Thom Rainer surprised the SBC by announcing his pending retirement from LifeWay. He will retire when he his replacement is found or in one year, whichever comes first.
In an article entitled, “Why I Am Retiring from LifeWay” Dr. Rainer explains his reasons for the move. He is leaving on his own terms, in his own time. Dr. Rainer has been a man of honor, integrity, and decency. There has never been a hint of any kind of scandal of any sort at LifeWay under his watch – though there was a constant drumbeat of criticism about editorial choices. I am guessing that comes with the job. Dr. Rainer’s term at the helm of LifeWay has been a success in every way. – the Gospel Project has been wildly successful and so has the recent CSB.
Dr. Rainer will be missed and will be hard to replace.
I’d like to share two stories that explain why I love and appreciate this man. There was a time when there was a swelling tide of criticism about some of the materials being sold at LifeWay stores. Of course, there are angry LifeWay critics who will never be satisfied. But I began to notice that reasonable and good-intentioned people were beginning to join the chorus of critics. I sent a lengthy email to Dr. Rainer explaining what I was hearing and detailing my belief that this was a real and growing issue. This was some time ago and this site was not seeing the kind of high traffic it sees now. He could have simply dismissed me and ignored me. But I received a gracious reply from Dr. Rainer thanking me for my words and responding in great detail. He explained what was going on and how they were addressing the concerns. There are people who bristle when criticized and who react defensively but Dr. Thom Rainer has not been one of them.
Well, he does react at times! We were at a meeting during the convention and I raised my hand and made a smart-aleck remark as a joke. Dr. Rainer threw a pen at me. Ed Stetzer thought it was a measured and reasonable response – possibly merciful (he seemed to think flogging might have been just). But Dr. Rainer has a great sense of humor, one that could even laugh (and throw pens) in response to someone like me. There was no self-importance or hubris with him.
Most importantly, he has been a man devoted to building Southern Baptist churches. His blog and his books have been a goldmine of information for pastors and churches. Practical and biblical.
I wish he would continue for a long time, but there is something refreshing about a man giving up his denominational job too early rather than holding on too long, and I believe that the SBC will continue to be well served by the ministry of Dr. Thom Rainer.
We now have four entities in the process of replacing their leaders. I cannot remember something quite like this.
I have really been impressed with Dr Rainer’s humility and his clear focus on growing churches. Wish he would stay on but I really do respect him for so graciously handing off the mantel to the next person. A great example of stewardship and leaving the organization better than he found it. Blessings on your next phase Dr Rainer.
Dr. Rainer has done a good job.
He has moved LifeWay forward. Selling the old buildings and constructing a new one is not an easy thing to do. He was nearing retirement and could have coasted.
He has also avoided most of the noise in the SBC. His Twitter feed is about the main stuff.
Hope we get a good replacement.
Thanks Dave, I agree with every word. And thanks to Dr. Rainer for leading well.
I believe there was a certain voices contributor who predicted that we’d see another entity head job opening that we weren’t even thinking about. I did not see this one coming.
I count Thom Rainer as a friend. He has been good to me. Nonetheless, I think he has been a good leader at LifeWay. He is a Baptist Statesman.
Last, but not least, he has a superb intellect when it comes to football. He is a devoted fan of the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE!
So, ROLL TIDE, Thom in the next phase of your life. Thanks for your service.
The big elephant is leaving the building this weekend my friend…Roll Tide!
You see, I knew there was something not quite right about Dr. Rainer. Everybody’s got one flaw….his is elephants in the trunk!
Doug Hibbard,
You are forgiven, my child. You have eaten too much HAWG meat and it has clouded your thinking.
Woo Pig Sooie.
I believe in lost causes and underdogs. It’s why I’m still in the SBC.
If I had known that, I’d have thrown the pen back at him.
One word for you, Dave Miller: Infidel!
I think Rainer has done a good job in lots of areas.
I was glad to read that in his “retirement” he wants to help churches in need of revitalization.
He will be missed and Hard to succeed I would think.
I’m also glad to see that it is still possible and personally preferable for an entity head these days to actually retire/resign without controversy.
Revitalization is hard work, but necessary work. I agree with you, Tarheel. I am glad that Thom is going to be close to the Revitalization Movement in the SBC.
I’ve always like what I see from Dr. Rainer. His books, blog and podcasts are fascinating to me. I also like how he is not afraid to use data for the purposes of diagnosing issues and spotting trends in churches.
Baptists owe him a great debt for being an effective leader and now departing with grace and humility.
I had the opportunity and privilege of serving with Thom Rainer in the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism at Southern Seminary. He was the founding dean, and I served as the associate dean. He did a great job there, growing the school from 42 students the first semester (fall semester 1994) to over 1,000. When he was elected president of Lifeway, I said, “He’ll do a great job there.” Certainly, he made that statement a reality. He has demonstrated integrity, family life, excellent leadership, and concern for local churches during his tenure at Lifeway. He’ll be a tough act to follow.
Yep
My Sunday School class learned a lot through The Gospel Project series.
May Thom enjoy his retirement and spend it doing whatever he desires.
That will raise some hackles.
Dr. Rainer has helped Lifeway become the sole (I think I’m right) financially independent agency of the SBC, or to mention his recent oversight of the downsize in Nashville. He is a prolific author as well as an ingenious leader. With a growing number of grandchildren, i believe his decision has everything to do with family, which makes me admire him even more. While I don’t support nepotism, I believe one of his sons is following in his footsteps. Maybe not the best choice to replace him, but certainly glad to know Thom has duplicated his moral and ethical image in his children. We need as many like him as we can find!