
November 5, 2026
Not Just on Sunday
Lonetta McKee

The November 2018 Christian Standard issue highlights J. Russell and Gertrude Morse, missions, evangelism, poverty ministry, and the church’s calling to go.
The November 2018 issue of Christian Standard focuses on missions, perseverance, and the lasting gospel impact of faithful servants. Its centerpiece, “Prayer, Power, Purpose: J. Russell and Gertrude Morse,” tells the remarkable story of the Morse family’s ministry across Southeast Asia and beyond. Through danger, imprisonment, displacement, and hardship, their work helped carry the name of Jesus to people and places that had never heard the gospel. The issue presents the Morse legacy not only as a family story, but as a witness to prayer, endurance, and the power of God to sustain mission work across generations.
That missionary emphasis continues throughout the issue. Articles explore church planting through Catalyst Community, living as missionaries in everyday life, what current survey data reveals about Restoration Movement missionaries, and key facts about ICOM. Other features address community poverty, business as mission, suburban poverty, short-term missions, and practical questions about how churches grow and serve effectively.
Taken together, the November 2018 Christian Standard issue is a strong missions-themed resource for church leaders, missionaries, and readers who want to understand both global outreach and local gospel engagement. Readers interested in J. Russell and Gertrude Morse will also find wider conversations about evangelism, poverty, church growth, and the church’s calling to move beyond comfort and into mission. This issue is especially valuable for anyone interested in mission history, missionary biography, and the long-term fruit of faithful Christian service.
2 | Letter from the Publisher
Jerry Harris
6-7 | Letter from the Editor
Michael C. Mack
10-12 | Movement
Catalyst Community
David Dummitt
13-15 | e2: Effective Elders
Living as Missionaries
Gary Johnson
16-18 | Metrics
Survey Sheds Light on Our Missionaries
Kent Fillinger
19-21 | Horizons
Seven Insider Facts About ICOM
Emily Drayne
22-25 | Imagine
Poverty Encounter
Mel McGowan
26-27 | MinistryLife
My Heart Pounds Within Me
Vince Antonucci
28-30 | Relevance
One of the Gravest Spiritual Dangers of Our Era
Haydn Shaw
34-43 | Feature Article
Prayer, Power, Purpose: J. Russell and Gertrude Morse
Russell Johnson
44-49 | The Silent Struggle of Suburban Poverty
Kelly Carr
50-53 | Transforming Communities Through Business as Mission
Fenton Lewis
54-61 | Mix. Weigh. Seal. Ship.
Ben Simms
62-71 | Rethinking Short-Term Missions
Josh Rouse
72-77 | What Makes the Fastest-Growing Churches Grow?
Jim Nieman
78-79 | Interact
80 | Nondenominationalish
Caleb Kaltenbach
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