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.

July 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Pantano Christian Battles Poverty with Microloans

By Jennifer Taylor In May, Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, AZ) gave away $25,000″”and asked the recipients to give the same. The money, which the church received as a grant, was offered to members of the PCC community to involve them in a microloan program with Kiva, a nonprofit organization that helps donors provide small loans ($25 or more) to help entrepreneurs around the world escape poverty by starting small businesses. PCC members could participate in the program by committing a small amount of their own money and receiving matching funds from the church. A $12.50 donation would result in $25″”the

July 1, 2011

Christian Standard

A Church Planting Milestone in Canada

By Jennifer Taylor   According to Jim Tune, senior minister with Churchill Meadows Christian Church and director of Impact Ministry Group (both Ontario, Canada), the area is home to only six other Christian churches””and their combined attendance is less than 500. So CMCC”s new building””and the more than 1,200 people who attended the opening services in March””is a milestone for Canadian church planting. “Churches are closing faster in Canada than any other area, including Western Europe,” Tune says. “Church just isn”t on the radar. In fact, people assumed our building was an industrial complex or school because they don”t have

June 29, 2011

Christian Standard

2|42 Community Church Buys Athletic Club

2|42 Community Church (Brighton, MI) recently announced its purchase of the Brighton Athletic Club and its plans to renovate the building as a multipurpose facility for the community. The new community center will include an indoor/outdoor cafe, gym, auditorium, meeting space, play areas for children, and space for music lessons, tutoring, and more for teens. “We want this to be a facility that extends beyond Sunday morning, reaching out beyond our regular church attendees,” says lead pastor Dave Dummitt. “This is our gift to the community we love and have served for over six years. It is a no-strings-attached gift.

June 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Mighty Big Shoes to Fill

By Cheryl A. Moen My father”s shoes were big””huge in fact. My dad, Burdett Wakeman, wore size 15AAA shoes””a size so large and unique that every pair of shoes he purchased had to be specially ordered. And even then, they were known to arrive in two separate boxes! Dad was a preacher, and I am certain no other minister was ever introduced by Romans 10:15 more than he was. “And how can they preach unless they are sent? . . . “˜How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”” But Dad was a great sport and just

June 16, 2011

Christian Standard

East 91st Holding Summer Lunch Program

In conjunction with the Indianapolis (IN) Parks and the Second Helpings organization, East 91st Street Christian Church (Indianapolis) is holding a summer lunch program. The initiative, which began last week and continues until the end of July, offers a welcoming atmosphere and a free nutritious meal for children and adults in the community each Monday through Friday. Throughout the summer, East 91st also plans fun activities for kids and families.

June 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Large, Healthy Churches Merge in Phoenix Area

By Jennifer Taylor What if thousands of people drove past one another on the highway to worship at churches that weren”t located too far apart? What if both churches coordinated hundreds of small groups in their communities””groups studying different material and never working together to reach the city? When Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ) and Parkway Christian Church (Surprise, AZ) saw this scenario playing out in their shared mission field, they made a surprising decision””to merge both churches and do more together than they could apart. The two churches, both located in suburbs of Phoenix, officially merged in

June 11, 2011

Christian Standard

CIY Leading ‘Engage the City’ to Serve Joplin

From July 4-8 and July 11-15, Christ in Youth (CIY) is leading “Engage the City,” an opportunity for students to serve victims of last month”s tornado in Joplin, Missouri, and learn from the community”s leaders. “CIY will organize projects, programming, housing, meals, materials, and leadership to help these groups best respond to the needs of Joplin,” the organization writes. “There will be outlets to serve but, more importantly, your students will have opportunities to connect with storm survivors and hear their stories. CIY will handle all the details and connect your group with missional leaders to see how they responded

May 27, 2011

Christian Standard

Common Ground Site for Uncommon Garden

By Jennifer Taylor A few weeks ago, Common Ground Christian Church (Tampa, FL) broke ground on its new community garden. Urban Farming and Kraft Foods” Triscuit brand are sponsoring the garden, providing all the soil, plants, tools, and other supplies; the organizations are collaborating to plant 65 of these gardens around the country this year. The groups kicked off the groundbreaking with a press release and live simulcast of the event, including connections to Triscuit”s headquarters in New York and a new garden in Los Angeles. Common Ground”s “Green Team” of volunteers will care for the garden, and the church

May 25, 2011

Christian Standard

Responding to Joplin Tornado Disaster

News this week focuses on the many churches, parachurch ministries, and families affected by the tornado that struck Joplin, MO, on Sunday. Victor Knowles, president of Joplin-based Peace on Earth Ministries, shares the good news that all 37 Christian church/church of Christ parachurch organizations in Joplin came through the storm without significant damage to their buildings. However, a number of staff from these ministries did lose their homes. And one of the many people killed in the storms was Natalia Puebla, a freshman at Ozark Christian College from Carthage, MO. Doug Welch, a professor at OCC, shared yesterday, “I still had a stack

May 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Adult Education and the Challenge to Make Disciples

By Tom May Just before ascending to Heaven, Jesus commissioned the disciples to go and make other disciples“”a word that implies teaching and mentoring (Matthew 28:18-20). He also used the word teaching in those verses. With the blasting trumpet of an elephant”s screeching cry, the church is challenged to teach in such a way that the result makes disciples. It”s been the elephant in the room for years. For decades, churches have interpreted Jesus” final instructions to mean “cookie- cutter” programming””Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening service, Wednesday evening service, and an adult Sunday school program that mirrored the activities for

May 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Women”s Ministry in Our Changing World

By LeAnne Blackmore Martina McBride is onto something in her song “This One”s for the Girls.” Sure, women may represent several generations, come from diverse backgrounds, assert unique personalities, claim different callings, and even participate in a plethora of churches; but the truth is, we are all the same inside. And one of those “same” qualities is our need to feel valued. Maybe, just maybe, if we can wrap our heads around this central need, churches can have a more effective ministry to the women of today. As a little girl, I remember my mom leading the women”s ministry at

May 5, 2011

Christian Standard

What”s Happening with Women”s Ministry?

By Darrel Rowland So what”s a big bearded guy like me know about women”s ministry anyhow? Does it help that when I was young I helped a proud member of the Dolphin Circle””that would be my mom””wash the glass Communion cups and put them on the big wooden pegboard to dry? (Rats, the Methodists and Lutherans would beat us to lunch again.) Obviously, my experience doesn”t qualify me to know what”s going on with women”s ministry in Christian churches. So I talked to some folks who”ve traveled to many of our churches, hosted workshops or conferences, consulted with congregations, maybe

May 5, 2011

Christian Standard

Operation Weatherization

By Jennifer Taylor Since February, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, Indiana) has worked with Habitat for Humanity and local organizations to pilot an energy conservation project for urban housing. The “mission” included weatherizing dozens of homes to reduce energy costs for low-income families. Volunteers caulked and foamed cracks, replaced furnace filters, added attic insulation, and more. CCC coordinated serving days from February through May and provided training for all participants. www.crossroadschristian.com ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard’s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www.christianstandard.com. Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative

May 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Churches Relaunched

By Jennifer Taylor After 26 years of service, Peachtree City (Georgia) Christian Church (PTC3) was ready to expand. But instead of planting a church in a school or movie theater, the church relaunched two local congregations as thriving new campuses. Last summer, PTC3 partnered with County Line Christian Church in Brooks, Georgia, the second-oldest Christian church in the state. New signs and landscaping improved the “curb appeal” of this historic church, and campus minister Jason Pierce is excited about the renewal of energy among worshippers. In January PTC3 added East Point (Georgia) Christian Church as a third campus. Although the

May 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Shifting the Focus to Neighborhood Ministry

By Jennifer Taylor “Neighborhood Ministry has become our nerve center,” says Ashley Wooldridge, executive pastor at Christ”s Church of the Valley (Peoria, AZ). “It is the reason our church is growing.” CCV senior pastor Don Wilson created Neighborhood Ministry three years ago to more effectively accomplish the church”s mission of winning people to Christ, training them to become disciples, and sending disciples to impact the world. Each person at CCV is encouraged to join a neighborhood group””a weekly gathering of people who live in the same neighborhood or subdivision. The groups meet each week in a study based on the

May 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Is the Church in a Recession?

By Kent E. Fillinger Financial experts disagree on the economic status of our country. Have we rebounded from the recession or are we preparing for a second dip? The economic impact has been unevenly felt across the country and in churches. Two years ago, I wrote an article titled “Sustaining Ministry in a Shrinking Economy” for the megachurch issue, so it seemed valuable to assess the current financial state of the churches in our survey by examining several economic indicators. Strap on your financial seat belt, break out your calculator, and get ready to review a detailed financial portfolio of

April 30, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Plant Finds Bowling Alley to Its Liking

By Jennifer Taylor Dave and Marcy Rudin didn”t even have to move to launch their new church plant. After growing up in the Chicago area and serving as a pastor with Summit View Christian Church (Hoffman Estates, Illinois) for 17 years, Rudin realized his own neighborhood””20 minutes from the Summit View Campus””also needed a Christian church. The Rudins partnered with Ignite Church Planting to plant Lifeline Christian Church this February . . . in a bowling alley. “We needed a place to meet and began looking at our community through fresh eyes,” Rudin says. “The Brunswick Zone bowling alley had

April 28, 2011

Christian Standard

Growing Church, Part-time Staff

By Kent E. Fillinger When Don Hill started a new church in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, he wanted it to appeal to ordinary people. Hill wanted people to remember that before Jesus was the Messiah, he was an ordinary carpenter. This concept was reflected in the new church”s name””The Carpenter”s Christian Church. Carpenter”s began with a core group of 30 people and held its first worship service in the show barn at Anderson Circle Farms in March 1999. In its early days, the church met in rented facilities throughout Mercer County. In August 2003, when Greg Warren became the church”s second senior

April 28, 2011

Christian Standard

MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES: The 2010 List

This listing of 47 churches that averaged 250-499 for worship in 2010 includes church name, city, senior minister, Web site, average attendance, and number of baptisms. (This is not a complete listing of such churches; it is a listing of Medium-Sized Churches that participated in our survey.) Click here to look at the chart of 2010 MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES.

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