Series: Featured

July 15, 2020

Ryan Akers

Good News for ‘Every Nation’

After 63 years training leaders abroad, TCM is now developing effective workers for disciple-making movements through U.S. Cohorts TCM’s initials have stayed the same since its founding in 1957, even as the words those letters represent have continued to change (from “Toronto Christian Mission” to “Taking Christ to Millions” to “Training Christians for Ministry”). TCM has discipled and trained international Christian leaders primarily at and through its TCM International Institute facilities at Haus Edelweiss in Austria, a property it purchased in 1971. Making a Difference in the U.S.  Until recently, TCM’s focus has exclusively been directed toward other parts of

July 15, 2020

Terry Allcorn

Who Will Send Them?

Each generation has been rightly concerned about passing along their faith to the next generation. David referenced the generation-to-generation process in Psalm 145. Mary sang of how the mercy of the Savior would extend to all generations in Luke 1. Paul proclaimed that God would be glorified through the church and in Jesus “throughout all generations” in Ephesians 3. Preachers and preaching play a central role in spreading the gospel globally and generationally. As more preachers proclaim salvation through the blood of Jesus, the broader the message spreads cross-culturally and the longer the message extends cross-generationally. This underscores the key

July 15, 2020

Ken Idleman

7 Practical Guidelines When Hiring a Young Leader

The late Donald McGavran, respected missiologist and founding dean of the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary, identified five kinds of leaders the church must have to thrive locally and have impact globally:  1. Volunteer leaders who focus inward: unpaid leaders who focus their gifts for service on the internal health and growth of the local church body. (Biblical examples: Priscilla and Aquila, Dorcas) 2. Volunteer leaders who focus outward: unpaid leaders who focus their evangelistic passion on the lost and unchurched in the larger unreached community. (Stephen, Philip) 3. Bivocational: leaders who are mostly or entirely self-supporting in order to launch or

June 14, 2020

Rusty Russell

Church & State: Our Relationship with Governing Authorities and How We Respond to Their Commands

(An earlier version of this article was posted at our website in April. This is the version that appeared in our July 2020 print edition.) By Rusty Russell Should we have canceled church during the COVID-19 pandemic? What if the virus rebounds and we are asked to cancel again? What if there’s a less serious pandemic in the future? Will we be asked to cancel the next time there’s a flu outbreak? I was discouraged by how many Christians—even church leaders—quickly made judgments about church closings based on whether they watch Fox News or CNN rather than what God would

June 14, 2020

Bob Russell

The Impact of Politics on the Church

By Bob Russell Imagine that a godly couple unexpectedly inherits $10 million. How should they react? Their first response should be one of deep gratitude both to the benefactor and to God, the giver of every good gift. There should also be an overwhelming sense of responsibility to be wise stewards and not squander their fortune. Unearned wealth could spoil their kids or destroy their faith if unprepared, so they need to train their children to be sensible money managers. The Bible says, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians

June 14, 2020

Dudley Rutherford

Pastoring a Church in a Diverse, Left-Leaning State: Three Principles That Guide Us

By Dudley Rutherford It’s no secret that California, where I live and pastor, is a blue state when it comes to the voting majority. However, not everyone leans to the left. Here you’ll find not only Democrats, but also Republicans, independents, and everything in between. Our church, Shepherd Church, is located in Southern California and is a reflection of our city’s great diversity. When I stand up to preach each weekend, we have people from every political persuasion, race, socioeconomic status, and background sitting in the audience of our worship center. Unlike many other churches across the country, every political

June 14, 2020

Bob McEwen

A Plea to Fellow Christians: Don’t Withdraw from Political Engagement!

By Bob McEwen Is it true that righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people? Is it true that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people mourn? Is it true that blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord? If Scripture is not true, then Christian involvement doesn’t matter. However, if Scripture is true, then anyone with a heart for the hurting will want to follow its admonition to pursue righteousness. Where can one go for righteous counsel and biblical answers to personal, family, and national

June 14, 2020

Mark E. Moore

Did Jesus Engage in Political Debate?

By Mark E. Moore Did Jesus engage in political debate? Well, that depends on your definition of political. I’m not trying to be clever or coy, just clear (an attribute desperately lacking in modern political debate). The word political comes from the Greek word politeuomai which means “to live as a citizen” (Acts 23:1; Philippians 1:27). It had to do with social engagement in the public sphere. According to this technical definition, to be political, Jesus would have to meet these four criteria: (a) Be a public figure—his ideas or vision would need to be declared publicly rather than merely

June 14, 2020

Jim Nieman

Politics in Print

A Review of Christian Standard’s Coverage of U.S. Presidents Since 1866 By Jim Nieman Has Christian Standard’s coverage of politics been slanted during its 154-year history? Undoubtedly. The readership of a Christian journal would demand nothing less. The better question might be: Has Christian Standard’s coverage of politics been fair? We certainly hope so . . . but when you root through more than 7,500 issues of a magazine, you’re bound to find at least a few items that give you pause. When asked to examine the magazine’s treatment of politics since 1866, I decided for expediency’s sake to focus

June 14, 2020

Ben Cachiaras

The Separation of Church and Hate

What are you bringing to the political fire? By Ben Cachiaras Our nation is polarized politically. It seems everyone is politicked off. The flames of strife, disagreement, and contentiousness are burning everywhere, and each of us has a choice in how we respond. In one hand you hold a can of gasoline.It’s obvious what happens when you pour gas on a fire. The fire explodes, destruction follows, people are hurt. In your other hand is a bucket filled with water. Pour the water on a flame and you hear that defusing sound: tsssss. The bucket contains the Spirit’s calming waters

June 14, 2020

Steve Carr

Sex, Religion, & Politics

Learning from Our Restoration History—and the Civil War—How to Fight Well By Steve Carr An adage suggests there are three subjects one should not bring up in public conversation: sex, religion, and politics. In this article, I throw caution to the wind and bring up all three, while pursuing how political issues have impacted the Restoration Movement. One of the mottoes of our movement is, “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love.” In the traditional understanding of this proverb, nonessentials refers to those extra-biblical topics not specifically mentioned in Scripture. While politics would seem to fit in

June 14, 2020

Ben Cachiaras

Why Are We Shooting at Each Other?

(This article is a sidebar to Ben Cachiaras’s “The Separation of Church and Hate”; that article and this sidebar both appear in our July 2020 issue.) Three Changes We Must Make to Stop the Infighting and Get Back to the Mission By Ben Cachiaras In his excellent book Dancing in No Man’s Land, Brian Jennings describes the elaborate bunkers used in World War I. Soldiers hunkered in deep trenches for months, close enough to shoot at their enemies but separated from them. They might raise up their head to hurl a grenade or take a shot, but they had to

May 17, 2020

Gonzalo Venegas

My Story . . . from Denomination to Renewed Vision

By Gonzalo Venegas The Restoration Movement is an inviting movement—that’s something I’ve learned firsthand. You see, I didn’t start out in the Restoration Movement. For a long time, my faith experience was limited to having served as an altar boy in the Catholic church. Then I spent time in gangs. (See “My Life Story . . . from Gang Member to Church Planter” from March 2019.) After coming to faith in Michigan, I was discipled, educated, and ordained by the Reformed Church in America. I developed a seemingly unquenchable desire to study God’s Word. I preached many sermons and did

May 17, 2020

Matthew Wilson

Our Impact in the Wider Evangelical World

By Matthew Wilson As a pastor in an independent Christian church, I’m excited and encouraged that many denominational churches are abandoning traditions and conventions and are migrating toward movements like ours that embrace biblical supremacy. In many ways, I believe we are coming out of a dark ages and entering an era of enlightenment. People no longer follow doctrines and practices just because they are told to; instead, they demand to understand the context for what they believe. In modern history, many Christians relied on the authority of their governing bodies, but now we live in an information-driven age where

May 17, 2020

Melissa Wuske

‘We’ve Found Our Tribe’

By Melissa Wuske An identity crisis is occurring among many denominational churches today. As they wrestle to define themselves amid the competing voices of denominations and modern culture, the Restoration Movement offers leaders and their churches the freedom, in Christ, to craft an identity that fits who they are as a local body while placing Christ firmly at the center. Shifting Identity Is Nothing New Churches leaving their denominations to become independent Christian churches is not a new phenomenon. “Most of the churches that became [part of] the Stone-Campbell Movement were something else first,” said Tim Cole, executive director of

May 17, 2020

Tyler McKenzie

An Acts 2 Movement: Restoring the Dynamic Life of the First Church

By Tyler McKenzie I was born, raised, baptized, and ordained in Restoration Movement churches. I’ve served all my years in ministry in the Restoration Movement. I married a Restoration Movement girl. I got a Restoration Movement degree. I’m Restoration Movement tried and true. But that’s not why I love our movement. I love the Restoration Movement for what it stands for. It is a movement of churches aiming to restore the dynamic life of the first church in Acts. That church is worth restoring. It’s a movement marked by the pioneering grit of Jesus’ apostles trying to establish Jesus’ church

May 17, 2020

Josh Ross

Restoration . . . Not Preservation

By Josh Ross Family reunions typically carry with them a mixed bag of emotions. There is joy and sadness, excitement, and even anxiety (when we forget a name or can’t place a face). A small part of family reunions is catching up with everyone. But for the most part, family reunions are about reminiscing about the past, and this can be delightful and frightening simultaneously. It’s nostalgic to hear stories we haven’t heard in years. It’s frightening when the stories entail embarrassing moments from our lives. We all have stories of breaking windows, running over a mailbox, and getting caught

May 17, 2020

Nate Ross

UNITY: When Our ‘It’ Is Misplaced

By Nate Ross In the quarter mile before I arrive at our church’s campus, I pass a Nazarene church, a United Methodist church, a church of Christ (noninstrumental), and then turn into our campus about 500 yards later. Competition, co-laborers in Christ, or critic are the three most common thoughts that come from my heart when I see another church. (I know, that’s really mature for a pastor.) The lens in which I see another church leads to how I love another church. It’s quite easy to quickly judge and criticize neighboring churches that have different biblical interpretations from ours

May 17, 2020

Brian Sevits

We Began as an Inviting Movement

By Brian Sevits When I stepped onto the campus of Central Christian College of the Bible in the fall of 2005, I could not have told you anythingabout the roots of the Restoration Movement or its principles. Like many of my peers, I had grown up in a denomination and chose to come to CCCB because of its proximity to home and affordability. Just two years later, I had been hired at the Restoration Movement church around the corner. Many of the members and leaders at that church share a similar story—we come from various backgrounds and have been welcomed

May 17, 2020

Jeremy Jernigan

Building Bridges

By Jeremy Jernigan The church landscape in America is different than ever before. Most formal denominational groupings seem to be on the decline. At the same time, the rise of multisite churches creates opportunities for mini denominations. It begs the question: What truly makes a denomination? Said differently, What truly unites us? Is it a shared history, a shared creed (or set of distinctives), a shared leadership structure, or something else? No matter how we or others feel about denominations, many of them started with a pursuit for greater unity. I’m a second-generation preacher who grew up in the Christian

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link