Series: Columns

May 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Enlarging the Vision of Rural Preachers

By Jennifer Johnson “Small towns are getting smaller,” says Jim Hardy. “And the churches in these areas are getting smaller, as well.” Hardy founded the Center for Rural Church Advancement at Nebraska Christian College to encourage and equip the leaders of rural churches in Nebraska and beyond. The new initiative includes a series of two-day events in conjunction with The Barjona Company; Chad Hunt founded the company after growing Caveland Church from 150 to 750 people in the small town of Cave City, KY. A four-session series of these “strategic roundtables” is spread over two years, and groups are kept

May 29, 2014

Christian Standard

Why Jesus Wouldn”t Work for Your Church

By Eddie Lowen We both know I can”t really speak for Jesus. But you have to admit””my title makes a compelling claim, and for the moment, I stand by it. If Jesus had to suffer being an employee at many churches, there would be more than one table-throwing incident credited to him. Before you conclude I”m one of those hipster church haters, wait. I don”t hang with that crowd. People who love the church more than me are tough to find. I even loved the church during the mauve-colored pew era, but that”s a theme for another article. Do you

May 27, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

The Christian”s Ritual of Remembrance

By Mark A. Taylor Last Saturday, The Wall Street Journal posted a headline above a picture of a grade-school boy decorating a soldier”s grave in Virginia: “With Memorial Day Approaching, Rituals of Remembrance Begin.” But the American Automobile Association estimated more than 36 million Americans would be traveling over the holiday weekend. A spokesman suggested this year”s unrelenting winter created a pent-up longing to experience warm temperatures in wide-open spaces. And I”m wondering how many of these sun-starved campers, fliers, and interstate sojourners took time for a “ritual of remembrance.” Only a minority, most likely, but I”ll not bore you

May 25, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Clear Desks and Clean Hearts

By Mark A. Taylor No one has ever accused me of being neat. Every year for Christmas, my college roommate (everyone knew he was neat) gave me some new device for organizing my desk or dresser. It always included compartments, cubbyholes, or drawers designed to contain the clutter that filled most of the flat spaces in my room. Later, when I moved a step or two out of young adult self-absorption, I realized how patient he had been. Pilers have no trouble living with filers. My roommate”s ordered desk and organized closet never bothered me! But the well-put-together among us

May 24, 2014

Christian Standard

A Statesman, a Theologian, and a Preacher

By LeRoy Lawson   A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America Stacy Schiff New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005  Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology Eugene Peterson Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2005 One Year to Better Preaching: 52 Exercises to Hone Your Skills Daniel Overdorf Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2013 Sometimes it pays to look pathetic””or eager””or greedy. I don”t know exactly what my friend saw in my face, but before I left his house that evening he gave me two books. The first was a bit of nonsense featuring

May 22, 2014

Christian Standard

The Other Side of the Table

By David A. Fiensy I”ve served on the ministerial staff of five churches (four of them part-time), and I must say I”ve never had a bad experience with the elders. One hears some horror stories from other ministers, but God has blessed. As a matter of fact, I can remember sitting across the table from elders during meetings and thinking, If I am ever an elder, I hope I can have this guy”s openness to change or that man”s levelheaded understanding of things. Well, now I am sitting on the other side of the table; I am an elder. Things

May 21, 2014

Michael C. Mack

The Eternal Impact of a Small Group Leader

By Michael C. Mack This is the time of year many small groups and group leaders make some vital decisions about their futures. Will we take a break over the summer? Will we continue meeting after this month or are we done as a group? Is it time to change our focus as a group? Over the next two months, I want to encourage you as a leader and as a group. It”s easy to lose sight of what God is doing in and through you, and what plans he has for your future. I thank God for Marcus and

May 20, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Internal Security

By Mark A. Taylor Everyone serving the Lord struggles sometimes with tension between external actions and internal motives. Am I singing or preaching or teaching because I love to be in front of people, or because I love to communicate God”s Word? Do I give out of guilt or out of gratitude? Do I approach Bible study, prayer, or weekly worship solely out of duty, or are they a delight to me? And when it comes to ministers who lead growing churches, the tensions multiply. Am I seeking church growth to build the kingdom or to build my ego? Am

May 19, 2014

Christian Standard

Just Hold On

By Tim Harlow I tried to teach my friend how to water-ski. As with most sports, a novice needs to understand some basic things if he is to stand any chance of early success. For example, I”ve been golfing for more than 40 years and I still sometimes forget to keep my head down. There is just no way to hit a golf ball well if you”re trying to watch where it”s going while you”re swinging the club””just no way. With water-skiing there are two mistakes a novice typically makes: (1) trying to pull himself up as he is coming

May 13, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Proud, but Not Satisfied

By Mark A. Taylor Don”t count CHRISTIAN STANDARD among today”s crop of church bashers. Even when we don”t headline our cover with “I love the church,” we make a point of encouraging the local church and its leaders. But posts at our site this month give special reasons to feel positive. For example, we couldn”t agree more with Bob Russell”s local-church cheerleading. Think of all the dysfunction and distress our world would face without the healing and help the church has extended through the centuries. Then there”s Kent Fillinger”s annual update on the state of megachurches and other churches among

May 6, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Four Ways to Enrich Your Prayer Times

By Mark A. Taylor Most Christians, especially mature Christians, tend to pray the way they”ve always prayed, worship the way they”ve worshipped for years, “do devotions” the same way week after week, pursue the spiritual disciplines””or ignore them””according to their longtime habits. Maybe that”s OK, but if you have a hunch that your prayer times could be richer, that your relationship with God could be closer, that your own spiritual growth could continue, then here are some tips from David Butts and Ken Read. “¢ Pray the Psalms. Butts tells what happened when he first decided to spend more prayer

May 4, 2014

Christian Standard

Helping the Hidden

By Jennifer Johnson There are so many “least of these.” We devote countless hours and dollars to serving the homeless, the fatherless, and the hungry. We do everything we can for single moms (soapbox alert: when was the last time you saw a ministry to single dads?). We rally around ending poverty in Haiti and AIDS in Africa and contaminated water everywhere. But stories like the ones featured this month from First Christian Church (Canton, OH) and Kentucky Christian University remind us there are other groups who need our help, “hidden” communities that may be surviving but not thriving, and

May 3, 2014

Christian Standard

KCU Begins Offering Appalachia Scholarship

By Jennifer Johnson “Kentucky Christian University is located in one of the most economically challenged areas of the country,” says KCU President Dr. Jeff Metcalf. “Many of our local high school students feel they could not even afford to consider us as an option for college.” In response, KCU recently created its Lead & Enhance Appalachia Program, or LEAP, and a new full-tuition scholarship program for eligible incoming freshmen. To qualify, high school seniors must demonstrate financial need, academic competence, and must be residents of Kentucky. “LEAP is designed to meet the needs of the neediest, the academically capable and

May 2, 2014

Christian Standard

Showing God”s Love for the Disabled Community

By Jennifer Johnson “The disability community is often a hidden community,” says Ryan Wolfe, developmental disabilities pastor at First Christian Church (Canton, OH). “In every city, they largely take care of themselves. But you don”t have to read much beyond the parable of the great banquet in Luke 14 to realize this group is close to God”s heart.” Wolfe and his wife began serving the disabled in their area by volunteer coaching in the local Challenger Baseball league. “We were outsiders,” he says. “We were the only coaches who didn”t have a kid playing, so we got a lot of

May 1, 2014

Christian Standard

News Briefs from Colorado, California, and Indiana

A ‘Community Catalyst’ LAKEWOOD, CO “” A recent Denver Post article profiled Reg Cox, senior minister with Lakewood Church of Christ, and his work as a “community catalyst” who connected with two dozen church leaders, civic leaders, and others from the community to help a local elementary school. “There really has to be a way the sacred, secular and civic can work together,” Cox says in the article. “And when we do, cities and communities can be transformed. Real problems can be solved . . . we don”t have to believe the exaggerated, negative narrative that”s spun by people that

April 29, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Maybe the Answers Are Simple

By Mark A. Taylor “We make Christianity so much more complicated than it needs to be, especially when it comes to talking about millennials.” Rachel Held Evans, author of The Year of Biblical Womanhood, had 18 minutes to answer “How will millennials contribute to the future of the church?” Hers was one of 30 questions, each assigned to a different speaker at the Q Conference last week in Nashville. No one gave answers clearer than hers. “Millennials are tired of the culture wars,” Held said. “Time and again church leaders believe a few style changes are the key. But millennials

April 28, 2014

Michael C. Mack

Does Worship Belong in Small Groups?

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: Should we worship in our small group?  ANSWER: Does a heart belong in the human body? Does an operating system belong on a computer? Does peanut butter go well with jelly? Does chocolate belong in a chocolate chip cookie? Worship makes a small group run. It”s what holds it together. It”s what makes a sweet aroma, pleasing to God. The question about whether worship belongs in a small group usually comes from Christians who believe for some reason, and with no biblical support, that worship should be reserved for a certain place (the church building)

April 26, 2014

Christian Standard

The Mysterious Case of the Vanishing Deacon

By J. Michael Shannon They used to be found in large numbers. In some cases, they were the first church officers a visitor would meet. They were visible in church services and activities. Now they seem to be almost an endangered species. Who are they? They are deacons. I have the opportunity to visit all kinds of churches in various contexts. In an increasing number of those churches, it is extremely difficult to find a deacon. In churches where they do have them, it is difficult to figure out where they are. Why are they disappearing? Sometimes the disappearance can be explained by the

April 25, 2014

Christian Standard

Ministry Confidential

By Eddie Lowen “Can I speak to you, confidentially?” A church leader is asked some form of this question at least several times a year. Normally it comes from within the church, but it can also be voiced by nonattendees. For relationally gifted leaders with a pastoral bent, requests for confidential conversations are more frequent. The most important response to a request for confidentiality is the initial one. Many church leaders feel an ethical or pastoral obligation to grant the request without qualification. With no clue about what will be reported or confessed, many church leaders indiscriminately reply by saying,

April 22, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

How Would Jesus Use a Smartphone?

By Mark A. Taylor Scene One: We sit in a restaurant and look across the aisle at a young woman and her husband, out for dinner together. He”s playing with the digital ordering device at the table (it includes games), and she”s intent on her smartphone screen. They”re eating in the same booth, but they”re really not together. Scene Two: We”re at a beautiful time-share at the beginning of a weeklong vacation with Christian friends. After dinner we settle into comfortable chairs and the sofa in the living room, each of us with a laptop or tablet computer in our

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