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.

July 3, 2014

Christian Standard

We Lead by Following

By Chris DeWelt It took a while, and now it all seems so simple. But we as elders and staff finally came to the same conclusion. What is our “prime directive” at College Heights Christian Church? Following Jesus! If you come through our doors””either the doors of our church or the doors of our homes””we desperately want you to follow Jesus. It is why we live and breathe. How will we follow Jesus? What will we ask of you? For us, following Jesus means a balanced diet of truth, relationship, and service. Truth means connection to God”s Word. This is

July 1, 2014

Christian Standard

3 Ingredients to Get Men Engaged in the Church

David Morrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church, shares 10 ways to “man up” the church. Here are his top three suggestions: 1. A Manly Senior Minister: Not macho or power-hungry, but someone who projects a healthy masculinity. Men gravitate toward leaders they respect. 2. Excellence: Men will stay away from anything bad, hokey, or half-baked. The church doesn”t need to be perfect, of course, but men do seek out churches that strive for excellence in preaching, music, facilities, and programs. If you can”t do it well, it may be best not to do it at all. 3.

June 28, 2014

Christian Standard

Practical Advice for Productive Ministry

By LeRoy Lawson   From Midterms to Ministry: Practical Theologians on Pastoral Beginnings Allan Hugh Cole Jr., editor Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2008 Leadership Handbook of Management and Administration James D. Berkley, editor Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007 Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Simon Sinek New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2009 One Size Doesn”t Fit All: Bringing Out the Best in Any Size Church Gary L. McIntosh Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1999   Everybody knows there”s a world of difference between life in the seminary and life in the church. Almost everybody complains that seminaries and Bible colleges

June 22, 2014

Christian Standard

Confessions of a Mission Statement Cynic

By Eddie Lowen I would not trade””for anything””the experience of seeing what happened with our team when we united around the words of our vision and mission. For a long time, I was a skeptic and contrarian regarding church mission statements. To my eye, nearly all were synonymous, so why bother? Besides, isn”t the church”s mission already expressed in Scripture? Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost. He commissioned his followers to preach the good news to everyone. His words are clear and compelling. Best of all, using the words of Jesus does not require several days

June 18, 2014

Christian Standard

Interview with Gary Johnson

By Paul Boatman   Gary Johnson serves as lead pastor/elder with The Creek, formerly Indian Creek Christian Church, in Indianapolis, Indiana.   How has your approach to God been altered over the years? Growing up, I went to church week after week without ever realizing that one could have a personal walk with God through his Son, Jesus Christ. I was following a religion, not pursuing a relationship. Leah”s family introduced me to a relationship with Jesus.   And has your approach to Christian leadership changed too? About 15 years ago I went through a period of deep introspection. We

June 10, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

A Permanent Solution

By Mark A. Taylor “The temporary becomes permanent.” Dale McCann, senior minister at the first church I served full-time, repeated the proverb whenever I was tempted to slap something together till we could “do it right” later. He was observing a tendency of human nature and long experience working with the local church: A cardboard sign announcing a room number might never be replaced with one professionally made. A haphazard approach to ushering or serving Communion will continue for years because no one tackles the task of organizing something more efficient. When the temporary becomes permanent at home, we see

May 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Enlarging the Vision of Rural Preachers

By Jennifer Johnson “Small towns are getting smaller,” says Jim Hardy. “And the churches in these areas are getting smaller, as well.” Hardy founded the Center for Rural Church Advancement at Nebraska Christian College to encourage and equip the leaders of rural churches in Nebraska and beyond. The new initiative includes a series of two-day events in conjunction with The Barjona Company; Chad Hunt founded the company after growing Caveland Church from 150 to 750 people in the small town of Cave City, KY. A four-session series of these “strategic roundtables” is spread over two years, and groups are kept

May 29, 2014

Christian Standard

Why Jesus Wouldn”t Work for Your Church

By Eddie Lowen We both know I can”t really speak for Jesus. But you have to admit””my title makes a compelling claim, and for the moment, I stand by it. If Jesus had to suffer being an employee at many churches, there would be more than one table-throwing incident credited to him. Before you conclude I”m one of those hipster church haters, wait. I don”t hang with that crowd. People who love the church more than me are tough to find. I even loved the church during the mauve-colored pew era, but that”s a theme for another article. Do you

May 28, 2014

Christian Standard

A Conversation with Ben Cachiaras

Interview by Jennifer Johnson Meet Our Contributing Editors: The senior pastor of Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, shares his passion about Christian witness in a post-Christian culture, especially how we relate to gays and lesbians. From an ongoing series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. At our recent meeting of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, you described the 21st-century American church as an exilic community. What did you mean by that? There was a time when Israel was large and in charge, enjoying prominence in the promised land. But the tide turned significantly. Eventually they were chased out of town and

May 26, 2014

Christian Standard

The NFL Draft and Staff Leadership Development

By Mike Faherty One thing I admire about the National Football League is its draft process. The NFL always has a fresh crop of talent flowing into its league. Older players move on and new ones take over. I think the church could learn something from this talent development process. Not too long ago, we had some trouble in church. I couldn”t put my finger on the problem, but things were getting sloppy. Solid departments and initiatives were slowly going downhill, and quality standards were heading in the wrong direction. As the executive pastor, it is my job to make

May 22, 2014

Christian Standard

The Other Side of the Table

By David A. Fiensy I”ve served on the ministerial staff of five churches (four of them part-time), and I must say I”ve never had a bad experience with the elders. One hears some horror stories from other ministers, but God has blessed. As a matter of fact, I can remember sitting across the table from elders during meetings and thinking, If I am ever an elder, I hope I can have this guy”s openness to change or that man”s levelheaded understanding of things. Well, now I am sitting on the other side of the table; I am an elder. Things

May 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Just Hold On

By Tim Harlow I tried to teach my friend how to water-ski. As with most sports, a novice needs to understand some basic things if he is to stand any chance of early success. For example, I”ve been golfing for more than 40 years and I still sometimes forget to keep my head down. There is just no way to hit a golf ball well if you”re trying to watch where it”s going while you”re swinging the club””just no way. With water-skiing there are two mistakes a novice typically makes: (1) trying to pull himself up as he is coming

May 18, 2014

Christian Standard

Dynamics of a Deadly Church

By Brien Sims Most people know the recluse spider (also known as the fiddleback), the king cobra, and sharks are dangerous and deadly critters capable of seriously wounding and even killing. Ironically, the humble hippo rarely makes the list of deadly animals. There”s something about them . . . they just seem too cute and lumbering. A quick Internet search, however, reveals hippos ferociously defend their territory and kill more people than sharks each year. Yes, cute baby hippos grow into animals that will attack and kill when approached, antagonized, or separated from their young. If you enter a hippo”s

May 5, 2014

Christian Standard

Interview with Darryl Bolen

By Paul Boatman Darryl Bolen recently celebrated 40 years as a minister at Greenville (Illinois) First Christian Church. Forty years? How did that happen? I never would have guessed. I was a Bible college student at Lincoln Christian College when my baseball coach, Dr. Marion Henderson, told me about a youth ministry opportunity at this church two hours away. Tom Van Meter, the preacher, and the elders talked with me. On October 1, 1973, I began a relationship that is still going. Big doors swing on small hinges.   You transitioned from the youth ministry fairly soon. In 1977 the

April 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Circle Up

By Susan Lawrence “Then Jesus told his followers to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he thanked God for the food. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. All the people ate and were satisfied” (Mark 6:39-42, New Century Version). I don”t know if the groups of 50 and 100 sat in circles or

April 26, 2014

Christian Standard

The Mysterious Case of the Vanishing Deacon

By J. Michael Shannon They used to be found in large numbers. In some cases, they were the first church officers a visitor would meet. They were visible in church services and activities. Now they seem to be almost an endangered species. Who are they? They are deacons. I have the opportunity to visit all kinds of churches in various contexts. In an increasing number of those churches, it is extremely difficult to find a deacon. In churches where they do have them, it is difficult to figure out where they are. Why are they disappearing? Sometimes the disappearance can be explained by the

April 25, 2014

Christian Standard

Ministry Confidential

By Eddie Lowen “Can I speak to you, confidentially?” A church leader is asked some form of this question at least several times a year. Normally it comes from within the church, but it can also be voiced by nonattendees. For relationally gifted leaders with a pastoral bent, requests for confidential conversations are more frequent. The most important response to a request for confidentiality is the initial one. Many church leaders feel an ethical or pastoral obligation to grant the request without qualification. With no clue about what will be reported or confessed, many church leaders indiscriminately reply by saying,

April 17, 2014

Christian Standard

A Smooth Transition

By John Plunkett In September 2011, I had preached at Creve Coeur (Illinois) Christian Church for 33 years, more than half its existence. But I was ready to retire. I had been thinking about this for some time. As early as 2006 I proposed a plan with an associate minister that would have implemented a three-year transition moving me to retirement and him to the senior minister”s role. But that plan fell apart when the associate was called to be senior minister of another congregation. In September 2011, I told the elders of my pending retirement and that my last

March 31, 2014

Christian Standard

Elders: Men Churches Can Count On

By Chuck Sackett What kind of church do elders need? Three stories illustrate the answer. Men of Character Sally”s question was wise beyond her years, “What can I expect from you (elders)?” Bill”s answer took the form of an explanation. “When someone approaches us with a complaint, our response will always be, “˜Have you talked with Sally? If not, we have nothing to discuss. If she doesn”t respond to you in a professional or Christian manner, come back and see me. Then we”ll have something to talk about.” Sally, we promise you we will never accept criticism about your ministry

March 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Reclaiming Preaching

By Brian Jennings I recently sat down, opened a magazine, and read the following quotes: “If you could change people”s minds about something, what would it be?” “Until you know the truth you”re trying to convey to an audience, your work isn”t finished.” You could probably find similar statements in a dusty book on preaching, but I found them in the January/February 2008 issue of Creative Screenwriting. I did not start reading this magazine to search for sermon tips (at least, not at first). I read it because I love video production. My love for video production started with a comedic,

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link