Thom S Rainer

Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers. Prior to Church Answers, he served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. He also 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 has been a pastor of four churches and interim pastor of ten churches. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and PhD degrees from The...See more

Thom S. Rainer is the founder and CEO of Church Answers. Prior to Church Answers, he served as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. He also 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 has been a pastor of four churches and interim pastor of ten churches. He is a 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his Master of Divinity and PhD degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Rainer has written over thirty books, including three that number one bestsellers: I Am a Church Member, Autopsy of a Deceased Church, and Simple Church. He has spoken in hundreds of venues and led over 500 church consultations. Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, live in Franklin, Tennessee, and have three grown sons: Sam, Art, and Jess, who are married to Erin, Sarah, and Rachel, respectively. The Rainers have ten grandchildren: Canon, Maggie, Nathaniel, Will (with the Lord), Harper, Bren, Joshua, Collins, Joel, and James. See less