Series: Columns

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

The Year That Was Supposed to Be (and Nine Action Steps for 2021)

The year 2020 and the new decade seemed a perfect opportunity for preachers to capitalize on the “20/20 vision” metaphor. The fanfare and excitement quickly turned from bright and crisp to blurry and cautious, however, as the coronavirus forced churches to turn off their lights and close their doors for weeks or even months. In January, when I surveyed over 400 churches, among the questions I asked was, “What is your church most looking forward to in 2020?” I planned to use the responses to generate potential articles detailing the exciting plans and ideas churches of all sizes had for

October 24, 2020

Megan Rawlings

Anxiety & Depression Care & Counseling

How to Find Real Peace

It’s ironic I’m writing an article instructing others on how to find peace. I have recently struggled with anxiety—a deep restlessness in my soul that sleep could not satisfy. I have been so tired. And the pandemic hasn’t helped at all. I was worrying about minor things too often—stuff I couldn’t change. It’s not that I don’t know how to find peace, I was simply not practicing what I preach. But all that changed one Wednesday morning. Here is what I learned about finding true peace. Step 1: Do not use Google to research health issues! It started one Saturday.

October 24, 2020

David Roadcup

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Giving Honor to Whom Honor Is Due

The chairman of the elders of our church called to invite me to join the elder team of our congregation. At the time, I was vice president for student services at Cincinnati Christian University and an active member at Mason Church of Christ (now Christ’s Church) in Mason, Ohio. I wound up accepting his invitation, which started an interesting chapter in my journey during which I was able to see the work of an elder from an altogether different viewpoint. For the previous 13 years, I had been in leadership ministry in the church or teaching at one of our

October 24, 2020

Ministry in Post-Christian England

Leslie sat in the dorm lobby on her Christian college campus thinking about the last question on the get-to-know-you survey she and the rest of the girls in her dorm were completing. Her sophomore year had just begun, and Leslie had been considering where God was leading her. The last question asked, “What is something you have dreamed of doing?” She scribbled her answer in the blank: “missions in Europe.” Leslie Hall had been learning about the decline of Christianity in Europe, and she wondered what God might be doing there. “I guess God paid attention to what I wrote,”

October 24, 2020

Courtney M. Brown

Bangladesh Math

Going to Bangladesh was not my idea. As an expatriate living and working in South Korea, I already spent my days navigating cultural differences and chipping away at language barriers. But, since I had also recently become co-leader of the missions team at church, when it came time for our biannual trip to Bangladesh, I was informed it was “my turn.” And, just for good measure, I was “in charge.” I admit, I didn’t welcome this news with unrestrained joy. Still, I supported the aims of the trip. Our destination in Bangladesh was a small, experimental community created for widows

October 24, 2020

The Future of Evangelism, Missions, and the Church

The headline “51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission” from a Barna report in March 2018 caught my eye and caused me great concern. The report said that for 25 percent of churchgoers, the term “Great Commission” sounded familiar, but they could not remember the meaning of it. Only 17 percent of churchgoers said they had heard of the Great Commission and knew what it meant. Although not even half of any age group knew the term Great Commission well, the youngest adult generation was the least likely to recognize it. Only 10 percent of millennials (those born

September 22, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Devotionals

Why Wait?

By Michael C. Mack After our wedding in 1990, Heidi and I moved into a 40-unit apartment building in Cincinnati. We wanted to lead an investigative Bible study to reach out to people who lived there, so I asked Glen, a minister at our church, to tell me how to start. “I don’t think you should do a Bible study . . . at least not yet,” he said. The tilt of my head and subconscious furrow of my brow must have given away my concern; I was eager to start this study right away and allow God to use

September 22, 2020

Megan Rawlings

Devotionals

5 Lessons from a Flea

By Megan Rawlings The Black Death was caused by bacterium and was initially spread by fleas. Starting in Asia (most likely), it spread to Eurasia and North Africa in the mid-1300s, and eventually the plague killed up to one-quarter of the world’s population in about four years. At least 100 million people died. And to think, it was spread by a pest barely visible to the eye. I will spare you the details, but the symptoms of this virus were devastating, and death usually occurred only weeks, sometimes days, after the first symptoms. It was not uncommon for the ill

September 22, 2020

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Meeting Needs of Street Kids in Kenya

By Laura McKillip Wood Anthony blinked hard. His head spun. He fingered the bottle of glue in his pocket; the effects of huffing it still lingered, dulling the memory of the night before, when a man from the neighborhood found him alone in the dark and took advantage of him. He closed his eyes and lowered his head. Nobody cared that he had nowhere safe to go, no one to feed him or provide for his needs. I’ll never be anybody, he thought. He shook his head as the dizzy numbness took over his thoughts. The Need Kenya has roughly

September 22, 2020

Jim Estep

What COVID-19 Taught Rural Churches

By Jim Estep State by state, county by county, the COVID-19 pandemic led to limitations, shelter-in-place orders, and essentially a shutdown of “normal.” In rural congregations—which are often smaller, singular in focus (worship), and fairly stable in ministry programming—this became an impetus for reflection, reevaluation, renewal, and a reenvisioning of ministries across the country. Theology of the Church We all know the church is made up of people—it’s not the building or the worship service—but our everyday theology would say otherwise. Whether we like it or not, our default theology turns church into a place or time. (“We are going

September 22, 2020

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Beyond the Pandemic: How the Church Can Respond to Three Urgent Needs in Their Communities

By Kent E. Fillinger The full impact of COVID-19 goes well beyond the number of confirmed cases, the death toll, and the unemployment rate that many are tracking. The pandemic has exacerbated several preexisting problems like anxiety, depression, suicide, child abuse, drug abuse, and others. These often overlooked “killers” are affecting scores of Americans today, and some experts say these conditions have reached epidemic proportions. Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant U.S. secretary for mental health and substance use, said in late May, “The increase in the number of suicides, fatal drug overdoses and instances of domestic abuse will be broad, deep

August 17, 2020

Christian Standard

Church Life

2019 Annual Church Survey

This year we share not only average attendance numbers but also other vital stats such as the fastest-growing churches and top baptism ratios in each category. The churches in our survey saw many amazing kingdom accomplishments in 2019. For instance, one church had 4,371 baptisms, a record over the history of our surveys. Also, two churches, a new church and an emerging megachurch, grew by more than 100 percent in 2019! A total of 439 churches filled out our survey this year (another record number!). We thank every church for participating; better participation makes for more accurate data. We celebrate

August 15, 2020

Gary L. Johnson

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

Thinking Forward, Moving Forward

3 Church-Leader Challenges as We Merge onto the Virtual Highway By Gary L. Johnson Earlier this year, COVID-19 drove news reports. Every day, every media outlet reported on some aspect of the coronavirus and its impact on our lives. One news story caught my attention. It reported how teenagers had completed driver’s education training, but because of social distancing, their required road tests were waived. That story brought back memories of my driving test. After pulling out of the parking lot and into traffic, the examiner had me drive through busy streets and residential areas. I even had to parallel

August 15, 2020

Megan Rawlings

The Gospel That Never Shuts Down

By Megan Rawlings What a time to be alive. This year has handed us unique opportunities that have changed our sense of normalcy. Could these changes become the standard moving forward? I doubt it, but it’s safe to say some changes are here for a while. Take the quarantine, for example. Our routine was roughed up, plans were postponed, and distraction delayed what needed to be done. But there is a positive side to all of this. We were exposed to an eternal truth: Even when the world seems to be falling apart, God has a plan. I have seen

August 15, 2020

Churches BeFriend Across Cultures

By Laura McKillip Wood Rebecca sits on a blanket in the yard that surrounds her home, a one-room grass hut. Her four children play around her, along with her sister’s five children. Rebecca is the sole support for her children, her mother, her sister, and her nieces and nephews. Rebecca’s husband joined the military in South Sudan, their home country, years ago. He left the family to fight in a war there and has not returned. Eventually, she and her family fled from their homeland to Adjumani, a community of refugees in Uganda. Life has been difficult for Rebecca and

August 15, 2020

Anna Brink

Devotionals

Once Upon a Pandemic

By Anna Brink Once upon a time, there was a worldwide pandemic. While the world’s leaders worked hard to keep people healthy, the government asked everyone to stay in their homes. One woman was doing just that, while also watching the news and praying. During the first week at home, she heard a knock at the door. From a window, she saw who it was: Anxiety. She wasn’t surprised to see him. He knocked often. She sighed, then opened the door. “Hello, I’m here! Let me in, won’t you? This pandemic is crazy, right? We have so much to process

August 15, 2020

Stewardship & Generosity

Church Finance FAQ

By Kent E. Fillinger The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated our time and attention for much of 2020. This month’s article provides an overview of church finances based on our 2019 survey of 439 churches, while next month’s article will share findings from a separate survey that seeks to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the financial health of our churches. How Much Money Was Given to Churches Last Year? The total amount given last year to the churches we surveyed was $872,134,383. This included giving to the general fund, capital campaigns, building funds, and other sources. This reflected less than

July 15, 2020