Series: Featured

Worship Worship & Prayer

Tune Up the E-String

By John A. Snyder Â 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

May 18, 2008

Mission & Evangelism

Unusual Conversions

By Ben Merold Those who work in evangelism rarely suffer from boredom. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit brings many surprises to the one who sets about to bring people to Jesus Christ. In my 59 years of evangelistic work, I have witnessed many unusual conversions. I will not go into great detail but I do want to tell you about several experiences that were surprising to me. Climbing a Pole I was conducting revival services in a small Midwestern city and calling on prospective converts with the local preacher. We stopped to talk to a man working on

May 11, 2008

CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: The Woman at the Well May Be at Starbucks

By Bill McClure My brother was once a professional Pacific Ocean fisherman. I vividly remember the times we were out in his boat looking for increasingly hard-to-find salmon. It was so windy one time I could barely stand straight and had to hold on to avoid falling overboard. Another time, in spite of over-the-counter remedies, I got really seasick. I also recall the time we went far from shore””even losing sight of land””and the fog became so dense we navigated using only the radar gear on board. It dawned on me later: we had taken some major risks. Why would

May 11, 2008

CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Near the Gates of Hell

By Bill McClure Today, in the United States and around the world, “church” is where you find it: storefronts, hotels, theaters, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops””almost anywhere in addition to the more traditional church buildings. One of the most unusual locations is in a former Cambodian brothel””a structure used in the much-publicized child exploitation, commercial sex area of Phnom Penh. With God”s blessings, that storefront is being used to bring the light of Jesus Christ into the very darkest parts of the Cambodian capital. Now a new church meets there. No Choice Svay Pak is a down-at-the-heels area at the edge

May 11, 2008

CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Planting a Workplace Church in China

By Janet C. Smith In September 2004, Maya Morgan left the United States to take an engineering position at an American company”s Chinese manufacturing facility. By January 2005, this intelligent and hard-working young woman, by God”s grace and her own initiative, had taken the first steps toward planting a small church of Chinese nationals within the company walls, and with the full knowledge and consent of her American boss in China. That”s the short version of this remarkable story that began several years earlier in the Marketplace Ministries division of Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Background In the

May 11, 2008

CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Church! Blur the Lines

By Brad Canning “Blur the lines between church and community.” Those words were uttered a few hours past midnight as we crafted a vision statement for a church that could become a reality. From the beginning of Church! Of Park Slope, that statement has significantly impacted the way our team views this new church in Brooklyn, New York. We are the kingdom of God in our neighborhood. We have tried to move beyond defining “church” as a building with pews or as a place where people worship on Sunday. The church is a group of Jesus followers who go into

May 11, 2008

Giving & Fundraising Stewardship & Generosity

Second Thoughts About Mission Giving

By Sam E. Stone As Joan Rivers used to ask, “Can we talk?” We have some issues in Restoration Movement churches that need to be discussed. Many worthy missionaries and church-related organizations who have received generous gifts through the mission giving of local churches are facing serious challenges. Over the years I”ve talked with many missionary leaders around the world. They know more about the subject than I do””but it wouldn”t be prudent for one of them to write this article. You might dismiss their comments by simply declaring, “Well, they have a vested interest in this.” I don”t. But

May 4, 2008

Understanding the Externally Focused Movement

By Krista Petty, Eric Swanson, and Rick Rusaw Just a few years ago, a Google search for “externally focused church” found nothing. But today that search yields tens of thousand of references. What does it mean to be externally focused? In their book The Externally Focused Church, Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson offer this description: Externally focused churches are inwardly strong but outwardly focused. They integrate good deeds and good news into the life of the church. They value impact and influence in the community more than attendance. They seek to be salt, light, and leaven in the community. They

May 4, 2008

Making an Impact

By Michael Brown Externally focused churches ask, “If our church were not here, would we be missed in the community?” I”ve taken this to a personal level and asked myself, “If I were to leave the community today, would anyone notice?” The question helps me realize how many actual relationships I do or do not have outside of the church. It”s easy for ministers and other church leaders to get caught up in lesson writing, counseling, strategic planning, and other “church work,” only to miss what is going on in the lives of people around us. Three key elements have

May 4, 2008

The Biblical Basis for Externally Focused Ministry

By Eric Swanson If you look long enough, you can find a “biblical basis” for almost anything. That”s what my friends and I discovered years ago when I was in college. We entertained ourselves by finding obscure passages to justify a wide and wild set of behaviors. (All of these are from the New American Standard Bible, my version of choice back then): “¢ Not wearing sweatshirts: “They shall not gird themselves with anything which makes them sweat” (Ezekiel 44:18). “¢ Sleeping in church: “I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of

May 4, 2008

Connecting Good Deeds and Good News

By Rick Rusaw Remember the popular WWJD wristbands? The phrase was meant to help people stop and ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” before making a choice or decision. I think WDJD, “What did Jesus do?” is a better question to ask. The Bible gives a full account of Jesus and what he did: He “came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus came as a Savior, and he also told his followers he came to serve. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as

May 4, 2008

Church Life

The Church: A Place to Belong

By Jud Wilhite “What do you do in Vegas?” the waitress in Virginia asked me. “I”m a pastor at a church,” I said. “No you aren”t,” she fired back. “Yes, I am,” I replied. “No, you aren”t,” she said matter-of-factly. “There are no churches in Las Vegas.” Her certainty was absolute. After five minutes I gave up trying to convince her that churches can and do exist in unlikely places and minister to unlikely people. Her perception of the church just could not make room for Vegas. When you hear the word church, what comes to your mind? Do you

April 27, 2008

Campus Ministry Church & Ministry

Engaging the University

By Buzz Roberts What is going through the minds of today”s college students? What motivates them? What has been their experience with the church and fellow Christians? If we could hear their thoughts, what would they reveal? In recent conversations with collegians about God, Jesus, and Christianity, I heard the following: –Â “Jesus was a good person.” — “I don”t believe in God.” — “I”m not sure if God exists.” — “Christians are hypocrites.” — “I”ve had a bad church experience””I”m not going back.” David Kinnemen and Gabe Lyons share insight into the hearts and minds of students in their new

April 27, 2008

Care & Counseling Trauma

Recovery at Virginia Tech

By Steve Wilkin The Virginia Tech community just observed “A Day of Remembrance” on the one-year anniversary of the tragic shootings that shook the campus and the nation April 16, 2007. Classes were canceled all day so people could attend the University Commemoration, candlelight vigil, and numerous smaller gatherings planned by various groups to help us grieve our loss in healthy ways. News coverage of this landmark anniversary has prompted many across the nation to reflect on the events of that blustery, terrible day last spring. How could such an event happen?” As much as I loathe it, still I

April 27, 2008

Campus Ministry Church & Ministry

The World at Our Doorstep

By Sheree Shih I grew up in Taiwan, thousands of miles from where I am now . . . both geographically and spiritually. After finishing college in Taiwan, I was accepted as a graduate student at the same school. As I was checking out the school Web site, I noticed an exchange student program with Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, U.S.A. I convinced my parents to let me take advantage of this golden opportunity by telling them it would be the most economical way of studying overseas. ACQUAINTED WITH CHRISTIANS The application process went well, and I came to

April 20, 2008

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Leading Men

By Jennifer Taylor You know the statistics: fewer men are going to church. And although the most urgent concern is helping those men meet Jesus, churches also face a second problem: if men aren’t attending church, they’re definitely not leading the church. Even men who do attend may remain spiritually immature; many lack role models, biblical knowledge, and awareness of leadership expectations. Three churches are creating and adapting programs to reverse these trends and build groups of men equipped for service as husbands, fathers, teachers, and even elders. From ornery middle school boys to retired business executives, these congregations disciple,

April 20, 2008

Church & Ministry Youth & Children's Ministry

Why Bible Bowl?

By Gayle Gresham On the surface, Bible Bowl appears to be a simple quiz game requiring good memorization skills and speed in answering questions, but those who participate in Bible Bowl will tell you there is much more to Bible Bowl than the game. “Students involved in Bible Bowl acquire a vast amount of Bible knowledge they can apply to their lives as they mature in their Christian walk,” says Bret Talley, National Bible Bowl director. “The knowledge, experience, friendships, and spiritual growth they gain through Bible Bowl is something they will carry with them throughout their adult lives.” Knowledge

April 20, 2008

Church & Ministry Youth & Children's Ministry

A Senior Minister”s View of Bible Bowl

By Dale Harlow After graduating from Bible college, I had two goals for ministry. The first, and I believe most important, was to help lost people find Jesus. The second was to help Christian people grow in their walk with the Lord through prayer, Bible study, and worship. Twenty-four years later, those goals have not changed. BIBLE STUDY IS JUST THE BEGINNING My first experience in full-time ministry was in a youth ministry position. In my efforts to find a way to encourage youth to study the Bible, I became involved in the Bible Bowl program. To this day I

April 20, 2008