By Jonathan Howe For much of the past 14 months, I’ve encouraged churches to engage members and prospective guests online. Whether through Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, your church can reach, inform, and inspire more people when you use social media wisely and effectively. But that’s not where the social media influence should stop. Truly effective […]

By Jonathan Howe Email is one of the easiest ways to initiate a connection with first-time guests to your church. However, many churches either fail to use it or fail to maximize its capabilities if they do. Here are seven tips to maximize your church’s use of email to follow up with first-time guests. Send […]

By Jonathan Howe I’ve been privileged to work for a voracious reader and also be pastored by one. These men have modeled godly leadership for me, but have done something else, too—they’ve taught me to love learning. We say it often on the podcast—“A lifelong leader is a lifelong learner.” And while formal education (like […]

By Jonathan Howe Bigger. Stronger. Faster. It’s a mantra you hear from professional athletes and coaches all the time. Successful athletes and teams are often the ones who simply can do more than their opponents. That typically works in sports. But does it translate to other areas of life? Not always. When it comes to […]

By Jonathan Howe Online sermons have become ubiquitous with churches. What used to be an added bonus for members of large churches has now become standard in churches of any size. Thanks to technology improvements and the rise of the iPod and smartphones, sermon podcasts are now a commonplace. However, there is one small issue with […]

By Jonathan Howe As always, the goal with this list is not to inflate the egos of those named, but to make you, the readers of ThomRainer.com, aware of the dozens and dozens of Christian leaders who are advancing the gospel in their respective spheres of influence. And while some pundits may sit back and claim Christianity is […]

Annual evaluation is commonplace in work, in school, and in life. A new year presents the opportunity for us to take a moment to evaluate where we are at the beginning of the year, where we want to be at the end of the year, and how we can get from A to B during […]

By Jonathan Howe As I write this article, a potentially disruptive snowstorm is headed toward the southeast United States. Unlike some parts of the country, the South does not handle winter weather well. At all. We panic. We cancel everything, and then load up Instagram and Facebook with snow pictures. However, there are times when […]

By Jonathan Howe On Thursdays at ThomRainer.com, I blog about a variety of topics typically dealing with church communications or social media. Once a month, I provide a list of young influencers in the church who are worth a follow. Thanks to all of you who have read, commented on, and shared the posts here at the site. Like Dr. Rainer, […]

By Jonathan Howe Once again, the goal with this list is not to inflate the egos of those named, but to make you, the readers of ThomRainer.com, aware of the dozens and dozens of Christian leaders who are advancing the gospel in their respective spheres of influence. And while some pundits may sit back and claim Christianity is […]