by Sam Rainer | Mar 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
When I arrived at my church, I had a few surprises early in my tenure. Unfortunately, one thing did not surprise me – the membership roll and the active body were imbalanced. Such is the trend in too many churches today. In my own denomination, 16 million people are... by Sam Rainer | Mar 26, 2008 | Uncategorized
It’s 65° and the sun is shining! Spring break has come to Southern Indiana. My wife, who is a teacher, decided to use her break to go with one of our mission teams down to New Orleans to continue with the rebuilding effort. In fact, our entire staff is down there,... by Sam Rainer | Mar 22, 2008 | Uncategorized
Ellison Research recently released a study on how Americans view sin. Lynn Grossman of USA Today writes an excellent report utilizing the research on the notion of sin. Below is one quote from her piece: Topping the list are adultery (81%) and racism (74%). But other... by Sam Rainer | Mar 19, 2008 | Uncategorized
Another snippet from my book, Essential Church?, and a conference I spoke at yesterday in Orlando: If we create fun activities for students they will stay…right? Wrong! Many churches fall into the trap of thinking games and other activities will keep youth in the... by Sam Rainer | Mar 13, 2008 | Uncategorized
Although today was beautiful, the past few weeks have brought some brutal winter weather to Southern Indiana, including a 15-inch snowstorm. And yes, I just happened to be scheduled to fly the day of the storm, but I eventually got to where I needed to go. Needless to...
