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 2, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Aaron Brockett

AARON BROCKETT Lead pastor,  Traders Point Christian Church,  Indianapolis, Indiana “Masterful” was the only word in the e-mail I sent to Aaron on a Monday morning to comment on his sermon of the day before. It was the best word I could think of to express appreciation and to convey encouragement. Actually, there are many Monday mornings that this procedure could be repeated without becoming trite or overused. Aaron”s teaching is relevant while firmly grounded in Jesus and his story . . . lengthy but highly engaging . . . delivered without notes yet extremely well-prepared. He is straightforward but

July 2, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Phil Allen

PHIL ALLEN Vine pastor, (young adult ministry), Shepherd of the Hills Church,  Porter Ranch, California When I think of Phil Allen, I think of the word powerful. There is a special rhythm, dynamic, and power in the way he speaks. It”s very captivating, especially among twentysomethings and thirtysomethings. It”s because of his giftedness to speak to this generation, as well as his unwavering commitment to the truth, that I am convinced he will be a key influencer in ministry in Christian churches in the coming year. Phil possesses a calling from the Lord to communicate with passion and conviction. In

July 2, 2013

Christian Standard

40 for Today and Tomorrow

By Mark A. Taylor We liked the sound of “40 Leaders Under 40″ when we first started playing with the idea late last year. But could we even find 40 parachurch or local church leaders making an influence outside their own community or constituency? We immediately thought of a few men and women all of us should be watching. They”re setting trends, living as examples, blazing new paths, and at the same time lifting up the ancient gospel with fresh images to attract a new generation. But 40 of them? We didn”t think so. And then we started asking. We

June 24, 2013

Christian Standard

The “˜Up-frontness” of Eldership

By Chuck Sackett Sam compassionately shepherded a congregation I”ll call Countryside Church, but a massive heart attack cut short his ministry, forcing him into an extended rehabilitation, and ultimately, retirement. The elders, assessing the situation, determined that Sam”s wife could live in the parsonage until he was released from the hospital. However, the church would begin searching for a minister immediately, so she needed to vacate the parsonage upon his release. On the other side of the state, Doris served the children of a congregation I”ll call Community Fellowship. Her ministry was exploding with children. Tragically, her husband found her

June 20, 2013

Christian Standard

A Conversation with Jeff Faull

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we begin a series of interviews with CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors. What they have to say about the church, the ministry, our fellowship of churches, and anything else on their minds will challenge and interest our readers. Their insights and questions amply illustrate why each of these volunteers is such a valuable part of the CHRISTIAN STANDARD team.   Interview by Jennifer Johnson QUESTION: You and I both sit in on these conversations about the future of the Restoration Movement, and it seems many times they rehash the same topics and complaints. Let”s go

May 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Moving Beyond Average

By Phil Scott   Of the more than 350,000 churches in America, 85 percent are stagnant or declining in membership. This means that “average” churches are actually unhealthy. Healthy growth comes to churches that rise above being typically average. The need of the day is unaverage churches. Average congregations are led by a small number of key older men and some women, paid and volunteer, who replaced previous older leaders. The strong influence of the charter members, founding fathers and mothers, or the founding pastor may be unknown or gone. The first generation is made up of the founding mothers

May 24, 2013

Christian Standard

“˜Do Unto Others”

By Barney Wells After four decades of church leadership as a minister, elder, and lately as a church consultant, I have come to see the importance of a simple rule that is too often overlooked. But if it were followed, it would make life for elders, church staff, and congregations more harmonious. And very likely it would lead the watching world to take a higher view of the church. That rule is twice mentioned in Scripture (Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31), children memorize it in Sunday school, and it is stamped on pencils and cross-stitched on samplers. We call it

May 20, 2013

Christian Standard

Dan Cathy = WWJD?

By Tim Harlow Dan Cathy is the president of Chick-fil-A and has borne the brunt of a great deal of criticism in the gay marriage debate because of a statement he made affirming biblical marriage values. That is NOT why I think he represents “What Would Jesus Do?” I know Jesus would affirm his Father”s plan for human sexuality, but he would never stop there. This Chick-fil-A debate was very unfortunate, in my opinion, because of the polarization it caused between the two sides. Cathy became the whipping boy for the gay lobby, representing all things evil about Christianity. I

May 20, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with George Ross

By Paul Boatman George Ross is in his 13th year as senior pastor of Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana. The church has grown from 1,200 to 5,000 during his ministry. His previous ministries have been directed to children, youth, small groups, music, and preaching. We spoke with him about reaching sinners, watching repentance, and creating a culture of redemption. We would like to hear you reflect on how you minister in the face of cultural challenges. Why me?   I”ve watched your ministry. In both Las Vegas and metropolitan Louisville, you have focused on leading non-Christians to be

May 11, 2013

Christian Standard

One Life at a Time

By Kent E. Fillinger Ralph Mehrens served as senior minister at Calvary Christian Church in Bellevue, Nebraska, for 25 years. Mehrens wanted to transition well, so he planned a 15-month succession process and laid a strong foundation to help the congregation follow the next minister. Scott Beckenhauer transitioned from an eight-year youth ministry with the church to the lead minister position in 2008. “I knew the church family and they knew me, so the trust was already built,” said Beckenhauer, who became only the third lead minister in Calvary”s 42-year history. Attendance declined slightly as Beckenhauer gained his footing the

May 6, 2013

Christian Standard

How to Take Your Ministries to the Next Level

By Brian Mavis The church has a problem. The things that matter the most””spiritual growth, changed lives, ministry impact””are the toughest to measure. How are you supposed to measure things like peace, patience, kindness, a transformed heart, and kingdom impact? As the saying goes, “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” Our mission is to go and make disciples of Jesus; not merely decisions for Jesus (though that is a start), but disciples. Yet it seems to me there is a disconnect between our mission and what we measure. It is not

April 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Churches, Brains, and Change

By LeRoy Lawson   Messy: God Likes It that Way A. J. Swoboda Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2012 Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships Daniel Goleman New York: Bantam Books, 2006 Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs Marc Lewis New York: PublicAffairs, 2012 Gutenberg the Geek Jeff Jarvis Kindle Single, 2012 Early in my ministry I took comfort in a joke””probably already stale””that made the rounds in preacher circles. A pastor ran into a former colleague who was now making his living working in a funeral home. When he asked him why

April 27, 2013

Christian Standard

Changing Church Culture

By Jim Powell Recently, several leaders from a local church asked to meet with me to discuss their congregation”s decline. They wanted advice on how to turn things around. When I sat down to visit with them, I noticed all of their questions were exclusively programmatic in nature. What kind of music do you play? What do you wear on Sundays? How do you present announcements? Do you serve coffee and doughnuts? There is value in asking such questions because we need to contextualize the gospel, and having relevant methods can make a difference. Yet I was concerned that they

April 22, 2013

Christian Standard

Consensus: What Is It and Is It Necessary?

By J. Michael Shannon I frequently hear of church boards and ministers that claim to do business and make decisions on the basis of consensus. Is this really what they do and is it really practical? It is interesting that people differ significantly on the meaning of the word consensus. The Random House Dictionary defines consensus as “general agreement or concord; harmony.” Interestingly, the dictionary”s second definition is “majority of opinion.” When I have heard the term consensus used, the person usually means “unanimity.” How much progress can be made if we depend on unanimity? If this were essential there

April 21, 2013

Christian Standard

Women Preaching

By Brian Mavis Colleges are training them. Churches are using them. And Christ is being exalted. Here”s what we learned when we talked to women who preach and the professors who have taught them. Jodi Hickerson”s journey of becoming a preaching/teaching pastor began at 19 when she joined the teaching team for the high school ministry at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. A few years later she was part of the programming team at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and then at 26 became one of the teaching pastors at Heartland Community Church, Rockford, Illinois. Today she is

April 19, 2013

Christian Standard

Interview with Jon Keck

By Paul Boatman   Jon Keck is a staff pastor with First Christian Church, Decatur, Illinois, a once-dwindling traditional church affiliated with the Disciples of Christ that has turned around to become a thriving Evangelical congregation.   Introduce us to First Christian Church of Decatur. This is a growing church that gathers 1,000 Christians each weekend to worship Jesus. We date back to 1833 and have been historically affiliated with the Disciples of Christ. As changes evolved in the Disciples of Christ, we became an autonomous Christian church affiliated with the Disciple Heritage Fellowship. We are growing at the rate

April 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Steps to Healthy Growth in Ministry Relationships

By Susan Lawrence “My senior staff member just went behind my back and told my volunteer team about plans for significant change in my ministry before I was informed. What”s up with that?” “Why can”t my team just do what needs to be done without being babysat? What happened to personal motivation and responsibility?” “It”s time for change, and I don”t care what the rest of the staff thinks. They need to get on board or leave.” Working with ministry staff and volunteers is tough. Individuals bring their teams different personalities, experiences, and skills; and those differences can lead to

April 14, 2013

Christian Standard

The Chemistry Quotient

By Carl Kuhl Have you heard about The Three Ingredient Cookbook? True to its name, every recipe has only three ingredients. One of my friends got it as a wedding present when she was inexperienced in the kitchen, the idea being that even she would be capable of these recipes. But here”s the thing about The Three Ingredient Cookbook: if you leave out one of the ingredients, it doesn”t work! Some more complicated recipes call for a dozen or more ingredients, and if you are out of one particular spice, you usually can omit it with no problem. But when

April 13, 2013

Christian Standard

Good Policies Can Prevent Conflict

By Don Green I can still remember the nugget of wisdom shared at a minister”s retreat I attended nearly 40 years ago. The speaker was Dr. Bruce Parmenter, a seminary counseling professor who mentored many of us. As he spoke of the challenges that confront ministers, he observed that in marriage and in ministry, one of the primary ways to prevent conflict is to have a carefully negotiated, mutually agreed upon, clearly defined set of expectations. That invaluable lesson has served me well through the years and gives impetus to working with leaders in developing a covenant of expectations that

April 12, 2013

Christian Standard

It”s Hard to E-mail Your Way Through Matthew 18

By Jim Dalrymple It has been said, “Wherever two or more are gathered, there will be conflict.” In today”s digital world, conflict speaks a new language. Yet text tapped out on a screen comes with limitations and liabilities. Let”s face it””e-mails do not convey vocal inflection, and text messages do not allow for body language. It is too easy to fire off e-mails like cannonballs from a ship. All too often such exchanges between two people also bring others into the battle. In my experience with conflict, it is hard to e-mail your way through Matthew 18. In Matthew 18:15-20,

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