May 22, 2023
May 28 | Waiting
People adopt a posture of solitude while waiting, which is not only a good spiritual discipline, but also a great help in waiting. To sit alone in silence can be very redemptive. . . .
Church & Ministry
Church & Ministry equips leaders and everyday believers to build healthy, gospel-centered congregations. Explore biblically grounded articles on church leadership, preaching and teaching, eldership, staff and volunteer development, discipleship systems, small groups, church planting, church growth, and ministry strategy. You’ll also find practical guidance for navigating transitions, cultivating congregational health, and serving your community with wisdom and compassion. Whether you’re a pastor, elder, ministry staff member, volunteer leader, or church member who wants to help your church thrive, this hub brings together resources to strengthen the local church and advance Christ’s mission.
May 22, 2023
May 28 | Application (‘New Every Morning’)
Some of us roll out of bed at sunrise and hit the ground running, while others take a while to get going. For night people, “A.M.” stands for “Already Morning?” . . . Have you ever wondered what God does every morning?
May 22, 2023
May 28 | Discovery
Questions for group discussion for use with this week’s lesson titled “Waiting” (Lamentations 3:19-33, 39-42, 55-58).
May 16, 2023
SPOTLIGHT: Nebraska Church Enjoys Strong Recovery from COVID
Sometimes, a story of growth is a story of recovery. Such is the case at First Christian Church in Norfolk, Neb.—which had one of the highest growth rates in Christian Standard’s 2022 Church Report, published in the current print magazine. . . .
May 15, 2023
May 21 | Wounded
The Lord acts like a physician who must hurt the patient to produce healing. He seems violent, but the Lord knows something about wounds, and he knows how redemptive they can be. . . .
May 15, 2023
May 21 | Application (‘We’re Meant to Lament’)
The book of Lamentations is an acrostic poem where the verses begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet. Jeremiah wept “from A to Z” . . .
May 15, 2023
May 21 | Discovery
Questions for group discussion for use with this week’s lesson titled “Wounded” (Lamentations 1:1, 10-18; 2:5-14, 17, 20-21).
May 8, 2023
May 14 | Punished
God administered deserved punishment to the Israelites for their unfaithfulness. The result was Lamentations, which we are working our way through. . . .
May 8, 2023
May 14 | Application (‘Searching for God in Times of Pain’)
How should we handle times of mourning when joy disappears? Where is God in painful times?
May 8, 2023
May 14 | Discovery
Questions for group discussion for use with this week’s lesson titled “Punished” (Lamentations 5:1-22).
Preaching the Mother’s Day Sermon with Creativity and Compassion
"Over time I have become more aware of the pain many women, and sometimes men, experience on Mother’s Day," our Preach columnist Chris Philbeck shares. "Here are some suggestions that might help us reframe Mother’s Day in a way that blesses everyone . . ."
SPOTLIGHT: ‘Pretty Feisty’ River Christian Church Embraces Big Growth
River Christian Church has seen God work in some interesting places—including the three years they met at a local funeral home and cemetery. The church also has seen God work at some interesting times—like during the COVID-19 pandemic when they have grown weekend attendance from 950 to nearly 1,500. . . .
5 Sources for Illustrations to Enhance Your Sermons
By Chris Philbeck In the 1990s, while serving a church in Oklahoma, I took all my elders to the Leadership Conference at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. During the opening session, our church was awarded a yearlong subscription to SECC’s weekly tape ministry for being the church that came the farthest with their entire board of elders. So, over the next year, I had the opportunity to listen to weekend messages delivered by Bob Russell and Dave Stone. I still remember many of those messages, including one from Dave about the urgency of reaching lost people. To illustrate the
From ‘Fringe’ to ‘Family’
By Randy Wheeler “What kind of impact could we have on the city of Milwaukee if we had 1,000 millennials who were on fire for Jesus?” Pastor Ken Lock posed this question to a small group of friends as they dreamed about the kind of church they wanted to plant. In 2018, Evolve Church was born. One year later, Evolve had 1,000 millennials attending who were on fire for Jesus! Then COVID hit, and for the next 19 months the church was locked out of the high school they rented, services went online, and Evolve began to search for a
May 1, 2023
May 7 | Disciplined
The people of Jeremiah’s day had a long stretch of discipline. The siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar took years; it ended in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell. The people of Jerusalem were still weeping in 571 BC when Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. . . .
May 1, 2023
May 7 | Application (‘When the Gold Loses Its Luster’)
It’s surprising when precious metals like silver and gold serve as examples of “perishable things,” but the blood of Christ is far more precious. Gold can lose its luster.
May 1, 2023
May 7 | Discovery
Questions for group discussion for use with this week’s lesson titled “Disciplined” (Lamentations 4:1-22).
April 24, 2023
April 30 | You Are Invited
God invites all of creation to worship him. How extravagant should that worship be? . . .
April 24, 2023
April 30 | Application (‘Give the Lord Your MVP’)
"To sports fans, MVP means Most Valuable Player," David Faust writes. "[But] what if those letters stood for Most Valuable Possession? . . . Would you give your Most Valuable Possession to the Lord? . . ."
April 24, 2023
April 30 | Discovery
Questions for group discussion for use with this week’s lesson titled “You Are Invited” (Mark 14:1-9).
