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.

September 15, 2012

Michael C. Mack

Facilitate so Your Group can Participate

By Michael C. Mack Question: Last year, I struggled to get my group involved in discussion, serving together, or doing much of anything else outside meeting times. As we restart our group this fall, what advice would you give me as a leader to help my group participate more? Answer: Great question! Here are 10 ideas from my experience to help get your group more involved.   1. Plan. Before getting started, decide on some plans and goals for the group for this fall and beyond. People want a purpose for being together, a sense that the group is striving

September 7, 2012

Christian Standard

STEWARDSHIP: What Have We Done to This Word?

By E.G. “Jay” Link If word abuse were a crime, many Christian leaders and teachers would be in jail for how they have abused one of our most important biblical terms””the word stewardship. If you were to poll your congregation and ask what stewardship means, I suspect the overwhelming majority would say it has something to do with money and giving. Part right and part wrong. And, as my grandmother would say, “If something is partially wrong, it is all wrong.” I spent eight years in Bible college and seminary where I majored in theology. In all those years, I

September 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Demographic Darwinism and the Church

By Robert Hull I was born in 1943. Demographers are eager to put me in my place, but I”m not sure exactly where that is. They tell me if we stretch the boundaries a little, I”m considered a Baby Boomer (or just a “Boomer”). From the reading I have done lately, I think that”s bad news. Any day now Generation X is going to wrest power from me and my decrepit fellow Boomers, throw us all under the church bus (uh, van), reinvent the church we have loved and served with our idealism, strength, time, and money, and replace it

September 1, 2012

Christian Standard

Both Approaches Can Be Successful

By Jennifer Johnson I like Matthew Barnett“s philosophy of serving: “Find a need and fill it.” For Barnett, founder of The Dream Center in Los Angeles, the motto has worked well. Since its launch in 1994, the center has served millions of poor, addicted, homeless, and broken people. Thousands of volunteers lead ministries ranging from residential rehab to “Adopt-A-Block” teams in 35 locations across the city. I also like their story: Pastor Matthew”s outreach to the gangs surrounding the church”s iconic building, the organic growth of ministries developed by members, and its identity as “the church that never sleeps.” But

September 1, 2012

Christian Standard

Cincinnati Church Starts Free Medical Clinic

By Jennifer Taylor When physician Doug Collins returned to the United States after several years as a missionary in Cambodia, he wanted to open a free medical clinic similar to the one he led overseas. LifeSpring Christian Church (Cincinnati, OH), which supported Dr. Collins and his family as missionaries, worked with him to open the new clinic this past July. Potential patients must be 19 to 64 years old, have no health insurance, and have a yearly income no greater than 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($22,000 for an individual or $44,000 for a family of four). “The

August 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Arizona Church Hosts Services at Local Prison

By Jennifer Taylor Dozens of prisoners, many of them sex offenders, are members at Chandler (AZ) Christian Church. Several times a year, volunteers from the church take a portable baptistery to a local prison and baptize 25 to 35 men each time. “We consider them part of our church and the congregation celebrates every quarter when we report back,” says Matt Meyers, pastor of changing ministries. The baptisms are the fruit of a years-long effort to minister to the inmates in a local prison. Every Friday night a team of volunteers brings worship music, Communion, and a message to more

August 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Church”s Reading Club Prepares Way for VBS

By Jennifer Johnson New Burlington Church of Christ (Cincinnati, OH) is very small””only 50 or 60 people gather for worship each Sunday. But this little church is making a big impact on its community. In June the church launched its Promise Island Reading Club for children entering kindergarten through third grade. Each Thursday morning for six weeks volunteers led activities, tutored children one-on-one, read stories, and provided snacks. The team also built a children”s library for the new program, with more than 100 books bought secondhand or donated, and gave each child a new book bag in which to carry

August 28, 2012

Michael C. Mack

What”s the Point of Your Small Group?

By Michael C. Mack Why does your small group exist?  What”s your purpose? What are your goals? Bill Willits, director of group life at North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, Georgia, tells what happened when that church first began meeting in the convention center in Atlanta. The electronic marquee that thousands of people would see every day advertised the church as “No Point Church.” The sign engineer could not fit the entire name on the marquee, so he took some creative liberties. Of course, Willits says, this became the joke of the night, but it also provided Andy Stanley an opportunity

August 27, 2012

Christian Standard

Do We Believe What We Sing?

By Tom Lawson Calvinism, largely through the influence of the Church of Scotland between 1600 and 1900, has become the dominant position of the majority of English-speaking Evangelical Protestants. The Stone-Campbell Movement, along with groups such as the Cumberland Presbyterians and Freewill Baptists, represent non-Calvinistic groups that have emerged within this broader majority. Since the hymns and songs used in Christian worship are widely shared across denominational lines, it is not surprising that many popular Christian songs come from dedicated Calvinists. In many cases the doctrinal distinctives of Calvinism do not emerge in the lyrics of a song, even if the

August 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Becomes Part of City’s Arts Community

By Jennifer Taylor New City Church (Phoenix, AZ) launched the New City Studio to participate in the area”s “First Friday” art walks, host small gatherings, and serve the local urban community. The studio, originally a historic home built in the 1920s, has hosted exhibits about filmmaking, fashion photography, vintage clothing, and more. A “Shopping with Purpose” night featured handmade jewelry, bags, and quilts. Often the studio encourages donations for a specific cause or local nonprofit group related to each month’s exhibit. This past spring, when Good Friday was also a first Friday of the month, the studio hosted an exhibit

August 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Interview with John Craycraft

By Paul Boatman John Craycraft is executive director of the Chaplaincy Endorsement Commission (CEC) for the Christian churches/churches of Christ. Prior to his 2006 appointment, he served 16 years in local church ministries, and 26 years as a Navy chaplain, retiring as a captain.   How does chaplaincy differ from ministry in the local church? In the congregational ministry you may see children born, grow up, get married . . . you live a life cycle with them. In any chaplaincy you are with people for only a limited time and then you may lose track. Ministry may be really intense, but the

August 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Mining for Diamonds

By Greg Swinney A few months ago, I found myself sitting at a roadside taco stand in Mexico. I could hardly believe where I was and what I was doing. A three and one-half hour church service had just ended and those who helped lead the service were hungry. They invited me to go “out to eat” with them. It was 10 p.m. and I was ready for some food, but I had no idea it meant sitting on white plastic stack chairs along the side of the dusty road and eating out of the back end of a brightly

August 21, 2012

Christian Standard

Ten Ways You Can Strengthen Campus Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Every year we publish a directory of campus ministries like the one in this issue. Every year we include stories of dynamic, life-changing influence provided by these ministries. And every year I learn something new about outreach to young people forgotten or ignored by too many local churches. Obviously, many Christian churches and churches of Christ care about taking Christ to college students. Could we do more? Look at my list, and decide for yourself. 1. Choose a ministry. From our directory, find a campus ministry either (a) close to your local church, (b) on the

August 21, 2012

Christian Standard

Called to Be Faithful

By Tommy and Jennifer White “Jesus hasn”t come through for me. There is no “˜Savior.” We save ourselves,” said Craig, a University of Utah student who was baptized into Christ in spring 2010. He read the Bible and prayed. He worshipped in community and served in a local church. He struggled with addictions. He expected Jesus, and other believers, to provide the perpetual high he craved. Today he”s angry and has walked away from Jesus. After three years of seeking to establish a body of Christ followers on college campuses in Utah, we”ve realized””sometimes through disappointment””we may not see measurable

August 20, 2012

Christian Standard

List of Campus Ministries for 2012

Click here to download the 2012 Campus Ministries List for more than 100 campus ministries in the United Stands (and a handful of international campus ministries). For your convenience, we are also listing the campus ministries below (with active links). ________ ALABAMA Auburn University Auburn Christian Fellowship 334-821-3963 Perry Rubin www.auburnchristianfellowship.com au***********************@***il.com   ARKANSAS University of Arkansas Christ on Campus 479-521-8358 Mike Armstrong www.christoncampus.org co**@************us.org   University of Arkansas””Fort Smith Christ on Campus 479-452-1901 Jeff Miller je**@*******fs.org   COLORADO Colorado School of Mines/Red Rocks Community College Rocky Mountain Campus Ministry 303-988-1024 Ext. 5 Art Heffron   Colorado State University Impact@CSU 970-449-3716 Matt Harris www.impactingcsu.com

August 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Here They Come . . . and There They Go

By Mike Armstrong College campuses across the country will soon be flooded with the next class of new students. Also arriving will be thousands of the most promising students from around the world, with more than half of these coming from the world”s least-reached nations. Both American and international students will arrive with dreams and plans for their college careers and their futures. But what most will not realize is that when they arrive on campus, God is already there. Many of these students will encounter God in ways that will change their lives. Saying “hello” to these new students

August 19, 2012

Christian Standard

Pondering Religion, the Bible, and How to Grow a Church

By LeRoy Lawson   Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, the Strange, and the Substance of Faith Timothy Beal Boston: Beacon Press, 2005 The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book Timothy Beal Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011 God-Size Your Church John Jackson Colorado Springs: Biblica, 2008, 2011 Timothy Beal, professor of religion at Case Western Reserve University, is a new discovery. A good friend recently sent me two of his books without explanation or recommendation, so I read them without expectations. Well, that”s not quite right. When I started Roadside Religion my guard

August 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Deployed

By Kavan Rogness Several months ago at University Christian Church in Manhattan, Kansas, we came up with an idea to get the church involved in the community. The bulk of the inspiration came from a staff member who attended the February 2011 Preaching and Teaching Conference at Ozark Christian College. There he heard about Vince Antonucci”s book Guerilla Lovers and the “guerilla” assignments Antonucci developed to encourage Christians to get outside their comfort zones and show God”s love through acts of kindness. We decided to challenge our congregation with the idea. The result was a military-themed sermon series called “Deployed” that not

August 12, 2012

Christian Standard

Churches Partner to Offer Hope to the Homeless

By Jennifer Taylor Damon Mendel was once homeless and broke, sitting on a street corner in Las Vegas, Nevada. Today he helps lead 249 & Hope, a ministry to the homeless on Texas Highway 249 in Cypress, Texas. Mendel, his wife, Jackie, and Dave Chavez, missions pastor at Cy-Fair Christian Church (also in Cypress), launched the ministry in November 2010. Each Saturday morning volunteers from Cy-Fair and partner church Graceview Baptist meet to load cars with hot food, hygiene kits, new socks, and other donations. The volunteer teams visit eight different street corners each Saturday. “Sometimes we”ll also have sleeping

August 8, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Outreach Extends to Self-Service Laundries

By Jennifer Taylor Once a month, volunteers from Crossroads Christian Church (Lexington, KY) serve others. But instead of washing feet, they”re washing clothes. Brent Barger, outward focus lead pastor at the church, started Crossroads” “Laundry Love” outreach after successfully implementing it at a church plant in northern Ohio. “It”s simple,” he says. “We visit a local self-service laundry on a Saturday morning and do people”s laundry for free.” Each volunteer has a specific assignment, from welcoming customers to keeping track of each person”s laundry to roaming the room with rolls of quarters. They don”t load laundry into the machines””most of

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