Church Leadership

What Kind of Extremists Will We Be?

By Michael C. Mack “If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.” Dr. Martin Luther King wrote these words in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. Now, nearly 55 years later, his words seem prophetic. King’s letter was in response to eight white Alabama clergy members who wrote a letter asking

January 14, 2018

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

What We Can Learn from Traditionalists about Money

By Haydn Shaw People now live 30 years longer than they once did. In 1900 the average life span was 48; today it’s 78. But as people live longer—for which we’re all grateful—it presents new challenges that previous eras didn’t face. In previous eras, there were only three generations. The oldest generation had the money and made the decisions, and the younger generation of adults raised the children and did what the older generation asked them to until their parents died, and then their turn came to be in control. Changes in families and churches came slowly and naturally, with

January 1, 2018

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

Hope for Hurting Ministers

By Steve Reeves A survey of Christian church/church of Christ ministers from September 2016 found that 43 percent of the 500 responders were seriously considering leaving the ministry. In addition, Tim Wallingford with the Center for Church Leadership (CCL) says attrition among ministers in our churches might be as high as 70 percent. Here are some additional findings Wallingford shared with me when I began volunteering with the CCL: 74 percent of ministers have debt. The school debt among many couples, upon their graduation, is as high as $75,000. 54 percent of churches offer no retirement benefits; 47 percent offer

November 12, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

Imagineer

By Mel McGowanÂ Â imÂ·agÂ·iÂ·neer \iËŒmajÉËˆnir\ v: 1 : to implement creative ideas into practical form 2 : one who implements creative ideas into practical formÂ Imagine the impact we could make in the world if the body of Christ recaptured Jesus” reputation as the greatest storyteller ever known.Â Â Imagine if we became truly effective at helping people understand how God is writing them into his story and history.Â Imagine if we understood how to tell stories beyond the pulpit.Â Imagine if God”s will was done on earth as it is in Heaven, with whatever piece of God”s creation he has

November 10, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Elders Champion MissionsÂ

By David RoadcupÂ Â An effective elder-shepherd team connects to the missions initiative of the congregation. Elders should be the greatest proponents for mission service in the body of Christ. By following Jesus” marching orders, we can facilitate and support the missions outreach of our churches in the most effective way possible. Good elder teams are involved in missions!Â Â In Acts 20:17-38, Paul, who is on his way to Jerusalem, arrives by ship at Miletus and calls for the Ephesian church elders to join him there. (Paul had planted and nurtured the Ephesian church.) When the elders arrive, Paul involves them

October 12, 2017

Innovation Is Born Out of Constraint

By Chuck Dennie Why does Twitter have a 140-character limit? An article titled “Best Practices” at Twitter.com states, “Creativity loves constraints and simplicity is at our core. Tweets are limited to 140 characters so they can be consumed easily anywhere, even via mobile text messages.” Twitter users most likely will tell you that being limited to 140Â characters has forced them to be more focused, creative, and clear about what they”re trying to communicate. The multisite church is a beautiful example of innovating in response to constraint and limitations. We can now reach more people in more areas in our communities

October 10, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Reorientations for Rural Elders

By Jim Estep As a freshman in college, my first preaching ministry was with Elm Fork Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky. When I arrived, 8 people attended the church. Not 18, not 80 . . . 8. Moreover, the church did not have electricity or indoor plumbing. There was literally a two-seater outhouse out back with a sign that read, “Pastor”s Study.” Fortunately for me, I never used that “Pastor”s Study”! The only source of heat in the winter was a makeshift wood-burning stove. Even the hymnals dated back to the early 1900s. Since my tenure at Elm Fork in

September 29, 2017

My Crazy, Exciting Adventure in Rural Ministry

By Tom Claibourne I recently turned 60 and marked my 38th anniversary of serving with the same congregation. I am blessed, but the past five years have been the most challenging of my ministry for many reasons. As a result, I”ve had plenty of opportunities for introspection and evaluation. That”s a good thing, because every congregation or person in ministry needs both. My journey has been mostly positive, sometimes frustrating and disappointing, seldom dull, and always educational. I continue to learn valuable lessons about life and ministry. Our Story Bethlehem Church of Christ has been representing Jesus Christ between

September 28, 2017

Shawn McMullen

The Impact of a Humble and Faithful Servant

By Shawn McMullen Tom Claibourne is a friend of mine. We”ve known one another since our days in Bible college. We”ve studied together, taught together, commiserated together, and prayed together through the years. These are just a handful of reasons I was honored when asked to write this piece about Tom and the church he has served forÂ 38 years. Tom models what can happen when a faithful servant of Christ commits himself to a local body of believers and chooses to love and serve them with all his heart. That”s what he”s done for nearly four decades in rural southwestern

September 23, 2017

Changing Our Church to Change Our Community: The South Fork Story

By Bob Hightchew How do you change an unhealthy church culture without any pain? How do you make necessary biblical changes without upsetting people? You can”t. If we are to serve the kingdom, we will have to fight some battles. The battle is worth it, though, if the process helps move a church to better health. I”ve learned this firsthand over the course of the last 20-plus years. South Fork Christian Church in Verona, Kentucky, has been an easy congregation for me to love. Our pews are filled with kind, generous, and loving individuals. However, when I arrived, the church

September 19, 2017

Common Threads Woven Throughout

This month we focus on the rural church and rural ministry . . . but what exactly is rural, and how are rural areas different from small towns or micropolitan communities? Before you read other stories in this issue, be sure to read “A Salute to Small Towns, Rural Areas, Micropolitan Communities: Our Attempt at a Glossary of Terms.” It takes many threads to weave a beautiful church, and I noticed four prevalent threads in many of the articles this month. And, while this issue is about rural ministry, I think these threads are important regardless of where your church,

September 12, 2017

Don’t Let the Sheep Lead the Flock

By Michael C. Mack God often leads us as his leaders, and thus those we lead, on roads we never planned on traveling. Several months ago, I was leading a training event at a church in Central Illinois. As I left my home near Louisville, Kentucky, I set the route in the maps app on my phone and headed out. About two hours in, the app told me to exit the highway at least 30 miles before my next designated turn. I took the exit and then looked at my phone to see where it was taking me. It looked

August 29, 2017

Feeling Inadequate for the Task? Good!

By Michael C. Mack In June at the North American Christian Convention in Kansas City, I met Marshall Hayden, retired minister of Worthington (Ohio) Christian Church. We stood in front of our Christian Standard Media booth and talked about his dad, Edwin Hayden, editor from 1957 to 1977, and the newly designed July issue. Like Sam Stone, editor from 1978 to 2003, and Mark Taylor, 2003 to 2017, two men I”ve known and respected for many years, Marshall strongly encouraged me in my new role. These three men””Edwin, Sam, and Mark””and the eight editors before them have left a legacy

August 26, 2017

Lead a Church Worth Imitating!

By Gary L. Johnson I remember the moment as if it happened yesterday. It was December 1966 and I was in the fifth grade. My teacher announced to the class that Walt Disney had died. Little did we know that a dream of Disney had died with him. Disney dreamed of building an “experimental prototype community of tomorrow” in the swampland of central Florida. It would be an ideal urban center””with businesses, schools, city parks, factories, shopping centers, athletic venues, beautiful homes, and even churches. Disney believed urban areas could be purposefully built and developed to serve as models for

August 10, 2017

Rejuvenate Your Ministry

By Kelly Carr I was in the throes of my job editing The Lookout. The weekly nonstop pace provided a rhythm to my work, yet by the spring of 2016, two and a half years in, my freshness was waning””I just hadn”t realized it yet. Around that time, I was invited to attend the Catalyst leadership conference and interview some of the featured speakers for The Lookout. Although I intended solely to mine material for the magazine, I unexpectedly unearthed something from the sessions””rejuvenation in my own leadership. GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES After my positive experience last year, I recently attended Catalyst

August 6, 2017

Hitting the Target: Measuring Success Through Outputs

A comprehensive strategy for realigning your church”s ministries, activities, and programs for fall By Tom Harper For many, August marks the beginning of a new school year and, with it, a new church year as well. Most of us now face a plethora of programs, classes, small groups, events, and holidays that stand looming like a line of horses ready to burst out of the starting gate. No matter that the pastor and his staff were supposed to enjoy a summer of rest. Dutifully, you”ll jump back in the saddle, like you always do. But before you put your feet

July 23, 2017

Leading Through Your Core Values

By L. E. Mackenzie You did it! As the lead pastor of your church, you established an amazing mission statement to keep everyone focused and on track. It looks so good on paper that you framed it and hung it on the wall behind your desk. You show the statement to others, you preach on it, and your people know it by heart. But something is not right . . . You have strong, practical ideas to grow and mature your church, but you feel resistance at different levels. In e-mails and quiet conversations people ask, “Why are we doing

July 21, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

At Eye Level

By Ronald G. Davis A few years ago, a well-known preacher”s morning sermon was titled “God at Eye Level.” That”s a provocative title, isn”t it? In that Jerusalem upper room long ago and at this table today, we are at eye level with God. That”s an intriguing thought to me. Imagine those men who were at the table in the upper room, eye-to-eye with Jesus. Could each look him in the eye? Or did each try to hide his face in the shadows of that dimly lit room, not so much as daring to catch his eyes with their own?

June 19, 2017

Are You Truly Leading by (Biblical) Values?

By Michael C. Mack Ken Blanchard, widely known author and management expert, challenges leaders to think about this important question: “Are you truly leading by your values?” Blanchard says he believes “when a company is truly leading by its values, there is only one boss””the values.” As Christian leaders, our values are God-centered and biblically defined. When a church or any other Christian organization is truly leading by its values, we lead according to God”s purposes under his power. These values guide””or should guide””every aspect of church life: how staff members interact with one another, how senior leaders manage, how

June 19, 2017