Organizations &amp; Events

Milligan College to Become Milligan University in 2020

Milligan College kicked off Homecoming weekend Friday by announcing it will change its name to Milligan University effective June 1, 2020. President Bill Greer and board of trustees chairman Ron Dove made the announcement after the fall board meeting. The decision followed two years of study and after considering input from alumni, faculty, staff, the college’s strategic planning committee, and others, according to a news release. “The name Milligan University reflects who we are today and our journey to this moment,” Greer said. “While our name and program offerings may change, who we are at our core hasn’t wavered for

October 23, 2019

Milligan’s New Ministry Leadership Program Off to Exciting Start

By Jim Nieman Milligan College’s move to strengthen its ministry program is starting to generate momentum. The school added several majors to its program last year, redesigned it to expose students to more ministry settings and incorporate more ministry practitioners, and beefed up the scholarship monies available to most students. “It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s been really exciting,” Ron Kastens, director of Milligan’s new Ministry Leadership Program, said last Wednesday. “Friday morning [Oct. 18] a van leaves for Pittsburgh on a ‘ministry expedition’ . . . to help our students see what it looks like to do church in

October 17, 2019

Jerry Harris

Inaugural Spire Conference Marks New Beginning for Leaders

By Jerry Harris Leaders from all over the country descended on the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida, for the first-ever Spire Conference from October 8 to 10. More than 1,500 leaders from churches of all sizes gathered with their staffs to learn, network, and collaborate to inspire a movement of healthy, growing churches. One hundred three churches with weekly average attendances of more than 1,000 were represented. This gathering highlighted the Spire platform, a 24/7 tool to facilitate year-round encouragement, tools, best practices, and relationships inside the Restoration Movement. The platform also serves as an invitation into relationship for

October 16, 2019

Renew Gathering Emphasizes Theology Behind Disciple-Making

By Chris Moon A new gathering of disciple-makers within the Restoration Movement—and beyond it—will meet Nov. 6 in Nashville. The Renew Gathering is expected to draw about 600 people. It is aimed at helping participants grasp solid disciple-making theology. The conference will serve as a precursor to the annual National Disciple Making Forum, which also will meet in Nashville and is set for Nov. 7, 8. “At Renew, you get the theology. At the National Disciple Making Forum, you get the methodology,” said Bobby Harrington, who is organizing both conferences and leads their accompanying websites, Renew.org and Discipleship.org. Harrington is

October 15, 2019

SCJ Conference Plans for 2020 Announced

The 19th annual Stone-Campbell Journal Conference will take place at Johnson University Tennessee in Knoxville next March 20, 21. The theme “Politics and the Stone-Campbell Movement” will be developed by featured speakers Shaun Casey, director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and Public Affairs and professor in Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service; Jess Hale, attorney with the Tennessee General Assembly; and Richard Cherok, professor of history with Ozark Christian College. Casey will present “The Impact of Stone-Campbell Ideals: My Life in Political and Public Service” and “The Office of Religion and Global Affairs under Barack Obama: My

October 9, 2019

GLCC Plans 70th Anniversary Celebration (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, Mich., will celebrate its 70th anniversary Oct. 18 and 19. A Restoration Appreciation Week Chapel will be at 11 a.m. Friday with Keith Keeran speaking. The 70th Celebration Service will be at 6:30 that night at the Doty Center. A reception for GLCC alumni and friends will follow at 8. An alumni brunch/reunion is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, with “family fun” and lunch from 10:30 a.m. until noon. Weekend anniversary events conclude with a soccer game at 1 p.m. Weekend festivities will also honor Larry Carter

October 7, 2019

McCormick Announced as LCU’s Next President

The selection of Dr. Silas McCormick as the eighth president of Lincoln (Ill.) Christian University was announced Friday. McCormick will assume that position on June 1, 2020, succeeding Dr. Don Green, who has been president since 2014. McCormick, who has served the university as executive vice president since June 2018, was the unanimous selection of the school’s board of trustees. He also has served LCU as vice president of enrollment and marketing and twice as the university’s chief academic officer. According to an LCU news release, a succession team made up of trustees, faculty, and staff was drawn to both

October 2, 2019

Local Churches Organizations & Events

Church Seeks Help to Fix Road at former Crossroads College Site

Bear Creek Christian Church, Rochester, Minn., is seeking to raise $75,000 in donations to help pay to repair the main road of the church’s campus, which formerly was the home of Crossroads College (known previously as Minnesota Bible College). “The problem was that this past winter wreaked havoc on our already-deteriorated road,” outreach pastor Jeff Urban told the Post Bulletin. “If we can fundraise $75,000, it will help us avoid borrowing money for this repair and keep us on solid financial footing.” The road repairs had originally been scheduled for 2020. Bear Creek’s purchase of the campus was finalized in

October 2, 2019

Johnson Considers Adding Trails, Public Access to River at Tennessee Campus

Johnson University Tennessee is considering providing public access to the French Broad River which borders part of campus. Adding multi-use trails to that same area is also a possibility. The announcement was made at the 2019 Legacy Parks Luncheon which Johnson hosted Friday. The Royal Scribe, a Johnson student publication, reported on the event. “Over the coming year, the university will begin a feasibility study looking at [creating] public access to the French Broad River from this very site,” said Carol Evans, executive director of Legacy Parks Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for the community to enjoy

October 1, 2019

Local Churches Organizations & Events

No Town Like Hometown (Part 2): Grace City Church

By Mel McGowan In October’s column, I wrote about two churches located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest town of Wenatchee, Washington, population around 34,000. The roots of Sage Hills Church, which I focused on last month, go back to 1908. A hundred years later, in 2008, Grace City Church was planted. The two churches share an outward focus for reaching their hometown for Christ. This month we’ll look at Grace City. A Gift to the Community Grace City Church has been meeting in the Numerica Performing Arts Center, a restored building in Wenatchee’s downtown industrial district, which has allowed plenty

September 11, 2019

Several Christian Colleges Shine in ‘U.S. News’ Rankings (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon A handful of Christian church and church of Christ-affiliated colleges had strong showings in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 rankings of best colleges. William Jessup University, Rocklin, Calif., earned three No. 2 rankings: Regional Colleges West (tied with California State University—Maritime Academy), Best Colleges for Veterans, and Best Undergraduate Teaching (tied with Oral Roberts University). Milligan College in Tennessee ranked No. 4 in Best Value Schools and No. 13 in Regional Universities South (tied with Longwood University). Milligan also ranked No. 43 in Top Performers in Social Mobility for “enrolling and graduating

September 4, 2019

Spire: What It Is, What It Isn’t . . . and Why

By Chris Moon New things inevitably generate questions. “What is it?” “Why this?” “Why now?” And “why not this other thing?” It’s been no different for the organizers of Spire Network, a digital platform that has set its sights on uniting and equipping pastors within the independent Christian churches and churches of Christ. The network has been working toward its first conference—set for October 8 to 10 in Orlando—and preparing to roll out its online networking platform this fall. In the middle of all of that, organizers are fielding questions about the nature of Spire and what it hopes to

September 4, 2019

Kentucky Christian Will Celebrate 100th at Homecoming (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Kentucky Christian University will celebrate its 100-year anniversary during its Fall Homecoming Sept. 27-29. Friday highlights will include soccer matches, a banquet featuring speaker Ernie Perry, and two performances by 64 to Grayson. On Saturday there will be a tailgate and a football game. And Sunday morning worship is set for 10 a.m. Go to kcc.edu to register. The school was cofounded in 1919 by J. W. Lusby and J. O. Snodgrass. The cofounder’s son, J. Lowell Lusby, served as president for 40 years. His book about the school’s founding and history, For

August 22, 2019

Local Churches Organizations & Events

SPOTLIGHT: Creekside Community Church, Hot Springs, Ark.

By Melissa Wuske “The community knows who we are,” said Mark Maybrey, lead minister of Creekside Community Church, Hot Springs, Arkansas. “From day one, all of us in our core group of 18 people have had a missional heart for the community.” Starting with those 18 people in 2015, the church now averages about 90 each Sunday. The key in this busy resort town is meeting people where they are. When Maybrey moved to Hot Springs, people told him, “There’s always something to do. Your kids are going to love it.” But nothing prepared him for the shock that first

August 20, 2019

Allcorn Named President of Kentucky Christian University

Dr. Terry Allcorn has been named the sixth president in the 100-year history of Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Ky. The 1985 KCU graduate will replace outgoing president Dr. Jeffrey Metcalf, who announced last September that he intended to serve only until Aug. 26 of this year. Metcalf has served as president and CEO of KCU for 10 years. “I am thrilled and privileged to be the next president of Kentucky Christian University and follow in the footsteps of men I admire greatly and to work with a team that is so experienced and strong as this one,” Allcorn shared

August 14, 2019

Lincoln, Great Lakes Students Win SCJ Competition (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Students at Lincoln Christian Seminary and Great Lakes Christian College took home top awards in the Stone-Campbell Journal Student Paper Competition. In addition, an Abilene Christian University graduate student won the Isaac Errett Award for his paper. Andrew Nichols, of LCS, won the graduate division with a paper called “Divine Medicine: Trials According to John Cassian.” Kalman Mate, of GLCC, won the undergraduate division with a paper called “Begetting a Man: Eve’s Response in Genesis 4:1 to the Power Move Made by Adam after the Fall.” ACU grad student Joel Childers won the

August 13, 2019

Challenges to Higher Education in Independent Christian Churches

By Bill Thompson According to the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, there were approximately 900 accredited, religiously affiliated institutions of higher education in the United States as of 2010. Reports indicate many of these church-affiliated schools are financially stressed. Unfortunately, many of the colleges and universities affiliated with the independent Christian churches of the Stone-Campbell Movement are financially stressed as well. In fact, in the article “Six Stepped Down” published in Christian Standard in August 2015, five of six former presidents of such schools mentioned finances as their greatest challenge. Another challenge is dealing with the tension between academia

July 31, 2019

Milligan Mourns Passing of Communications Professor Carrie Swanay (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Milligan College is mourning the death of Dr. Carrie Beth Swanay, 55, longtime professor of communications. Swanay died July 24 after a lengthy battle with cancer. A memorial service was Sunday. Swanay served the Tennessee college for 29 years, starting there when the communication major was still just emerging. For 10 years, she was area chair for performing, visual and communicative arts, Milligan reported. During her tenure, she led the faculty and the arts program through several curriculum changes, and she was instrumental in the creation of several recent majors, including graphic design

July 22, 2019

Ministries & Nonprofits Organizations & Events

Restoration House Ministries: A Light in Dark Places (New England)

By Kelly Carr “We cannot ignore going to where the people are.” That is Eric Lee’s succinct summation of the current urban church-planting focus of Restoration House Ministries in New England, where he is executive director. A focus on urban areas was not a stated goal when RHM started, Lee notes. When former executive director Dan Clymer founded RHM in 1996, the aim was simply to plant where there was a dearth of churches. It’s estimated that only 5 percent of the just under 15 million people living in the six states that comprise New England—Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts,

June 26, 2019