Series: Featured

June 15, 2008

Christian Standard

We”ve All Been Blessed by Their Faithfulness

By John Samples This article mentions a photograph that appeared in publications that subscribe to the services of the Associated Press. While CHRISTIAN STANDARD purchased the rights to run the photo run with this article in our printed version, we do not have permission to post the image with the online version of this article. According to the old adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” However, here is one picture worth several thousand words. It is a picture of seven siblings who have attained at least 50 years of marriage. The two brothers and five sisters pictured have

June 15, 2008

Christian Standard

Evangelism Is Natural Church

By David Bycroft A city dweller finally had enough of big-city life and decided to move his family to the country. He had also become enamored with lambs, so he decided to start raising sheep. He purchased six ewes, each with baby lambs, from a neighbor and began enjoying farm life. After a year went by and the lambs were fully grown, he began wondering why no new lambs had been born. He went back to the neighbor from whom he had purchased his small flock and asked him about it. His neighbor asked when the ram had been put

June 15, 2008

Christian Standard

Elders: The Church”s Lead Caregivers

By Knofel Staton Year of the Elder What is an elder supposed to do? As a part of our 2008 Year of the Elder features, we”re looking at this question from two angles. This week, New Testament scholar and popular teacher Knofel Staton offers practical answers from a thorough Bible study. Next week, Arron Chambers shares answers to the question from hundreds of elders he surveyed earlier this year. The New Testament designates church elders with two different Greek words. Presbuteros was normally used to identify an older person (such as in John 3:4, 21:18; Acts 2:17; 1 Timothy 5:1;

June 15, 2008

Christian Standard

I Can Still Hear His “˜Hallelujah!”

By Ben Cachiaras I recently heard a man explaining the origin of the word hallelujah, and it instantly triggered a powerful memory of my Grandpa Cachiaras. Hallelujah! That was his word. When I was little I thought he made it up. I thought he owned it. He would say it, shout it, and sing it all the time. He was a character. Anyone who passed through the halls of Minnesota Bible College between the years of 1919 and 1983 will tell you that. They heard him sing “Hallelujah” out loud, frequently””in the halls, in class, across the campus. He was

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Good to Great Groups

By Michael C. Mack READ THE SIDEBAR: “God’s Word on Great Shepherds” READ THE SIDEBAR: “Great Small Groups Need Shepherds” Good small groups are the enemy of great small groups. Jim Collins opens Good to Great (HarperCollins, 2001) with similar words: “Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great.” God promises to make us into something great (i.e., Genesis 12:2). Yet countless small groups settle for good. They acquiesce to ordinary and adequate rather than pursuing an abundant, transformational ministry. In his book The Relational Way,

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

God’s Word on Great Shepherds

By Michael C. Mack READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Good to Great Groups” READ THE SIDEBAR: “Great Small Groups Need Shepherds” God”s Word is rich in its discussion about shepherding. Here are just a few passages that describe the great shepherd-leader”s role. “Be shepherds of God”s flock that is under your care” (1 Peter 5:2). The apostle Peter addressed his appeal to elders in the first-century church. These leaders were called to shepherd the groups in a particular city or churches that met in specific homes. This passage also applies to what small group leaders are called to do in today”s

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Great Small Groups Need Shepherds

By Michael C. Mack READ THE MAIN ARTICLE: “Good to Great Groups” READ THE SIDEBAR: “God’s Word on Great Shepherds”     Great small groups require great leaders, and great small group leaders are shepherds””spiritual guides for the group God has entrusted to their care. But not everyone believes that. To get more people into small groups, some churches are launching hundreds of groups at a time with “facilitators” or “hosts” rather than shepherd-leaders. An attitude of “anyone will do” prevails today when looking for people to start new groups. Some churches use slogans such as “If you have a

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Light on Our Path

By Diane Stortz Wondering what your small group should study next, or how to help group members truly connect? Looking for material to inspire the small group leaders at your church? Rather than choosing a study based on the Bible, how about reading through the Bible itself? On the first Monday night of 2000, I sat with 16 other women in the living room of Beth Neuenschwander, coleader of a newly forming group at LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. “We”re here to get to know God by reading through the Bible in a year,” Beth said. “We”ll read about

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Small Group Resources that Make a Big Impact

By Dale Reeves There is more than small talk today about small groups. There are churches with groups, churches composed of groups, and churches that are groups (i.e., the house church movement). In his book Creating Community, lead pastor Andy Stanley says of Northpoint Community Church, “Small groups are not an appendage to our ministry; they are our ministry. We think groups. We are driven by groups.” According to The Barna Group, approximately 11 million people, or 55 percent of America”s 20 million evangelicals, participate in some kind of small group each week. More than two-thirds of American churches use

June 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Reimagining Youth Ministry

By Curtis Booher and Phyllis Fox It”s time to reimagine youth ministry in our churches. An increasing number of church leaders recognize the need to go beyond a youth ministry based on forming relationships with teens as the model of success. We propose a new movement using an old model of getting teens fully integrated into the life of the church. One reason for this growing need for change is the large number of students who disconnect from the church after graduating from high school. In the best-case scenarios, many of these students found their church”s youth ministry to be

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

One Church

TAKE THE QUIZ: “What Do You Know About the Declaration and Address“ By Victor Knowles Thomas Campbell stood at the rail of the ship and breathed deeply of the invigorating ocean breeze. He was leaving his beloved Ireland and setting sail for America. Perhaps there his health would improve. Perhaps there the religious air would be healthier too””free from the strife and division that had troubled him so in the Seceder Presbyterian Church. Upon his arrival in America in 1807, the 44-year-old minister was appointed to preach in western Pennsylvania by the American counterpart of the anti-Burgher Seceder Presbyterian Church.

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

What Do You Know About the Declaration and Address?

By Victor Knowles Read the main article, “One Body,” by Victor Knowles.       1. The Declaration and Address was written by: a. Alexander Campbell b. Thomas Campbell c. Benjamin Franklin d. Walter Scott e. Barton W. Stone 2. The Declaration and Address was published in the year: a. 1793 b. 1801 c. 1809 d. 1866 e. 1906 3. The Declaration and Address was largely a: a. Pattern for organizing New Testament churches b. Call to secede from the Union c. Primer on hermeneutics d. Document advocating Christian unity e. Treatise on instrumental music 4. Arguably the most memorable

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

Up a Creek . . . with a Paddle-Wheeler!

By Terry O’Casey In June 1908, missionaries Royal Dye, MD, and his wife, Eva, captivated Oregon with tales of adventure in the Congo. But no trains reached the deepest realms in the African nation where they wanted yet to share the gospel. No roads could penetrate the crocodile-infested swamps. Handmade, arm-powered dugouts were the only means of getting hundreds of miles upriver. The Dyes made a simple request at the 56th Oregon Christian Convention. The request was so great it was bound to fail . . . unless God be in it. Dr. Dye opened the morning session: “We need

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

Learning the ABC”s

By Brad Dupray Everyone”s heard the complaint: “All the church ever talks about is money.” That perception has gotten the best of many preachers. As a result they have shied away from talking about money because they don”t want to be guilty of overplaying the issue. How does a preacher face a congregation and encourage them to give money to the church without at least a little concern that it seems self-serving? Greg Nettle, senior pastor of RiverTree Christian Church in Massillon, Ohio, wrestled with that conflict. Nettle felt when he preached about “stewardship” there was too much focus on

June 1, 2008

Christian Standard

You Can Cope with Change

By John Derry Recently my wife and I visited three different congregations, each occupying beautiful historic buildings. The stained-glass windows were breathtaking; each sanctuary would be a perfect setting for a formal wedding. The pipe organs were magnificent and filled the room with majestic music in praise of God. The high ceilings and ornate symbolic architecture created a sense of awe and an atmosphere conducive to worship. On a very small scale, standing in such buildings offered a hint of what it might have been like to enter Solomon”s temple. At one time hundreds of church members filled these buildings,

May 25, 2008

Christian Standard

Friends in Need: Preventing Homelessness Before It Starts

By Jan Johnson Carol could never catch up financially. Before she could pay for rent, food, and child care, her purse was empty. As we became friends, I often found her staring into an empty refrigerator and crying over her broken marriage. She was a teacher, but she didn”t manage money well and she was too devastated by her divorce to care. In the summer, she taught summer school, but when it was over in July, she couldn”t find a temporary job that coordinated with child care and bus schedules. I tried to help. I paid her to watch my

May 25, 2008

Christian Standard

Reclaiming Joy in Daily Life

By Victor M. Parachin While running errands one day, Kimberly Kirberger passed two teenagers holding a car wash sign. Her car was dirty, so she pulled over. While waiting in line, Kirberger was curious what motivated nearly 50 teenagers to devote an entire Saturday to washing cars. After her car was washed, she handed the teens a 20-dollar bill and asked what they were raising money for. They explained that a friend of theirs””C.T. Schmitz””had recently died of cancer. He was 15 years old, 6-feet-2, and had a lot of friends, all of whom described him as a “boy sweeter

May 25, 2008

Christian Standard

Spiritual Seismic Shifts Are Changing Our World

By Dave Ferguson “We don”t know exactly when, but we do know the earthquake is coming.” That is what seismologists who study our shifting earth are saying about impending catastrophic earthquakes. These experts can now tell us with absolute certainty where earthquakes will happen, but they don”t know exactly when. They have even created a list of the world”s most earthquake-vulnerable cities. At the top of the list is Kathmandu, Nepal, where they predict a 6.0-magnitude earthquake will occur and could kill approximately 69,000 people. Also on the hit list is Manila, Philippines, where a quake that will register close

May 25, 2008

Christian Standard

Ministries Offering Help and Hope to Those in Need

By Jennifer Taylor Many churches feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and help the poor””so many, in fact, no article could list them all! Here are eight ministries making a difference around the country.       Building Better Communities””New Orleans, Louisiana When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Building Better Communities””a nonprofit organization founded by Journey Christian Church””already served the homeless and poor with clothing, hot meals, and worship services. Since then, “BBC has come a long way,” says Tim Martin, the executive director. “[We] now provide a comprehensive community-based ministry to people in east New Orleans with plans for

May 18, 2008

Christian Standard

Tune Up the E-String

By John A. Snyder   I"ll never forget a session of the North American Christian Convention held in Indianapolis a number of years ago. The speaker was the senior minister of a large and growing congregation in the Indianapolis area. In his message he said, "The E-string on my violin is evangelism."Â  That line has stuck with me through the years. What does the church need today? What will get the church moving and growing? We need to tune up the E-string. We need to make the main thing (winning the lost) the main thing. There are people in every

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