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.

February 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Extinguishing the Flames of Conflict

What Leaders Can Learn from the Fire Tetrahedron for the Good of the Church   By Walt Wilcoxson Heat, fuel, oxygen, and a chemical chain reaction. These four factors comprise the fire tetrahedron, which is basic knowledge to every firefighter and the basis for the plan of attack for fighting every fire. Even rookie firefighters know that if you can eliminate any single part of the tetrahedron, the fire will go out. Or, if any of these four elements is missing, there will be no fire. In church conflict, leaders have a tetrahedron to consider as well. They need to

February 21, 2018

Christian Standard

A Road Map for Healthy Conflict Resolution

Use these 5 tips to create a church culture that handles conflict in a God-honoring way.   By David Dummitt Churches are made up of broken, messy people. That statement won’t shock anyone reading this. Problems in churches are inevitable. Conflict can lead to division. Planning ahead for how to navigate through conflict is important to protecting the unity of our churches. Whether you’re planting a church or have been leading one for years, it is never too early (or late) to create a road map for dealing with conflict within your church in a way that honors God. Here

February 14, 2018

Christian Standard

A Night for “Kings and Queens” to Shine

By Justin Horey On the evening of Friday, February 9, limousines will line up in front of Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in coastal Florida. As guests in tuxedos and gowns make their way down the red carpet toward the entrance, cameras will flash and onlookers will yell, “You look great!” “We love you!” Some of the honored guests will be in wheelchairs. Some will use walkers. Others will struggle to speak. On this night, the occasion is not an award show or a celebrity gala; it’s “Night to Shine,” a prom-style formal event for people with special needs created by

January 27, 2018

David Roadcup

Young Ministry Staff and Elders—Connecting Together

By David Roadcup The summer of 1966 was a watershed time for me. I was 19 years old and going into my sophomore year at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College. I had accepted my first summer youth ministry in a rural church in central Illinois. I remember my first day. I knew I had been called to this, my life’s work, but that first day was daunting. Where do I start? How is this going to go? Who are these people in my new church family? Will I be liked? Will they work with me? It was a challenging and impactful

January 26, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

What Are Your Church’s Push and Pull Factors? (Part 1)

By Kent Fillinger My three daughters and I went to New York City for the first time last October. Our visit to Ellis Island was a definite highlight! I was amazed to learn what more than 12 million people encountered at Ellis Island. One part of the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration had the history of migration and the peopling of America. I found one display titled “Push and Pull Factors.” The sign said, “Historians talk about the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors that influence migration. ‘Push’ refers to the reasons people leave one place to go to another. ‘Pull’

January 24, 2018

Christian Standard

Vibrant Church Rebrands and Rebuilds

By Mel McGowan Imagine if a small church in the rolling hills of central Pennsylvania could pick up the torch from William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” through the development of a postmodern village green. Vibrant Church, previously known as Capital Area Christian Church, has offered its surrounding community a simple, relationship-centric approach to Christianity for 35 years. Vibrant serves the Susquehanna Valley, Mechanicsburg, and Harrisburg areas, where they generously and relentlessly pursue close connection with church members and the community alike. Vibrant’s mission is to be a gift to and destination for the surrounding community. In addition to an all-in-one, multifunctional

January 14, 2018

Christian Standard

What We Can Learn from Traditionalists about Money

By Haydn Shaw People now live 30 years longer than they once did. In 1900 the average life span was 48; today it’s 78. But as people live longer—for which we’re all grateful—it presents new challenges that previous eras didn’t face. In previous eras, there were only three generations. The oldest generation had the money and made the decisions, and the younger generation of adults raised the children and did what the older generation asked them to until their parents died, and then their turn came to be in control. Changes in families and churches came slowly and naturally, with

January 1, 2018

Christian Standard

Hope for Hurting Ministers

By Steve Reeves A survey of Christian church/church of Christ ministers from September 2016 found that 43 percent of the 500 responders were seriously considering leaving the ministry. In addition, Tim Wallingford with the Center for Church Leadership (CCL) says attrition among ministers in our churches might be as high as 70 percent. Here are some additional findings Wallingford shared with me when I began volunteering with the CCL: 74 percent of ministers have debt. The school debt among many couples, upon their graduation, is as high as $75,000. 54 percent of churches offer no retirement benefits; 47 percent offer

December 1, 2017

Christian Standard

Lighting Up the Valley

By Mel McGowan A campus redesign is helping Shepherd Church to be an influence in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the world. Imagine if the world”s cultural capital and dream factory exported God”s truth instead of Hollywood”s “false north” of political correctness and moral relativism. Imagine if a church in Los Angeles expressed the diversity of the City of Angels and offered a taste of kingdom come, where “all the colors will bleed into one,” as Bono sang. Dudley Rutherford””an Ozark Christian College and Hope International University alumnus””leads the 12,000-member Shepherd Church, called “the most racially diverse church in Los Angeles”

November 22, 2017

Christian Standard

The Night Before Christmas

By Kelly Carr  “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through church houses, every creature was stirring, all the staff and some spouses. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but peek inside the church building””you”ll find everyone there. While others are restful, sugar-plums in their heads, on Christmas Eve church leaders are busy instead. Ministers across the country confirm what you already know: Christmas Eve is one of the best attended services of the year. Large and small congregations, suburban, rural, and city locations all welcome folks who rarely darken the doorway of a church building other

November 21, 2017

Christian Standard

Maximizing the Role of Women in Church Planting: A Conversation with Debbie Jones  

By David Dummitt The local church is the hope of the world. Church leadership, whether as a church planter, church leader, or lay leader, is full of adventure and purpose, but it can also take a toll on families if they aren”t equipped with the wisdom and practical skills needed to remain healthy. I recently spoke with Debbie Jones, director of Stadia”s Bloom, which empowers women to maximize their role in starting churches. Debbie and her husband, Tom, have planted two churches and have witnessed firsthand the challenges church planting and leadership can have on families.   Tell me about

November 12, 2017

Christian Standard

Imagineer

By Mel McGowan   im·ag·i·neer \iËŒmajÉˈnir\ v: 1 : to implement creative ideas into practical form 2 : one who implements creative ideas into practical form  Imagine the impact we could make in the world if the body of Christ recaptured Jesus” reputation as the greatest storyteller ever known.   Imagine if we became truly effective at helping people understand how God is writing them into his story and history.  Imagine if we understood how to tell stories beyond the pulpit.  Imagine if God”s will was done on earth as it is in Heaven, with whatever piece of God”s creation he has

November 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Elders Champion Missions 

By David Roadcup   An effective elder-shepherd team connects to the missions initiative of the congregation. Elders should be the greatest proponents for mission service in the body of Christ. By following Jesus” marching orders, we can facilitate and support the missions outreach of our churches in the most effective way possible. Good elder teams are involved in missions!   In Acts 20:17-38, Paul, who is on his way to Jerusalem, arrives by ship at Miletus and calls for the Ephesian church elders to join him there. (Paul had planted and nurtured the Ephesian church.) When the elders arrive, Paul involves them

October 17, 2017

Christian Standard

An Inside Look at Rural Communities and Churches

By Kent Fillinger In September”s issue, I examined statistics and trends primarily affecting urban and suburban communities and churches in the United States. This month, I”m focusing on the rural counterpart. Rural America In 1950, more than a third of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. That rural percentage has consistently declined through the years to less than 20 percent today. The Wall Street Journal recently reported (“Rural America Is the New “˜Inner City,”” Janet Adamy and Paul Overberg, May 27-28, A1), [A]n unprecedented shift is under way. Federal and other data show that in 2013, in the majority

October 12, 2017

Christian Standard

Innovation Is Born Out of Constraint

By Chuck Dennie Why does Twitter have a 140-character limit? An article titled “Best Practices” at Twitter.com states, “Creativity loves constraints and simplicity is at our core. Tweets are limited to 140 characters so they can be consumed easily anywhere, even via mobile text messages.” Twitter users most likely will tell you that being limited to 140 characters has forced them to be more focused, creative, and clear about what they”re trying to communicate. The multisite church is a beautiful example of innovating in response to constraint and limitations. We can now reach more people in more areas in our communities

October 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Reorientations for Rural Elders

By Jim Estep As a freshman in college, my first preaching ministry was with Elm Fork Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. When I arrived, 8 people attended the church. Not 18, not 80 . . . 8. Moreover, the church did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. There was literally a two-seater outhouse out back with a sign that read, “Pastor”s Study.” Fortunately for me, I never used that “Pastor”s Study”! The only source of heat in the winter was a makeshift wood-burning stove. Even the hymnals dated back to the early 1900s. Since my tenure at Elm Fork in

October 6, 2017

Christian Standard

Overcoming the Challenges of Rural Ministry

By Justin Horey Imagine you live a half hour from the nearest pizza place, and no one delivers. That”s not the premise for a new reality television show. It”s how Dr. Barney Wells, graduate academic dean and associate professor of Bible and ministry at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University, playfully defines “rural communities” for his undergraduate students. Although millions of Americans live in rural communities, small-town people are often overlooked and misunderstood by sociologists and economists more focused on serving larger population centers. Likewise, few have studied or analyzed what it takes to succeed and thrive as a ministry in a

October 5, 2017

Christian Standard

The Miracle in the Cornfield

By Darrel Land It has been referred to as the miracle in the cornfield. That is an apt description of Redemption Christian Church. A church of more than 1,800 people in a rural town of 15,000 certainly is rare. To understand the amazing things God has done, you need to know a little bit about Jasper, Indiana. Jasper is unique in many ways. Farming dominates Dubois County, where Jasper is the county seat. The church is literally surrounded by corn and soybean fields. It”s as rural as rural gets. The majority of jobs are blue-collar. Jasper has often been called

October 1, 2017

Christian Standard

Minister’s Salary Survey (It’ll Take 2 Minutes)

In preparation for a January article, Kent Fillinger is asking all church ministers to participate in a Minister’s Salary Survey. The two-minute, anonymous survey is for all ministers no matter his or her position or church size. (No data or information will be linked to anyone or any church.) Survey results and insights will be shared in our January 2018 issue. Deadline to respond is Friday, October 13. Click this survey link to participate.

September 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Changing Our Church to Change Our Community: The South Fork Story

By Bob Hightchew How do you change an unhealthy church culture without any pain? How do you make necessary biblical changes without upsetting people? You can”t. If we are to serve the kingdom, we will have to fight some battles. The battle is worth it, though, if the process helps move a church to better health. I”ve learned this firsthand over the course of the last 20-plus years. South Fork Christian Church in Verona, Kentucky, has been an easy congregation for me to love. Our pews are filled with kind, generous, and loving individuals. However, when I arrived, the church

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