Most church members don’t see their churches clearly. In almost all of Thom Rainer’s consultations, church members perceive their church to be friendly. But as he surveyed guests, he found that the guests typically saw church members as unfriendly. The perception chasm existed because the members were indeed friendly . . . to one another. The guests felt like they crashed a private party. Bestselling author Thom Rainer (I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church) has a game plan for churches to become more hospitable. In a format that is suitable for church members to read individually...

The message is basic but profound. We want guests to know they are welcome to the church. This book is a gift to guests to communicate that very message. Thom Rainer has created a tool for churches to become more hospitable through a brief, welcoming book that introduces the ministry of the local church to guests. We Want You Here is a clear and instructive message to be given to church guests. Rainer facilitates the follow up conversation that every pastor would have, if they had the opportunity. By giving away the book to guests, they are encouraged, in a non-intrusive manner,...

For more than twenty-five years, Thom S. Rainer, author of Autopsy of a Deceased Church, has helped churches grow, reverse the trends of decline, and has autopsied those that have died. From his experiences, he has discovered twelve consistent themes among those churches that have died. Yet, it’s not gloom and doom because from those twelve themes, lessons on how to keep your church alive have emerged. Whether your church is vibrant or dying, whether you are a pastor or a church member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church will walk you through the radical paths necessary to keep your church...

Based on an idea originally taken from this blog, I Am a Church Member discusses the attitudes and responsibilities of church members. Rainer addresses in detail what congregations should really be focusing on — praying for church leaders, being a functioning member, treasuring church membership, and more. Six chapters with these titles include study questions to guide the discussion: I Will Be a Unifying Church Member I Will Not Let the Church Be About My Preferences and Desires I Will Pray for My Church Leaders I Will Lead My Family to Be Healthy Church Members I Will Be a Functioning Member...

In Transformational Church, best-selling research authors Ed Stetzer and Thom S. Rainer address the question: how does a body of believers do its part to be in the “sweet spot” where true spiritual transformation occurs? By surveying fifty thousand churches — then narrowing the scope down to five hundred congregations — Stetzer and Rainer share with readers the qualitative answer. Transformational Church, the most comprehensive study of the modern American church to date, contains a wealth of indispensable new data, nuanced insights, and how-to guidance, all centered on this key finding: “Transformational churches make disciples whose lives are being transformed...

Vibrant Church is a study of one of the most important doctrines of the Bible and one of the most crucial topics in Christianity today: the doctrine of ecclesiology, or the study of church. The nature of a biblical, New Testament church is a discussion that devoted followers of the Lord Jesus cannot ignore. After all, Christ said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church and the forces of Hades will not overpower it,” and Paul reminded us in Acts 20:28 that the body of believers is “the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.” Obviously,..

In search of answers, Thom Rainer and his research team conducted a landmark study on the church. Unfolding the findings of that study, Breakout Churches furnishes both principles and examples to show how you as a pastor or church leader can help your church break out of the status quo into unprecedented fruitfulness. Of the thousands of churches examined in the study, thirteen met the criteria for a “breakout church.” All of them experienced both a period of struggle and a time of sustained breakout growth under the same pastor’s leadership. Transitioning from mediocrity to excellence over several years, they...

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 cowritten this time with his son, research expert Sam Rainer. The book is based on a study of one-thousand so-called “church dropouts” who were interviewed about why they left. Their answers are quite surprising, having less to do with “losing their religion” and more about the desire for a community that isn’t made stale by simply maintaining the status quo. In turn,...

Top Knobs M835-12 Somerset Weston Appliance Pull For over a quarter of a century the problem of losing church members has progressively increased. Today the situation is so bad that less than one-third of the members in some churches attend worship services. Church leaders are crying for help. Using the data gathered from this project, Thom Rainer looks at why people are leaving the church and how church leaders can keep the members. 9781433671890 • Thom Rainer • B&H Publishers Purchase: LifeWay.com • LifeWay eReader

Part research project, part detective story, this book presents results from the most comprehensive study of successful churches in history. These 586 churches across America all excel in winning new souls for Christ, and have a remarkable range of things in common. Some stereotypes are shattered, some results are astonishing, and everything is written in a readable, non-technical style. 9781433669606 • Thom Rainer • B&H Publishing Group Purchase: LifeWay eReader

The Church Growth Movement has divided devout Christians. Even though Rainer is an advocate, his aim here is to present an objective view of the movement–its history, the theology associated with it, and the principles which seem to separate churches that grow from those that don’t. 9780805418729 • Thom Rainer • B&H Publishing Group Purchase: LifeWay • LifeWay eReader