Thom S. Rainer

Thom S. Rainer (born July 16, 1955) is an American writer, researcher, speaker, and former president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention[1] in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of several best selling books, including I Am a Church Member, named a CBA #1 Best Seller (2013–2014) and Monthly Best Seller (2013–2015).[2] It was also recognized as a Monthly Best Seller (2013–2015), a Gold Medallion Award winner (2015),[3] and a Platinum Book Award winner (2016)[4] by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, and recognized by Leadership Journal as Best of the Best in the Leaders Outer Life category (2013);[5] Autopsy of a Deceased Church, Christian Retailing's Best Book of the Year: Church and Culture (2015);[6] and Simple Church, the 2007 Christianity Today Book Award winner in the Church/Pastoral Leadership category.[7] After resigning as CEO, Rainer remained as the Chief Advisory Officer[8] On September 29, 2020, it was announced that Lifeway filed a lawsuit against Rainer after he allegedly violated a non-compete agreement by publishing a book with Tyndale Press,[9] but on September 30 it was announced they decided to seek a non-litigation resolution[10] and October 5 it was announced that Rainer agreed to end his relationship with Tyndale and avoid litigation[11]

Thom S. Rainer
Born (1955-07-16) July 16, 1955
Union Springs, Alabama
NationalityAmerican
TitleFormer President and CEO, LifeWay Christian Resources
SpouseNellie Jo King
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Alabama
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Academic work
InstitutionsSouthern Baptist Theological Seminary

Biography

Rainer was born in Union Springs, Alabama and is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama, majoring in corporate finance with minors in statistics and economics. He began his career as a cash management officer (1977–80) at Trust Company of Georgia, now SunTrust. By age 25, Rainer became a fifth-generation banker and the youngest vice president[12] for corporate lending of SouthTrust Bank in Anniston, Alabama (1980–83).

Rainer entered Christian vocational ministry in 1982 and earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He served as pastor of churches in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Indiana prior to joining the faculty of SBTS in 1994 as founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth.[13] Also while serving at SBTS, Rainer founded and served as president and CEO of the Rainer Group.

In September 2005, Rainer was unanimously elected by the trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources to succeed James T. Draper as the ninth president of LifeWay,[14] one of the world's largest Christian resource providers.[15] Shortly after assuming the presidency, Rainer established B&H Academic,[16] a branch of LifeWay's B&H Publishing Group, to provide pastors, seminary professors and students with theologically conservative commentaries, academic monographs and other biblically based resources.

Blog and podcast

Rainer blogs at ThomRainer.com and hosts the highly rated Rainer on Leadership Podcast.[17] Rainer on Leadership, a twice weekly podcast which experienced 265 percent growth between 2014 and 2016, was started as a companion to Rainer's blog. It surpassed 100,000 monthly downloads in September 2016.[18] His blog is listed at #6 on Redeeming God's list of Christian blogs.[19]

LifeWay Research

Not long after becoming president of LifeWay, Rainer announced the formation of LifeWay Research for the purpose of assisting and equipping church leaders with insight and advice that will lead to greater levels of church health and effectiveness.[20]

LifeWay Research is frequently cited in religious and mainstream media, including The New York Times,[21] USA Today,[22] Washington Post,[23] Christianity Today,[24] The Christian Post,[25] and Baptist Press.[26]

Great Commission resurgence

In the 2005 Spring edition of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, Rainer published a tribute and a review of the Southern Baptist Convention conservative resurgence after 25 years. The article entitled "A Resurgence Not Yet Realized," noted that, though a theological turnaround had taken place in the Southern Baptist Convention, there was little indication that a resurgence of evangelism had taken place in the churches. In the article Rainer called for a "great commission resurgence", a phrase that would become the nomenclature for a renewed Great Commission emphasis in the SBC years later.[27]

Awards and recognition

In the spring of 2004, Rainer was invited to be a member of the Society of Fellows for the R. G. Lee Center for Christian Ministry at Union University.[28]

In 2008, Rainer received the M. E. Dodd Denominational Service Award from Union University.[29] The Dodd Award is the highest denominational service award Union gives. It is named for the man who was a Union alumnus, served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and who was the father of today's Cooperative Program,[30] the method by which Southern Baptists pool their resources to fund their mission efforts. The award is given annually to a leader within the SBC who displays excellence and leadership in Southern Baptist life, as well as friendship and commitment to Union University. Past recipients include Jimmy Draper (2004), Adrian Rogers (2005), Morris Chapman (2006) and Frank Page (2007).

On November 11, 2010, Rainer received the Donald A. McGavran award for outstanding leadership in church growth from the Great Commission Research Network.[31] According to the GCRN president Bob Whitesel, Rainer's "research and writings have been and continue to be key resources to those who care about church health and growth."[32]

In 2010, Rainer was inducted into the Carl F. H. Henry Society of Fellows at Union University and provided Union's graduation keynote address.[29] Rainer was also appointed to serve as a trustee board member for Union by action of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.[33]

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary awarded Rainer its Alumnus of the Year award in 2013[34] and the E.Y. Mullins Distinguished Denominational Service Award in 2014. In presenting the award, Southern's president, Albert Mohler, recognized Rainer "for his 'remarkable legacy of leadership' as pastor, scholar, teacher, and founding dean of the Billy Graham School, as well as for his role as author, speaker, and president of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention."[35]

Speaking and teaching

Examples of his speaking and teaching engagements include:

  • "Evangelism and Church Growth in the Southern Baptist Convention," Baptist Identity II Conference[36]
  • "The Church and Contemporary Culture," University of the Cumberlands.[37]
  • Christian Executive Officers (CEO) Fellowship[38]
  • The Commission on Evangelism[39]

Rainer holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth (2006) at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and also lectures at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Works

Rainer has written or co-written 27 books and more than 200 articles. His books and a selection of his articles include:

Books
  • Rainer, Thom S., ed. (1989). Evangelism in the Twenty-First Century: the critical issues - Twenty-one contributors writing in honor of Lewis A. Drummond. Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publisher. ISBN 978-0-877-88238-1. OCLC 19514886.
  • ——— (1993). The Book of Church Growth: history, theology, and principles. Nashville, TN: Broadman Press. ISBN 978-0-805-41157-7. OCLC 26589881.
  • ——— (1994). Eating the Elephant: bite-sized steps to achieve long-term growth in your church (1st ed.). Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-46140-4. OCLC 29703199.
  • ——— (1995). Giant Awakenings: making the most of 9 surprising trends that can benefit your church. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-46173-2. OCLC 31412089.
  • ———; Silva, Michael (1996). Experiencing Revival: A Guide to Personal Renewal and Evangelistic Revival in Your Church. La Mirada, CA: Church Growth Institute. ISBN 978-1-570-52058-7.
  • ———; Drummond, Lewis, eds. (1996). Biblical Affirmations for Evangelism. Minneapolis, MN: World Wide Publications. ISBN 0-89066-284-3.
  • ——— (1996). Effective Evangelistic Churches: successful churches reveal what works, and what doesn't. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-45402-4. OCLC 34410663.
  • ——— (1997). The Bridger Generation: America's second largest generation, what they believe, how to reach them. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-46296-8. OCLC 36746379.
  • ———; Wagner, C. Peter; Towns, Elmer L. (1998). The Every Church Guide to Growth: how any plateaued church can grow. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-40192-9. OCLC 38747534.
  • ——— (1999). High expectations : the remarkable secret for keeping people in your church. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-41266-6. OCLC 39335543.
  • ——— (2001). Surprising Insights from the Unchurched. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-23648-1. OCLC 46678185.
  • ——— (2003). The Unchurched Next Door: understanding faith stages as keys to sharing your faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-24860-6. OCLC 52203016.
  • ———; Lawless, Charles E. (2003). Eating the Elephant: Leading the Established Church to Growth (Revised and expanded ed.). Syracuse, NY: Pinnacle Publishers. ISBN 978-0-974-23060-3. - updated version of the 1994 title
  • ——— (2005). Breakout Churches: discover how to make the leap. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-25745-5. OCLC 54988771.
  • ———; Lawless, Charles E., eds. (2005). The Challenge of the Great Commission. Syracuse, NY: Pinnacle Publishers. ISBN 978-0-974-23061-0.
  • ——— (2005). The Unexpected Journey: conversations with people who turned from other beliefs to Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-25741-7. OCLC 60491957.
  • ———; Geiger, Eric (2006). Simple Church: returning to God's process for making disciples. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 9780805443905. OCLC 68810069.
  • ———; Rainer, Art (2007). Raising Dad: What Fathers & Sons Learn from Each Other. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-44391-2.
  • ———; Rainer, Sam (2008). Essential Church: reclaiming a generation of dropouts. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-44392-9. OCLC 209639048.
  • ———; Akin, Daniel L. (2009). Vibrant Church: Becoming a Healthy Church in the 21st Century. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-415-86541-5.
  • ———; Rainer, Art (2009). Simple Life: time, relationships, money, God with Art Rainer. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-805-44886-3. OCLC 316018625.
  • ———; Stetzer, Ed (2010). Transformational Church: creating a new scorecard for congregations. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-433-66930-9. OCLC 645665198.
  • ———; Rainer, Jess W. (2011). The Millennials: connecting to America's largest generation. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-433-67003-9. OCLC 695042457.
  • ——— (2013). I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-433-67973-5. OCLC 812571549.
  • ——— (2014). Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-433-68392-3. OCLC 880741442.
  • ——— (2015). I Will: Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1433687297. OCLC 894625832.
  • ——— (2016). Who Moved My Pulpit?: Leading Change in the Church. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1433643873. OCLC 929545252.

Articles and contributions

See also

References
  1. "LifeWay Christian Resources". Southern Baptist Convention. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  2. "'I Am a Church Member' becomes No. 1 CBA best-seller". Christian Retailing. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  3. "ECPA Presents Diamond Awards to three Non-Fiction titles for over 10 million in sales; 17 other titles". ECPA. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  4. "Gold / Platinum / Diamond Book Awards Winners". Christian Book Expo. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  5. "I AM A CHURCH MEMBER BY THOM RAINER IMPACTS 1 MILLION PEOPLE IN ITS FIRST TWO YEARS OF RELEASE". B&H Publishing Group. March 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  6. "Winners announced in 2015 Christian Retailing's Best awards". Front Gate Media. 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  7. "2007 Christianity Today Book Awards". Christianity Today. 23 May 2007. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  8. "Southern Baptist publishing arm, LifeWay, sues former president Thom Rainer". Religion News Service. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  9. Downen, Robert (2020-09-29). "Prominent Christian publisher sues its former CEO". HoustonChronicle.com. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  10. Press, Baptist (30 September 2020). "LifeWay reverses course in dispute, pursues resolution with Rainer - Baptist Press". www.baptistpress.com/. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  11. Press, Baptist. "LifeWay, Rainer settle contract dispute - Baptist Press". Baptist Press. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  12. "Learn the Secret of Loving Your Work". ChurchCentral.com. 2010-10-17. Archived from the original on 2010-10-28. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  13. Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Baptist Press -Thom Rainer gets unanimous vote as LifeWay president-elect - News with a Christian Perspective". Bpnews.net. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  15. Pope, Alice (2010). 2010 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market. ISBN 9781599635675. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  16. "KNOW YOUR SOUTHERN BAPTISTS: THOM RAINER". Kingdom People. 2013-12-13. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  17. Rainer on Leadership
  18. "SBC DIGEST: Surgeon Rebekah Naylor honored; Rainer podcast surpasses 1M; Digby to lead MBC ethics arm; New FCA leader named". 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  19. The 100 Top Christian Blogs
  20. Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Donald Trump Reveals Evangelical Rifts That Could Shape Politics for Years". New York Times. 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  22. "LifeWay Research Topics Page - USATODAY.com". Content.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  23. "Donald Trump's pastor problem: 40 percent of Protestant ministers are still undecided". Washington Post. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  24. "LifeWay Research: Friends and Family Matter More Than Money When It Comes to Giving Thanks". Christianity Today. 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  25. "Survey: Pastors Say Identifying With Denomination Will Become Less Vital". Christianpost.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  26. "Baptist Press -BP 2010: YEAR IN REVIEW - LifeWay Research: Recession catches up to U.S. churches - News with a Christian Perspective". Bpnews.net. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  27. "Thom Rainer, President of LifeWay: "Doing Nothing is Not an Option." Calls for GCR | Praying for a Great Commission Resurgence". Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  28. "Society of Fellows". Union University. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  29. "Union presents Dodd Award to Rainer - News Release | Union University". Uu.edu. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  30. "Cooperative Program (CP) Missions". Cpmissions.net. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  31. "SBC DIGEST: Rainer receives McGavran church growth award; Wright speaks at Southwestern; ... - Baptist Press - Breaking News – Latest World, US, Science, Entertainment, Election, Technology News and Current Events". Townhall.com. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  32. "Thom Rainer named 2010 Donald A. McGavran award recipient". Lifeway.com. 2010-11-16. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  33. "Tennessee Baptist Convention". Tnbaptist.org. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  34. "At 2013 alumni luncheon, Southern Seminary names Thom Rainer alumnus of the year". Southern News. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  35. "Southern Seminary trustees celebrate 20th anniversary of Billy Graham School". Southern News. 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2017-01-20.
  36. "Baptist Identity II: Convention, Cooperation and Controversy - Feb. 15-17, 2007". Uu.edu. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  37. Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  39. "ACW–Advance Academy » Commission on Evangelism". Archived from the original on October 23, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
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