Series: Featured

January 22, 2020

Christian Standard

Don't Lessen "the Least of These" (Matthew 25:31-46)

By Jon Weatherly _ _ _ “The impious Galilaeans support not only their own poor but ours as well.”Julian, Letters, 22 _ _ _ The scene is dramatic. The language is poetic. The effect is chilling. The Son of Man sits on the divine throne, surrounded by angels. Before him are the peoples of the world. He sorts them like a shepherd separating the more valuable sheep from the less valuable goats. But they are sorted for blessing and punishment, for a reason none quite expects. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did [or ‘did not do’] for one of

January 22, 2020

Christian Standard

The Dollar Club

“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” _ _ _ By Steve Poe Remember when a dollar was worth something? I remember paying a little less than a dollar for a gallon of gas. Today gasoline commonly costs triple that amount. Some time ago, if you wanted hot coffee, you could buy one for yourself and one for a friend and still get change back from your dollar. Today a Starbucks coffee starts at $1.85. You just can’t do much with a dollar anymore. And yet, what

January 8, 2020

Christian Standard

WHAT MATTERS MOST: Getting Better at the Two Things Jesus Said Are Most Important

By Rick Rusaw I have lived in Boulder County, Colorado, for nearly 29 years and currently work from an office on Pearl Street in the city of Boulder. Some describe Boulder as 20 square miles surrounded by reality. At times, I would agree. I don’t know of any better location for ministry than a place that embraces spirituality but rejects Christianity. Boulder often is listed as the least religious place in America. That would be true, unless you consider naval gazing, pot smoking, hiking, biking, and running to be nonreligious activities. Boulder is also ranked as one of the healthiest

January 8, 2020

Christian Standard

Reach Men . . . Reach Families

By Don Wilson Churches in America are concerned about the loss of future generations. Some say our youth programs do not adequately prepare students to defend their faith as they encounter secular professors in universities. Others say young people cannot relate to the church’s outdated methods. And beyond that, organized sports are competing for our children’s attention on Sundays and throughout the week. While these and other issues are concerning, I believe there is a more significant and fundamental problem that is often overlooked. I’m referring to the influence fathers and men can have on the decisions their children make

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

Depression and Ministry: How Do We Respond When Our Church Leaders Are Struggling?

“I was sick and you looked after me.” _ _ _ By Paul H. Alexander The pastors’ emotional struggles were widely known. Yet, most people did not know just how real and intense the struggles were day in and day out. Only God knows how much pain these men were in. About 18 months ago, a pastor in Southern California killed himself. In the following months, two more young pastors also tragically took their own lives. In this area everyone knew someone who was impacted, at least indirectly, by these events. Many men and women I know were affected directly

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

One of 'Those People': A Generation Becoming Fully Devoted to Christ

“I was sick and you looked after me.” _ _ _ By Nate Graybill “I’m one of ‘those people.’ Hypocrite. Liar. Addict.” This admission was a moment of rigorous honesty that changed my life. It came after hours of bingeing on my drug of choice. More afraid of where my habit was leading me than of being exposed, I woke up my wife and said, “Honey, I need to tell you something. I’m addicted to porn. I need help.” I finally accepted the fact that I was not powerful enough to control my sin. Broken and afraid of losing my

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

Your Medical Debt Has Been Forgiven

How Churches Are Erasing Health Care Obligations for Thousands of Families in Need _ _ _ “I was sick and you looked after me.“ _ _ _ By Justin Horey Julie was a single mother of two when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her health insurance helped cover the cost of treatments that ultimately put the disease in remission, but she was still left with $18,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses. Despite the generosity of family members and her own personal commitment to making installment payments on the various bills, Julie was unable to pay it all. Like the estimated

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

'Called to Counsel': How We Are Sharing God's Grace with the Hurting and Lost

“I was sick and you looked after me.“ _ _ _ By Heath Neal Everywhere you look, people are sick and hurting. At our church, we encounter people every week hurting from the sickness of sin. Some of their pain comes from the sin of others, but often it is the devastating result of their own sin. This shouldn’t surprise us. Scripture repeatedly tells us we all are sinners. (See Genesis 3; Romans 3:10, 23; Jeremiah 17:9; and John 3:17-21 as examples.) For years, our church’s response to the sick and hurting was to pray for them and hand them

January 2, 2020

Christian Standard

Ministry Behind Bars: How God Used a 'Reluctant Prison Chaplain' to Reach Hundreds on the Inside

By Bill Twaddell After trying my best to avoid him, I found myself face-to-face with a murderer. I didn’t like this guy. He had done horrible things to land himself at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. In the casual parlance of American jurisprudence, he was a “poster child” for the insanity defense. Many years earlier, he had committed a murder, pleaded insanity, and been found not guilty. After being set free, he committed another murder. By the spring of 2011, this man had spent most of his life behind walls and razor wire. He had sent several

December 31, 2019

Christian Standard

Senior Pastor . . . Senior ‘Fundraiser’: A Biblical Approach

By Ken Idleman In 1977 I was a 29-year-old, green-as-grass Christian leader when I was body-slammed with a vocational reality: I had been called by the trustees of Ozark Bible College to be, among other things, a “fundraiser.” I was vaguely aware of that item on my list of job responsibilities as executive vice president/president-elect, but I did not understand its impact on my future leadership priorities. I learned the importance of that responsibility early on because one of my first assignments was working to eliminate a $300,000 cash-flow deficit. That doesn’t sound like much money now, but the equivalent

December 31, 2019

Christian Standard

How to Establish an Effective, Objective Church-Ministry Evaluation

By Bart Rendel Church leaders need a solid, scriptural, and effective system for discussing and evaluating issues and moving forward as a team. As I have helped church leaders around the country increase their kingdom impact over the last 15 years, I’ve often heard of meetings that descended into scrums and battles over opinions, with arguments based upon anecdotal evidence, and random comments tossed around based on limited perspectives or past successes. To help churches stay on course, leaders should align behind a set of gospel-centered standards. Our hope at Intentional Churches is to establish these standards in every church

December 25, 2019

Christian Standard

Book Review: ‘What Made Jesus Mad?’

Reviewed by Caleb Kaltenbach Tim Harlow excels in ministry leadership. He serves a growing church—Parkview Christian in Chicagoland has gone from 150 to 10,000-plus—mentors countless people, and encourages fellow senior ministers. He has served as president of the North American Christian Convention and authored Life on Mission: God’s People Finding God’s Heart for the World. And he’s done all of this—plus earned a doctorate—while loving his family and displaying courage, humility, and a sense of humor. However, if Harlow were asked what he’s most proud of in his ministry (besides his family), my guess is he’d say, “Leading a church

December 18, 2019

Christian Standard

Stadia’s Generosity to Church Planters Pays Off in First Year

By Jim Nieman Stadia Church Planting’s decision to give away the majority of its services starting last January had little noticeable effect on its financial bottom line in 2019, but the change helped Stadia to double the number of U.S. churches it helped plant last year. In 2018, Stadia assisted in planting 34 churches in the United States; that figure jumped to 68 in 2019, said Matt Murphy, strategic services and marketing executive with Stadia. How is that possible, when Stadia provides, on average, about $74,000 in services to help each new church get off the ground? It has a

December 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Growing Volunteers to Grow the Kingdom

How These Two Churches Recruit and Equip Servants to Live Out God’s Purposes By Melissa Wuske Crafting an effective volunteer program takes a mix of big-picture vision and nuts-and-bolts programs. Julie Liem, director of volunteers at Eastside Christian Church in Southern California, and Abby Ecker, next steps pastor at The Journey in Newark, Delaware, shared how their churches recruit and equip volunteers—and how they’ve seen the kingdom advance as a result. God’s Design For many churches, it starts with the critical shift from viewing volunteers as “a necessary inconvenience,” Liem said, to seeing them as “the lifeblood of the church.”

December 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Training Leaders for the Future

How One Church Is Equipping Young Adults for Ministry Without the Financial Burdens of Pursuing a Four-Year Degree By Kim Harris In 2019, 45 million young adults in the United States held more than $1.5 trillion in student debt, or more than $33,000 per debt holder, Forbes.com reported. Students are graduating with four years of knowledge and many more years of debt. Seminary and Bible college students are no exception. In 2011, roughly 25 percent of individuals graduating with a master of divinity left school with more than $40,000 in student debt (according to BusinessInsider.com), but could expect to earn

November 2, 2019

Christian Standard

25 Years of Changes and Challenges in Children’s Ministry

By Teresa Welch Just 25 years ago, children’s ministry was commonly described as childcare with Bible stories and Goldfish crackers. Children were either kept away from the sanctuary or were made to sit quietly with parents during the sermon. Churches were waiting for children to grow up before investing in them fully. Today, thankfully, children’s ministry is a spiritual greenhouse rather than a spiritual waiting room. Children are front and center and actively learning. Each child is given attention and spiritual nourishment to grow into a disciple of Christ. Why this change? It began when churches realized that building a

November 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Growing Up with Standard Publishing

A brief history (and the continuing legacy) of this innovative and influential publisher’s true-to-the-Bible children’s ministry resources By Margie Redford “I grew up on Standard Publishing.” Thousands of adults today could make this claim—including me! My home church, First Christian Church in Columbiana, Ohio, was a strong advocate for teaching biblical truths and sound doctrine. The leaders turned to The Standard Publishing Company for both their children’s Sunday school and Vacation Bible School materials. Thanks to my mother’s careful saving of important documents, I still have numerous certificates of promotion printed by Standard Publishing. They form a spiritual timeline of

November 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Seven Trends in Children’s Ministry Space Today

By Dave Milam In a society in moral decline, it’s critical for churches to have the most effective tools to disciple the next generation. We also live in an age of shrinking church budgets, ever-expanding demands, and fierce competition. So, whether you are a parent or a children’s ministry worker, the following seven trends will help you navigate the challenge of serving the American church in a post-Christian world. _ 1. ADVANCED SECURITY PROTOCOLS Imagine time-traveling to 1953. On a stroll down the main street you might see locals sipping Coca-Cola on the corner and children actually playing outside. The

November 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Family Ministry: Re-engaging Parents to Be the Primary Influencers of their Children

By Becky Drish For hundreds of years, parents recognized their role as the faith leaders in their families. That gradually changed over the past 100 to 200 years. Now, many regular churchgoers look to the church to fulfill that leadership role. As churches and children’s ministry leaders, we need to re-empower parents. Fortunately, that has begun to happen through a modern family ministry approach that has been making a steady, solid entrance into the children’s and youth ministry field over the last decade. If you frequent children’s or youth ministry conferences, you surely have seen sessions dedicated to this approach.

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