October 13, 2025
The Poor Rich Church
This is the second in a series of weekly articles based on Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. This week’s church is Smyrna.
Articles for tag: Africa
September 2, 2025
What I Learned in My African Internship
God can use me despite my weaknesses, and he can use my weaknesses to give me a better picture of how much I need him.
May 2, 2025
Digging Deep
Cainos Manyara grew up in Zimbabwe, but followed God into a productive ministry of encouraging and loving people in America and supporting his own people in Zimbabwe.
September 2, 2024
Lifeline Reaches Milestone: 100 Million Meals Packed
Lifeline Christian Mission recently hit the milestone of having packed 100 million meals for people in need.
Lydia’s Mission: Empowering Women to Impact Generations
What was a young American woman doing at a dump in South Africa? . . .
January 10, 2024
News Briefs for January 10
MACU Rwanda has graduated its first two students. Also briefs about Johnson University Florida, ICOM, a Woman's World Conference at Manhattan Christian College, and more. . . .
November 1, 2022
Vision Without Sight
A Short-Term Mission Trip to a Liberian Orphanage, an ‘Experiment,’ and a 6-Year-Old Blind Girl Named Princess
September 19, 2022
September 25 | Application (‘Finally!’)
Before leaving on the mission trip, Candy and I wrote a list of goals: “Trust God. Love well. Encourage others. . . .” We should have added another goal: “Watch for what God teaches in unexpected ways.”
February 10, 2021
NewThing Planted Nearly 1,000 New Churches in 2020
By Chris Moon Even in a pandemic, the work of church planting continues. Chicago-based church-planting organization NewThing reports it planted 982 churches in 2020, an increase from 855 in 2019. Most of those church plants occurred outside the United States—many of them in Africa and Asia. “COVID hasn’t slowed it down,” said Patrick O’Connell, global director for NewThing. NewThing is the church-planting mission of Community Christian Church in Naperville, Ill., which was founded by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson. The organization has been around for about 15 years and has planted a total of 6,373 churches in 26 countries so
April 2, 2020
Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19: “Our Ministry, Especially, Has Been Smitten”
With coronavirus, or COVID-19, continuing to infect and kill people in the United States and around the world, we thought it an appropriate time to reflect on the 1918-19 influenza pandemic that caused at least 50 million deaths worldwide, with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. Last week we shared a Christian Standard editorial from Nov. 2, 1918 (click here to read it). This week we opt for a somber editorial from January 4, 1919. (By the way, in our last column we reported there had been 475,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide resulting in more than 21,000 deaths. As
December 11, 2019
CCV (San Dimas) Rebranding as ONE&ALL Church, Expanding Overseas
By Chris Moon Christ’s Church of the Valley in San Dimas, Calif., is changing its name to ONE&ALL Church. The rebranding effort comes as the church expands its mission to reach beyond its Southern California turf. The megachurch that averaged almost 6,700 in 2018 has formed partnerships with congregations in New Zealand, Australia, and elsewhere and is working on additional ones. Lead pastor Jeff Vines said the church looked at changing its name as it realized its mission was expanding geographically. Vines has multiple connections with church leaders in New Zealand and Africa because of his 20 years of missionary
March 25, 2019
SPOTLIGHT: Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky
Reaching Out to the Community and the World By Andy Rector In 2018, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, experienced gains in many ways. âIt truly was a year of growth,â said Dave Stone, senior pastor. Growth occurred in evangelism: âThe majority of people who were baptized in 2018 were baptized by the person who led them to the Lord,â Stone said. Growth occurred with the facilities: Construction began on the Chapel in the Woods, only a quarter mile from the main campus. The chapel is designed for weddings, funerals, and worship. There also was numeric growth: âOur attendance grew more
Questions and Answers about Refugees and Resettlement
By Kevin Lines Who are refugees and displaced persons? They are men, women, and children fleeing war, persecution, and political upheaval. They are uprooted with little warning and endure great hardship during their flight. They are displaced when they are forced to flee their homes, but remain within the borders of their native country. They become refugees when they cross borders and seek safety in another country. The United Nations” 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by its 1967 Protocol, defines a refugee as a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for
December 31, 2016
These Speakers Are Writers
By LeRoy Lawson Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick Up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny Christine Caine Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016 The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken Naomi Zacharias Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011 Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World Bob Goff Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012 The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters Sean B. Carroll Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016 I had the good fortune to attend the 2016 North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California. I can”t remember an NACC that was more upbeat, more focused
August 2, 2016
Beyond Fear
By Mark A. Taylor Gene Appel spoke of fear at Eastside Christian Church (Anaheim, California) July 10. This was the first Sunday after two black men, one in Louisiana and another in Minnesota, were shot by white police officers and later in the same week five officers were killed by a black sniper after a peaceful rally in Dallas, Texas. These tragedies were on everyone”s mind that week, along with the continual staccato of news about global terrorism and political upheaval. “When the disciples huddled in secret after Christ”s crucifixion, they were afraid, too,” Appel said. And then he introduced
March 4, 2016
The Cup
By J. Michael Shannon The Christian world has long been fascinated with the cup of the Last Supper. One legend says that Joseph of Arimathea took the cup to England. There, it seems to have gotten mixed up with grail legends and become a part of the King Arthur stories. Dozens of churches claim to have the cup. A seventh-century legend says the cup was at one time in a church in Jerusalem. It was described as a two-handled silver chalice. In Genoa, Italy, there is a hexagon-shaped cup made from green glass that some thought was an emerald. In
March 1, 2016
They Were Excited
This Easter editorial was written by Edwin V. Hayden, CHRISTIAN STANDARD’s ninth editor. It first appeared in the April 21, 1962, issue of the magazine. ____ By Edwin V. Hayden They were excited people””those folk who saw Jesus after He rose from the dead. They couldn”t contain themselves from telling what they had seen and heard. Their excitement didn”t wear off; it stayed with them as long as they lived. Because of it we in our land and time have access to Christ”s church and His gospel. Others now and generations to come will have that church and that gospel,
January 3, 2016
If You Build It, Will They Come?
By Tim Harlow On a recent trip to Malawi, my wife and I had a brief layover in London and were able to travel into the city for a spot of tea. We found a shop in the back of the sanctuary of a 900-year-old Anglican church. The place was incredibly beautiful and ornate, with lovely stained glass. However, it became painfully obvious the church wasn”t selling tea as a way to connect with the community, but because it was desperate for money. There was even a sign saying how much it cost to keep the building open. As I
November 10, 2015
Changes for the Better?
By Mark A. Taylor Every missions leader and missionary watcher will tell you missions is different these days. A generation or two ago, missionaries departed for a foreign field with the intent to spend their lives there. Now “long-term missionaries” stay for maybe two or three years. Those days, and in the generations before, missionaries went from the West to the rest of the world, and most American church members assumed “we” had the solution to the problems suffered by “them.” Now missionaries from Asia, Africa, and South America are going all over the world with the gospel. And some
April 17, 2015
10 Tips for People Dealing with Pain
By Phil Kendon One person walks with dignity and peace through a severe trial that comes upon his life, while another seems to fall apart at the seams. One grows stronger in his faith through the experience, another abandons the faith in anger and disappointment. One exhibits a joy in God despite his circumstances, while another sinks into the dark mists of depression and grief. Death, sickness, financial hardship, or a suffering child””any of these could send us spiraling downwards in a cycle of questions, doubts, anger, and depression. But trials can also draw us upwards in faith, hope, and
