Series: Featured

April 20, 2008

Christian Standard

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 13, 2008

Christian Standard

How Healthy Are Our Megachurches? (An Introduction)

By Staff This year, CHRISTIAN STANDARD“s annual megachurch issue is bigger than ever. We offer you more pages, more information, more analysis, and a more complete picture of what”s happening in our megachurches. We include several indicators of how healthy our megachurches are as a whole. We review a book that dispels several myths about megachurches. And we interview the gatherer and analyzer of most of this information, Kent Fillinger. Kent, who serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting in Indianapolis, Indiana, compiled and wrote most of the articles in this issue, along with Ben Simms, research consultant with 3:STRANDS. They

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

The Best Indicator of Church Growth

By Kent Fillinger Typically when we measure success in the church, we count nickels and noses””how much money is given and what is the total attendance””but the best indicator of church growth and health is the baptism ratio. Baptisms are the best indicator of health because baptisms measure whether churches are reaching the lost versus just moving believers around.1 A U.S. Congregational Life Survey found that just 7 percent of new attendees are formally unchurched.2 MEGACHURCH BAPTISMS The total number of baptisms for all 113 churches in 2007 was 19,107 (down 1,234 from 2006, a 6 percent decline). A more

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

MEGACHURCHES: The 2007 List

Staff/Ben Simms Another emerging megachurch has been added to our annual list of megachurches and emerging megachurches, which is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. That brings to 114 the total number of churches listed as megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance) or emerging megachurches (those with average attendance of 1,000 to 1,999) during 2007. The most recent addition is Northside Christian Church, Yorktown, VA, which averaged 1,062 people in weekend worship during 2007. Northside”s Easter attendance was 1,782; there were 49 baptisms during the year. The senior minister is Larry Jones. Northside”s Web site is www.northsidecc.org. (An e-mail

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

And They Met Every Day (Almost)

By Kent Fillinger Somewhere in America, a worship gathering in one of the megachurches and emerging megachurches can currently be found on every day of the week except Thursday. Worship services are no longer reserved for Sunday, although every church listed still offers at least one Sunday worship experience. In an attempt to see “the Lord add to their number daily those who are being saved,” the megachurches and emerging megachurches have explored offering services on alternative and multiple days of the week, and by using a variety of worship styles and venues to reach the lost in their communities.

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

By the Numbers (Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches)

By Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms WHAT IS “AVERAGE”? The 52 megachurches” average size: 4,019 The 61 emerging megachurches” average size: 1,441 All 113 churches average size: 2,628 Total attendance of all 113 churches on an average weekend: 296,926 Total attendance for Easter 2007: 486,677 Total baptisms for all of 2007: 19,107 STATE BY STATE Number of churches reported in each state: 17″”Indiana 11″”California, Ohio 8″”Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky 6″”Florida 5″”Colorado, Texas 4″”Missouri, Nevada 3″”Idaho, Kansas, North Carolina, Washington 2″”Georgia, Oregon, Wisconsin 1″”Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia 26 states have a megachurch listed FASTEST GROWING Fastest-Growing Churches

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Multisite Momentum

By Kent Fillinger The second coming of the megachurch appears to be the multisite movement””or perhaps the next generation of multisite ministry arrived before you were even introduced to the original version. Dave Ferguson, lead pastor of Community Christian (Naperville, Illinois), is an often quoted and passionate proponent of multisite ministry. He introduced a new concept””the “polysite church”””in an article in the February 24 Christian Standard. He described the polysite church as the next wave in church reproduction. A recent article in Rev! magazine titled “Mega, Schmega” (March/April 2008) described multisite ministry as the answer for the future church. Some

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

“And the Award Goes to . . . “

By Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms The CEO Award (The church with the greatest percentage attendance increase for Christmas and Easter combined) Emerging Megachurch: Mountainview Community Christian (Highlands Ranch, CO): 124% increase over average attendance Megachurch: Crossroads Christian (Evansville, IN): 104% increase over average attendance The Energizer Bunny Award (The senior minister who has served in his current position the longest) Emerging Megachurch: John Russell (37 years/started 1970)””Lakeside Christian (Lakeside Prairie, KY) Megachurch: L.D. Campbell (35 years/started 1972)””First Church of Christ (Burlington, KY) The “Play It Again Sam” Award (The church with the most weekly worship services) Emerging Megachurch: Tomoka

April 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Ministry Innovations and Changes

By Kent Fillinger and Ben Simms Representatives of megachurches and emerging megachurches were asked to respond to two questions about ministries and programming at their churches. Here is a sampling of their responses: What is one new ministry the church has launched in the last two years that has had significant impact on the church”s growth? Emerging Megachurches: Food distribution in local elementary school in conjunction with the Food Bank and The Center for People in Need has involved more than 100 people in service. Worship services other than Sunday morning. Hiring of Hispanic pastor and starting two Hispanic services.

April 6, 2008

Christian Standard

When Our Prayer Requests Are Not Granted (Part 2)

Read Part 1 of this article. ____________ By H. Lynn Gardner God does not grant every prayer request made by believers. Scripture explains why in some cases this is so. In other cases, however, the reason is not readily apparent. When our heavenly Father does not grant our request it should drive us closer to him rather than farther away from him.   Why Some Requests Are Not Granted James says, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:2, 3).1 God

April 6, 2008

Christian Standard

Public Prayer

By Orrin Root Prayer is the soul”s sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed; The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. Such is the classic definition by a poet whose own experience of prayer must have been deep and wide. When one knows God, every feeling of elation is praise, every joy is thanksgiving, every need or yearning is petition, and all these are encompassed in prayer. Public prayer, however, is at once more and less than this. It is more because it lifts to the skies the praise and yearning of a dozen or a hundred or

April 6, 2008

Christian Standard

Turn Up the Quiet (How I Learned to Enjoy Solitude)

By Jan Johnson READ THE SIDEBAR: “What Am I Likely to Hear?”     Being spiritual was the last thing on my mind. I needed to vary my workout routine, so I began an arm-swinging aerobic walk in our housing tract. But my daughter was embarrassed to have Mom turning the corner in faded pink shorts, so I retreated to a lonely canyon road, cluttered with garbage and swathed in mud. Dodging gravel trucks, vulnerable to the heat, and miles away from complex thoughts, I found myself alone with God. God showed up in everything around me. The tumbleweeds at

April 6, 2008

Christian Standard

What Am I Likely to Hear?

By Jan Johnson READ THE MAIN STORY: “Turn Up the Quiet”     While the first step in hearing God is to clear out the voices that are NOT God, the next step is to have in mind the kinds of things God is likely to say””because God has said these things to people before! What God says to us today will agree with what God said to folks in the Bible. Here are some of God”s themes. Love. The most common theme in both Testaments is the great commandments to love God and to love others (Matthew 22:37-39; Deuteronomy

April 6, 2008

Christian Standard

They”ll Know We Are Christians by Our Vote

By Mandy Smith When church historians look back on the 1990s, they”ll undoubtedly refer to the “worship war” years. But what will they call our current age? My guess is that when discussing the first decades of the 21st century, historians will talk about “The God Gap.” The worship war looked like a discussion about instruments and songs, but it really swung on, “How much can we allow culture to affect our church experience and the expression of our faith?” Today, the collision of faith and culture continues in new arenas. And as if faith isn”t a hot enough topic

March 30, 2008

Christian Standard

Are You a Prayer Warrior or a Prayer Wimp?

By Victor M. Parachin In December 1944 the atmosphere was tense at U.S. Third Army headquarters in France, recalls George Metcalf, a chaplain in Gen. George S. Patton”s army. At a time when the Allies sensed victory was within reach, Hitler launched a surprise attack of 25 armored divisions through the Ardennes region in Belgium. During what would become known as the Battle of the Bulge, thousands of Nazi troops and tanks advanced relentlessly through Allied lines, creating havoc and confusion. Complicating matters was the inclement weather. It had been snowing for days and a heavy fog descended on the

March 30, 2008

Christian Standard

Living with Poor People Changed Me

By Greg Taylor Living seven years in poverty in Uganda changed my life. We didn”t make a lot of money by American standards””$27,500 annually””but we were rich compared to our Ugandan neighbors who live on less than $2 a day. We had 30 times more money than our Ugandan friends! They seemed to think we had a bottomless bucket of money, and we soon realized they viewed our wealth as we might look at that of Bill Gates. Some wondered why we couldn”t always help them with medical problems, school expenses, or a good business idea that needed funding. Incredible

March 30, 2008

Christian Standard

When Our Prayer Requests Are Not Granted (Part 1)

By H. Lynn Gardner When I faced the real likelihood of death because of my pulmonary fibrosis, a minister told me his church had seen many healed because of prayer. He told me they would pray for me and I would be healed. Nevertheless, I did not find healing until I received a double-lung transplant.   People prayed for our son Mark”s safety, yet a truck accident claimed his life. Why doesn”t God grant some of our prayer requests? Job struggled with this issue. God”s silence led him to ask in frustration, “What profit do we get if we pray

March 30, 2008

Christian Standard

A Simple Prayer

By Jim Herbst A few years ago it was the beginning of what I now call “the human hunting season” in our neighborhood. As temperatures rise in the spring, criminal activity and turf battles also heat up. The warm spring nights are pierced with gunfire. I lay in bed during this annual cycle with tears at our church”s inability to make much of a difference. I learned a simple and often repeated prayer: “Help!” I”ve prayed that prayer in bed, in daily devotions, with fasting, on my knees, flat on my face, driving, on the church”s balcony, on the church”s

March 23, 2008

Christian Standard

Haven”t You Been There?

By Russel L. Jarvis Haven”t you been there? You arrive assuming the meeting will be a time for discussion, the sharing of views, and working toward consensus. But you soon realize the decision has already been made. The meeting is merely a formality. The verdict was rendered long before the appointed hour arrived. Haven”t you been there? You have seen good intentions supplanted by ulterior motives. You have watched openness go unappreciated by hidden agendas. However urgent or worthy the topic of discussion, it was lost as men and women vied for power. “”˜If you are the Christ,” they said,

March 23, 2008

Christian Standard

How to Maximize Your Power of Love

By Victor M. Parachin One day in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a car was stolen. As the thieves began stripping the vehicle they came across papers identifying the owner as Fred Rogers, host of the children”s television program Mr. Rogers” Neighborhood. They quickly reassembled the car, cleaned and vacuumed it, and returned it with this handwritten note of apology under the wiper: “We”re sorry. We didn”t know it was your car.” Who else could have had such an effect on a group of thieves? What was it about Fred Rogers that could make criminals reconsider their actions? What did those thieves see

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