Church Leadership

Church Leadership equips pastors, elders, ministry staff, and volunteer leaders to lead with biblical conviction, humility, and wisdom. Explore practical, Scripture-shaped guidance on leading teams, developing leaders, casting vision, making decisions, and building a healthy ministry culture. You’ll also find help for navigating conflict, communication, accountability, and the spiritual formation of leaders—so leadership flows from character, not just competence. Whether you’re stepping into leadership for the first time or carrying long-term responsibility, these resources aim to strengthen your leadership for the good of the church and the mission of Jesus.

January 22, 2017

Christian Standard

6 Secrets Leaders Share

By Alan Ahlgrim Every person can relate to being at the end of his or her rope””especially leaders! But realizing that secrets like these are common to many can lead to solutions and calm. Secrets””everyone has them. I”ve been close to a group of business entrepreneurs for years. We used to gather every week for lunch, now we connect every few months and it”s always a grand reunion. Recently, as we finished our sandwiches in a business conference room, I interrupted the chatter by reading a passage from Matthew 5. When I asked what stood out the most in this teaching

January 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Healthy Leaders, Healthy Churches

By Jennifer Johnson Christian leaders often try to “fill the well” by reading, praying, resting, and spending time with God, and they talk about “leading out of the overflow” of a life that”s replenished by these activities. This type of spiritual development is about much more than sermon preparation, and it”s vital to strong leadership at churches of every size.  J.K. Jones, pastor of spiritual formation at Eastview Christian Church in Normal, Illinois; Kelly Kastens, worship arts pastor at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland; and Glen Schneiders, lead pastor at Crossroads Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, each play a

January 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Out of Network

By Tim Harlow My best advice for your ministry: share the Spirit. So Moses . . . brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. . . . However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. . . . Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and

January 14, 2017

Christian Standard

Strategic Solutions for Significant Stages

By Jennifer Johnson Writers of short-think pieces like this one love to quote statistics about the hundreds or even thousands of pastors who are leaving the ministry each month. However, as Ed Stetzer pointed out on his blog last October, those provocative numbers have yet to be backed up with any solid data or reliable sources. In fact, actual recent surveys, like the September 2015 study conducted by LifeWay Research, show that while the demands of pastoring a church can frequently feel “overwhelming” to more than 50 percent of senior pastors, the vast majority (92 percent!) also feel regularly encouraged

January 13, 2017

Christian Standard

Making Longer-term Connections

By Jennifer Johnson Although internships are invaluable for helping college students determine their vocational path””and although many Christian colleges and universities now require them for students across a variety of disciplines””ministry internships can be difficult for both students and churches. “The shorter internships, especially, are challenging,” says Tim Dunn, minister at LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati, OH. “With just a few hours a week, you don”t have time to really influence or invest in the students, especially when they are also participating in mission trips or camps. It”s hard to really include them in the life of the church.” Cincinnati

January 13, 2017

Christian Standard

Helping Ministry Leaders Develop Skills, Relationships

By Jennifer Johnson This month, more than a dozen pastors in the Greater Los Angeles area will begin a journey of learning, leadership, and change as Pepperdine University (Malibu, CA) kicks off its second Communitas cohort. The program, which began as part of the Lilly Endowment, is designed to connect senior leaders who have served in ministry for 5 to 10 years and help them develop greater leadership skills; grow in their understanding of significant issues facing their communities; build networks with civic, business, and political leaders throughout the city; and develop strong relationships with each other. “Lilly discovered there

January 1, 2017

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (18)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Rick Chromey Rick Chromey has served as a youth minister, professor of youth and family, church consultant and, most recently, “edu-trainer.” Rick also writes extensively and teaches online graduate courses for Hope International University, Fullerton, California. He currently serves as director of leadership for KidZ at Heart International and travels widely equipping teachers and leaders. Rick and his wife, Linda, live in Meridian, Idaho, near their four children. His website is www.rickchromey.com. Rick”s Best Sermon: The best sermon

December 22, 2016

Christian Standard

The Wrong Kind of Strong

By Eddie Lowen Three attributes we should seek when we say we want a strong leader. In Disney”s animated film Beauty and the Beast, a strapping young man named Gaston cannot fathom why Belle (the Beauty, herself) is so disinterested in him. After all, Gaston is Mr. Everything. As the song sung by Gaston”s sidekick exclaims, he”s the slickest and quickest, and his neck is the thickest! No one can “hit” or “match wits” like Gaston. And for the record, no one can spit like him, either! With a bio like that, what young French maiden could resist? Answer: Belle. She

December 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Many Gifts, Much Service: A Profile of Eleanor Daniel

By Bruce Parmenter I call Eleanor Daniel “The Queen of the Deans” because, to my knowledge, she is the only woman, aside from Dr. Dinelle Frankland and Karen Diefendorf, to serve as academic dean in seminaries of the more “traditional” side of the Stone-Campbell fellowship. Daniel has been dean at not one, but three seminaries. She is also a missionary, and a missionary to missionaries, a scholar par excellence (summa cum laude graduate of Lincoln Christian College, master”s degree and PhD from the University of Illinois), and an extraordinary teacher and preacher. Tucked in among the plethora of her gifts,

December 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Training the Next Generation of Women in Ministry: An Interview with Anne Menear

By T.R. Robertson The back of Anne Menear”s office door is covered with dozens of photographs of smiling young people, mostly women. “Those are all my kids,” she says, with a proud smile. “The ones over there,” she adds, pointing to more photographs arranged on a world map, “are all in missions. They”re all the girls that I”ve had contact with that are working in places like Germany, Japan, and Mexico. “It was great to have seen them graduate and now they”re grown-up adults, and to see them as such””it”s cool.” As director of the Christian Education department and dean

December 13, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

What Women Can Do

By Mark A. Taylor While opinions differ about what women should or should not do in a Christian church, no one can deny that God is working through women today. And, as Matt Proctor, Jennifer Johnson, and Chad Ragsdale remind us this month, women have always been at the center of God”s work on earth: “¢ Several significant and surprising women are included in the genealogy of Jesus. “¢ Mary, the mother of Jesus, demonstrated strength, character, and obedience to equal that of any male Bible hero . “¢ And in this virgin”s submission, God showed the divinity of her

November 29, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

We Can Do Better

By Mark A. Taylor Bob Russell spoke, as he has before, about his love for our “tribe,” the Christian churches in the Restoration Movement. He was speaking at the November 18 launch of the Center for Church Leadership during the International Conference on Missions, and he told how his commitment to the Restoration Movement grew and deepened during the years of his ministry at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. It was an apt challenge, because the Cincinnati-based Center has embarked on an ambitious, multifaceted program to develop leaders and strengthen Christian churches. I appreciated the testimony, but it was

November 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Over Your Skis

By Tim Harlow When we get ahead of God, we”re getting ready to fall. Like you, I cringe every time a pastor flames out. For one thing, I know that there, but for the grace of God, go I. I also know my job just got harder. I know that people look at the fallen pastor, and then look at me and wonder what I”m really like. The apostle James warned us of this reality (James 3:1), but it doesn”t make it any easier when another teacher doesn”t make it. Somewhere, deep inside, we all love hearing stories about someone

October 31, 2016

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I’ve Ever Heard (17)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Barry Cameron  Barry L. Cameron has been senior pastor of Crossroads in Grand Prairie, Texas, since 1992 when the church was averaging 188 in morning worship. Today, more than 7,500 people call Crossroads their church home. Cameron is a second-generation pastor. He and his wife, Janis, have three children: Katie, Matt, and Kelli, and a daughter-in-law, Lindley. They also have two grandsons, Will and Levi. He”s the author of the bestseller, The ABCs of Financial Freedom. He also

October 30, 2016

Christian Standard

God Spoke through the Sermons

What I learned from a year”s break from preaching By Dustin Fulton A few years ago, after a difficult season of ministry, my wife and I sensed a definite call to plant a church. Since we were weary, we were advised to take a sabbatical, as well as quit our jobs, sell our house, move out of town, and wait to see where God was leading us. Of the many aspects of the sabbatical, one that really excited me was getting to refresh my preaching skills by hearing from as many preachers as possible during my year”s break from the

October 24, 2016

Christian Standard

The Sisterhood

By Jennifer Johnson A few years ago I planned a special event for women in ministry, open to any lady on staff at a church or parachurch organization. A few guys I know found it hard to understand. “So it”s a women”s ministry event?” “Not exactly. It”s for women who are in ministry.” “Oh, you mean like women married to pastors?” No. I don”t have anything against celebrating women or pastor”s wives (I happen to be both) but that”s not the audience I”m most interested in. Those groups enjoy plenty of conferences, blogs, and books developed especially for them. However,

October 23, 2016

Christian Standard

Helping Women Live Well, Lead Well

By Jennifer Johnson Blessing Ranch (New Port Richey, FL) is well known for its intensive counseling services and spiritual formation work with pastors and their families. Facilitating personal transformation is at the core of what they do, and now with “Beyond Her Story” they”re hoping to multiply that work among women across the country. “Over the last year or two I started feeling like God was leading us to make more efforts to reach women in ministry,” says Dr. Charity Walker-Byers, executive director of clinical services at Blessing Ranch. “We”ve worked with women in leadership here in the United States

October 9, 2016

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (16)

By Arron Chambers Two preachers and their preacher sons tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Scott Eynon Scott Eynon has been pastor at Community Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for 22 years. Community Christian celebrates its international diversity with attendees from 85 nations! Scott loves to say, “We get to be part of a church that looks like Heaven, with people from all over the world worshipping together.” Scott has been married to his wife, Lori, for 33 years and they have two sons, Chris and Steven. Scott”s Best Sermon: The best sermon

October 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Be the Lead Servant

By Eddie Lowen A question for church leaders: Do you make time to worry about whether or not people think you”re inclined to serve? I met the world”s best restaurant server. From the moment he approached our table, he was the personification of service. He flawlessly memorized orders. He was fast without seeming hurried, informative without being verbose. He was genuinely friendly. He succinctly offered great recommendations, anticipated all we needed, and even kept the table from becoming cluttered. But what registered with me strongest was that he enjoyed taking care of us. His final words were, “I”m glad I

September 29, 2016

Christian Standard

To Kill or to Keep an Intriguing Idea?

By LeRoy Lawson This Idea Must Die: Scientific Theories That Are Blocking Progress John Brockman, editor New York: Harper Perennial, 2015 The Hunt for Vulcan: . . . And How Albert Einstein Destroyed a Planet, Discovered Relativity, and Deciphered the Universe Thomas Levenson New York: Random House, 2015 The Cross and the Lynching Tree James H. Cone Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2013 (reprint) So you are running into resistance to change in your church, are you? So you believe religion alone is the great resister of new ideas, do you? So you”ve been thinking science, on the contrary, is always based on objective, bias-free research and

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