August 10, 2008
Thursday Night Pursuits
When hunting season emptied Sunday seats, Libby Christian Church launched a Thursday service for outdoorsmen—and discovered a creative outreach that reached hunters far beyond expectations.
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 3, 2008
A Community for the Unchurched
Russell Jarvis examines why many unchurched Americans still seek authentic community and challenges churches to listen, rethink inherited practices, and recover a more relational expression of faith.
Questions for Servant-Leaders
By Mark Wesner Editor”s note: The following questions were distributed as a self-examination exercise at an elders and staff retreat sponsored by First Christian Church, Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. We believe they”re good for servant-leaders everywhere to consider. Spiritual Growth. In what way(s) are you more like Jesus today than you were one year ago? “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness,
July 16, 2008
Interview with Doug Wood
Doug Wood explains how churches can address fear, build trust, recover Restoration principles, and pursue first-century growth without compromising biblical convictions.
July 16, 2008
Showing a Better Way
Mark A. Taylor reflects on Doug Wood’s reminder that healthy church growth begins with making disciples, not with polished programming, image-building, or crowd-attracting strategies.
July 4, 2008
Interview with Jim Putman
Jim Putman explains how Real Life Ministries built a discipleship-focused church culture around small groups, intentional leaders, apprentices, coaches, and relational environments for spiritual growth.
What Is an Elder”s Most Important Job?
By Arron Chambers Who is an elder supposed to be? The Bible makes it clear Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God”s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall
June 8, 2008
Good to Great Groups
Michael C. Mack explains how small groups can move from good to great through transformed leaders, devoted teams, and a God-Sized Plan that pushes them toward mission.
June 8, 2008
God’s Word on Great Shepherds
Michael C. Mack explores the biblical role of shepherd-leaders in small groups, emphasizing stewardship, personal care, spiritual growth, and outreach to those who are lost.
June 8, 2008
Great Small Groups Need Shepherds
Michael C. Mack explains why great small group leaders must be more than facilitators or hosts. They are shepherds who follow Jesus’ model of spiritual guidance and care.
June 8, 2008
Light on Our Path
Diane Stortz shares how reading through the Bible in a small group helped participants know God, gain wisdom, build community, and experience spiritual transformation together.
June 8, 2008
Small Group Resources that Make a Big Impact
Dale Reeves highlights small group ministry resources from Standard Publishing designed to strengthen biblical community, deepen faith, and equip churches with participant guides, discussion books, and multimedia studies.
Reimagining Youth Ministry
Curtis Booher and Phyllis Fox urge churches to reimagine youth ministry by integrating teens into the broader church body through relationships, belonging, and meaningful service.
June 4, 2008
Four Standards for Small Groups
Mark A. Taylor identifies four standards for thriving small groups: begin with the Bible, adopt a strategy, train leaders, and expect community to grow organically.
June 1, 2008
You Can Cope with Change
John Derry urges churches facing stagnation to seek faithful catalysts for renewal, adapt wisely to changing conditions, and pursue growth without compromising their mission.
Ministries Offering Help and Hope to Those in Need
Jennifer Taylor profiles eight churches and ministries serving the poor through food, clothing, tutoring, health care, recovery support, housing help, and neighborhood outreach across the country.
May 11, 2008
CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Near the Gates of Hell
A new church in Svay Pak, Cambodia, meets in a former brothel, bringing gospel witness through Agape International Mission near one of Phnom Penh’s darkest places.
May 11, 2008
CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Church! Blur the Lines
Brad Canning shares how Church! Of Park Slope used Postmark Café and practical service to blur the lines between church and community in Brooklyn.
The Biblical Basis for Externally Focused Ministry
By Eric Swanson If you look long enough, you can find a “biblical basis” for almost anything. That”s what my friends and I discovered years ago when I was in college. We entertained ourselves by finding obscure passages to justify a wide and wild set of behaviors. (All of these are from the New American Standard Bible, my version of choice back then): “¢ Not wearing sweatshirts: “They shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat” (Ezekiel 44:18). “¢ Sleeping in church: “I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of
Understanding the Externally Focused Movement
Krista Petty talks with Eric Swanson and Rick Rusaw about the externally focused church movement, community transformation, and how congregations can serve beyond their walls.
