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.

August 22, 2019

Jerry Harris

New Leases on Life in Rural Churches

By Jerry Harris I love rural churches and communities; I have devoted virtually my entire ministry life to them. The bulk of Restoration Movement churches have been rural over our more than 200-year history. The church I serve operates in 11 rural and micropolitan communities, but the stories of two of them—Lima and Mount Sterling, Illinois—can provide hope for many others across the country. The Federated Church of Lima, located in a town of 125 about a half hour north of Quincy, Illinois, was the beneficiary of a literal windfall. After a tornado struck the church on May 10, 2003,

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Mid-Atlantic States: Moving Back to the Small Town (Part 2)

Church Planters Find Big Opportunities in Small Places By Tim Cole During the past generation, Christian churches and churches of Christ have become respected within the body of Christ at large for our leadership in church planting. This position of national influence mostly results from our outsized success planting new churches in rapidly growing suburban areas surrounding larger metropolitan centers.  More recently, within the past decade, many of our church-planting organizations have begun to focus on planting churches in downtown, urban settings. Waypoint Church Partners enjoys a rich, 80-year history of starting and serving Christian churches and churches of Christ

August 22, 2019

Jim Estep

Leading through Rural Church Challenges

By Jim Estep When I hear the word rural, I have flashbacks to my childhood. Not because I was raised on a farm, but because I watched Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies while growing up. I found those shows humorous, but they weren’t documentaries of life in rural America. Elders in rural congregations face many challenges their counterparts in urban and suburban churches do not, but country churches can be very vibrant and successful. Declining Population The rural population has declined over several generations. It’s common for once lively rural communities to now be half their previous

August 22, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

2018 SPECIAL CHURCH REPORT, PART 3: Small and Very Small Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger This is the final installment of a three-part series sharing the research findings from our annual church survey. The May issue focused on 2018 data from megachurches and emerging megachurches. The August issue covered large and medium churches, and now we conclude the series with statistics from 78 small churches and 47 very small churches. This was the second year of surveying small and very small churches, so I will include some year-to-year comparisons, while acknowledging more data is necessary before identifying trends. Statistical Snapshot Small and very small churches had the slowest growth rates of

August 21, 2019

Christian Standard

Southeast Christian Launching Campus for Senior Adults (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., will open its eighth campus this fall. The new Chapel in the Woods Campus will be near the main Blankenbaker Campus of the megachurch, one of the largest in the Restoration Movement. Chapel in the Woods will be geared for reaching senior adults. “We’ve built a beautiful facility across the street from our Blankenbaker Campus, and everything from the architecture to the parking lot makes this an incredible facility for our senior adults to connect and worship through hymns and classic worship,” said senior pastor Kyle Idleman.

August 20, 2019

Christian Standard

Ellsworth Plans to Retire from Sherwood Oaks; Green to Replace

Tom Ellsworth plans to retire as senior minister with Sherwood Oaks Christian Church next spring after serving the church since January 1981. During his ministry, the Bloomington, Ind., congregation has grown from 80 people to nearly 3,000 people across three locations. “What a joy it has been to lead Sherwood Oaks Christian Church and to serve the Bloomington and Bedford communities,” Ellsworth said. “It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m excited for all that is ahead.” Ellsworth and his wife, Elsie—who will be retiring as Sherwood Oaks’ marriage coordinator and premarital counseling coordinator—say they want to take their years of

August 14, 2019

Christian Standard

Ozark Profs Share the Bible ‘On Demand’ Via NextLevel

By Jim Nieman In 2016, Ozark Christian College began producing free online teaching videos featuring professors such as Chad Ragsdale, Michael DeFazio, Shane Wood, and Mark Scott. Since that time, the project—known as NextLevel Online—has grown to include 25 different biblical teaching series and 198 free online videos that have been viewed more than 100,000 times by church classes, small groups, student ministries, and individuals in all 50 states and 35 countries. Ozark’s mission is to “train men and women for Christian service,” said Jim Dalrymple, Ozark’s vice president of advancement. “We do this in the classroom every day, and

August 12, 2019

Christian Standard

Who Will Fill Their Shoes?

By Jeff Green His size 9½, wingtip leather shoes sit in a glass case in the library named for him. L. Palmer Young, the third president of Kentucky Christian University, was a preacher first. He followed in his dad’s footsteps, preaching for more than 69 years. The shoes serve as a reminder of the need for more preachers. Wally Rendel, who preached Palmer’s funeral, asked, “Who’s going to fill his shoes?” Where will the next generation of preachers come from? The Situation The church has constantly been challenged to find replacements in vocational ministry, especially in preaching. A forensic expert

August 12, 2019

Christian Standard

California Church Sees a Steady Rise

(We shined a “Spotlight” on four large and medium churches of note in our August print issue. Here’s a bonus article about Rise City Church of Lakeside, Calif., the second-fastest-growing large church [average weekly attendance of 500 to 999] in our most recent survey.) By Chris Moon Rise City Church of Lakeside, Calif., is showing she was aptly named. The church has seen a strong, steady rise in attendance since being planted six years ago. Attendance at Rise City grew by 31.8 percent in 2018. It averaged 837 people each Sunday, making it the second-fastest-growing church in Christian Standard’s list

August 7, 2019

Christian Standard

Church Shows Ongoing Love for Seniors at Mobile Home Park

By Jim Nieman For at least a decade, a California church has been investing in the lives of a group of folks that many tend to overlook. The Christian Church of Thousand Oaks’ ministry to senior residents of the Ranch Mobile Home Park started as an outgrowth of a local “Action” day when Christians are encouraged to get out and serve their neighbors and communities. CCTO started by working on the grounds at a local mobile home park managed by a church member. The manager later recommended the church focus efforts at Ranch, an affiliated, but smaller, mobile home park

August 7, 2019

Christian Standard

Churches Help in Various Ways as School Year Set to Start (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Classes are starting this month, and Christian churches across the country are trying to help children, parents, and schools begin the year successfully. Here are just a few examples: * * * LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than 2,000 members of Northeast Christian Church helped spruce-up the exteriors of 32 schools on Sunday. “Volunteers laid mulch, raked leaves, and pulled weeds at schools throughout Louisville and Oldham County,” WDRB reported. The church focuses on the campus and grounds of schools because principals say that is where help is most needed, said David McKinley, marketing

August 2, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Two Interviews, Two Brothers, One Passion for Making Disciples

By Michael C. Mack I had the privilege to interview Robert Coleman in his home in Wilmore, Kentucky, for our August 2019 issue. It took me back to when I interviewed his brother Lyman Coleman—founder of Serendipity House, compiler and editor of the Serendipity Bible for Groups, and widely known for being a pioneer in the small group movement in the United States—for a cover story in The Lookout in 1993. Robert described Lyman as his “best friend for all these years.” The brothers worked together many times, and each of their ministries often benefited the other’s. For instance, Robert

July 24, 2019

Christian Standard

Henry Retires after Serving First Christian in Kenosha for 40 Years (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Brian Henry, 66, preached his final two sermons Sunday and retired after serving 40 years with First Christian Church, Kenosha, Wis. Through the years, Henry served as preaching minister, senior minister, and minister of pastoral care. Nancy, his wife of 45 years, “closed her classroom down last week,” Brian Henry told the Kenosha News. “She taught kids her whole life since she was 12 years old”; closing out her ministry “was devastating for her.” Henry talked about the changes and tough decisions First Christian has made during his tenure there, including leaving their

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Planting Roots in the City (Los Angeles)

By Andrew Alesso “Wait. So, you’re a minister, right?” she blurted out in the middle of our book club’s group discussion. “Ha ha. Yeah, something like that,” I responded nervously. “I’m surprised you’re being so nice to me,” she said. And then—with no hint of sarcasm—she asked, “And you really don’t hate me?” I’d recently started the book club as a way to meet people in my city. I moved to Los Angeles to facilitate conversations like this. She had just told the group she was an evolutionary biologist. I had just acknowledged she must have a fascinating job. “Wait.

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Let’s Revitalize Our Urban Churches!

By Michael Bowling I have a confession. I have served two inner-city congregations for a total of 35 years, yet I am no fan of urban ministry. Here’s why. The greatest challenges to healthy church communities that are dynamic witnesses to the redemptive way of Jesus have little to do with urban-specific techniques or new resources. Our challenges in urban, suburban, and rural contexts are the same: faithfulness to biblical discipleship, a theology of the church (ecclesiology) informed by the New Testament pattern, and a God-sized view of salvation. An overemphasis on new and innovative practices of “urban ministry” is

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Mid-Atlantic States: Going Back to the City (Part 1)

After 50 Years, a New Generation of Young Leaders Spurs Urban Church Planting in the Mid-Atlantic States By Tim Cole One of the seminal events on the timeline of the Restoration Movement occurred 50 years ago. Although tensions had been brewing for decades with their conservative counterpart, the more progressive wing of our tribe formally adopted a denominational design and officially changed their name to Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1969. In urban areas, which typically espouse a more liberal stance on theological issues, a significant portion of downtown churches aligned with this newly formed denomination. Their impressive buildings,

July 22, 2019

Jared Johnson

Develop the Art and Skill of Listening

By Jared Johnson The “headquarters” of e2: effective elders is in Indianapolis, a metropolitan area of nearly 1.5 million people. Whether in the bustling downtown or in suburban neighborhoods, one never fails to see someone running around—literally and figuratively—wearing those all-too-familiar earbuds. Music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more flood the auditory canals of our fellow Hoosiers. Of course, ubiquitous earbuds also communicate this strong nonverbal message: “Don’t talk to me; I’m occupied with something more important than conversing with you.” People who wear earbuds aren’t listening to us, but they are listeningto someone. Could that change? What would it take for

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Changing Lives and Communities By Loving Our Neighbors (BLOC Ministries, Cincinnati)

By Russ Howard Of the countless strategies we have to reach and restore people to Christ, none are as simple, profound, or powerful as Jesus’ simple command to “love your neighbor” (Mark 12:31). For more than 20 years BLOC Ministries, an inner-city ministry on the west side of Cincinnati, has done just that. The people live where they serve. BLOC’s roots reach to the hollers of Kentucky where Dwight Young was born and raised. Dwight met his wife, Stephanie, at Johnson Bible College. Together they served churches by working with teenagers in Louisville, Knoxville, and eventually Cincinnati. Early on, Michael,

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

How We Partnered with Our Community to Reach Our City (First Christian Church, Decatur, Ill.)

By BJ Leonard In 2004, First Christian Church in Decatur, Illinois, was at a crossroads. Attendance was growing and programs were working, but something was missing. A poll of the congregation and leadership revealed a common burden to reach out and make a difference by serving in our community. The state of our city and public schools had become similar to many urban settings across America. Due to rising crime rates and falling property values, many people with financial means had left for surrounding towns. The stability of their family relationships and positive community engagement left with them. As the

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Changing Church Culture to Achieve God’s Mission (Woodlawn Park Church of Christ, Baltimore)

By Melissa Wuske Woodlawn Park Church of Christ is an a cappella congregation located a few miles from the center of Baltimore. Many people would consider the church to be “real urban, but to us, we are urban-suburban,” said minister Elmer V. Sembly III. The community doesn’t deal with intense poverty and other typical inner-city issues. So, “it blew me away,” Sembly said, when he learned the top two Google search topics in his area were depression and anxiety. It made him pause to seriously consider the events and series the church was promoting. But God has been preparing the

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