Church Leadership

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

COVID-19: Guidelines for Closing and Reopening the Church

Editor’s Note: This article was written for and will appear in our July issue, which will deal with politics and the church. We’ve decided the article will most benefit our readers now, however. We hope it helps you wisely plan as you make significant decisions over the next several weeks and months. _ _ _ By Rusty Russell Should we have canceled church during the COVID-19 pandemic? What if churches reopen, the virus rebounds, and we are asked to cancel again? What if there’s a less serious pandemic in the future? Will we be asked to cancel the next time

April 15, 2020

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Pastoral Transitions & Succession

Ellsworth’s Farewell Sermon On Hold Until Church Can Gather Again

By Chris Moon Tom Ellsworth jokes that his “crystal ball” must have been broken when he announced last year his plan to retire at the end this month. Ellsworth has put in nearly 40 years of service as pastor of Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington, Ind. He’s seen the church grow from an attendance of about 80 people to more than 3,000 on two campuses. But 40 years is a good biblical number, and Ellsworth had his 65th birthday earlier this year. The church began working on a retirement plan a couple of years ago, and Shawn Green was

March 31, 2020

Shawn McMullen

McMullen Named VP of Partner Relations with CCL Foundation

Shawn McMullen, who has concluded his service as editor of The Lookout magazine, will begin work Wednesday as vice president of partner relations with the Christian Church Leadership Foundation. McMullen’s responsibilities will include working with Cincinnati area ministers, churches, and mission teams to present the work of the CCL Network and the Russell School of Ministry. He will identify partners to support student scholarships, library services, and network memberships. He also will closely work with representatives from the Cincinnati Christian University Alumni Association to help maintain communication and connection with the CCU community within the CCL Foundation. “I’m grateful for

March 19, 2020

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

Wayne Smith’s NACC Message to Preachers (Part 2)

Here is the conclusion of Wayne Smith’s keynote sermon “Preach the Word” from the 1977 North American Christian Convention. Smith helped start Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1956 and served as her senior minister until 1995. He died in 2016. Many still list Smith as their all-time favorite preacher. Click here to read the first part of Smith’s sermon, which focuses on “The Summons—Preach.” _ _ _ Preach the Word (Part 2) The President’s message at the 1977 NACC—based on 2 Timothy 4:1-8 By Wayne B. SmithMarch 10, 1985; p. 4 THE SUBJECT—CHRISTChrist said, “And I, if I

March 12, 2020

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

Wayne Smith’s NACC Message to Preachers (Part 1)

Wayne Smith helped start Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1956 and served as her senior minister until 1995. He died in 2016. Still today, many list Smith as their all-time favorite preacher. This article from 1985 was actually Smith’s manuscript from his keynote sermon at the North American Christian Convention in 1977, the year he served as president. Smith’s topic, preaching, was the subject about which he was perhaps most passionate. This is long, and so we will break it into two parts. This week focuses on “The Summons—Preach,” and part two next week will explore “The Subject—Christ”

February 22, 2020

Mark Kitts

If You Lead Alone, You're Doing It Wrong

A Cutting-Edge Way to Find New Ministry Partners Online . . . and in Person By Mark Kitts I’m still smarting from the recent closing of my alma mater, once known as “the Flagship College” of the independent Christian churches (ICC). Our schools, publications, and national gatherings have historically been unifying bastions of the Restoration Movement. But these institutions have been losing influence as people have voted with their feet and their wallets. Is it because Restoration ideals have lost their relevance? I don’t think so. I see these ideals being adopted as never before. Denominationalism is declining at an

February 19, 2020

Mark Kitts

If You Lead Alone, You're Doing It Wrong

February 12, 2020

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Pastoral Transitions & Succession

Longtime Kentucky Pastor Makes Leap to Greater NYC Church

By Chris Moon From Keavy, Ky., to Long Island, N.Y. The change in environment and culture—at least within the United States—probably doesn’t get more drastic than that. And that’s exactly the jump that Tommy Lanham made. The longtime Kentucky pastor is now in his fifth month as co-pastor of Glen Cove (N.Y.) Christian Church, a small congregation on Long Island, about 15 miles northeast of Queens. Lanham says the culture shock wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. “We always had heard that New Yorkers are rude,” he told Christian Standard. “That has not been our experience at

January 29, 2020

Relocating the Now-Closed CCU Library a "Herculean" Task

By Chris Moon Jim Lloyd is facing the challenge of a lifetime. The longtime librarian at the now-closed Cincinnati Christian University has been tasked with preparing the school’s George Mark Elliott Library—all 150,000 print volumes as well as a large archival collection—for relocation. So far, Lloyd and some volunteers have filled 750 boxes with books. It’s likely to take 10,000 boxes to move it all. And after the library eventually is moved, the contents must be unpacked and reshelved. “It’s just a Herculean task,” Lloyd told Christian Standard. “It’s almost more than I can bear to think about sometimes.” And

January 22, 2020

David Roadcup

What Does God Want from Elders of His Church?

By David Roadcup My 23 years of coaching and consulting with churches and their leaders has led me to conclude, As go the leaders, so goes the church. Leaders set the example, tone, faith, and practice for believers in the church they serve. So we, as leaders, need to ask ourselves, What does our Father want from us, and how do we accomplish his ultimate task? Using Scripture as our guideline, here is an overview of what the Lord wants from the primary leaders in his church. 1. A Healthy and Growing Spiritual Life God wants all church leadership

January 8, 2020

'Virtual Prayer Vigil' Saturday for Cincinnati Ministry Education (Plus News Briefs)

The president and trustees of the newly formed Christian Church Leadership Foundation are seeking prayer support this Saturday from those who desire the continuation of Cincinnati ministry education in the wake of the closing of Cincinnati Christian University. The CCLF was created largely through the efforts of Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Mo., and contains the work of what were CCU’s Russell School of Ministry, the Center for Church Leadership, and the George Mark Elliott Library. The 24-hour “virtual prayer vigil” will begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. During that day, each member of CCLF’s leadership will pray for

January 3, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Recapturing a 'Phenomenal' Vision for Our Churches

By Michael C. Mack January 2020 seems like an excellent time to think about vision. The articles in this issue focus on significant church strategiesfundraising, assessing, training, neighboring, church planting, and reaching men, for examplethat can help churches fulfill Jesus’ vision and carry out his mission. But I want to make sure we don’t confuse strategiesthough they may be biblical and beneficialwith the church’s vision and mission. Strategies must never supplant our mission. I did a quick topical search of the bookshelves in my office: The Five-Star Church, The Seven-Day-a-Week Church, The Emotionally Healthy Church, Becoming a Healthy Church, Building

December 31, 2019

How to Establish an Effective, Objective Church-Ministry Evaluation

By Bart Rendel Church leaders need a solid, scriptural, and effective system for discussing and evaluating issues and moving forward as a team. As I have helped church leaders around the country increase their kingdom impact over the last 15 years, I’ve often heard of meetings that descended into scrums and battles over opinions, with arguments based upon anecdotal evidence, and random comments tossed around based on limited perspectives or past successes. To help churches stay on course, leaders should align behind a set of gospel-centered standards. Our hope at Intentional Churches is to establish these standards in every church

December 13, 2019

Michael C. Mack

The #1 Frustration of Christian Leaders

How Do We Respond to the Spiritual Lethargy of the People Entrusted to Us? By Michael C. Mack Even the greatest Christian leaders can become disheartened, and perhaps exasperated, with the people under their care. An obvious Old Testament example is Moses, who had to deal with the wayward Israelites over and over again for 40 years. A New Testament example is the apostle Paul, who had to write letters to whole churches because of his frustrations with their lack of spiritual growth, their disagreements, disorder, and distractions from the gospel. Even the world’s greatest leader became exasperated with his

December 4, 2019

Three Stories of Hope: The Legacy of Cincinnati Ministry Education

By David Fincher (This article is adapted from comments delivered at the Cincinnati Christian University alumni homecoming on November 9 and at the International Conference on Missions on November 15.) As a graduate of Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Mo., I have long known the influence of Cincinnati upon our Christian churches and colleges. In 1989, I began as a freshman at CCCB. My teachers were primarily graduates of Cincinnati Bible Seminary who quoted their teachers and shared memories of their school. Before I ever visited the Cincinnati campus, I was already grateful for the work of CBS.

December 2, 2019

Gary L. Johnson

The Threefold Trust Given to Elders

By Gary L. Johnson Long before I went to seminary, I earned a degree in finance and worked as a commercial loan officer. I enjoyed everything about the banking environment, from the people to the processes to the policies. Many banks use the word trust in their names, such as First National Bank & Trust. It should be no surprise, then, that one of the many services banks provide is the management of trust accounts. Banks typically have a trust department where workers oversee assets entrusted to the bank. A trust department can manage thousands of trust accounts worth hundreds

December 2, 2019

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

Training Leaders for the Future

How One Church Is Equipping Young Adults for Ministry Without the Financial Burdens of Pursuing a Four-Year Degree By Kim Harris In 2019, 45 million young adults in the United States held more than $1.5 trillion in student debt, or more than $33,000 per debt holder, Forbes.com reported. Students are graduating with four years of knowledge and many more years of debt. Seminary and Bible college students are no exception. In 2011, roughly 25 percent of individuals graduating with a master of divinity left school with more than $40,000 in student debt (according to BusinessInsider.com), but could expect to earn

December 2, 2019

Yet We Continue

By Clayton Hentzel Ministry is tough; that’s why it’s not for everyone. We minister to people who lie, overpromise, and underdeliver. It seems every time we leave the 99 to go after the one, the one says thanks, but doesn’t serve or give, and the 99 complain we didn’t visit their uncle in the hospital, even though no one told us he was there. Ministry can be especially tough in our post-Christian culture. Society is changing. Extracurricular activities are increasing while frequency of attendance is declining. Political chaos abounds. Abortion has become mainstream and people march in favor of it.

November 27, 2019

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Pastoral Transitions & Succession

Bycroft Serving Oklahoma Church after Long Ministry in Kansas

By Chris Moon Retirement didn’t last long for David Bycroft. “That’s a little bit of a joke,” he told Christian Standard. Bycroft retired from Tyro (Kan.) Christian Church in September 2017 after a long ministry—47 years in all—that saw the church grow in average weekly attendance from 40 people to 950. And that was in a town of just 250 residents. The church attracted people from towns all around the area. Not long after preaching his last sermon in Tyro, Bycroft was contacted by the leadership at East Bartlesville Christian Church, located in Bartlesville, Okla., about 30 miles south

November 16, 2019