Rainer on Leadership

A new Hartford Institute report shows median in-person worship attendance increasing from 65 to 70 since just before the pandemic. That five-person gain may sound small, but it represents a 7.7% increase and moves the median congregation above its pre-pandemic level. Still, the story requires careful interpretation. This is not a return to the church landscape of 2000, when the median congregation had 137 in worship. It is better understood as a modest but meaningful inflection point—encouraging enough to notice, but not strong enough yet to call a trend.

The post Church Worship Attendance Is… Up! (For the First Time in Years) appeared first on Church Answers.

Josh and Sam discuss how to avoid the “always available” trap of shepherding a congregation. Unfortunately, many pastors, if not most, are never truly “off.”

The post The Pastoral Burden of Never Having “Off Hours” appeared first on Church Answers.

Sam welcomes Dr. Nijay Gupta back to the Rainer on Leadership podcast. Nijay is a senior translator for the New Living Translation, a Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, and the author of several books, including A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies and Tell Her Story. Today they discuss why preachers should commit to one primary translation in the pulpit, and why the New Living Translation is the best choice.

The post Why Preachers Should Pick One Translation (And Which One Is Best) appeared first on Church Answers.

Historically, Christians have favored burial. That practice was not accidental. Burial reflects the biblical pattern of honoring the body, treating death with gravity, and looking forward to the resurrection. In Scripture, the body is not treated as disposable. At the same time, the Bible does not give a direct command that Christians must be buried or that cremation is sinful. Josh and Sam discuss this question on today's episode.

The post Should Pastors Encourage Burial Over Cremation? appeared first on Church Answers.

Americans are moving far less than they did in previous generations, and Gen Z may become the least mobile generation in American history. In the 1950s, about 20% of Americans moved each year. By 2019, that number had fallen to roughly 11%. Even more surprising, younger adults are more likely than older generations to say they have lived in the same local community their entire lives. Nearly half of those born in the early 2000s report never having moved from their local community.

Ryan and Sam discuss how this trend also has implications for churches. People who stay rooted in one place appear somewhat more likely to remain connected to religious life than those who move away. Moving disrupts habits, relationships, and rhythms—including church attendance. For many dechurched people, the issue may not be a conscious rejection of faith, but the loss of a weekly rhythm after relocating.

The post The Burge Report: Why Gen Z Might Be the Least Mobile Generation in American History appeared first on Church Answers.