Rainer on Leadership Podcast
Ministry Education
Practical coaching for pastors and church leaders with Thom Rainer.
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Released on 12/15/2025
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177 tracks
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Thom Rainer
Rainer on Leadership tackles church health, staffing, trends, and next steps, giving pastors clear, actionable advice to lead with confidence.
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Armed Church Security Teams: Good Idea or Bad Idea?
20m 46s • 9/10/2026
Five Relatively Recent Theological Controversies That Have Faded
23m 53s • 9/7/2026
Why Don’t Churches Sing Old-School Hymns Anymore?
21m 49s • 9/3/2026
An Interview with Chris Brauns on “The Way of Repentance”
23m 12s • 8/31/2026
Should a Church Accept a Tithe from a Lottery Winner?
26m 49s • 8/27/2026
The Burge Report: Why Immigration Won’t Reverse America’s Secular Drift
27m 25s • 8/21/2026
The Top Preaching Distractions (What Stops Pastors Mid-Sentence in the Pulpit)
21m 42s • 8/20/2026
Why the Pastorate Is One of the Highest Security Jobs in an AI World
21m 55s • 8/17/2026
What Should a Pastor Do When One or Two Key Donors Keep the Church Doors Open
23m 13s • 8/13/2026
The Four Domains of Successful Outreach to Families with Children
22m 32s • 8/10/2026
Why We Still Believe in Short-Term Mission Trips for Churches
22m 35s • 8/6/2026
Unique Church Leadership Lessons from the Book of Ezra You Haven’t Heard
23m 4s • 8/3/2026
The Back-to-School Checklist for Pastors (Prepping Your Church for Ministry to Parents and School-Age Children)
22m 55s • 7/30/2026
The Burge Report: Why the 1990s Were the Most Consequential in Modern U.S. Religious History
29m 0s • 7/27/2026
What Successful Evangelistic Churches Actually Do for Outreach
24m 23s • 7/23/2026
Dodging Detours: Five Ways a Feasibility Study Protects Your Campaign from Pitfalls
22m 10s • 7/20/2026
Should Pastors Engage in Online Fights?
23m 6s • 7/16/2026
The Future of Church Hiring When Pastors Are in Short Supply
26m 15s • 7/13/2026
Amiable Autocrats: Why Some of the Nicest Pastors Make the Worst Bosses
22m 31s • 7/9/2026
Why Churches Are Struggling More and More to Find Staff
21m 27s • 7/6/2026
Why Can’t Pastors Talk About Politics?
25m 58s • 7/2/2026
The Burge Report: Are Non-Denominational Churches Just Southern Baptists in Disguise?
28m 15s • 6/29/2026
The Ongoing Shortage of Student Pastors (Where Did They Go?)
21m 6s • 6/25/2026
The Church Summer Slump: What Every Pastor Should Know
21m 45s • 6/22/2026
The Top Ten Most Common Low Attendance Days in Churches
17m 56s • 6/18/2026
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Bible Translation Committee (What Really Happens)
27m 15s • 6/15/2026
The Reality of Church Hoppers: A Pastor’s Honest Perspective
23m 21s • 6/11/2026
Why Members Leave Their Church and Never Come Back
28m 44s • 6/8/2026
Why Some Pastors Stay for Decades (and Thrive in Their Churches)
19m 8s • 6/4/2026
The Hyper-Traditionalist Movement in Church Architecture (Is Anyone Really Building Churches This Way?)
26m 51s • 6/1/2026
The Church “Fault Lines” That Could Become Ministry Tsunamis
25m 12s • 5/28/2026
The Burge Report: Boomers Can’t Save Us Forever: The Hard Truth About Church Demographics
24m 56s • 5/25/2026
What Churches Should Do About Inactive Members
23m 5s • 5/21/2026
Are Sunday Morning Service Times Changing? What the Data Says About the Future of Church Worship Schedules
28m 34s • 5/18/2026
What to Say (and Not Say) Immediately After a Church Crisis
27m 0s • 5/14/2026
Crucial Commitments: 5 Simple Decisions That Members of Healthy and Growing Churches Make
26m 31s • 5/11/2026
How to Become Your Pastor’s Favorite Church Member
30m 54s • 5/7/2026
The Best Board and Trustee Structure for Churches
24m 20s • 5/4/2026
Seven Things Pastors Do You Probably Don’t Know About
29m 40s • 4/30/2026
The Burge Report: Gen Z and the Church: Lonely, Cautious, Skeptical, But… Open
27m 31s • 4/27/2026
How to Discard a Worn-Out Bible Properly
18m 12s • 4/23/2026
Should Full-Time Pastors Have a Side Hustle?
23m 19s • 4/20/2026
The Critical Functions of a Pastor Rarely Found in a Church Job Description
29m 23s • 4/16/2026
After 25 Years of Consistent Recreation Ministry, This Church Discovered Something…
22m 47s • 4/13/2026
What We’re Doing as Pastors to Keep Our Marriages Healthy
26m 1s • 4/9/2026
Six Reasons Pastors Must Be More Courageous Today
25m 7s • 4/6/2026
The Top Ways to Annoy Your Pastor
24m 42s • 4/2/2026
The Burge Report: The Latest Data on Transgender Young Adults and the Church
27m 59s • 3/30/2026
Tithing Or Not: Should Lead Pastors Know What Church Staff Give?
22m 54s • 3/26/2026
What Growing Churches Actually Do to Reach and Keep People
23m 38s • 3/23/2026
Churches Are Targets for Predators (Here’s Why)
21m 34s • 3/19/2026
Marriage Discipleship Is the Missing Piece in Family Ministry
23m 36s • 3/16/2026
Why Churches Are MUCH Older Now…
20m 12s • 3/12/2026
Why Guests Don’t Come Back to Church After a Big Ministry Event
23m 2s • 3/9/2026
America’s Gambling Problem and the Church
26m 10s • 3/5/2026
Why Small Churches Matter More Than Ever
25m 5s • 3/2/2026
When Church Members Become Online Trolls: What Pastors Should Do
26m 29s • 2/26/2026
The Burge Report: The Assemblies of God: Why This Denomination Is Defying Gravity
25m 17s • 2/23/2026
How Long Should a Pastor Pray Each Day?
22m 57s • 2/19/2026
Before You Enroll: What You Need to Know About Seminary
24m 33s • 2/16/2026
Should the Pastor Know How Much People Give to the Church?
25m 55s • 2/12/2026
The Silent Exodus of Senior Adults (What’s Happening in Churches?)
21m 54s • 2/9/2026
Should Churches Acknowledge Super Bowl Sunday?
22m 10s • 2/5/2026
The Church Number: 60% The Power of a Personal Invitation
23m 42s • 2/2/2026
The Best Ways to Encourage a Discouraged Church (Your Next Three Steps)
24m 11s • 1/29/2026
Revisiting Simple Church: What Worked, What Didn’t
24m 26s • 1/26/2026
How Do You Fire a Church Employee?
28m 47s • 1/22/2026
The Burge Report: The Democrats Have a Religion Problem (Does It Matter?)
26m 26s • 1/19/2026
When Should a Church Hire an Executive Pastor?
23m 10s • 1/15/2026
Digital Worship Fatigue: Why Online Church Can’t Replace the In-Person Gathering
22m 56s • 1/12/2026
Church Conflict: Five Common Ways Small Fights Turn into Big Problems
24m 52s • 1/8/2026
Does Counting Church Worship Attendance Still Make Sense?
22m 49s • 1/5/2026
Five Pastoral New Year’s Resolutions that Aren’t About You
20m 46s • 1/1/2026
The Burge Report: Who’s Really Watching Online Church?
26m 53s • 12/29/2025
After the Christmas Chaos: The Lightest Work Week of the Year for Pastors
21m 1s • 12/25/2025
Religious People Are Happier (And the Data Proves It)
22m 11s • 12/22/2025
Unbelievable: 72% of Churches Have No Marriage Ministry!
21m 55s • 12/18/2025
NEW Research: What Really Matters in Theological Education?
25m 42s • 12/15/2025
Non-Churchy Looking Churches: The Advantages of Big-Box Church Architecture
22m 15s • 12/11/2025
Should Churches Look Churchy? The Advantages of Traditional Architecture
21m 3s • 12/8/2025
How to Handle Losing Your Church’s Biggest Financial Supporter
23m 31s • 12/4/2025
Small-Church Breakout Growth: The Incredible Story of First Baptist Caldwell, NJ
22m 4s • 12/1/2025
Why You Should Leave Your Church (A Pastor’s Perspective)
23m 48s • 11/27/2025
The Burge Report: How Do Pastors Actually End Up in Ministry?
23m 44s • 11/24/2025
The Top Reasons Why It’s Painful for Pastors to Lose Church Members
22m 11s • 11/20/2025
An Entrepreneurial-Minded Pastor in an Established Church: The Unique Story of a Baltimore Congregation
26m 41s • 11/17/2025
Three Things Every Church Small Group Leader Should Be Doing
24m 17s • 11/13/2025
How to Grow Generosity in Your Church (Without Making It Complicated)
23m 49s • 11/10/2025
The Unchurched Are Not Angry with You (But They Are Indifferent)
19m 53s • 11/6/2025
The Church Number: From 137 to 60 The Shrinking Median Church in America (2000–2023)
24m 21s • 11/3/2025
Many Churches Face Future Sticker Shock with Deferred Maintenance
24m 30s • 10/30/2025
The Burge Report: The Biggest Little Denomination: The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)
25m 3s • 10/27/2025
The One-Person Church Communication Plan (That Actually Works)
29m 1s • 10/23/2025
How to Get Families in Your Church to Read the Bible Together
22m 16s • 10/20/2025
The Least Appreciated People in Your Church (And What To Do About It)
20m 52s • 10/16/2025
The Legacy Life with David Green, Founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby, and Bill High, CEO of Legacy Stone
27m 10s • 10/13/2025
How We’re Using AI in Sermon Prep Ethically and Efficiently
28m 24s • 10/9/2025
The Unknown Connection Most Unchurched Have with the Church
24m 3s • 10/6/2025
Six Essential Pastoral Meetings No One is Scheduling For You
25m 24s • 10/2/2025
The Burge Report: The Kids Aren’t Alright—And Church Student Ministry Might Actually Help
31m 14s • 9/29/2025
What Really Scares People Away from Church
29m 4s • 9/25/2025
The Big Front Door for Guests Just About Every Church Misses
26m 33s • 9/22/2025
Building a Worship Ministry that Excels On and Off the Stage
31m 56s • 9/18/2025
The Top 6 Gripes About Church Curriculum (and What to Do About Them)
26m 49s • 9/15/2025
The Trust Gap: Why Outsiders Won’t Step Inside Your Church
29m 2s • 9/11/2025
Five Reasons Churches Should Still Try to Reach Boomers
23m 10s • 9/8/2025
Realistic One-to-Two-Year Objectives for Small-Church Revitalization
30m 56s • 9/4/2025
Millennials Move LESS than Gen X and Boomers (New Implications for Your Church)
22m 3s • 9/1/2025
Which “Higher Standard” Measures Actually Make Sense for Pastors
23m 50s • 8/28/2025
How Your Building Shapes Your Ministry: The Baptist T – When Building Design Limits Ministry
22m 35s • 8/27/2025
How Your Building Shapes Your Ministry: Five Ways the Baptist T Still Shapes (and Limits) Your Ministry
24m 40s • 8/27/2025
The Burge Report: Do Churchgoers Want More or Less Politics in the Pulpit?
29m 37s • 8/25/2025
The Loneliness Epidemic Among Pastors
30m 43s • 8/21/2025
The Non-Legalist Reasons for Weekly Church Attendance
25m 6s • 8/18/2025
Who in the Church Should Hold Pastors Accountable?
29m 13s • 8/14/2025
Weekly Church Attendance Patterns by Generation: 2016 to 2024
24m 7s • 8/11/2025
The Johnson Amendment Reversal: Endorsing Political Candidates from the Pulpit
28m 28s • 8/7/2025
Why the NLT Might Be the Best Bible You’ve Never Considered
27m 45s • 8/4/2025
Sermon Illustrations that Connect to the Bible Text (And Your Church!)
27m 23s • 7/31/2025
The Easiest (and Most Incredible) Way to Get Information from Your Guests!
30m 55s • 7/30/2025
The Burge Report: Is Gen Z More Religiously Engaged than Their Parents?
31m 30s • 7/28/2025
The Limits of Pastoral Care: When Counseling Isn’t Appropriate
30m 3s • 7/24/2025
The Top 5 Legal Issues Churches Face Today
30m 45s • 7/21/2025
Ten Quiet Disrupters in American Church Life (Part 2)
24m 7s • 7/17/2025
Ten Quiet Disrupters in American Church Life (Part 1)
21m 33s • 7/14/2025
What Young Families Really Want in a Church
24m 0s • 7/10/2025
Seven Occasions When You Should Not Hire More Church Staff
24m 53s • 7/7/2025
How Much Money Should a Pastor Make?
26m 32s • 7/3/2025
The Burge Report: Are Religious People More Prone to Conspiracy Theories?
32m 14s • 6/30/2025
The Future of America’s Largest Churches: An Interview with Eric Geiger
30m 33s • 6/26/2025
The Shifts in How Churches Choose Small Group Curriculum (What You Need to Know): An Interview with Michael Kelley
28m 35s • 6/23/2025
The Best Bible Translation for Preaching
24m 54s • 6/19/2025
Four Kinds of Church Leaders Who Will Not Lead in Revitalization
25m 23s • 6/16/2025
What Should I Do After Getting Fired from a Church?
23m 39s • 6/12/2025
Four Common Reasons Most Churches Aren’t Breakout Churches
25m 21s • 6/9/2025
Five Key Tips to Teach Your Church to Tithe
26m 30s • 6/5/2025
Eight Causes for a Ministry Slump
27m 27s • 6/2/2025
Is There Any Hope for Revitalizing Mainline Churches?
30m 54s • 5/29/2025
The Burge Report: Why Are Non-Denominational Churches Growing?
29m 13s • 5/26/2025
Are Church Members Cussing More Today Than in the Past?
22m 46s • 5/22/2025
Five Reasons Healthy Churches Seek Outside Help
21m 57s • 5/19/2025
Why Some Pastors Never Experience Church Growth
26m 40s • 5/15/2025
What Is the Right Age to Retire as a Lead Pastor?
25m 53s • 5/12/2025
Is Student Ministry Still a Stepping Stone?
27m 24s • 5/8/2025
The Pastor’s Dilemma: Loving Preaching, Loathing Sermon Prep
29m 23s • 5/5/2025
Approval Addiction, People Pleasing, and How Pastors Can Let Go
30m 41s • 5/1/2025
The Burge Report: Does Homeschooling Change the Political and Religious Views of Children?
25m 3s • 4/28/2025
A Checklist for Making Your First Hire in the Church
27m 46s • 4/24/2025
Um, Uh, and You Know: Killer Fillers in Public Speaking
23m 12s • 4/21/2025
Going to a Dead Church on Purpose
30m 2s • 4/17/2025
Five Ways to Report Truthful Worship Attendance
24m 8s • 4/14/2025
Young Pastors Are Rare (Here Is What Happened)
32m 38s • 4/10/2025
How Wedding Ceremonies Are Different Than in the 1990s (A Pastor’s Perspective)
24m 16s • 4/7/2025
Should Churches Share Their Campuses with Other Non-Profits?
29m 49s • 4/3/2025
The Burge Report: Everyone Is Having Less Sex (What It Means for the Church)
31m 13s • 3/31/2025
What’s Often Missed with Student Ministry Safety in Churches
27m 39s • 3/27/2025
Seven Power Groups in Churches (The Good and the Bad)
27m 53s • 3/24/2025
The Surprise Benefits of a Culture of Continual Education in Your Church: An Interview with Timothy Paul Jones
29m 59s • 3/20/2025
What Business Leaders in the Church Want Pastors to Know: An Interview with Steve Graves
29m 2s • 3/17/2025
The Ten Commandments of a Pastor’s Vacation
30m 16s • 3/13/2025
The Hidden Opportunity of Hospitality in Churches: An Interview with Danny Franks
25m 10s • 3/10/2025
Are Smart Phones Killing Student Ministries in Churches?
24m 55s • 3/6/2025
Why Some of Our Churches Are Not Safe Places
29m 12s • 3/3/2025
Does Divorce Disqualify a Pastor from Ministry?
27m 32s • 2/27/2025
The Burge Report: How Church Attendance Makes You a Better American
29m 46s • 2/24/2025
How to Celebrate Church Staff Birthdays, Work Anniversaries, and Major Milestones
25m 42s • 2/20/2025
Why Hiring Friends Usually Ends in Disaster
24m 23s • 2/17/2025
Why Churches Are Not Early Adopters of Technology
29m 41s • 2/13/2025
The Right Expectations Churches Should Have of Pastors
26m 48s • 2/10/2025
What’s Different about Pastor’s Kids These Days?
23m 8s • 2/6/2025
Do Dying Churches Really Know They Are Dying?
23m 10s • 2/3/2025
How Pastors Spend Their Time During the Workweek (Any Surprises?)
27m 12s • 1/30/2025
The Burge Report: The New Era in American Religion Begins Now (What’s Happening?!)
28m 7s • 1/27/2025
The Tell-Tale Signs of Abusive Pastors
27m 30s • 1/23/2025
Do You Really Remember What Took Place in Churches During COVID?
25m 21s • 1/20/2025
What Will Be the Sacred Cows in Church Worship When the Millennials Are the Oldest Generation?
23m 38s • 1/16/2025
Making Change in an Older Church (Without Running Over the Old Guard)
24m 8s • 1/13/2025