December 9, 2007
Organic Community
Joseph R. Myers contrasts rigid “master plan” approaches with “organic order,” urging leaders to shape environments where community can emerge naturally and people can pursue wholeness instead of mere outcomes.
Series: Featured
December 9, 2007
Creating Environments (Southland Christian Church, Lexington, KY)
A review of Organic Community through Southland Christian Church’s experience with life groups, showing how releasing control helped people connect naturally and grow spiritually.
December 9, 2007
Discussing and Discovering Community (Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL)
Jon Zabrocki reviews Joseph Myers’s Organic Community, challenging one-size-fits-all small-group models and urging churches to measure community by shared stories and real-life connection rather than charts and infrastructure.
December 2, 2007
Training Second-Career Ministers: An Introduction
Six graduate-level schools share how they support nontraditional students who feel called to leave a chosen career and enter full-time church service, offering guidance for leaders considering a ministry transition.
December 2, 2007
How Hope International University Is Training Second-Career Ministers
Hope International University’s SALT program partners with local churches to create flexible, accredited five-week online courses. Churches request training topics, Hope designs the course, and an on-site mentor helps apply learning locally.
December 2, 2007
How Johnson Bible College Is Training Second-Career Ministers
Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee offers distance-learning graduate options, including a Master of Arts in New Testament with preaching or elective tracks, plus an on-campus Marriage and Family/Professional Counseling program with supervised clinical experience.
December 2, 2007
How Cincinnati Bible Seminary Is Training Second-Career Ministers
Cincinnati Bible Seminary outlines flexible, accredited training options—from one-night-per-week master’s courses to an Indianapolis extension, online classes, certificate programs, and seminars designed for ministers and church leaders.
December 2, 2007
How Kentucky Christian University Is Training Second-Career Ministers
Kentucky Christian University’s Graduate School offers two 36-hour MA degrees with flexible options for second-career ministry students, including one-week modular and online courses.
December 2, 2007
How Emmanuel School of Religion Is Training Second-Career Ministers
Emmanuel School of Religion is expanding flexible training for second-career ministry students through new institute-based programs, digitally captured seminars, church-based education around the world, and developing online and blended courses.
December 2, 2007
How Lincoln Christian Seminary Is Training Second-Career Ministers
Lincoln Christian Seminary’s 2007 incoming class reflects growing diversity in age and vocational background. Paul Boatman explains how LCS is adapting with flexible scheduling, updated degree paths, and expanding distance education.
December 2, 2007
Older and Wiser: Strutting or Striving7
By Gary Weedman Let”s face it. We live in a culture that exalts youth. Just look at the ads on TV. The only time you see an old person is when he or she is advertising another colored pill that will actually help you “feel young again.” Or, if you use this product, you”ll “look years younger.” Yet, there”s a certain irony, because the population in our nation is aging. The number of Americans 65 and older will double in the next 25 years. By the year 2030 there will be 71 million of us “senior citizens.” That”s one out
November 25, 2007
Praying with Tears
When tragedy strikes, our attention can drift into “looky lou” watching. Jan Johnson invites readers into prayers of lament—joining God’s tears, praying Scripture for the suffering, and even praying for enemies toward mercy and transformation.
He Makes Me Lie Down
After a mild stroke, a senior minister reflects on Psalm 23 and the unexpected gift of being made to rest. A sabbatical, Scripture, and new boundaries reshaped his health, leadership, and pace of ministry.
November 25, 2007
Faith’s Fallowness
Mother Teresa’s private letters reveal spiritual silence alongside decades of prayer and service. This reflection explores doubt, dry seasons, and the perseverance of love when God feels distant.
November 18, 2007
Why I Am an Amillennialist
Robert Lowery explains an amillennial reading of Revelation 20, arguing the “1,000 years” is symbolic and points to the saints’ reign with Christ in heaven, not a future earthly kingdom.
November 18, 2007
Five Books on the Millennium
Robert Lowery introduces three major views of the millennium in Revelation 20 and recommends five reliable resources for studying them with humility, careful interpretation, and an eye toward faithful Christian living.
November 18, 2007
Why I Take a Premillennial View (Longer Version)
Alex V. Wilson explains why he holds a classic premillennial view, clarifies common misunderstandings, and points to Revelation and other passages as support—while urging charity and unity among believers who disagree.
November 18, 2007
Why I Take a Premillennial View (Shorter Version)
Alex V. Wilson explains why he holds a classic (historic) premillennial view, responds to common accusations, and argues that Revelation 19:11—20:6 and related passages best support that framework.
November 11, 2007
Three Stories, One Problem
A sober look at sexual temptation among church leaders—why assumptions of immunity collapse, how secrecy and loose connections enable repeated harm, and why true restoration requires time, accountability, and deep character formation.
November 11, 2007
The Secret That Must Be Told
By Faith Ingraham I have lived with a secret for the majority of my life. Many others are living with the same secret and they, like me, are suffering from the damage and pain it causes. I was born into a pastor”s home, the sixth of nine children and the only girl. We attended church regularly and seemed to be the normal pastor”s family. My mother worked full-time as a secretary to support the large family. My father pastored several small churches. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was 5 years old. I wanted to please God,
