Ozark Adds 10 More Free Bible ‘Classes’ to NextLevel Online
Ozark Christian College's NextLevel Online Bible and Ministry series now features 34 topics. The 290 individual videos —all of them free—have been viewed more than 300,000 times.
Organizations & Events
Organizations & Events covers the ministries, institutions, and gatherings that shape church life and the Restoration Movement. Explore articles on conferences, training opportunities, church networks, and the work of organizations serving local congregations. You’ll find news, highlights, interviews, and event coverage—along with updates that help leaders stay connected and informed. Whether you’re looking for what’s happening across the movement or learning about trusted partners and key initiatives, this hub brings together stories and information related to organizations and events that support the mission of the church.
KCU Worship Professor Jamie Coates Passes Away (Plus News Briefs)
Dr. Jamie Coates, 52, assistant professor of worship at Kentucky Christian University and director of the KCU Worship Collective, died Feb. 20 at the Community Hospice Care Center in Ashland, Ky.
February 1, 2021
Abide Sees a Better Tomorrow for Residents of North Omaha
Shaun grabbed the basketball and dribbled around the court. He glanced at the other guys warming up, unsure whether he belonged. His grandma had been pestering him to go to church with her for a long time, but he just did not feel ready. He didn’t like all of the singing and preaching and old ladies talking about how much he’d grown. He did like basketball, though, and he heard he could play on a team the church sponsored. He decided to give it a try. Maybe he wouldn’t have to talk about himself while playing basketball. And he knew
January 14, 2021
The Origins of IDES
Rick Jett, who just transitioned to the role of executive director emeritus of IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service), wrote about the origins of the organization in a Christian Standard article from exactly 30 years ago. Jett has a 35-year association with IDES. He served on the organization’s board of trustees for 16 years leading up to his hiring as executive director in 2002. David Stine took over for Jett as executive director Jan. 1. (Click here to read that story.) Jett’s 1991 article is about how and why Milton B. Bates started IDES. Bates was Jett’s father-in-law. (Jett married Milton
January 13, 2021
Stine Succeeds Jett as Executive Director of IDES
By Jim Nieman After 16 years on the board of IDES followed by 19 years as the organization’s executive director, Rick Jett has transitioned out of the latter role and David Stine has been named to succeed him. Since 2016, Stine has served as director of operations with IDES—International Disaster Emergency Service—a Christian church/church of Christ organization incorporated in 1973 to provide emergency assistance via missionaries who were in or near disaster situations around the world. “I am honored to continue the legacy of meeting the physical and spiritual needs of suffering people throughout the world in the name of
January 6, 2021
Christian College Athletic Departments Stressing Faith and Sports
By Chris Moon A pair of Christian colleges saw a wave of baptisms of student-athletes in the fall as coaches continue to make the gospel a priority while still teaching the Xs and Os of their sports. Kentucky Christian University saw six of its football players baptized. That was in addition to at least five baptisms of student-athletes from the school’s volleyball and basketball programs. Point University in Georgia, meanwhile, saw four members of its football program baptized in a six-day span in October. Videos from several of those baptisms were posted to social media. “It’s amazing how it all
January 1, 2021
How the Pandemic Impacted Christ In Youth
The beginning of March had a vibe that 2020 was going to be a banner year of ministry at Christ In Youth. SuperStart preteen and Believe junior high events were on a roll! The teaching and interactive elements were powerful and impacting hundreds of youth. Large numbers were waiting to attend the seven remaining major city sites in April and May. Plus, registrations were at a record pace for CIY’s Move high school and Mix junior high summer events. Hundreds were also prepared to participate in an Engage mission experience. Several new projects were coming together, and the culture and
January 1, 2021
How the Pandemic Impacted Christian Colleges
The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating financial effect on many small businesses and nonprofit organizations in 2020. But Christian colleges and universities fared relatively well, due in large part to major government assistance programs and surprisingly stable support from churches and individual donors.
December 22, 2020
MACU’s Heritage Hall Undergoes Partial Demolition
Partial demolition of Heritage Hall began last week at Mid-Atlantic Christian University. “This is a delicate removal of the second floor to review if the first floor is salvageable,” MACU reported on its website. “Current expectation from the insurance company is to rebuild the middle section of Heritage Hall and try to salvage the end sections and first floor of the building.” Leaders at the Elizabeth City, N.C., school say they are concerned weather may have caused further damage to the building in the three-plus months since the roof’s collapse. Discussions with the insurance company and consultants are ongoing. Heritage
December 16, 2020
Recent MACU Grad Named N.C. Student Teacher of the Year
By Jim Nieman A 2020 graduate of Mid-Atlantic Christian University was honored as the North Carolina Student Teacher of the Year for her work this spring with J.C. Sawyer Elementary School in Elizabeth City, N.C. Grace Minter, who is blind, graduated from MACU in May with a degree in elementary education and a minor in Bible. She was valedictorian. Minter now serves as a Braille education teacher with Governor Morehead School, a school for the blind in Raleigh, N.C. In email correspondence with Christian Standard, Minter credited MACU’s “superior” teacher education program, dedicated teachers, and mentorship relationships with helping prepare
December 9, 2020
Students Recognized for Scholarly Papers at SCJ Conference
Several students were recognized for their scholarship at the Stone-Campbell Journal Conference in September. For the second consecutive year, Joel Childers, a graduate student at Abilene (Texas) Christian University, received the Isaac Errett Award. His winning paper this year was titled, “Responses to the Attack on Pearl Harbor in Journals from the Methodist Church and Churches of Christ.” Childers received a $250 prize provided by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society. Students from Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan (in Tennessee) and Johnson University Florida were winners of the 2020 Student Paper Competitions. Samuel Guy of ECS won the graduate division
December 2, 2020
The Solomon Foundation Celebrating 10 Years (Plus News Briefs)
This coming Monday marks one of three key dates in the 10-year anniversary celebration of The Solomon Foundation, the nation’s fastest-growing church extension fund. On Dec. 7, 2010, TSF had its first board meeting in Indianapolis. Elected to that first board were Barry Cameron, Jerry Harris, Chris Philbeck, Jim Putman, Tony Burgarello, Gary Beyschau, Jim Tune, and Doug Crozier (ex officio). Crozier was appointed chief executive officer and Cameron was elected as the first chairman of the board. Two other key events in the history of TSF occurred about that same time. On Oct. 29, 2010, in the Green Room
November 18, 2020
MACU to Help Train Rwandan Ministers (Plus News Briefs)
Mid-Atlantic Christian University, Elizabeth City, N.C., has signed a memorandum of understanding with Rwanda Challenge and Africa Hope Initiatives to offer an accredited associate degree in Bible and ministry to the people of Rwanda and other East African nations. A year ago, Rwanda Challenge director Frank Reynolds approached MACU and shared the need for such a degree. In 2023, Rwandan law will require all ministers to have an accredited associate degree in ministry. Through discussions, the three groups arrived at a solution for providing the necessary degree at an affordable cost. Students will take the majority of the courses online,
November 16, 2020
Three Colleges Adjust Schedules Due to COVID-19
At least three Christian colleges announced changes to their fall semester plans in recent days due to the coronavirus pandemic. The most significant change occurred at Lincoln (Ill.) Christian University, where students were sent home about 10 days early, a main reason being the dwindling number of students receiving in-person instruction. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for our faculty to manage courses that have numerous students in quarantine,” LCU president Silas McCormick wrote on Nov. 9. “While we would all prefer to continue holding these classes in-person, the reality is that over the next week-and-a-half, a number of classes would
November 4, 2020
Christian Colleges Facing ‘The Perfect Storm’
By John Derry Last year, I was among seven Christian university presidents from Southern California to retire. It wasn’t a coordinated decision, just a coincidence—we all were about the same age. I recently was on a Zoom call with some of them and we commented about how, even though we faced plenty of challenges, we never expected anything like COVID-19, a pandemic that has forced cancellation of on-campus instruction and athletic competition, loss of revenue, and transitioning to remote instruction. Initially, many of us thought the crisis would affect only the spring semester, but it has become clear there is
November 2, 2020
CCCB Resumes In-Person Classes after COVID-19 Cases Subside
By Jim Nieman Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Mo., resumed in-person classes Monday, two weeks after switching to virtual/remote learning due to a spike in COVID-19 cases that saw nearly half of its residential student population either test positive for the virus, isolate with symptoms, or quarantine due to exposure. “We’re down to two active cases—one student and one employee—with five [people] in quarantine,” college president David Fincher reported Monday. Of the five people who remained in quarantine, four are employees. The student with COVID-19 and the quarantined student both were off-campus, he said. “Some of the
October 28, 2020
Interview: David Empson Discusses ICOM’s Roller-coaster Year
By Jim Nieman The International Conference On Missions’ executive director, staff, and this year’s president have had to overcome monumental challenges in planning this year’s event in the age of COVID-19. Work for the November conference essentially had to begin anew over the summer when ICOM announced it was switching to a hybrid format—both online and in-person. ICOM officials have promised the in-person portion will be safe and comfortable, but limited mainly to the popular exhibit area where so many friends and mission agencies connect. The virtual aspect, meanwhile, will be robust and comprehensive, so that as many as possible
October 27, 2020
Canadian Christian Colleges Find Unique Solutions to Disparate Challenges
By Jim Nieman Two Canadian Christian colleges have undergone major changes over the course of the last several months. At Alberta Bible College in Calgary, the disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the school to deliver its classes via an online method since the springtime. “We weigh the information we receive from Alberta Health Services weekly and are trying to determine if beginning some physical classes in January is prudent,” president Stanley Helton said. Maritime Christian College also has seen disruption, but those changes were in motion even before the coronavirus began dominating the world’s headlines. MCC—located in
October 24, 2020
‘UNPRECEDENTED’: How CMFI Has Endured the Pandemic’s Challenges . . . and Their Plans for the Future
By Kip Lines People use the term “unprecedented” to describe the COVID-19 global pandemic. But in the grand story of God’s mission in the world, we are not living in unprecedented times. There have been pandemics before. There have been times God’s people could not gather, and yet the church has persevered and grown. Even during the last 100 years, the Restoration Movement has dealt with uncertainty and challenges. In fact, after the first few North American Christian Conventions were held from 1927 to 1929, the Great Depression and World War II dictated that the gathering would happen only seven
October 20, 2020
Dozens of CCCB Students In Quarantine Or Isolating Due to COVID-19 Outbreak
By Jim Nieman Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Mo., has switched to online-only instruction for the next two weeks due to a spike in COVID-19 cases among residential students. The change in format will enable the school to reduce the risk of exposing more students to the virus. The school announced its decision Monday morning. After the first residential student tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, another seven students tested positive on Sunday and Monday, president David Fincher and vice president of student development Darryl Ammon said via email. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 45 percent of
