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.

January 1, 2013

Christian Standard

VBS Program Features Back2Back Ministries

“God”s Backyard Bible Camp,” Standard Publishing”s Vacation Bible School program for 2013, features Beth Guckenberger, cofounder of Back2Back Ministries. The “Backyard Bible Camp” includes separate VBS programs for day (“Under the Sun”) or evening (“Under the Stars”), and will carry a mission emphasis, which is where Back2Back Ministries comes in. We asked Beth to share some thoughts about Back2Back Ministries. It was 15 years ago that we started to share with a few friends and family our “whisper calling” to move to Mexico. This was met with mixed reactions. Some thought we were shortsighted or ill-equipped (they were right). Some

December 1, 2012

Christian Standard

ICOM 2012: Radical . . . Again

By Dave Butts “Radical . . . Again.” The theme for the 2012 International Conference on Missions (ICOM) November 15-18, was more than a clever title pulled from a popular Christian book. It was an apt description of a conference committed to challenging Christians to meet the needs of an increasingly desperate world in every way possible. Preaching, workshops, worship, exhibits, and service projects combined to call those thousands who attended to deeper levels of global impacting discipleship. It was appropriate the inaugural meeting of ICOM, formerly the National Missionary Convention, was in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Convention Center is always

November 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Reporting on Restoration Revolution

By David Empson In November 2010, Restoration Revolution was started at the former National Missionary Convention””now the International Conference On Missions (ICOM)””in Lexington, Kentucky. For almost 18 months prior to its launch, more than 100 leaders representing all kinds of ministries among Christian churches and churches of Christ had been meeting to consider what could be done for the kingdom of God over the next 10 years. Here is a report on progress with these goals so far. Restoration Revolution”s vision statement calls it “a 10-year collaboration that desires to share Jesus with all people.” The four points of Restoration

November 22, 2012

Christian Standard

A People to Be Thankful for

By Mark A. Taylor For several years now the National Missionary Convention, recently renamed International Conference on Missions (ICOM), has met the weekend before Thanksgiving. This morning I”m struck by how good it is for the convention and the holiday to be so close together. ICOM reminds us how thankful we can be for our fellowship of Christian churches. Our movement (variously called the Restoration Movement, Stone-Campbell Movement, and more recently the Christian Church Movement) is thriving and well. The throngs of teenagers and young adults crowding the Indianapolis Convention Center November 15-18 bear testimony to that. And so do

October 4, 2012

Christian Standard

A Day for Hope

By Mark A. Taylor My visit to Hope filled me with hope! At Hope International University in Fullerton, California, last week, I found students serious about their studies and passionate about finding God”s will for their lives. In the two classes I visited, students were engaged with the Bible study their professors presented. (Me, too! I left each session wishing I could stick with the professor all semester!) In the morning I met one young man who told me about his upbringing by missionary parents and his pursuit of God”s will for his life. Later he sought me out to

September 27, 2012

Christian Standard

Connected?

It”s the theme for a whole semester”s chapel sessions, and I decided to make it the title for the sermon I”m preaching at that chapel today. But I made one small change. “Connected” is the theme chosen by Bryan Sands, campus minister at Hope International University, Fullerton, California. I added a question mark for my one-word title, because some are saying our society is less connected now than ever. Jacqueline Olds and Richard S. Schwartz, for example, have written a book called The Lonely American. The conclusion of these two Harvard Medical School psychiatry professors? “Our society is in the

August 27, 2012

Christian Standard

Milligan Mourns Death of Don Jeanes, Former President

Milligan College in Tennessee is mourning the death of its 14th president and chancellor, Dr. Donald R. Jeanes, who died unexpectedly on Monday morning, Aug. 27, 2012. “This comes as a great shock to us all,” said Milligan President Bill Greer. “As our 14th president and chancellor, Don”s presence at Milligan has been deep and far-reaching. His influence helped reshape the college physically, academically, financially, and relationally with the community and churches. Don was a great personal friend to many of us, and this is a great loss.” The Milligan community will gather Monday at 12:15 p.m. in the Mary B. Martin Auditorium

August 11, 2012

Christian Standard

Thousands Meet in Brazil for World Convention

Almost 4,000 Christians from around the world met in Goiania, Brazil, for fellowship, worship, preaching, and learning at the 18th Global Gathering of the World Convention, July 25-28. Plenary speakers from Brazil, the United States, Australia, Ghana, and Portugal gave challenging lessons focused on the theme of “Sharing the Love that Unites.” Ken Young, along with singers and musicians from the United States and Brazil, led heartfelt praise to God in song. Teachers from eight countries led workshops on the Bible, Christian history, and worldwide ministries. This was the first gathering to be held in what is called the Global

July 22, 2012

Christian Standard

DCC Offers Scholarships to Family after Father Dies

By Jennifer Taylor Diane Aulger was only two weeks from her due date, but when she realized her husband, Mark, had only a few days to live, she decided to induce labor so Mark could meet his new daughter. Five days after baby Savannah was born, Mark died from pulmonary fibrosis. Diane and her five children live a few miles north of Dallas, TX, and Dallas Christian College President Dusty Rubeck knew he wanted to help. On April 30, during an episode of the TV show The Doctors featuring the Aulgers” story, Rubeck made a special announcement on behalf of

July 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Interview with Alicia Ellis Crumpton

By Paul Boatman Alicia Crumpton has made a midlife career change to lead a unique academic program with a global impact.   Tell us about your ministry.I”ve been doing ministry all my adult life. I was a consultant””ministering by listening, assessing, and helping people set and move toward goals. For many years I did that with businesses, from “mom and pop” operations to corporations and city governments. I think I am doing the same thing, but now my clients are international Christian leaders who are doctoral students.You just hinted at a major leap. Oh, it is different, but I think

March 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Is Seminary Worth It?

By Josh Tandy I am a statistical anomaly. I am a young minister who went to seminary almost immediately after receiving my undergraduate degree. More and more, people like me are opting to bypass seminary and go directly into full-time ministry. Some of these individuals have been spectacularly successful. The incredible stories of new churches being planted and existing ones becoming vibrant again make me think about the time, effort, and resources spent on a seminary degree, and I wonder: Was it worth it? Has a world of blogs, conferences, and books made a seminary degree obsolete? It doesn”t take

March 26, 2012

Christian Standard

We’re Not Alone

By Darrel Rowland Colleges in the a cappella stream of our movement are also experiencing greater religious diversity in their student bodies. Abilene Christian University crossed a historic threshold in 2008. For the first time since the Texas college was founded 102 years earlier, a majority of its freshman class was not part of a (noninstrumental) church of Christ. Just 10 years before, about two-thirds of its students belonged. The decline at Abilene Christian shows that the a cappella branch of the Restoration Movement is experiencing the same, if not a greater, decrease in the proportion of fellowship students making up its

March 25, 2012

Christian Standard

How Colleges Are Coping

By Darrel Rowland With more non-Restoration Movement students added to the growing number from Christian churches/churches of Christ “who are relatively disconnected from key biblical teachings on salvation and the Christian walk,” Florida Christian College, south of Orlando, put key Bible and apologetics courses earlier in the educational process, says President William K. Behrman. “The key concern is how the institution ministers to those students. We put professors skilled at teaching key beliefs in those courses.” As at several institutions, the increasing proportion of non-Restoration Movement students at Manhattan Christian College in eastern Kansas stems mostly from growing interest in

March 25, 2012

Christian Standard

Christian Church Colleges?

By Darrel Rowland More students from non-Restoration Movement churches are attending colleges and universities associated with independent Christian churches and churches of Christ. Is that good news or bad? To find out, CHRISTIAN STANDARD contacted leaders of the movement”s institutions of higher learning. Those from 15 responded, together representing about 85 percent of total enrollment. The “good news” camp points to the benefits of exposure to faithful biblical teaching, which in several cases has led to baptisms””sometimes in college swimming pools. “We view having non-Restoration Movement students as a blessed opportunity to share our message with those who might never

March 22, 2012

Christian Standard

Johnson Honors Alums Featured on TV Show

By Jennifer Taylor In January, Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) surprised Daniel and Mandy Watson with full tuition scholarships for their three children and the establishment of a scholarship fund for children in The Restoration House program. The Watsons, 2001 graduates of Johnson University, now operate The Restoration House of East Tennessee, a nonprofit organization ministering to the needs of single mothers. The organization offers transitional housing, team mentoring, and connections to social services and local resources. Families participating in the program must meet weekly with a leader to set goals, pay 30 percent of their income toward rent and utilities,

March 21, 2012

Christian Standard

The Challenge Is for All of Us

By Mark A. Taylor Gary Weedman”s analysis deserves careful reading and thorough discussion among church leaders everywhere. Here”s why: Most of us attend congregations led by ministers and other staff members who graduated from one of the schools listed on pages 14, 15. Most of us attend churches that send financial support to one or several of them. Many of us have urged our own children to attend one of these schools. We have strong emotional, philosophical, and financial ties to these colleges and universities. They deserve our support: they continue to serve faithfully, they continue to improve the quality

March 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Interview with Terry Stine

By Paul Boatman After a career in ministry and missions, Terry Stine is completing his fifth year as president of Boise Bible College in Idaho.   Many were surprised when you became president of Boise Bible College. How did that happen? Well, my lifelong ministry objective is to preach the Word and go where God sends me. My end-of-life goal is to hear “well done, good and faithful servant.” Wherever God sends me, I go and I stay there until he moves me somewhere else. I”ve never looked to jump from one location to another.   But you have been

March 19, 2012

Christian Standard

What Good Is a College Education These Days?

By LeRoy Lawson With ever larger numbers of college alumni running the country, and not doing such a good job of it, what good is a college degree, anyhow? Are colleges just cranking out more dumb people with diplomas? A friend recently asked my opinion of the “dumbing down of America.” He was referring to the general agreement that, in spite of record numbers of college graduates out there, Americans as a whole appear to be less civil, less informed, less able to reason, and less articulate than ever. (Even the term “dumbing down” is evidence, isn”t it? Is there

March 19, 2012

Christian Standard

21st-Century Challenges to Biblical Higher Education

By Gary Weedman Our colleges face the same 21st-century issues as the rest of higher education: rising costs, changing demographics, the impact of technology, the effect of globalization, and, especially for us, a question of whether what we do provides value relative to expense or need. The history of our institutions makes these challenges even more acute, since from their origins they have been independent of one another, which hinders any unified response to these 21st-century challenges. I want to address five issues that we must consider if our schools are to remain healthy and effective.   1. Show Me

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