Student Ministries in Churches?
3/6/2025
24min
Why Some of Our Churches Are Not Safe Places
3/3/2025
29min
Does Divorce Disqualify a Pastor from Ministry?
2/27/2025
27min
The Burge Report: How Church Attendance Makes You a Better American
2/24/2025
29min
How to Celebrate Church Staff Birthdays, Work Anniversaries, and Major Milestones
2/20/2025
25min
Why Hiring Friends Usually Ends in Disaster
2/17/2025
24min
Why Churches Are Not Early Adopters of Technology
2/13/2025
29min
The Right Expectations Churches Should Have of Pastors
2/10/2025
26min
What’s Different about Pastor’s Kids These Days?
2/6/2025
23min
Do Dying Churches Really Know They Are Dying?
2/3/2025
23min
How Pastors Spend Their Time During the Workweek (Any Surprises?)
1/30/2025
27min
The Burge Report: The New Era in American Religion Begins Now (What’s Happening?!)
1/27/2025
28min
The Tell-Tale Signs of Abusive Pastors
1/23/2025
27min
Do You Really Remember What Took Place in Churches During COVID?
1/20/2025
25min
What Will Be the Sacred Cows in Church Worship When the Millennials Are the Oldest Generation?
1/16/2025
23min
Making Change in an Older Church (Without Running Over the Old Guard)
1/13/2025
24min
The Burge Report: The Democrats Have a Religion Problem (Does It Matter?)
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26min