Gary Johnson, senior minister at The Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana, talks with editor Mark A. Taylor about the unique DNA at that church and the importance of combining compassion with testimony as we make friends with those who aren”t Christians. See the exclusive interview here.
Author: Mark A. Taylor
Mark A. Taylor, who served as Christian Standard editor from 2003 to 2017, retired in June 2017 after almost 41 years with Standard Publishing (Christian Standard Media).
EVERY CHURCH is called to be “enlisters,” “equippers” and “encouragers.” We know this through the New Testament Scripture. Being “equipper links” instead of “dead end links” was taught in every theology, missions and church growth class at Hope International University when I attended back in the 1970s when it was still Pacific Christian College. There is nothing new, unique or sensational about this.
And we’ve known that “love” (compassion) has been the great credibility builder for the gospel since Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13. Every church and every Christian is called through the word to spread the gospel through relationships built in love. This is theology of ministry 101 stuff. One need not appeal to some sort of mystical subjective revelation of the Holy Spirit to come to this conclusion. The Holy Spirit never communicated in that way.