Series: Columns

August 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Indianapolis Church Receives Boost to Enrich Garden

By Jennifer Johnson Englewood Christian Church and the Englewood Community Development Corporation (Indianapolis, IN) planted a community garden years before such projects became trendy, but this year State Farm is giving them $25,000 to take it to another level. “A woman in our congregation keeps an eye out for potential grants, and [she] submitted an application to State Farm Neighborhood Assist on our behalf,” says Chris Smith, a member of Englewood Christian Church and editor of The Englewood Review of Books. “The 3,000 entries were eventually narrowed down to 40 winners, chosen in part by voting on Facebook. We were

August 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church-City Revitalization

By Jennifer Johnson When I was 2, my mom was able to finagle free time by setting me in my crib with a pile of books. I”d sit there, chubby hands happily flipping pages I couldn”t yet read, for half an hour or more. To say I”m an introvert is like saying the Kardashians are trashy. But although I tend to prefer solitude and processing the world in my head, I”ve learned the importance of connecting to others. Conversation and discussion remind me my strong opinions aren”t infallible, and my perspective isn”t the only one. Englewood Christian Church“s story is

August 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Love Story, Leadership Principles, and the Faith of a Scientist

By LeRoy Lawson Joni & Ken: An Untold Love Story Ken and Joni Eareckson Tada Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013 On Point: Four Steps to Better Life Teams Del Harris Charleston: Advantage Media Group, 2012 God According to God: A Scientist Discovers We”ve Been Wrong About God All Along Gerald L. Schroeder New York: HarperOne, 2009 What I like best about Joni & Ken is that I have finally learned more about that shadowy figure who has for more than 30 years been husband, caregiver, friend, and source of strength for one of modern Evangelicalism”s leading ladies. From the moment she began

August 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Point University Pursuing Merger with Montreat College

On Monday, July 29, Point University (West Point, GA) and Montreat College (Montreat, NC) announced the two institutions are pursuing a merger. According to a statement at www.pointmontreat.com, “Earlier this year, in a fortuitous meeting, representatives of Point University and Montreat College began discussions about ways the two schools could work together to improve on their current delivery of quality, Christian higher education. As the relationship has grown, they have discovered that their missions are very much the same. They are both committed to equipping college students to transform the world for the Kingdom of God.” The schools continue to work out details, but did confirm that

July 30, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

Choosing All the Priorities of Jesus

By Mark A. Taylor Dr. Frank Smith Jr.”s sermon, “Bear Witness Boldly,” began quietly, almost academically Thursday morning at the North American Christian Convention. With the style of a professor he set the stage and provided the background for the message he wanted to bring. By the time he had finished, though, his tone, and the reaction of his audience, was anything but quiet. In the spirit of legendary African-American oratory, his sermon ended with a driving cadence and rhythm that brought a chorus of clapping and amens from the crowd. Tucked in the middle were challenges that must not

July 27, 2013

Christian Standard

¡Evangélicos Explosion!

By Brian Mavis “I really liked today”s Mass, Father.” If you are a preaching minister, you”ve probably been greeted like that after church. It”s not news that in the United States many former Catholics are attending and converting to Protestant churches. What is news, though, is that many of those Catholics aren”t from Irish or Italian decent””rather, they are Latinos.1 Latin America has been experiencing Latino conversions from Catholicism to Protestantism much longer than the U.S.: “¢ From 1900 to 2000 the number of Latin American Protestants swelled from 50,000 to 64 million! “¢ In 1930, Protestants amounted to 1

July 26, 2013

Christian Standard

We Carry a Heavy Load

Healthy, active churches need healthy, active leaders. Only a balanced life equips a person to handle the burdens of leadership. By Aaron Wymer “I don”t think so, Elzie. It”s just easier to be a Christian when I”m not an elder.” With these words, or words very much like them, Wayne told my father he wasn”t willing to become an elder at my home church. My dad”s eyes twinkled a little when he told me what Wayne said, but the rest of his face frowned. I could tell dad agreed with him, but couldn”t bring himself to refuse his call to be

July 25, 2013

Christian Standard

Titles or Testimonies?

By Tim Harlow In his book Who Switched the Price Tags? Tony Campolo tells of an African-American pastor who was preaching to some students who were about to graduate. He said, “Children, you are going to die! One of these days the hearse is going to take you to the cemetery, drop you in a hole and everyone”s going back to the church to eat potato salad. When you were born, you were crying and everyone else was happy. Here is the question, “˜When you die, will you be the only happy one with everyone else crying?” The answer depends

July 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Stymied by Stuff

By Mark A. Taylor Just as most Americans don”t think they”re wealthy, most American Christians don”t think affluence has affected their faith. And American church workers likewise don”t see how money influences the way they approach ministry. A realistic look at the issue comes only with time and distance. Perhaps that is why LeRoy Lawson needs to be heard when he talks about our ministry and our stuff. Having served in ministry for more than 50 years, he remembers an America not as accustomed to comfort as most in the middle class today. Having served with Christian Missionary Fellowship, he

July 16, 2013

Christian Standard

The Best Part for Me

By Mark A. Taylor I have a confession to make about the North American Christian Convention. The preaching hasn”t usually been my favorite part. Oh, I”ve always attended main sessions, and in my three-plus decades of attending NACCs, I know some sermons have moved and taught me. But what I”ve anticipated about each year”s gathering””and what I”ve promoted most when encouraging others to attend it””was not the preaching. I talked, instead, about the fellowship. I”ve always played up the “connecting place” angle of the NACC where we reignite longtime friendships and make new ones. Ministries and missions agencies and all

July 14, 2013

Christian Standard

Introducing Prisoners to Christ

By Jennifer Johnson God Behind Bars is a nonprofit organization that holds video campuses inside several women”s prisons. Today, the ministry is pursuing a multifaceted strategy to not only introduce inmates to Christ, but to walk with them as Christ followers. To that end, God Behind Bars partners with Central Christian Church (Henderson, NV) and several others church to launch ministries inside prisons. GBB still holds video services, and the first step is for a prisoner to attend. Because 90 percent of inmates have struggled with addiction at some point, step two is participating in a small group or Celebrate Recovery. “After a

July 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Our Own Defense of Marriage Acts

By Mark A. Taylor Last year, just before my daughter”s wedding, a friend e-mailed me about the big day. “My daughter”s wedding was the most exhilarating and exhausting day of my life,” he said, and soon I would know what he meant. But it occurs to me that exhilarating and exhausting describe the whole gamut of married and family life. For example, it”s exhilarating finally to hold a newborn baby, especially after an exhausting labor and drawn-out pregnancy. Likewise, each milestone of the new preschooler”s life is exhilarating: first words, first steps, first everything! And keeping up with her is

July 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Johnson University Merges with Florida Christian College

On Monday, Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) and Florida Christian College (Kissimmee, FL) officially merged and became part of the newly established Johnson University System. Florida Christian College is now Johnson University Florida. “This merger will advance the Florida campus by as much as half a century, which is the time it would have otherwise taken to build the degree options and opportunities that Johnson University has in place today,” said Kenny Funk, who served as most recent chairman of the former Florida Christian College Board of Trustees. “Within a few years, Johnson University Florida will have the expanded bachelor”s degree

July 2, 2013

Christian Standard

40 for Today and Tomorrow

By Mark A. Taylor We liked the sound of “40 Leaders Under 40″ when we first started playing with the idea late last year. But could we even find 40 parachurch or local church leaders making an influence outside their own community or constituency? We immediately thought of a few men and women all of us should be watching. They”re setting trends, living as examples, blazing new paths, and at the same time lifting up the ancient gospel with fresh images to attract a new generation. But 40 of them? We didn”t think so. And then we started asking. We

July 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Students Need Practical Skills Along with Big Ideas

By Jennifer Johnson Higher education is not known for its pragmatism. For every course in biology basics there”s another in “The Science of Superheroes” (University of California, Irvine). For every Spanish 101 there”s “Invented Languages: Klingon and Beyond” (University of Texas at Austin). For every fundamentals of accounting, there”s “Street-Fighting Mathematics” (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). And that”s OK. As the cliché goes, part of being educated is “learning how to learn.” There”s value in interacting with ideas simply for the sake of enrichment, even without any immediate vocational payoff. But Dave Miller at Nebraska Christian College also makes a good

June 30, 2013

Christian Standard

An Honors Program Focusing on Leadership and Community Service

By Jennifer Johnson “There”s a lot of discussion about the cost of investing in a college education,” says Dave Miller, vice president of advancement at Nebraska Christian College. “We want to talk about what the college is investing in the student.” At NCC in Papillion, NE, part of the investment is The Institute, a new program that rolled out in January and launches officially this fall. “The Institute is like an honors program, but focused on leadership potential and community service,” Miller says. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average to participate, but academic aptitude is just

June 29, 2013

Michael C. Mack

Five Ways to Make July the Best Month Ever for Your Small Group

By Michael C. Mack July is the most important month of the year for the health and development of your small group. You may think I”ve spent too much time in the sun: Some groups are not even meeting through the summer; attendance is down in other groups; weekly meetings have been bumped by trips to the beach and baseball games. I”m not as crazy as you might think, however. Over the years, I”ve noticed groups that are growing and making an impact are involved in at least five vital practices during July.   Pray Research has shown the most

June 28, 2013

Christian Standard

From the Trivial (but Interesting) to the Eternal (and Compelling)

By LeRoy Lawson At Home: A Short History of Private Life Bill Bryson New York: Doubleday, 2010 The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life Robert E. Webber Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006 Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009 Some authors are hard to resist. I”d already read several Bill Bryson books (Mother Tongue, Notes from a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, A Short History of Nearly Everything), so when I came across At Home: A Short History of

June 25, 2013

Christian Standard

Better Than a Vacation

By Mark A. Taylor “It”s hard to imagine no crying and no mourning.” The statement came from a group member when our weekly Bible study was nearing the end of Revelation. We had stopped to ponder the significance of Revelation 21:3, 4: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God”s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. “˜He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or

June 24, 2013

Christian Standard

The “˜Up-frontness” of Eldership

By Chuck Sackett Sam compassionately shepherded a congregation I”ll call Countryside Church, but a massive heart attack cut short his ministry, forcing him into an extended rehabilitation, and ultimately, retirement. The elders, assessing the situation, determined that Sam”s wife could live in the parsonage until he was released from the hospital. However, the church would begin searching for a minister immediately, so she needed to vacate the parsonage upon his release. On the other side of the state, Doris served the children of a congregation I”ll call Community Fellowship. Her ministry was exploding with children. Tragically, her husband found her

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