Thom S. Rainer is founder and CEO of Church Answers. With forty years of ministry experience, Thom has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of the local church and its leaders. Prior to founding Church Answers, Thom served as president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources. Before Lifeway, he served at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for twelve years, where he was the founding dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Ministry. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and earned his MDiv and PhD from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to speaking in hundreds of venues over the past thirty years, Thom led Rainer Group, a church and denominational consulting firm that provided church health insights. Thom has authored more than forty books. He and his wife, Nellie Jo, live in Franklin, Tennessee.