In today's episode of the Vanderbloemen Leadership Podcast, William talks with Dr. Thom Rainer, former President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, about church revitalization and leading change in an established environment.
Prior to LifeWay, Thom served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
He is the author of more than two dozen books, including Breakout Churches, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, Simple Life, Simple Church, Raising Dad, The Millennials, and Essential Church. His recent book, I Am a Church Member, was #1 on the CBA best-seller list for several months and I Will was just released in June 2015 by B&H Publishing Group.
Thom talks with William about:
"90% of churches are not keeping up with their community."
"One of the characteristics of great church leaders is perseverance."
"Don't abandon who you are and stay focused on Biblical truth."
"Most pastors don't see significant fruit until about 5 years."