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 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Breathtaking Servanthood

By Wynne Gillis It was a new church in a midsized Montana city””a seeker”s church””dedicated to taking the gospel to outsiders who have never heard it or who are not even sure they want to hear it. Like many such churches, it was meeting in temporary quarters””a school auditorium or a vacant storefront. But as it grew and strained the capacity of its meeting place, the church dreamed of a building all its own. A good deal of money had been carefully saved and dedicated toward that end. Then the community around the church got into a big fight. Most

August 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Bart Stone

By Brad Dupray After graduating from Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University, Bart Stone spent 13 years on staff at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Sensing a call to risk something greater for the gospel, Bart and his wife, Jodi, left the comfort of ministry at Northeast to heed the call of starting a new church in a community south of Atlanta, Georgia. Momentum Christian Church held its first service in January 2007, and has not looked back. The church is now running more than 400 in attendance in a warehouse. Bart and Jodi have two children, 9-year-old Keaton and 4-year-old

August 11, 2010

Christian Standard

The Pastoral Call of Corporate Leaders

BY J. ANDREW KEITH (WITH CHRIS KEITH) Tertullian once famously asked, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” By this, the early church father (ca. 160″“ca. 225 ad) was implying the church had no need for Greek philosophy. In these perilous economic times, it may be pertinent to ask, “What has Wall Street””or better, Main Street””to do with Jerusalem?” Unlike Tertullian, the implied answer of this question is much. Several recent situations in corporate America””some of which are unprecedented””have demonstrated the need and/or opportunity awaiting Christian leaders in this arena of service: “¢ Wall Street”s fall and the subprime mortgage

August 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Prophetic Lessons for the 21st-Century Christian Leader (Part 1)

By Edward Sanders He walked a familiar dusty road. He had traveled this way numerous times throughout his life. But this trip was different, for it would end with turmoil and trouble. The prophet Jeremiah was trying to remain faithful as a prophet of God in the seventh century bc. He had the arduous task of proclaiming warning and judgment to God”s unfaithful people in Judah. I wonder if Jeremiah walked to the temple more slowly than normal that day in 608 bc.1 Or did he take the longer route? Like a nervous young boy walking home from school carrying

August 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Fulfilling Church Values, Meeting People”s Needs

By Jennifer Taylor From brand-new Christians to brand-new mothers, churches are inviting members to share their experiences, knowledge, and friendship with groups beginning new journeys. Significant Mothers When Evelyn Ritchie became an unwed teenage mother 21 years ago, she benefited from a local hospital program offering support and education. Today, Ritchie works with volunteers from Real Life Christian Church (Clermont, Florida) to provide the same experience for Clermont”s teen moms. In the new “ADAPT” program (Adolescent Development And Parent Training), Ritchie matches each teen””some pregnant and some parenting a new baby””with a mentor who shares parenting skills and provides encouragement.

July 4, 2010

Christian Standard

Serving the People, Serving God: An Interview with Harriet Miers and Nathan Hecht

By Dusty Rubeck Serving Today In October 2005, George W. Bush introduced Harriet Miers as his nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. He had once introduced her as a “bulldog in size six shoes.” This nomination capped a long and steady rise of her career in the law. Although she was not yet well known across the nation, fellow Texans were well aware of her rise to prominence. Harriet holds degrees from Southern Methodist University and the SMU Law School. The National Law Journal has named her to the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” list and the “50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” list. She

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

The Priority of Preaching

By Wayne Shaw Preaching has always been important in the culture and curriculum of our Bible colleges and seminaries. Earl C. Hargrove championed a theme that has been echoed in the charters of schools across the brotherhood when he launched Lincoln (Illinois) Bible Institute in his inaugural sermon with the promise, “The Preachers Are Coming.” For 45 years I have taught preaching, mainly at what is now called Lincoln Christian University, but also in special courses throughout North America and around the world. I speak with the confidence of experience when I assert that preaching is in the DNA of

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