Series: Columns

April 29, 2013

Christian Standard

Milligan Students Provide a “˜Ministry of Justice”

By Jennifer Johnson In 1959, Congress discovered the tax code law was too complicated for the average citizen (there”s a surprise), so it commissioned the Internal Revenue Service to start a volunteer-based program to help the public complete tax forms. VITA, or Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, serves people with annual incomes of less than $50,000, anyone with a physical disability, non-English-speaking citizens, and people older than 55. The IRS trains the volunteers and stations VITA sites in libraries, schools, and malls. Dr. Harold Branstrator, assistant professor of business administration at Milligan College in Tennessee, worked as a revenue agent and

April 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Focusing on Good Deeds to Meet Needs

By Jennifer Johnson In 2010, leaders at Mount Gilead Christian Church (Mooresville, IN) challenged members to complete 50,000 hours of community service. The church stepped up, logging more than 75,000 hours””and sparking new discussions about what could come next. “Several people in the church were especially inspired by this,” says senior minister Jeff Faull. “One of them dreamed of a permanent building we could use as an ongoing outreach tool, and when we found a location, this individual provided much of the money for the over $1 million purchase.” The church raised another $300,000 for the building and opened the

April 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Churches, Brains, and Change

By LeRoy Lawson   Messy: God Likes It that Way A. J. Swoboda Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2012 Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships Daniel Goleman New York: Bantam Books, 2006 Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A Neuroscientist Examines His Former Life on Drugs Marc Lewis New York: PublicAffairs, 2012 Gutenberg the Geek Jeff Jarvis Kindle Single, 2012 Early in my ministry I took comfort in a joke””probably already stale””that made the rounds in preacher circles. A pastor ran into a former colleague who was now making his living working in a funeral home. When he asked him why

April 26, 2013

Michael C. Mack

How Do We Get Busy People to Show Up?

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: How do you get busy people to show up at small group meetings? ANSWER: This is one of the most frequently asked questions I hear from small group leaders and ministers. People are busy, so what can leaders do to make their small groups a priority?   Value What value does the meeting have for group members? “None of us has time for another meeting,” says Eric Bingaman, minister of discipleship at Batesville (Indiana) Christian Church. “However, I”ll make all the time in the world [for] a group of people who are helping me grow

April 23, 2013

Christian Standard

In Contrast to the Ugliness

By Mark A. Taylor Robert Randolph, minister with the Brookline Church of Christ in Boston, described Monday, April 15, as a “terribly emotional day” for Boston. Christian Chronicle reported that Randolph was providing an energy drink for his daughter Margaret Randolph a few miles from the finish line when the first bomb exploded. She had sprained her ankle and was running slower than usual. Otherwise, “we would have been at the finish line when the bombs went off,” Randolph said, according to the Chronicle. Hank Wilson, pastor with REUNION Christian Church in Boston, met with his ministry team early Tuesday, the

April 22, 2013

Christian Standard

Consensus: What Is It and Is It Necessary?

By J. Michael Shannon I frequently hear of church boards and ministers that claim to do business and make decisions on the basis of consensus. Is this really what they do and is it really practical? It is interesting that people differ significantly on the meaning of the word consensus. The Random House Dictionary defines consensus as “general agreement or concord; harmony.” Interestingly, the dictionary”s second definition is “majority of opinion.” When I have heard the term consensus used, the person usually means “unanimity.” How much progress can be made if we depend on unanimity? If this were essential there

April 21, 2013

Christian Standard

Women Preaching

By Brian Mavis Colleges are training them. Churches are using them. And Christ is being exalted. Here”s what we learned when we talked to women who preach and the professors who have taught them. Jodi Hickerson”s journey of becoming a preaching/teaching pastor began at 19 when she joined the teaching team for the high school ministry at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. A few years later she was part of the programming team at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and then at 26 became one of the teaching pastors at Heartland Community Church, Rockford, Illinois. Today she is

April 20, 2013

Christian Standard

Lessons from a Fat Wallet

By Eddie Lowen Not long ago, removing my wallet from my pants pocket became difficult. That”s a good thing, right? On Subway restaurants” TV commercial, a thick wallet is evidence of frugal spending and increasing net worth. Dave Ramsey likes fat wallets. However, my wallet was gaining girth from items other than legal tender and dead presidents. Membership cards were to blame. Multiple membership cards. Some were plastic, others card stock. I emptied my wallet and discovered nearly a dozen membership cards to seemingly every organization in our city and beyond. A sampling of my memberships includes: Sam”s Club, which

April 16, 2013

Christian Standard

Better Than Leaving

By Mark A. Taylor Last week I came across a quote by a famous poet (although I hadn”t heard of him), and it resonated with an issue I”ve been pondering awhile. Rod Padgett, writing in How to Be Perfect, said this: “Forgive your country every once in a while. If that is not possible, go to another one.” At first we might call the advice absurd. “I can”t go to another country. My family is here. My work is here. I was born here, and things should change so I can be happier here! After all, I”m right about what”s

April 9, 2013

Christian Standard

You Are What You Choose

By Mark A. Taylor All of us who have heard, “You are what you eat” can agree to a corollary for the spirit and emotions: “You are what you choose.” Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos underscored the truth of this as he addressed Princeton University”s graduating class, May 30, 2010: When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build

April 5, 2013

Christian Standard

“˜How Else Can We Adequately Share a Mysterious God?”

By Jennifer Johnson On Christmas, in the evening, I logged into Facebook and read rave after rhapsodic rave about the movie version of Les Misérables. “It took my breath away, it clarified my world,” wrote one. “Can the grace of God save a man”s life and his soul, and make him a rescuer and a carrier of hope to all men? The “˜yes of God” plays out before your eyes. I have never preached a message that said it so well.” Although I”m not quite as big a fan of the movie (I”m pretty sure my 14-year-old stepson could have

April 5, 2013

Christian Standard

2|42 Brightens Region by Offering Arts, Sports, and Children”s Programming

By Jennifer Johnson On February 17, 2|42 Community Church (Brighton, MI) opened its new community building, a renovated athletic club which includes space for children”s programming, new soccer fields and basketball courts, a café, and more. On February 18, the church launched its School for the Arts. “We added one large studio and three smaller spaces for music, drama, and art classes,” says Rachel Dummitt, director of the school. “We started with private guitar, piano, drum, flute, cello, violin, and voice lessons, drama classes for kids, and visual art classes in portrait drawing and pastels.” Dummitt says about half of the

April 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Arts Guilds Featured

By Jennifer Johnson Two years ago, Ryan Phipps created a “guild” for songwriters and another for filmmakers and photographers at Forefront Church (New York, NY). Phipps, who serves as the worship and arts director at Forefront”s Manhattan campus, says the church offered several groups for business professionals but nothing for artists beyond the music on Sunday morning. The Forefront groups are in the spirit of the medieval guilds, which developed as associations of master craftsmen with shared skills. “The idea was to gather people around a shared creative interest,” he says. “The response to the first two was overwhelming, so

April 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Embracing Conflict, Spreading the Gospel

By Mark A. Taylor As much as we might like to avoid the subject of conflict at church, the fact is we can”t. In fact, if your church is not experiencing conflict now, it”s safe to say it probably has. Or it will. Our best strategy is not to pretend conflict doesn”t exist or to assume all conflict is wrong. Instead, we”ll do well to anticipate conflict and find godly ways to handle it. The first step may be to embrace the potential of conflict. It”s OK to disagree with each other. Too many Christians harbor the notion that unity

March 31, 2013

Christian Standard

Shared Secrets for Ministers, Useful Advice for Elders

By LeRoy Lawson   Open Secrets: A Memoir of Faith and Discovery Richard Lischer New York: Broadway Books, 2001 Answer His Call (2009) Reflect His Character (2009) Lead His Church (2010) Enjoy His People (2011) Jim Estep, David Roadcup, and Gary Johnson Joplin: College Press The Healthy Elder: Vital Signs of a Strong Leader Jim Estep, David Roadcup, and Gary Johnson e2 Effective Elders, 2012 Effective Elders: What Every Elder Should Know””a digital curriculum (CD/DVD combo) Jim Estep, Gary Johnson, and David Roadcup e2 Effective Elders  A colleague recently asked for recommendations for articles or books on the subject of

March 25, 2013

Michael C. Mack

A Great Group Is More than a Huddle

By Michael C. Mack The best college football game ever (in my humble opinion) was the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. It pitted the favored Oklahoma Sooners (the winningest football program in the nation since World War II) against my favorite team, the Boise State Broncos. It was touted as David versus Goliath. The game was full of spectacular plays and trick plays, an 18-point comeback by Oklahoma, many dramatic game-on-the-line moments, several unbelievable fourth-down conversions, and a sensational overtime. Boise State won when Ian Johnson ran in a two-point conversion on a Statue of Liberty play. Then, if that wasn”t enough,

March 24, 2013

Christian Standard

Four Vital Signs of a Healthy Elder Team

By Gary L. Johnson Effective teams are healthy teams. But how do elder teams function well together? What does a healthy elder team look like? The best answers to those questions can be found in the leadership lessons between Jesus and his team of disciples. As Jesus neared the end of his ministry, as described in Mark 8 and 9, he had significant moments with his disciples, revealing four vital signs of a healthy team.   Vital Sign 1 A healthy elder team knows and pursues the mission. In Mark 8:31-38, Jesus explained to his disciples that he would suffer at

March 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Neighboring Churches

By Brian Mavis “From the city”s perspective, there is not a lot of difference between the way Christians neighbor and non-Christians neighbor.” The assistant city manager of Arvada, Colorado, made that statement to a group of church leaders. It left them embarrassed and convicted. But it wasn”t the first time they had heard something like that from a city leader. A month earlier a group of church leaders was meeting with Bob Frie, the mayor of Arvada. He explained that even though Arvada (population 106,000) is a great city, it has many problems typical of a city its size””delinquency, elderly

March 22, 2013

Christian Standard

The Rise of the “˜Nones”

By Tim Harlow The front page of USA Today said, “Protestants lose majority status in the US” (October 9, 2012). It just happened to catch my eye as I walked past a newsstand. I thought to myself, OK, but what could have taken its place? Catholicism is dying””is this about Mormonism? The article explained that Protestant numbers are down from 53 percent in 2007 to 48 percent today. But these Protestants didn”t switch to a new religious brand. They just let go of any faith affiliation or label. According to the Pew Forum, one in five Americans now claims no religious identity.

March 19, 2013

Christian Standard

A New Kind of Leadership?

By Mark A. Taylor Today Pope Francis, the first Pope from the Americas, will be formally installed in a mass that will headline news reports everywhere. Many nondenominational Christians will ignore the ceremony, while some will take the occasion to express their disdain for the abuses or errors of the church that claims 1.2 billion adherents worldwide. But we need not agree with Roman Catholic tradition or dogma to learn something from the unpretentious man who now heads that church. News of his unassuming humility is everywhere. Christopher M. Belitto, writing for CNN, described Francis”s first appearance to the masses

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