Series: Featured

May 14, 2014

Christian Standard

A Bible for Teachers: Introducing the ‘Standard Lesson Teacher’s Study Bible’

By Jim Eichenberger There are many study Bibles for individual and devotional use. But what about the special needs of a teacher or Bible study group leader? Standard Publishing has addressed that question by releasing the unique Standard Lesson Teacher”s Study Bible (SLTSB). The SLTSB complements lesson materials by putting tools at the fingertips of teachers while they are leading lessons. Here are some features that do just that:   Enhanced Introductions Bible book introductions abound to help the reader understand the book. But our introductions are designed to help the leader teach that book. What to review””Some issues addressed

May 12, 2014

Christian Standard

The Megachurch Missions Minister

By Chris DeWelt “With great power comes great responsibility” (Voltaire, not Spiderman) The megachurch missions minister occupies a new and unique role. In their article, “U.S. Megachurches and New Patterns of Global Mission,”1 researchers Robert J. Priest, Douglas Wilson, and Adelle Johnson make several important observations. One is that the American megachurch missions pastor is a gatekeeper who watches over a very significant portion of the megachurch budget. Their survey found the average annual foreign missions budget in the megachurch was $690,000. Outside of general payroll and facility needs, the missions budget of the typical megachurch easily eclipses all other

May 11, 2014

Christian Standard

Megachurches and Missions

By Chris DeWelt Suspicious of missions? Uninterested in missionaries? Disengaged from foreign fields? Not the megachurches I interviewed for my doctoral thesis and this report. Actually, I found just the opposite. The American megachurch is interested in missions! The advent of the megachurch is a phenomenon unique in church history. The fact that the megachurch is here is hardly a news item, but the growth and influence of megachurches is a significant part of our current story.1 Just 53 years ago there were only 16 Protestant megachurches2 in America. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research lists about 1,500 megachurches.3 Currently,

May 10, 2014

Christian Standard

Large Churches and Medium Churches: The 2013 List

Our annual megachurch chart is one of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s most popular features. This year we are breaking the chart into two parts for our website postings; this particular chart lists 103 large churches (those averaging 500 to 999 in weekly attendance) and 109 medium-sized megachurches (those that averaged 250 to 499 during 2013). This is not an exhaustive listing; instead, it is a listing of churches that voluntarily participated in our survey. Click here to look at the chart of the 2013 Large Churches and Medium Churches.

May 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Bob Russell Says, ‘I Love the Church!’

By Bob Russell A prominent ad for a new church plant reads, “Church doesn”t have to suck! Happy hour service this Sunday at 10:30 a.m.” Some might smile at that trendy message and regard it as a creative attention-getter, but the not-so-subtle implication is that most churches are boring and ineffective. Frankly, I”m tired of people bashing the church of Jesus Christ. I”m not referring to the world”s ridicule of the church””that”s expected. I”m referring to the criticism of the church from within. Popular Christian authors, convention speakers, parachurch leaders, and “cutting-edge” preachers frequently heap scorn on the bride of

May 8, 2014

Christian Standard

A Closer Look at the Numbers*

By Kent Fillinger   AVERAGE SIZE Megachurches: 4,810 Emerging Megachurches: 1,354 Combined average weekly attendance: 382,144 The three largest megachurches account for more than 20 percent of all megachurch attendees.   GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 5.6 percent (up from 3 percent in 2012); overall, 73 percent of megachurches grew. Emerging Megachurches: 2.4 percent (down from 4 percent in 2012); overall, 52 percent of emerging megachurches grew.   FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES 2|42 Community Church, Brighton, MI, 112% Third City Christian Church, Grand Island, NE, 31.6% Eastside Christian Church, Anaheim, CA, 26.3% Current””A Christian Church, Katy, TX, 22.1% Ten Mile Christian Church, Meridian, ID,

May 7, 2014

Christian Standard

Megachurches Break New Ground

By Kent Fillinger The annual survey of attendance and trends in the fellowship of Christian churches and churches of Christ always yields interesting facts, but our study for calendar year 2013 also identified three notable “firsts”: “¢ For the first time, three churches averaged more than 20,000 in weekly worship attendance. Joining Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, and Central Christian Church, Henderson, Nevada, both of which surpassed 20,000 for the third consecutive year, was Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, Arizona. “¢ For the first time in the 18-year history of this list, Southeast Christian did not have the highest

May 1, 2014

Christian Standard

Six Myths About Divorce

By Paul E. Boatman “The Bible says. . . .” With that authoritative claim, many a sermon has articulated what sounds like a clear, scriptural doctrine. But the thoughtful Christian may observe that such assertions are often no more than opinions empowered by uncritical adoption of traditional, nonbiblical dogma. Several beliefs related to divorce are rooted in this blurring of mythology and doctrine.   Myth 1: Divorce is a sin. This assertion seems self-evident. After all, Malachi quotes the Lord saying, “I hate divorce” (Malachi 2:16*). Further, Jesus takes his audience to task for their cavalier divorce practices (Matthew 5:31,

April 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Just Decide to Be Happy!

By Jessica D. Vana We were finishing our technical evaluation with Mission Aviation Fellowship. We had stayed two weeks with a wonderful host family and then were invited to move into the home of Gene and Lynn Jordan. (Gene serves as vice president of personnel with MAF.) Gene was practically born into MAF, as he grew up with Steve Saint (son of early MAF pilot Nate Saint) in Ecuador. Shortly after we met Gene, he showed us a black and white picture of himself as a small boy in Ecuador with the strong arm of Nate Saint wrapped around him.

April 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Circle Up

By Susan Lawrence “Then Jesus told his followers to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he thanked God for the food. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. All the people ate and were satisfied” (Mark 6:39-42, New Century Version). I don”t know if the groups of 50 and 100 sat in circles or

April 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Westminster High

By Daniel Schantz On the sixth day of our London tour, my wife threw me a curve. “Tomorrow is Sunday,” Sharon said, “so I would like to attend services at Westminster Abbey.” My face fell. Oh, no, not that place. That”s “high church,” Anglican. I don”t want to be sitting around in a dark, musty cathedral watching priests perform mysterious rituals and listening to Latin mumbo jumbo and mournful choirs. “OK,” I said, cheerfully, “Westminster Abbey it is. It could be interesting.” We were celebrating our 50th anniversary with a trip to London””Sharon”s lifelong dream””and I was determined not to

April 21, 2014

Christian Standard

Learning and Living Like Job

By Eleanor Daniel In January 2013, I departed the United States for India with great expectations of spending two weeks teaching from the book of Job to Indian pastors in Kerala, leading a curriculum workshop at a church in Chennai, and teaching a Christian education class at a college in Chennai. But it didn”t turn out as I had anticipated. I may never teach from the book of Job again! Let me explain. I arrived in India as planned and spent a couple of days in Mumbai before flying south to begin the work set out for me. All went

April 17, 2014

Christian Standard

A Smooth Transition

By John Plunkett In September 2011, I had preached at Creve Coeur (Illinois) Christian Church for 33 years, more than half its existence. But I was ready to retire. I had been thinking about this for some time. As early as 2006 I proposed a plan with an associate minister that would have implemented a three-year transition moving me to retirement and him to the senior minister”s role. But that plan fell apart when the associate was called to be senior minister of another congregation. In September 2011, I told the elders of my pending retirement and that my last

April 14, 2014

Christian Standard

Making the Point: Delivering Powerful Communion Meditations

By Andy Heisler Preparing a three-minute Communion meditation has challenges that are unique from crafting a 30-minute sermon or Bible lesson. A sermon speaker or lesson teacher is able to follow the arc of a story, and take time to unpack the meaning of a text. A meditation presenter, on the other hand, has only a few critical moments to engage the congregation and lead them to the foot of the cross. Preparation is critical to crafting a Communion message that hits the mark. Consider the following suggestions: Make the Point Being clever or creative is not of greatest importance,

April 13, 2014

Christian Standard

Worship Is a Verb!

By Teresa Metzger Worship is our goal for every day, but the Lord”s Day presents us with special opportunities. Life is often lived segmented into neat little boxes we construct for ourselves. We have our work box, family box, sports box, entertainment box . . . and all of these fit into a larger, “secular” box. Many activities make up our secular lives. Then we have this much smaller box labeled “sacred.” Into this box we put our church attendance, Bible reading, praying, and service. Our sacred box takes up much less time and space than our secular box, but that”s OK

April 12, 2014

Christian Standard

Fuzzy Worship

By Steve Wyatt God made us to worship him. Which means we need to get worship right. But at least four factors push worship out of proper focus. The No. 1 reason God gave you his breath is to bring him pleasure. “O Lord. . . . You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist” (Revelation 4:11, New Living Translation, 1996; author”s emphasis). “All things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16, King James Version; author”s emphasis). How much of “everything” is included in “all things?” ALL. Including you! You were made for God.

April 11, 2014

Christian Standard

Seven Ways to Make Your Worship Creative

By Lise Caldwell 1. Incorporate Scripture in creative ways: turn a passage (such as Isaiah 53) into a dramatic monologue. Weave Psalm texts together in a thematic responsive reading. Share Scriptures on which a worship song is based. Provide reflective texts on screen or in a bulletin for times of silent prayer. 2. Get people out of their seats: allow people to respond with movement. Invite people to write something they are thankful for on a giant blackboard and display it during the month of November. Encourage families to leave the pews and pray together during Communion. Encourage them to

April 11, 2014

Christian Standard

Seven Attributes of a Healthy Worship Planning Team

By Lise Caldwell 1. Debate and disagreement are encouraged. People are willing to (respectfully) express concerns or offer alternatives to ideas that are presented. 2. No one “owns” an idea. Often one suggestion sparks another, which sparks another, and in the end, no one knows who had the idea in the first place. Emphasis is placed on collaborative brainstorming, not bragging rights. 3. Laughter and play are encouraged. Provide Slinkies, Legos, or Play-Doh during planning meetings. People who are able to laugh with others (and at themselves) will be more creative. 4. People are more important than products. Offering creative

April 10, 2014

Christian Standard

We Plan, They Respond

By Lise Caldwell Worship is a response to who God is. Can you plan to respond? Maybe not, but we find great satisfaction in crafting experiences that lead people to worship God. We huddle around 8-foot round tables strewn with laptops and iPads, soda cans and pizza crusts. The whiteboard that dominates the front of the room is ominously blank. The dates of our upcoming weekend services throb in the corners, pulsating in their urgency. I scribble on my notepad. Someone coughs. The room grows quiet. Time to plan our worship services. “Planning” worship sounds counterintuitive. We don”t “plan” to

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