Series: Featured

September 13, 2014

Christian Standard

Changing a City

By Glen Elliott Do you believe your city, town, region, barrio, or district can change? Do you believe your church can be a catalyst to bring about true community transformation? Do you see your church joining other churches, social agencies, and governmental entities to make a real difference? Will the prayer Jesus asked his disciples to pray become a reality where you live, “Your kingdom come, your will be done in (insert your city name here) as it is in heaven”? At one time, I had my doubts. The challenges and needs seemed overwhelming. I had so little time and

September 12, 2014

Christian Standard

Are We Moving?

By James Riley Estep Jr. All the steps of moving from one home to another find their parallel in the progress a church must make. It”s never easy, but the new destination is worth the thinking, planning, and hard work. “We”re moving.” These two words evoke a wide range of emotions. Announcing this to family and friends only adds to the challenging experience. A new job, new prospects, a better house, or a future possibility””all available only elsewhere. The decision to move is often greeted with the exuberance of new opportunity.  But the exuberance soon changes to despair when dealing

September 8, 2014

Christian Standard

Here’s Where Change Begins

By Becky Ahlberg There is no one in the world you can change but yourself. No one. That is the consistent””some would say incessant””mantra at My Safe Harbor, a ministry begun by Anaheim (California) First Christian Church that helps single mothers break the dysfunctional cycle of broken homes. You can manipulate, coerce, or even try persuasion, but in the end, a person must want to change, and she must do it herself. And yet, so much of our emotional energy is spent both believing in and pursuing change in others. We think if we could change the people around us,

September 7, 2014

Christian Standard

To Lead Change You Must Be Changed

By Casey Tygrett If you have ever traveled via commercial airliner, you might be vaguely aware of the preflight safety talk. It”s something most people completely ignore, even though it could save your life and possibly others. The flight attendants tell you, “First put on your oxygen mask and then assist others.” My favorite flight was the one in which the flight attendant recommended we first put our mask on, and then put a mask on “the child most likely to pay for your retirement.” The directions may at first seem selfish and uncaring. However, if you have ever experienced

September 1, 2014

Christian Standard

2014 NACC: One Man’s Testimony

  By Darrel Rowland Lee Strobel has made The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and even The Case for Christmas. At the North American Christian Convention, the popular Christian speaker and apologetics author made the case for Christian churches and churches of Christ. “This movement of churches is nothing short of miraculous,” he said the day before taking the NACC stage.  “God is doing amazing things. I love their pastors””they”ve got huge hearts, they love the lost, they”re strategic, they”re prayerful, they”re culturally relevant, they”re scriptural, they”re entrepreneurial.” Strobel has appeared at several Christian churches across the country.

September 1, 2014

Christian Standard

2014 NACC: Offstage

By Darrel Rowland   As with any North American Christian Convention, not all the action was on the main stage. You could mine golden nuggets at every turn. If you found Haydn Shaw”s workshop on the impact of generational differences in the church, you would have heard the sobering observation that people living 35 years longer, on average, is one of God”s most amazing blessings on our time””and millions will go to Hell because of it. Before people started living longer, the next generation would receive the leadership torch because the old folks simply died off. Now, people with power

August 31, 2014

Christian Standard

2014 NACC: Different & Demanding

By Darrel Rowland It”s hard to say which was the more unusual sight at this year”s North American Christian Convention: the heavy-metal guitarist with waist-length dreadlocks and arms covered by tattoos as a featured speaker or the video of venerable Ben Merold, now 88, playing the Godfather. Or was it the appearance of a beardless Duck Dynasty star? Perhaps the oversized beach balls and foam flying discs tossed into the crowd before several of the services? Or possibly even the NACC president admitting that his primary prayer to God was “not to screw up the work of his Holy Spirit”

August 25, 2014

Christian Standard

The Lego Principle

By Matt Proctor Several years ago, two of my nephews accompanied their mom on a visit to a friend”s house. Ben was 8. Brian was 6. Their mother”s friend was a very neat lady, to the point of being obsessive-compulsive. (I have a friend who says, “I have OCD, only I like to call it CDO because then it”s in alphabetical order.”) This woman had a place for everything and everything in its place. Though childless, she did have a few toys and handed Ben and Brian a bucket of Lego bricks: “Here boys, you can play with these.” What”s

August 24, 2014

Christian Standard

Just What Were You Thinking?

By D. Clay Perkins President, Mid-Atlantic Christian University, Elizabeth City, North Carolina After a board meeting for one of our excellent parachurch ministries, two friends, both of whom are very sound and successful in businesses, asked me what they thought was an awkward question. Both knew I had owned and managed two successful businesses and directed the business of a megachurch. “Just what were you thinking? Why did you become a Bible college president?” They went on to say things like: “Talk about a lousy business plan . . . the government subsidizes higher education student tuition with a plethora

August 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Collaboration: The Key to Strength

By John Derry President, Hope International University, Fullerton, California In 2008, I wrote an article for CHRISTIAN STANDARD called “The Future of Christian Church Colleges.” At that time, I anticipated challenges for our schools as they responded to changing demographics, new technology, and increasing accountability demands from government regulation and accreditation agencies. Shortly after the article appeared that March, our country entered the Great Recession. Virtually every industry was affected: banking, automotive, manufacturing, housing, retail, construction, health care, social services, and many others, including higher education. It created a new pressure point exacerbating financial challenges that were already severe. A 2012

August 22, 2014

Christian Standard

Training the Next Generation of Leaders

By Dean Collins President, Point University, West Point, Georgia When I think about the future of Christian higher education in general””and the colleges that come from our tradition in particular””my mind is conflicted. Will I operate out of fear of the brutal realities we face, or with faith that God wants us to do what we are called to do? About 13 years ago, Bob Andringa, then president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, predicted that in 25 years, 25 percent of Christian colleges would be out of business. I don”t know all of the reasons behind Andringa”s

August 21, 2014

Christian Standard

Six Stepped Down

By Greg Swinney Collectively, they have nearly 70 years of faithful service to Christian higher education, six bachelor”s degrees, six master”s degrees, and four doctorates. They oversaw total combined annual budgets of $43 million. And they all have recently stepped down from presidencies of Christian colleges. We asked them to roll up their sleeves, sit back, and share their stories with us. In alphabetical order, they are: “¢ David Faust, Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University (president, 2002″“14) “¢ Richard Milliken, Nebraska Christian College, Papillion, Nebraska (1999″“2014) “¢ Ronald Oakes, Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri (2005″“13) “¢ Keith Ray,

August 18, 2014

Christian Standard

A Contrarian Perspective on Today”s Christian College Students

By Jon Weatherly Professor of New Testament and Dean of the College of Bible and Theology, Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee Conventional wisdom about Christian colleges doesn”t strike me as all that wise. Let me explain why. Having spent more than half my life as a student or teacher in Christian institutions of higher learning, I feel like an expert. That is, I feel like an expert not in the reality of Christian higher education, but in the opinions that other people have about Christian college students.  I have known many such students over the years, and some I have come

August 17, 2014

Christian Standard

Charting Some Changes (a Seminary Professor’s Reflections)

By Robert Hull Professor of New Testament, Emeritus, Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, Tennessee I have had the rare privilege of spending my entire teaching career (33 years) at Emmanuel Christian Seminary in Johnson City, Tennessee. With all the caveats about the risks of generalizing, here are my reflections on some changes during the last couple of decades. The Students Educationally, about half our students come from Christian colleges or universities (20 years ago we would have said “Bible colleges”) and the other half from secular colleges or universities. Some of them are ready to hit the ground running, but

August 16, 2014

Christian Standard

College: It”s Different These Days

By Steve Richardson Chair of the Biblical Studies Department, and Associate Professor, Pacific Christian College of Ministry & Biblical Studies at Hope International University, Fullerton, California These observations are anecdotal and generalized. They are not the result of research but impressions shared by several faculty members who have taught more than 20 years at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. Many students vary from these generalities, of course. On the whole, today”s students are different in significant ways from their counterparts 10 to 15 years ago, and this presents challenges to teaching staff. Some of the statements may seem critical

August 11, 2014

Christian Standard

Reaching Future World Leaders with the Gospel

By Phil Tatum It seems fitting that a mission ministry born on a college campus 65 years ago is now a leader in the field of international campus work, with ambitious plans for the future. Globalscope, a division of CMF International in Indianapolis, Indiana, began as a dream in the late 1990s when it was noticed that some of the best, brightest, and hardest-working REACH summer interns were coming from the Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (GTCCF). Naomi Kouns, a longtime CMF director, had the foresight to grasp the potential in this ministry, located in midtown Atlanta and headed by

August 10, 2014

Christian Standard

List of Campus Ministries for 2014

Click here to access a downloadable pdf of the 2014 Campus Ministries List of more than 100 campus ministries in the United States (and a handful of international campus ministries). For your convenience, we are also listing the campus ministries below. ________   ALABAMA Auburn University Auburn Christian Fellowship 334-821-3963 Perry Rubin www.impactsouthbend.com au***********************@***il.com   ARKANSAS University of Arkansas Christ on Campus 479-521-8358 Mike Armstrong www.christoncampus.org mi**@************us.org   CALIFORNIA California Lutheran University Impact SoCal””Cal Lutheran 574-339-0615 Sarah Koutz www.impacttheu.com sa*********@********eu.com   COLORADO Colorado Mesa University Christian Student Fellowship 970-433-8585 Dave Downey No website at this time do**********@***il.com   Colorado State University Impact Colorado State

August 10, 2014

Christian Standard

What Every College Kid Needs

By Mike Kerrick From a campus minister, ideas for the students in your life. What do you give someone who is going off to college? A new laptop computer? A phone/data upgrade? A devotional book on keeping faith at college, with a nice note inside: “Praying for you every day”? These are all good ideas, especially because they point to the thing needed most in college: healthy relationships. From my experience ministering to college students, let me tell you what I mean.   Healthy Relationships Begin with God According to the Barna group*, up to 61 percent of Christian students

August 9, 2014

Christian Standard

The Elder Serves the Younger

By Teresa Schantz Williams Robert Stanfill is a slight, unassuming man with a weak heart that doctors thought would have failed him years ago. So he was as surprised as anyone to find himself launching a ministry to international college students.  Robert Stanfill and his wife, Linda, both in their 60s, had no special aptitude for work with college students from distant lands. No cross-cultural experience. And though Avila University”s campus was just a mile from their south Kansas City home, college students weren”t exactly their “crowd.” They were veteran Christians, faithful members of the Red Bridge Church of Christ,

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