CHRISTIAN STANDARD offers a growing library of downloads that are inexpensive, easy to order, and valuable for teaching, preaching, or personal study. Students are using these in their classes. Local church leaders distribute them as handouts or file them for study. To order, click on the links below, or go towww.standardpub.com and search for them by the item numbers provided.
Please note:Â These items are downloads only; no product will be shipped.
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2012 Christian Church Report–Deluxe Edition
A thorough listing and analysis of a wide range of data from 344 congregations associated with the nondenominational fellowship of Christian churches and churches of Christ: Attendance, growth rates, giving and other financial data, baptisms, ministerial tenure, worship styles, multisites, technology use, and much more. “Nowhere else will you find a more comprehensive analysis of congregations in our fellowship”- Mark A. Taylor, editor, CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
Publication date: 4-8-13
(110 pages; Item No. 025611013; $12.00) –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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Hiring a New Minister
When faced with the task of hiring a minister, many local church leaders may feel alone because they’ve never done it before.
We want to help. So we”ve assembled a group of writers with a great deal of experience in finding, interviewing, and placing staff members in local churches. Some of them serve on ministerial staffs, while others help find ministers to start new church plants. All of them bring experience and expertise lacking among many local elderships and search committees charged with this task.
Our articles include: “How to Get Started,” “Checking References,” “Face-to-Face Interviews,” “The Behaviorally Based Interview,” “Extending the Call,” and “Hiring Resources.”
This 12-page resource is a great source of encouragement, advice, and do’s and don’ts for the individuals entrusted with overseeing the hiring process.
(Item No. 025470510DL; $4.99) –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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A Conversation with Skeptics
Jeff Vines recalls his conversation with a circle of skeptics who challenged him in an Australian hotel restaurant. During the meeting, Vines responds to three major questions all Christians and non-Christians grapple with:
How can we believe in God with so much evil in the world?
How can you claim that God is good and loving with all the pain and suffering in the world?
How could a loving God send anyone to Hell?
This six-page resource originally appeared as a three-part series in CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
(Item No. 02970; $2.99) – CLICK TO ORDER
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Ordination: Who? Why? When?
Ordination needn”t be a mystery, but it should not be undertaken thoughtlessly. This six””page resource, originally a three””part series in CHRISTIAN STANDARD, explores ordination with an eye toward helping individuals, churches, and God”s kingdom.
J. Michael Shannon makes a case for why ordination is practical and sensible for individuals desiring a lifetime of service in the Lord”˜s church.
Paige Mathews considers a process for assessing the person who wants to be ordained.
And Tom Lawson challenges ordaining congregations to consider their responsibility for the lifetimes of those they ordain.
This download is ideal for churches that are considering ordaining a ministry candidate.
(02971;Â $2.99) –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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Considering Calvinism
What is Calvinism? How should we feel about what it teaches? How does Calvinism contrast with what we believe to be a more biblical view of sin and salvation?
Jack Cottrell examines the essence and errors of Calvinism in this 10-page resource that originally appeared as a four-part series in CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
The articles focus on “Sovereignty and Free Will According to Calvinism,” and “According to the Bible,” and a two-part explanation and response to “The T”“U”“L”“I”“P Doctrines.” Included are an article on the history of Calvinism””which didn”t originate with John Calvin””and a bibliography of the best books explaining Calvinism and Arminianism.
(025461110;Â $4.99) –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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What Kind of Church Is This?
Eight full-color pages explain the background and uniqueness of Christian churches and churches of Christ. Perfect for Restoration Movement churches to post on their websites or hand to visitors. This popular brochure was updated in July 2012. It is available in two forms:
Printed brochure, item number 021326612, available at $30.00 per 100 copies
(021326612; $30.00 per 100) — CLICK TO ORDER
Downloadable brochure, item number 025620712, available for $9.99
(025490012; $9.99; post to web, print unlimited copies) — CLICK TO ORDER
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How to Listen to a Sermon
This practical and helpful article will help everyone in your church get the most from a message. Simple ideas are based on Scripture and followed by action steps anyone can perform.
Use this convenient download as a Sunday-morning bulletin insert, with new members, or include it with your church newsletter. The attractive four-page piece has a compelling layout that you”ll be pleased to share.
D021533509 (10 copies);Â $4.99 –Â CLICK TO ORDER
D021533609 (unlimited copies);Â $9.99 –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives
What does the Bible teach about baptism? What does baptism symbolize and what does it accomplish? Why is there so much disagreement?
Seven writers offer their insights on this controversial but fundamental topic in this 14-page resource that””with the exception of one article””originally appeared in the March 1 and 8, 2009, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD.
The writers closely examine the Scriptures, while also offering insights drawn from personal experiences. As one writer puts it in his summary statement: “Baptism is a richly meaningful act, commanded by Christ, in which we humbly ask the risen Lord for what he alone can give. It is a prayer that confesses our need and his supremacy. It does not detract from truth that the Lord alone saves; it confesses that truth.”
(02973;Â $2.99) –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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The Lord”s Supper: A Memory and More
If you keep doing something often enough, long enough, it will change you. Take, for example, the Lord’s Supper.
If we practice the Lord’s Supper in a meaningful way, week after week, it will change us for the better by helping us grow closer to God. If we treat it as a ritual largely devoid of meaning, however, it can damage us by causing our faith itself to become a meaningless ritual.
In this 14-page resource, eight writers look at the Lord’s Supper (Communion) past, present, and future””its power, purpose, and promise.
As one writer puts it: “Nothing delivers the death of Jesus like the Lord’s Supper!”
The articles previously appeared in CHRISTIAN STANDARD (primarily in the issues of June 10, 2007, and July 12/19, 2009).
Each download include permission to reproduce material up to 10 times for ministry and educational purposes.
(D021535209;Â $2.99) –Â CLICK TO ORDER
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