Series: Columns

December 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Upcoming Webinars Focus on Tax Changes for Clergy

Making correct IRS filings and minimizing taxes are important issues for ministries nationwide to consider early in 2011. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) will host live webinars Jan. 12 and Feb. 23 in which leading experts will discuss IRS requirements for congregations and tax changes for clergy. Participants in Jan. 12’s “Congregation Filing Issues for 2010 Data” webinar will learn how to correctly fill out IRS filings required of nearly every U.S. congregation. The requirements start with Form W-2, and–for many congregations–include various versions of Form 1099. Participants in Feb. 23’s “Clergy Tax Issues for 2010 Returns” webinar

December 5, 2010

Christian Standard

A Story to Challenge All of Us

By Mark A. Taylor This week we”ve posted several encouraging accounts of new church plants in Greater Salt Lake City. But the bigger story tells how Christian leaders worked together and depended on God to see these happen. It”s a story about cooperation and collaboration. “The churches of the Restoration Movement had never attempted something like this,” says Steve Edwards. The collaboration began more than 15 years ago when the Salt Lake City church planting organization asked the Intermountain Church Planters Association based in Boise, Idaho, if they could work together under one name. Edwards became executive director of ICPA

December 1, 2010

Christian Standard

TCMII Reaches Merger Agreement

Last week, Training Christians for Ministry International Institute (TCMII) and the European Evangelistic Society (EES) announced a merger agreement. EES will become a wholly owned subsidiary of TCMII. For nearly 60 years the EES has been a witness to the gospel at Tübingen University in Germany. The organization has also helped sponsor a colloquium for international doctoral students. TCMI has ministered to believers throughout Eastern Europe and Russia for more than 50 years and established the institute in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR. Today TCMII enrolls more than 800 students from 28 countries and provides leadership development and

December 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Ministry on Black Friday

Members of Journey”s Crossing Christian Church (Gaithersburg, MD) were at the mall at 5:30 a.m. on Black Friday””but not to get a jump on their Christmas shopping. Instead, the team gave away coffee, hot chocolate, and breakfast treats at one of the busiest shopping centers in their area.

November 30, 2010

Christian Standard

Working to Expand Mission in Chile

By Jennifer Taylor Jim and Cheryl Green launched Conosur Christian Ministries in 1996 to oversee their work in Chile and planted a new church””Iglesia Cristiana Ciudad Satélite””during their eight years as missionaries there. Now the nonprofit ministry, based in Palmdale, California, where the Greens currently live, plans to build a Christian K-12 school to expand its mission. “The church began with a vision for reaching the emerging middle class in Chile, with an emphasis on future leaders who can influence a society becoming more secular,” says Jim. This focus on education was part of the Greens” work from the early

November 29, 2010

Christian Standard

Green Rooms

By Jennifer Taylor Renewal, a student-led creation care movement based in Minneapolis, recently recognized Abilene (Texas) Christian University for its environmental stewardship emphasis. ACU established a “sustainability pledge” in 2008 that asks students to commit to at least three new habits like installing fluorescent bulbs, walking or biking instead of driving, recycling, and taking shorter showers. Abilene also created “ACU Unplugged,” a residence hall competition encouraging students to reduce their personal energy use. www.acu.edu

November 29, 2010

Christian Standard

Good Call

By Jennifer Taylor This month, Christ In Youth (Joplin, Missouri) launches THE CALL BOOK, a new online registry where generations of CIY conference attendees can share their stories of how a CIY conference changed their lives or prompted a call to vocational ministry. This past summer, “dozens of individuals eagerly shared stories of their calling to ministry after being challenged at a Christ In Youth event,” writes executive director Andy Hansen. “Their stories will be the first of what will be thousands in the years to come.” CIY is making plans now for its first CIY Alumni “CALL BOOK” event

November 28, 2010

Christian Standard

From My Bookshelf: It Matters What You Believe

By LeRoy Lawson Quantum: Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality Manjit Kumar New York: W.W. Norton, 2008 Pearl Buck in China: Journey to The Good Earth Hilary Spurling New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010 The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century Steve Coll New York: Penguin Press, 2008 “What is REAL?” asked the Velveteen Rabbit in that all-time favorite children”s book, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. “What is REAL?” asked some of the 20th-century”s most brilliant scientific minds. We”re still waiting for their definitive answer. Manjit Kumar”s Quantum records their best guesses

November 24, 2010

Christian Standard

More Stories About “˜Just One” Sunday

Churches continue to share stories about their “Just One” Sunday. In addition to joining with other participating churches in praying for more laborers for the harvest, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, IN) also used the three weekends before the Nov. 14 emphasis to challenge every Christ follower in the church body to identify “Just One” person with whom they would build a relationship, share Jesus, and include in some expression of Christian community. CCC plans to continue this emphasis on making disciples and raising up Christian leaders throughout 2011. During its services that Sunday, Greencastle (IN) Christian Church displayed pictures of

November 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Thousands Attend National Missionary Convention

Thousands of people attended the National Missionary Convention in Lexington, KY, last week. In addition to workshops, worship services, and exhibits, the NMC featured several special events: the launch of Restoration Revolution, a concert of prayer surrounding the convention center on Thursday morning, and the “Million Meal Feast,” an effort among Lexington-area churches to prepare 1 million meals to send to Haiti and North Korea.

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

Churches Participate in “˜Just One Sunday”

By Jennifer Taylor Churches around the country have participated in “Just One Sunday,” a challenge from Christian college and university presidents to pray for “just one” person who might become a vocational kingdom worker and to make Matthew 9:38 a special prayer emphasis during worship services. Parkway Christian Church (Surprise, AZ) created a “Just One Challenge” card for each child at the church, from newborns to high school students. During the service, PCC members each selected a card and committed to pray for that young person at least once a day. David Doty, senior minister at Woodland Hills Church of

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

Skipping Dinner to Make a Difference

On Sunday, Rochester (IL) Christian Church celebrated “THANKSgiving, living, loving.” “Instead of our annual Thanksgiving dinner (which none of us needed!), we collected items to fill 200 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, 82 duffel bags filled with toiletries and gifts for foster kids, and 42 Thanksgiving meal baskets for local families,” says Matt Bortmess, senior associate minister. On Sunday families, small groups, and friends worked together to assemble the gifts. The special outreach is part of RCC”s “DO Something” series; throughout the series the church also shared other local and global ways individuals could “do something” to make a difference.

November 16, 2010

Christian Standard

Celebrities Step Up for Haitian Mission

By Jennifer Taylor In 2001, Northwest Haiti Christian Mission created its first “Miriam Center,” a home and therapy center for dozens of Haitian children with disabilities and special needs. In recent years, NWHCM partnered with other organizations, including AHomeInHaiti.org, to plan a second center to serve 100 more children. Two months ago the organizations raised $700,000 for the cause in 10 days. “We had been moving forward with plans for a second center when Shaun King, lead pastor at Courageous Church in Atlanta, visited us and just fell in love with the special needs ministry,” says Cameron Mayhill, director of

November 16, 2010

Christian Standard

The Buddy System

By Jennifer Taylor Central Church of Christ (Mount Vernon, Ohio) is committed to serving people with special needs. Five years ago the church launched its “Very Important Persons” class for community members with Down syndrome. Each participant is matched with a “buddy” who becomes a special mentor and meets on Wednesday afternoons for Bible lessons, singing, trips, restaurant outings, and more. “An outgrowth of the ministry has been clowning,” says associate minister Don Linn. “The group rides in parades and visits nursing homes together. Not only is it fun for them, but we”ve discovered people treat them differently. Kids approach

November 10, 2010

Christian Standard

Worshipping . . . or Watching?

By Mark A. Taylor David Faust touched a bigger issue when he asked, “Whatever happened to congregational singing?” In his September 26 column in The Lookout* he reflected on a recent worship experience in a congregation he visited: The worship leaders” skill and preparation were obvious. Every guitar riff was well played, every vocal note well toned, every PowerPoint slide properly displayed. The band members played with personality and passion, and there was no reason to question their sincerity or motivation. But hardly anyone in the congregation sang. . . . My concern is not about “traditional” versus “contemporary” music.

November 3, 2010

Christian Standard

Special Services for Hunters

Tomorrow, Creekside Christian Fellowship (Needville, TX) resumes its Thursday evening worship services. CCF began the special services””held only during November, December, and January””to make it easier for members of the congregation who enjoy hunting to participate in their hobby while also making time for weekly worship.

November 2, 2010

Christian Standard

Sole Searching

By Jennifer Taylor Milligan College alumnus Andy Baker founded Remember the Children, a nonprofit organization committed to serving the forgotten children and families in Eastern Europe, after a trip to Romania in 1996. This fall he partnered with Milligan to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes for Romanian children. Milligan junior Rachel Severns helped spread the word on campus and collected contributions from community members. Baker will deliver the shoes to Romania this winter. www.remember-the-children.org www.milligan.edu ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard”s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www. christianstandard.com. Do you know of a church

November 1, 2010

Christian Standard

Fun and Games

By Jennifer Taylor Sherwood Oaks Christian Church (Bloomington, Indiana) doesn”t usually offer midweek programming during the summer, but this year it tried something new””and discovered a program adaptable to any church at any time of the year. SOCC developed the approach around Tom Ellsworth”s new It”s Your Move books, which connect the fun of popular board games to Bible study and real-life application. Ellsworth, senior minister at the church, wrote the books for small group use but found the material translated well to a larger gathering. “We spent the first half hour or so playing the game together around tables;

October 31, 2010

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Lessons from Lives Past

By LeRoy Lawson Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa”s Greatest Explorer Tim Jeal New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007 Cleopatra: A Biography Duane W. Roller London: Oxford University Press, 2010 George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I Miranda Carter New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010 “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” Who hasn”t heard Henry Stanley”s famous greeting when, after an incredibly arduous search for the missing missionary-explorer, he uttered this premeditated, deliberately understated line? More Than a Counterfeit That greeting, frankly, is about all I could have told you of the man before reading

October 30, 2010

Christian Standard

Container Transformed into Command Center

By Jennifer Taylor In our June 27 issue, we shared news about the KORE Foundation and its work providing resources and vocational training as sustainable alternatives to poverty for the chronically poor in other countries. One of the ministry”s “kore” projects is recycling metal shipping containers entering the Jacksonville, Florida, ports and stocking them with supplies so recipients can begin welding, sewing, or farming businesses. Later this year, KORE will send a stocked crate to the Christian Missionary Fellowship work in Kenya. But before the container makes the voyage, it”s helping another ministry here in the States””and it”s been housing

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