Series: Featured

May 12, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Mosaic Christian Church, Elkridge, Maryland

“Spiritual maturity is baptizing a friend.”   By Justin Horey Ask most any person at Mosaic Christian Church in Elkridge, Maryland, “What is the most important thing at Mosaic,” and there’s a good chance they will tell you, “It’s when we baptize someone.” MCC is just nine years old (the church will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall). In that brief time, Mosaic has baptized more than 500 new believers. Church planter and lead pastor Carl Kuhl said the reason is simple: “At Mosaic, a ‘win’ is baptism.” For the past few years, Kuhl and his staff have set a

May 11, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Northside Christian Church, New Albany, Indiana

Former senior pastor George Ross and his son, Nate Ross, switch roles.   By Andy Rector In 1999, when George Ross arrived at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana, the congregation had been without a lead pastor for 14 months. During the interim, attendance had grown 12 percent. That fact impressed upon Ross that Northside was fertile soil. After spending more than a decade with the church, Ross was nearing retirement age, and he knew church leaders faced an important decision. What should Northside’s next step be? “Did Northside need something different from me?” Ross said. “I talked with

May 10, 2018

Tyler McKenzie

SPOTLIGHT: Northeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky

The church grew in 2017, despite being warned attendance possibly could drop 15 percent under a new pastor.   By Andy Rector Tyler McKenzie says he was “raw” when he was hired as teaching pastor at Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2012. In April 2016, McKenzie became lead pastor. Former lead minister Bob Cherry, who helped start Northeast in 1977, saw something in McKenzie during the initial interview process. And Cherry doesn’t mince words about McKenzie’s subsequent promotion: “Tyler is the right guy” for the lead pastor role. A year before McKenzie joined the Northeast staff, Cherry began

May 6, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Sunbury (Ohio) Christian Church

Church changes its DNA through service projects and grows, with room to expand.   By Darrel Rowland Ten years ago, Sunbury Christian Church spent $500,000 to buy 11 acres at the edge of a village in central Ohio. The church knew its old facility less than two miles away was inadequate, despite renovations that added a gym and got rid of the 1960s-era green paisley carpet. Still, half-a-million dollars for a congregation of about 300 as the Great Recession struck? “We swallowed real hard,” remembers senior minister Mike Bratten. “The need outweighed the fear.” The parcel wasn’t just randomly selected.

May 5, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Real Life Church, Sheridan, Wyoming

Three-year-old church in least populated state overcomes obstacles.   By Kelly Carr After a decade as associate pastor with North Point Christian Church in Spearfish, South Dakota, Ryan Charest was inspired to become the lead planter at Real Life Church in Sheridan, Wyoming, the newest church plant of the Northern Plains Evangelistic Association (see “Planting Churches in ‘Flyover Country”). “I kept reading and researching . . . understanding what we did right and wrong and what we could do differently,” Charest said. “God worked in me to prepare me to have the desire to try and do it again.” Real

May 4, 2018

Christian Standard

Planting Churches in ‘Flyover Country’

By Kelly Carr You take in the gorgeous sights—calming lake waters surrounded by verdant fields and purple mountain majesty. After a few minutes of awe, you pull down the window shade, sit back, and sleep the rest of your flight. Ah yes, many of us have experienced some of God’s greatest wonders from a bird’s-eye view only. The nickname “flyover country” came out of the camaraderie of folks who felt their heartland was overlooked by those who focused only on the coasts. But, if we’re being honest, when it comes to Restoration Movement congregations, have we adopted a similar attitude?

May 2, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: New City Church, Phoenix, Arizona

“Teaching the truth has helped us reach young people.”   By Justin Horey Brian Kruckenberg, lead pastor of New City Church, compares Phoenix, Arizona, to a doughnut. Until five years ago, he says, the population was almost entirely concentrated in a circle of suburbs surrounding the region, with a “hole” in the center—the downtown area—where virtually no one lived. Now Arizona’s capital city is making up for lost time, building apartments and condominiums on formerly vacant lots and creating brand-new residential neighborhoods in the heart of the city. Kruckenberg said people are moving to downtown Phoenix because they want to

April 29, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Christ’s Church of the Valley, Phoenix, Arizona

The consistency of challenging their congregation to be bold in furthering the kingdom over the years paid off throughout 2017.   By Natalee Jones Change isn’t easy but it’s necessary for growth. That’s what Don Wilson kept in mind as he was deciding to retire as senior pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Phoenix, Arizona, a church he helped launch. Wilson and his wife were meeting with three other couples in the Wilsons’ living room just over 35 years ago when they felt God calling them to start a church in the Phoenix area. CCV’s first service

April 27, 2018

Christian Standard

Hope for Hurting Ministers

By Steve Reeves A survey of Christian church/church of Christ ministers from September 2016 found that 43 percent of the 500 responders were seriously considering leaving the ministry. In addition, Tim Wallingford with the Center for Church Leadership (CCL) says attrition among ministers in our churches might be as high as 70 percent. Here are some additional findings Wallingford shared with me when I began volunteering with the CCL: 74 percent of ministers have debt. The school debt among many couples, upon their graduation, is as high as $75,000. 54 percent of churches offer no retirement benefits; 47 percent offer

April 25, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Cross the Line Church, Lincoln, Nebraska

Cross the Line is trying to better leverage building spaces and resources for kingdom expansion.   By Chad Ragsdale It’s 9:00 on Wednesday morning. A group of women have gathered to enjoy some coffee and conversation at the Front Porch Coffee Café in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their children are laughing and running in the adjacent play area. Nearby, in the same building, the Super Starts Child Development Center bustles with activity as parents drop off their kids and hurry off to work. Further inside, a gym is still set up for the youth basketball practice from the night before. This former

April 22, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: New Hope Christian Church, Thornton, Colorado

“God had a plan” in helping this congregation find a new building in a high-crime hub of metro Denver.   By Chris Moon When pastor Jeff Aenk talks about the way his church was able to find its new building, he often uses the word miracle. “It was a total God story,” said Aenk, who leads New Hope Christian Church in Thornton, Colorado. The story started in 2016 when New Hope learned its landlord was planning to double the church’s rent—from $7,550 a month to almost $15,000. The rent would continue to increase for the following five years, up to

April 20, 2018

Christian Standard

The State of Our Christian Churches Today

Where We’ve Come From, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going By Ken Idleman In her book Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World, Tina Rosenburg sought to determine how to get people to change for the better. She concluded people don’t change simply because they desire to change, or feel guilty, or learn it would be beneficial (such as by quitting smoking). Instead, Rosenburg argues, people grow and change best in community. She asserts that few things in life are more important in determining the kind of people we become than the group of people with

April 18, 2018

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Crossroads Christian Church, Macon, Missouri

“We’re not a traditional country church. . . . We choose uncomfortable instead of traditions.”   By TR Robertson When Matt Stieger was hired in 2008 as lead minister of Crossroads Christian Church (a church formed in 1972 in Macon, Missouri, a town of 5,400), the average attendance was 200. Ten years later, as the church entered 2018, Crossroads was averaging around 550 each Sunday morning. ​ “We decided we were going to offer a different idea of what church is,” Stieger said. “We’re not a traditional country church. We choose joy and celebration. We choose new instead of what is old. We

April 15, 2018

Christian Standard

2017 Fast Facts about Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches

These statistics from 2017 are gleaned from megachurch and emerging megachurch data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “Special Church Report Part 1: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches,” and look at the accompanying tables (“The 2017 Charts: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches”).   Compiled by Kent Fillinger AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 5,307 Emerging Megachurches: 1,366 Combined average weekly attendance: 390,218 GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 5.7% (up from 3.4% in 2016); overall, 71% of megachurches grew (up from 61% in 2016). Emerging Megachurches: 4.1% (up from 2 percent in 2016); overall, 57% of emerging megachurches grew (down from 61% in 2016).

April 13, 2018

Christian Standard

The 2017 Charts: Megachurches and Emerging Megachurches

Our annual megachurch listing is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s most popular features. This year scores of churches participated, including 55 megachurches (those with 2,000 or more in weekly attendance during 2017) and 72 emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999). Come back next month for articles and charts from large churches (those that averaged 500—999) and medium churches (250—499). In two months, we will post data and have feature articles from small (100—249) and very small churches (less than 100). Click here to view and download the 2017 Charts, or click on them individually. 2017 Megachurches 2017 Emerging Megachurches

April 6, 2018

Christian Standard

‘Soul Winning’ Made Simple

By Dudley Rutherford The word evangelism can conjure up images and thoughts ranging from world missions to flashy televangelists. Of course, many faithful church members might say, “Evangelism? Oh, that’s something our preacher does on Sunday morning.” Well, yes . . . and no. Many years ago, I heard one of the greatest definitions of evangelism, and it has stuck with me: “Evangelism is nothing more than mouth-to-ear resuscitation!” What a great yet simple description. The gospel of Jesus comes from your mouth to someone else’s ear—and brings life to a spirit who, without Christ, is dead in sin (Ephesians

April 5, 2018

Christian Standard

A Day with Jesus: What He Teaches Us About Discipleship

By Ryan Rasmussen As a pastor of a large church, I often question whether we’re discipling our people effectively. Though large churches have more resources and staff than small churches, they are often no better equipped to help people take steps forward with Jesus. The truth is, churches of every size seem to struggle with knowing whether their discipleship processes are effective. This might be the case because, well, it’s all a bit confusing. Multiple discipleship models are available: house churches, Sunday school, small groups, missional communities, and many others. Discipleship in its many forms has been the subject of

April 1, 2018

Christian Standard

‘If Christ Be Not Raised . . .’

By Mark E. Moore The resurrection is the bedrock of Christianity. If it is not true, everything crumbles. Paul testified to this, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14*). Thus the question, Did Jesus rise from the dead? is one we must answer to determine if faith in Christ is well-founded or a farce. To that end we will address two profoundly important questions: Why should I believe Jesus rose from the dead? And if this is true, then why does it matter?   WHY SHOULD

March 30, 2018

Christian Standard

The Forensics of Good Friday

An ER Doctor Examines What Jesus Experienced from the Garden to the Cross   By Dwain C. Illman The resurrection is the keystone and the capstone of Christian belief. The crucifixion was required as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Every time I read Isaiah 53, I’m filled with awe and sadness as I marvel at detailed predictions surrounding our Savior. Consider Isaiah 53:5: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” As a physician who saw some

March 25, 2018

Christian Standard

Surprised by Life

(This article originally appeared in the April 2013 issue of Christian Standard)   By Daniel Schantz To a child, a cemetery is the perfect playground. It has a hundred hiding places, and if you fall down, the grass is very forgiving. I was 7 years old, playing hide-and-seek in the cemetery next to the country church, just outside of New Antioch, Ohio, where my father preached. “Don’t play on the graves,” my mother warned. “It’s disrespectful.” “OK,” I said, but I didn’t see it her way. I thought that if I were buried in the ground I would get really

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