Series: News

May 6, 2020

Christian Standard

CCV Sees Record Baptisms as Wooldridge Settles In

By Chris Moon Christ’s Church of the Valley in Phoenix, Arizona, recorded 4,371 baptisms in 2019. It was the most ever for the megachurch and the most recorded by any Restoration Movement congregation in the 22 years Christian Standard has compiled data from churches. “The church has always had a big focus on evangelism,” said Ashley Wooldridge, senior pastor of CCV. Christ’s Church of the Valley in 2019 also saw a big spike in average attendance, jumping 7.4 percent to 34,444. That made it the seventh fastest-growing megachurch on Christian Standard’s list. It is the largest congregation in the Restoration

May 6, 2020

Christian Standard

News Briefs for May 6

Compiled by Jim Nieman Breandon McTighe of Reclaim Christian Church will be among the participants at a National Day of Prayer event at 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot at Ansonio (Ct.) High School. Reclaim is loaning its FM transmitter for the drive-in event. McTighe preached RCC’s Easter service in the same high school lot, which provided inspiration for this gathering, which will include speakers from several area churches. _ _ _ Our friend Ruth E. Davis, 79, who served faithfully as news editor of Christian Standard from 1997 until her retirement in 2006, succumbed to the effects of Parkinson’s

April 29, 2020

Christian Standard

Ministers Sharing Knowledge Amid COVID-19 Outbreak (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon The Intentional Churches website is a good source of helpful information on various strategies and initiatives churches are employing during the COVID-19 crisis. Video discussions featuring ministers from across the country are being posted about every week at the IC website. Here’s a sampling of thoughts from the April 17 conference: “We’re taking our . . . folks who worked in the lobby as greeters . . . and inviting them to be online greeters. . . . Not giving them a lot of moderating responsibilities, but really just looking to reengage them

April 28, 2020

Christian Standard

COVID-19: Guidelines for Closing and Reopening the Church

Editor’s Note: This article was written for and will appear in our July issue, which will deal with politics and the church. We’ve decided the article will most benefit our readers now, however. We hope it helps you wisely plan as you make significant decisions over the next several weeks and months. _ _ _ By Rusty Russell Should we have canceled church during the COVID-19 pandemic? What if churches reopen, the virus rebounds, and we are asked to cancel again? What if there’s a less serious pandemic in the future? Will we be asked to cancel the next time

April 22, 2020

Christian Standard

Church Giving Seems to Stabilize after Rough Start to COVID-19 Closures

We spoke with ministers of churches large and small in several states about how their church finances have been impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting stay-at-home orders. The sampling size is small—five ministers—but most report improved giving after a rough first couple of weeks. _ _ _ By Chris Moon When asked about church finances during the COVID-19 pandemic, pastor Vince Antonucci had a quick answer. “It’s scary,” he said. The lead pastor of Verve Church in Las Vegas—which averaged 285 people in attendance before the shutdown—is in a city that’s been particularly hard hit because of the outbreak. The

April 22, 2020

Christian Standard

SCJ Conference Rescheduled for September (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon The COVID-19 outbreak forced the rescheduling of the 2020 Stone-Campbell Journal Conference. The event, originally set for March 20, 21, has been rescheduled for Sept. 11, 12. The location—Johnson University Tennessee in Knoxville—has not changed. The theme “Politics and the Stone-Campbell Movement” will be developed by the originally scheduled speakers: Shaun Casey, director of the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and Public Affairs and professor in Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service; Jess Hale, attorney with the Tennessee General Assembly; and Richard Cherok, professor of history with Ozark Christian College. Stone-Campbell Journal

April 21, 2020

Christian Standard

“We’re Going to Come Out of This Stronger”

By Jim Nieman A small, country church in South Dakota is doing its best to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the minister is convinced, “We’re going to come out of this stronger.” Preston Christian Church in Bruce, S.D., has adopted the same strategy as many other churches across the country by incorporating a drive-in service in their parking lot on Sunday mornings. A difference is that Preston Christian has been worshipping with their sister church, Brookings (S.D.) Christian Church, which is located about 20 miles away, the last three Sundays. PCC minister Tim Smith and BCC minister

April 16, 2020

Christian Standard

Dummitt Named Senior Pastor of Willow Creek

By Jim Nieman David Dummitt, the founding and lead pastor of 2|42 Community Church in Michigan, has been named the new senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. “I’m so excited to become a part of the Willow family,” Dummitt said in a video posted by Willow Creek. “For the last 15 years my family and I have had the privilege of launching and leading 2|42 Community Church in southeast Michigan. And over these last few months we’ve sensed God leading us to come and be a part of what he’s doing in and through Willow.

April 15, 2020

Christian Standard

Ellsworth’s Farewell Sermon On Hold Until Church Can Gather Again

By Chris Moon Tom Ellsworth jokes that his “crystal ball” must have been broken when he announced last year his plan to retire at the end this month. Ellsworth has put in nearly 40 years of service as pastor of Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington, Ind. He’s seen the church grow from an attendance of about 80 people to more than 3,000 on two campuses. But 40 years is a good biblical number, and Ellsworth had his 65th birthday earlier this year. The church began working on a retirement plan a couple of years ago, and Shawn Green was

April 15, 2020

Christian Standard

Church Organs/Organists Featured in Newspapers (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Church organs and organists recently were featured in articles in Kentucky and Ohio newspapers. The organ at Calhoun (Ky.) Christian Church survived a flood in 1937, a near-disastrous move to a new building in 1998, and transitions from hand-pumping to water-pumping to an electrical pump over the past 100-plus years. The McLean County News detailed the organ’s rich history in a story from March. Since 1905, only five women have played the organ regularly. The present organist is Judy Rightmyer, an octogenarian. Rightmyer’s grandfather used to hand-pump the organ and sing bass in

April 8, 2020

Christian Standard

Christian College Presidents Describe Challenges, Possible Long-Term Ramifications of COVID-19

By Chris Moon In his 24 years at Ozark Christian College—10 as a professor and 14 now as president—Matt Proctor has never experienced a spring semester like this one. “We’re all learning,” he said. The university in Joplin, Mo., just finished its first week of being an online-only school amid the campus closures that have affected colleges across the nation during the coronavirus pandemic. Proctor said things haven’t been easy, but they haven’t been overwhelming, either. “I am blessed with an amazing team,” he said. “I have been able to see our team at Ozark just rally together and do

April 8, 2020

Christian Standard

South Side Among Churches Adapting Easter Plans (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon South Side Christian Church in Springfield, Ill., didn’t stage its annual Easter Eggcitement event featuring bounce houses, games, and eggs filled with candy this year, according to the State Journal-Register. Instead, on Sunday—because of the COVID-19 outbreak—children’s pastor Rodney Hull wore a protective mask and handed out treat bags to children in cars via a drive-through process. “I haven’t seen the kids for a few weeks, except on Zoom,” Hull told the paper. “So it’s a chance to wave to them and enjoy a little piece of Easter we’ve put together for them

April 7, 2020

Christian Standard

Indiana Church’s Mounting Challenges Started with Tornado

By Jim Nieman Tiny Bentonville (Ind.) Christian Church has been through a lot over the past 10 months. Their building was destroyed by a tornado on June 15, 2019, then the church met in two temporary locations, and now the congregation isn’t meeting anywhere because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. On top of that, plans to rebuild at the site of their church home since the 1840s have been put on hold because of a problem with the property deed. “In 1843, when the church began, the deed went to Bentonville Association, but nobody knows who the Bentonville Association is,”

April 4, 2020

Christian Standard

Virtual Meetings . . . Real Relationships

A Step-by-Step Guide for Leading a Discovery Bible Study (or Any Group or Class) While Social Distancing By Rick Lowry In this season of social distancing, getting your small group or class together for an online or “virtual” meeting is a great alternative. If you are a computer novice, this can sound intimidating. But many simple tools are available to assist even those among us with little Internet experience. Since technology is the greatest concern for those who haven’t yet tried virtual meetings, we’ll discuss the technical details first. After that, we’ll look at some ways virtual groups are different

April 2, 2020

Christian Standard

HIU Announces Closure of Nebraska Christian College

By Jim Nieman Nebraska Christian College will close at the end of this semester. The announcement was made this afternoon after a decision by the Hope International University board of trustees. HIU and NCC had merged in 2016. “To give you an idea of our current challenge, our spring enrollment there [at NCC] has fallen to under 90 students, which is the lowest in 30 years,” said Paul Alexander, president of the combined university, via a video posted at NCC’s website. “The number of students required to cover our costs there is just about 200. So, that gap is simply

April 1, 2020

Christian Standard

Churches Are Eligible for Paycheck Protection Program

By Renee Little Churches are eligible for economic relief related to the coronavirus pandemic, and the time to apply is NOW! The Paycheck Protection Program was approved through Congress and signed by the president. Approximately $349 billion in forgivable loans will be given out to small businesses (under 500 employees). Nonprofits, including churches, are included. Now is the time for church leaders to strongly consider whether to seek relief through this program and to take action. Here are the next steps: 1. See this page on the Vanderbloemen website that includes videos and other information providing the most recent updates

April 1, 2020

Christian Standard

‘We Don’t Have to Be Paralyzed in Fear’ (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Fox59 News in Indianapolis interviewed John Dickerson, lead pastor with Connection Pointe Christian Church, Brownsburg, Ind., about “ways to keep faith during the [coronavirus] pandemic.” “What you focus on becomes much bigger,” Dickerson said, using the above photo as an example. (Rest assured, the Eiffel Tower really is bigger than the man’s hand). “The reality is if we focus just on the virus and our fears and our anxiety and the economy,” Dickerson said, “if we focus only on those negative things—we do have to be aware of them—but if we fully focus

March 31, 2020

Shawn McMullen

McMullen Named VP of Partner Relations with CCL Foundation

Shawn McMullen, who has concluded his service as editor of The Lookout magazine, will begin work Wednesday as vice president of partner relations with the Christian Church Leadership Foundation. McMullen’s responsibilities will include working with Cincinnati area ministers, churches, and mission teams to present the work of the CCL Network and the Russell School of Ministry. He will identify partners to support student scholarships, library services, and network memberships. He also will closely work with representatives from the Cincinnati Christian University Alumni Association to help maintain communication and connection with the CCU community within the CCL Foundation. “I’m grateful for

March 30, 2020

Christian Standard

Christian Universities Switch to Online Instruction

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused our Christian colleges and universities to switch from in-person learning to various forms of Internet instruction or “distance delivery.” Here is a listing of the colleges with very brief explanations of what each has done and links for more information: Alberta Bible College (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)—Campus is closed until further notice. Classes are running on their normal schedule, but now remotely, via Zoom. More information Boise Bible College (Boise, Idaho)—Boise Bible College has scaled back to critical services only. All students were to move out of residential housing by Saturday, March 28. Classes will

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