Series: Featured

January 23, 2018

Christian Standard

Living Together in Sweet Unity

By Victor Knowles   “How truly wonderful and delightful to see brothers and sisters living together in sweet unity!” (Psalm 133:1, The Passion Translation).   The year 1906 is memorable to me for a number of reasons—even though I wasn’t born until 1945. It was the year of the great San Francisco earthquake; the year one of my heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was born; and a year the Chicago Cubs went to the World Series (and lost). Finally, 1906 is the year a division occurred in the American Restoration Movement. “Conventional wisdom” today is that David Lipscomb, editor of the Gospel Advocate,

January 14, 2018

Christian Standard

What We Can Learn from Traditionalists about Money

By Haydn Shaw People now live 30 years longer than they once did. In 1900 the average life span was 48; today it’s 78. But as people live longer—for which we’re all grateful—it presents new challenges that previous eras didn’t face. In previous eras, there were only three generations. The oldest generation had the money and made the decisions, and the younger generation of adults raised the children and did what the older generation asked them to until their parents died, and then their turn came to be in control. Changes in families and churches came slowly and naturally, with

January 13, 2018

Christian Standard

How to Prepare for a Financial Storm

By Darren Key and Mike Kocolowski Managing church finances can be like preparing for a hurricane—it’s best to have a plan in place before the wind starts to spin. That way, if the worst-case scenario develops, you’ll be prepared to weather the storm.   Faith and Finances We have consulted with hundreds of churches on financial issues over the last three decades, and we know that managing a church’s cash flow is tricky. Seasonal cycles, unexpected events, and the inherent irregularity of income and expenses add to the complexity. For these reasons, keeping ample reserve funds is critical to your

January 12, 2018

Christian Standard

Open Your Eyes to Manage the Finances of the Church

By Brad Dupray We lived in fear. It could happen at any time. We stood with our freshly shined shoes on the edge of the carpet scanning the mall. Waiting. Watching. Our shoe store’s district manager would show up only about once a month, but when he did, we knew we were in for it. He had a knack for finding those things we didn’t see. We were “store blind.” Store blindness happens when the proprietor or employees of a retail store walk into the environment so many times that they simply don’t perceive the little things—the crooked table, the

January 10, 2018

Christian Standard

When Personal Finances Strangle Ministry

By Tom Burbrink, Kim Robinette, and Karen Isaacs People of all stripes have difficulty with personal finances, but it can be even more challenging for ministers. A minister’s life is an open book; his salary might be public knowledge. When a minister struggles with personal finances, it impacts his effectiveness and can even cause him to leave the pulpit. Some of the best ministers are terrible at handling their personal finances. Contributing factors include: A lack of financial training in seminary Absence of teaching on how to keep simple records of ministry expenses An unavailability of people with whom to

January 6, 2018

Jerry Harris

The ABC’s of Financial Freedom

By Jerry Harris One of the top-selling books of the recent past by an independent Christian church writer is undoubtedly Barry Cameron’s The ABC’s of Financial Freedom, which has sold approximately 250,000 copies since its release in 2001. The book has helped hundreds of churches and thousands of people across America turn their financial situations around, and it has helped churches raise millions of dollars for kingdom causes. Through the ABC’s, readers have discovered biblical principles to help escape the burden and bondage of debt, enabling them to declare their financial independence. Churches have reduced their debt and improved their financial

January 5, 2018

Christian Standard

ON-RAMPS AND EXITS: How to Help Your Children Reach Financial Freedom

By Barry Cameron The most visited museum in all of Scandinavia is in Stockholm, Sweden. It contains the world’s only preserved 17th-century ship—a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628 during the reign of King Gustav II Adolf, who is considered one of the great military minds in European history. The Vasa, built on the king’s orders as part of a military expansion during a war with Poland and Lithuania, was constructed from the timber of 1,000 oak trees; it had two gun decks with 64 bronze cannons and a mast more than 150 feet tall. The ship was covered

January 3, 2018

Christian Standard

Get Creative with your Fund-Raising!

By David Girdwood Each summer, as temperatures rise and the daylight expands, our children begin dreaming of a commercial enterprise: “Mom, Dad, can we pleeease do a lemonade stand?” Personally, spending hours in the blazing sun selling just enough lemonade to cover the cost of the Crystal Light isn’t very appealing. We allow our kids to do it anyway. Why? Is it a rite of passage, a way to kill a few hours, an opportunity to teach an economics lesson? Or is it ultimately a chance for them to be creative, resourceful, and even to experience the generosity of others?

January 1, 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

December 30, 2017

Christian Standard

12 Ways to Protect Your Congregation in a Litigious Culture

By TR Robertson  “We face a true crisis in our Constitution as it relates to religious liberty. . . . I cannot think of another time when there have been greater challenges.” Joshua Hawley delivered this warning at the 2016 Protecting Religious Freedom Conference sponsored by Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, and Forum Christian Church, Columbia, Missouri. Hawley is now attorney general of Missouri, but at the time, he was a professor at the University of Missouri. He and his MU School of Law colleague Carl Esbeck are both experienced religious liberty litigators. Hawley and Esbeck weren”t

December 29, 2017

Christian Standard

The Church Budget Shouldn”t Be This Hard!

How to Build an Effective Church Budget and Choose the Right Tool By Chris Boue Building a church budget can be hectic and complicated. Even if everyone agrees on how much the church should spend 12 months in advance, technical and administrative issues always seem to crop up. We send files back and forth, miss important email attachments, and lose track of the “right” version of that Excel file or tab. These types of problems can give everyone a bad case of heartburn. You know the budget process is going poorly when you hear statements such as, “I”ll just put

December 27, 2017

Christian Standard

The Future of Finances in the Restoration Movement

By Doug Crozier It was late August 1972 when I walked into one of my first college classes at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Accounting 101 was in a lecture hall large enough to hold more than 700 students. I learned a lot from Accounting 101 during that first semester, even though the large lecture hall was intimidating to this small-town kid. One of the key fundamentals of financial accounting I learned is a simple rule: Total Assets minus Total Liabilities equals New Worth (or New Assets in the not-for-profit world). In the mid-1990s, when I went work in

December 23, 2017

Christian Standard

What Can I Give Him?

This Christmas essay originally appeared in the December 18/25, 2011, issue of Christian Standard. ___ By Caleb Kaltenbach Every Christmas I struggle with the same thing: what in the world do I give my wife? Do I get her shoes, clothes, jewelry, a massage, or what? Maybe this is a better question: what gift will I give Jesus this season? In Luke 1, we see the birth of a child who would be a gift to Jesus. In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his

December 17, 2017

Christian Standard

The Merry Makeover

This essay originally appeared in the December 2012 issue of Christian Standard. ___ By Daniel Schantz It was the worst of times for children. Charles Dickens, a handsome man of 31, trudged up the steps of Number One Downing Terrace, a tall brick house surrounded by flower beds. He was returning from his morning walk. Often he walked 10 to 20 miles a day around London. One day he would walk through the rich neighborhoods. The next day he would pass through the rookeries, or slums, where as many as 30 children lived in one room, with no bathing facilities. The

December 13, 2017

Christian Standard

Christmas””Miracle or Fairy Tale?

Is Our Concept of God Big Enough to Believe the Christmas Narrative Is Literally True and Historically Accurate? By Bob Russell Several years ago, my granddaughter Corrie started asking probing questions about Santa Claus. Since she was 8 years old, her parents decided it was time to come clean about fairy tales and make believe. My son Phil went into her room, sat down by her bed, and tenderly explained, “The story of Jesus is real but Santa is just pretend.” He told her how the legend started from a generous man named St. Nicholas and then explained that there is no

December 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Bethlehem: Big Dreams in a Little Town

(This article originally appeared in the December 23, 2007, issue of The Lookout, and subsequently was published in the December 18/25 issue of Christian Standard.)   By David Faust The first time Bethlehem is mentioned in the Bible, it”s not a birthplace but a burial place. According to Genesis 35:17-19, Jacob”s beloved wife Rachel died while giving birth to their son Benjamin, “and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” For Jacob, Bethlehem was a place of tears. For Ruth, it was a place of new beginnings. She and her mother-in-law, Naomi. moved to Bethlehem after their

December 9, 2017

Christian Standard

You Can Cope with Holiday Stress

(This article originally appeared in the December 19/26, 2010, issue of Christian Standard.)   By Larry W. Bailey How”s your holiday going? For many, it”s more stress than celebration. At Christmastime, the laughter of the “Ho, Ho, Ho” may give way to the pressure of the “Go, Go, Go.” Fantasies of a “silent night” turn into the noisy bustle of crowded department stores. For some, the jingling of Christmas bells yields to the jangling of nerves. We may find ourselves moving from holiday dreams to horrible nightmares, from anticipation to aggravation, from sugar plums to sour grapes, from happiness to

December 6, 2017

Christian Standard

Blessing Our Children and Grandchildren

How We”ve Created Memories and Provided Opportunities to Talk About What”s Truly Important By Don and Sue Wilson The first time we consciously thought about the importance of blessing our children and grandchildren was probably when we realized our children had grown up, become parents, and we were now grandparents, which meant we must be old. All at once it was apparent our days were numbered and if we wanted to be a blessing to the adorable little children who were cascading into our lives at a rapid pace, we needed to focus on making memories instead of money. Over

December 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Life Lessons Learned from My Grandfather

By Matt Merold Some of the greatest lessons in life are caught, not taught. They”re learned by what is observed in us, not what is heard from us. Sometimes the teacher isn”t even aware that school is in session. I”m not entirely sure if my instructor””my grandfather, Ben Merold””is fully aware of all the ways he”s taught me, in both simple and sophisticated ways. His lessons have gone beyond anything I could ever learn in a classroom.   You”re Never Too Important to Take Out the Trash. It was hot . . . Missouri hot! Anyone who had been outside

December 2, 2017

Christian Standard

‘I Showed Up’

Mandy Harvey”s journey from hearing loss to the finals of AGT, and the family who wouldn”t give up on her. By Joe Harvey As I write this article, my wife, Val, and I are sitting in a hotel room in Los Angeles busying ourselves with work as we await the contestants” final performances on America”s Got Talent for 2017. Tonight, our daughter Mandy Harvey will sing another original song and play her ukulele. Val and I will sit in the lower balcony, stage left, and watch in wonder, sometimes literally holding our breath, as the grand finale unfolds before us.

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