Series: Featured

December 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Wanted: Good Men for a Fine Work (Part 1)

By Eric Stevens “Is that a good job?” How often have you been involved in that discussion? What makes a job good? Is it the pay? Is it the benefit it gives to others? Is it the joy or satisfaction it brings to the worker? In the New Testament, “good works” is used to describe selfless acts that benefit others. Jesus did “good works” (John 10:32)1. Good works are a testimony to the glory of God (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). Believers should engage in good works (Titus 3:8) and encourage each other to do good works (Hebrews 10:24). This

December 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Disability Ministry in the Christian Church

By Jim Pierson For 25 years, the Christian Church Foundation for the Handicapped has influenced the disability ministry world. While CCFH”s influence has spanned faith groups, I wanted to determine its impact on Christian churches.  Established in 1983, the ministry”s board developed two goals: to provide residential care to adults and to develop disability ministry materials for churches to meet the spiritual needs of people with disabilities. I will discuss the influence of the disability ministry materials. In the 1960s while directing the East Tennessee Children”s Rehabilitation Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, I researched what churches were doing to minister to

December 14, 2008

Christian Standard

The Power to Transform

By Victor M. Parachin In 1921 when Lewis Lawes became its warden, Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, had a reputation for being the toughest prison in the country. The most notorious criminals were sent to this severe and unforgiving place. But, when Lawes retired 20 years later, the prison had become a model for the humane treatment of prisoners and the development of rehabilitation programs.  Lawes instituted theatricals, film showings, athletics, and provided radio earphones for each cell. He also required prisoners to wear identical uniforms to blur distinctions of wealth and status. Yet Lawes said his

December 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Reflections from a Bartender”s Son

By Chuck Sackett I”ve recently become deeply concerned over what appears to be a trend toward drinking among young church leaders.1 I hear about young leaders who have repented of the “sin of abstinence”2 and headed off to the pub. I”m concerned for the church, their congregations, and their families.3 I”m told one of the most frequently asked questions in interviews is, “Is it OK to have a beer?” As some young leaders seek potential staff members, they ask, “How do you feel about going to the pub?” The right answer used to be the wrong answer.   Early Influences

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Nurturing Missions Partnerships

By Janie Mehaffey READ THE SIDEBAR: “Church Pursues More Active Partnerships” by Janie Mehaffey       A church cuts off support to a missionary after 20 years. Is it a travesty or a natural progression of ministry? Church and mission leaders are considering this and other mission-giving questions after Sam Stone stirred up the topic in his May 11 CHRISTIAN STANDARD column, “Second Thoughts About Mission Giving.” Sam”s article pondered, “What constitutes missions giving?” and “What responsibility does the church have?” Whether looking at it from the church”s perspective or through the eyes of a mission/parachurch organization, the view

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Church Pursues More Active Partnerships

By Janie Mehaffey READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Nurturing Missions Partnerships” by Janie Mehaffey          About six years ago, First Christian Church of Canton, Ohio, dismantled its missions board. The church is passionate about pursuing active partnerships, so it wanted to shift decision making and relationship building beyond one team by taking a more universal approach to missions giving. The church now supports endeavors that allow the entire congregation to serve alongside the missionaries it financially supports. During the time of this transition, Joe Franz served as executive pastor of community impact with First Christian. He says the

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

The Looming Christian College Cri$i$

By Doug Gibson There was a time when attending a Christian college was a good deal. When my father attended in the 1950s, the cost of a Bible college education was only slightly higher than that of the local community or state college. I wonder if those days are gone forever. Today”s students pay $10,000 to $20,000 a year for a Christian college education. Admittedly, everything is more expensive than it used to be and the expectations of today”s students in the areas of technology add to the expense, but that is not the primary issue driving student expenses to

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

They Were Our Supporters

By Mike Sweeney When I speak to people about the prospect of entering cross-cultural ministry, I often hear them say, “I would love to become a missionary””if only I didn”t need to raise my own support.” I understand. The prospect of going church-to-church marketing myself never appealed to me. But, looking back on the whole adventure from the opposite side, I wouldn”t trade the relationships that developed with our supporters for anything. For the 15 years we served as Bible translators in Papua New Guinea, we always knew there were people praying for us by name, people concerned that our

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Serving the Senders: Encouraging Parents of Missionaries

By Diane Stortz and Cheryl Savageau   When Your Child Becomes a Missionary . . .     Cheryl Savageau and Diane Stortz have written an important new book to help often overlooked partners in the missionary enterprise. Parents of missionaries may struggle to adjust and sacrifice as much as their sons and daughters who serve overseas. This book looks at the problems””and the possibilities””for these families. It is a practical resource that will encourage parents of missionaries and lend valuable insight to everyone who knows one. (Some material in the articles on these pages is adapted from this book.)

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Stop Baptizing!

By Dave Ferguson Here is my challenge for every leader and paid staff person of every Christian church””stop baptizing! Just so you understand the challenge, let me say it again””STOP BAPTIZING! If you think this is merely an attention-grabber, you are only partially correct. Let me explain. I recently started leading a new small group. In preparation for the first group gathering, I met my apprentice leader at my favorite Starbucks to go over leadership expectations and to make other preparations. This was all new to him; he had never been a leader, never been in a group, and finished

November 30, 2008

Christian Standard

The Emerging Church and the Stone-Campbell Movement: Some Striking Similarities (Part 2)

By William R. Baker In part one, three surprising similarities between the Stone-Campbell and emerging church movements were observed, discussed under these headings: “Beyond Denominationalism,” “Vintage Christianity,” and “Biblical Christianity””Acts.” This week, four more similarities will be investigated. Local Church Emerging churches emphasize developing ministry and principles based on the community where they are located. This goes with their “missional” emphasis. They are “externally focused” on incarnating the gospel to the people in their community in creative and fresh ways.1 But in doing so, they also embrace an approach that mobilizes and equips every member of the believing body to

November 30, 2008

Christian Standard

The Difference Advent Makes

By Robert Hull It is 7:00 a.m. on a Thursday in mid-December. A dozen people are sitting quietly, watching the morning come up outside the church windows. Dark clouds are scudding over Buffalo Mountain, backlit now by a rising, rosy glow. Two candles burn on the Advent wreath.  The leader intones, “Our King and Savior now draws near. Come, let us adore him.” Advent prayers have begun. During the 15 minutes before we all hustle off to work or school, we will confess our sins, hear a Psalm, a text from the prophets, and a Gospel reading; we will say

November 30, 2008

Christian Standard

Form Without Substance?

By James Riley Estep Jr. “Why didn”t I ever hear about this in church?” he asked. I sat there at lunch a little perplexed.  I was a first-year youth minister, and Matt was a freshman at a nearby state university. We had met the previous summer when I became the youth minister, but with the arrival of fall he moved to the nearby campus and started attending classes. One of these classes was “Introduction to Religion,” wherein he learned much about Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism . . . and of Christianity in a way he had never heard. He said,

November 30, 2008

Christian Standard

More Than Fun and Games

By Ben Walker Christian college was extremely enriching, but after three years in the holy huddle, I was champing at the bit at the prospect of reengaging the world. I was excited to step into my first evening class at the secular university I had transferred to, a class from the world religions department that promised an engrossing ideological tour of Buddhism in Southeast Asia.  The professor opened that first class by asking, “Why are you here? Let”s go around the room and share our interest in this topic.” The first student responded by saying he”d been raised Catholic but

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

The Emerging Church and the Stone-Campbell Movement: Some Striking Similarities (Part 1)

By William R. Baker See the Sidebar: “The Emerging Church: A Brief History and Helpful Resources”     "Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures," say Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger.1 We might wonder, From what are these churches emerging? Simply stated, they are emerging from a modern world to a postmodern world.2    Yet, thinkers about the emerging church also want to place this mantra of “emerging” on the church generally in the past, present, and future.3 Thus, in the New Testament writings of Paul, we see the Greco-Roman church “emerge” from the

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

The Emerging Church: A Brief History and Helpful Resources

By William R. Baker See the Main Article: “The Emerging Church and the Stone-Campbell Movement: Some Striking Similarities (Part 1)”     What is now dubbed the emerging church began with a few prominent, young, evangelical church leaders in the early 1990s who became disenchanted with the megachurches with which they were involved. It has grown now to an expanding network of mature, culturally savvy church leaders and thinkers who minister with congregations, mostly in large cities.  These leaders are attempting to embody the gospel within the challenges of a postmodern world. The crisis these leaders were experiencing, it turns

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

Only One Life

By Charliece Fierbaugh See the Sidebar: “What Was the Congo Massacre?”   “Only one life “˜twill soon be past, Only what”s done for Christ will last.”   These words, engraved on a plaque that hung on the bedroom wall of Phyllis Rine”s Ohio home, guided her life until her death on November 24, 1964. Shot by insurgent rebels during the Congo Crisis, Rine is remembered as the first female martyr from the Restoration Movement heritage.   A COMMITTED LIFE Born August 15, 1939, Phyllis Rine grew up near Martinsburg, Ohio. In 1957 she dedicated her life to full-time mission work

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

What Was the Congo Massacre?

By Bill Weber See the Main Article: “Only One Life”  In the 1960s the world witnessed the beginning of the end of colonialism in sub-Saharan Africa as one by one countries broke away from European administrative rule. In many of these countries, the transition to a national government was a very painful process. Wars were waged for independence as autonomy was rarely granted freely. The various ethnic groups and political parties of these divided nations vied for control. Conflict with the colonial powers often escalated to violent power struggles within the country. The changing landscape in Africa led to instability

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

The Power of Persistence

By Victor M. Parachin In the 11th century, Henry III, king of Germany, became dissatisfied with court life and the pressures of the monarchy. Unlike many rulers, Henry was a deeply spiritual individual whose faith guided his daily life and rule. Therefore he made a visit to Prior Richard, the leader of a local monastery, asking to be received as a contemplative. His wish, Henry explained, was to spend the rest of his life in the monastery. “Your Majesty,” responded Prior Richard, “do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have

November 16, 2008

Christian Standard

Elders & Ministers: Speaking the Same Language

By Darrel Rowland Does this sound like where your church is today? “I”ve never felt hindered by any of the elder teams I”ve served with.““”Greg Marksberry, 24-year veteran of the ministry now with his third church, Heritage Christian in suburban Atlanta “There is peace, joy, and happiness in the (elders) meetings and in the church.”“”Robin Hart, minister for almost 25 years with Northside Christian near Akron, Ohio “Just as children with two mutually supportive parents gain an extra measure of confidence and security, a church with mutually supportive elders and ministers has a sense of well-being that cannot be fostered

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