Articles for tag: Brian Mavis

December 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Great Open Doors

By Brian Mavis Where do you think God is asking us to join him? What great doors of effective work has God opened in the United States? It”s a question based on a biblical concept. In John 5, Jesus said the Father is always at work, and he, Jesus, looks to see where God is working and joins him in that work. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul said he would stay longer at Ephesus because a great door of effective work had opened up (16:9). In Jesus” instructions to the church in Philadelphia, he said he had

November 30, 2012

Christian Standard

The “˜New” Revelation

By Brian Mavis In celebration of the Mayan calendar ending, I dedicate this installment of “What”s Next” to eschatology. Specifically, we”ll look at a “new” interpretation of Revelation that is trending up. Let me frame the argument by mentioning the four main schools of interpreting Revelation. Preterism This view teaches that the events described in Revelation were fulfilled in AD 70 with the destruction of the temple and the fall of Jerusalem (or with the fall of the Roman Empire). Most preterists believe chapters 20-22 point to future events.   Historicism This view teaches that the prophetic symbols are the

October 26, 2012

Christian Standard

A Mormon President”” a Good Thing

By Brian Mavis Barack Obama is a professing Christian. Mitt Romney is a professing Mormon. Most of the Christian leaders I know are voting for the Mormon. The rise of Mormonism from animosity to acceptance to prominence is remarkable. In 1838, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs gave an extermination order against the Mormons””an officially sanctioned desired holocaust. Next month, a Mormon may be our president. From death row to the Oval Office””not bad.   Mormonism Is Going Mainstream Mormonism (aka, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) has achieved acceptance and status, in part, by saying they are like us.

September 22, 2012

Christian Standard

The Culture of Celebrity Pastors

By Brian Mavis Joel Osteen, Rob Bell, Francis Chan, John Piper, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Billy Graham, Dwight L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Augustine, Origen, Polycarp. Celebrity pastors are nothing new. So what”s new and what”s next? Putting ourselves first is as old as day one (I mean, day six). The difference today is that the ability to reach the fruit, feed that temptation, and be applauded for it has never been easier. Just consider these low-hanging branches: YouTube, MySpace, iTunes, iMac, iPod, iPad, and iPhone. “I, me, mine . .

July 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Megachurches: Storm Clouds Ahead?

By Brian Maris It”s not all smooth sailing for the megachurches. Church leaders I interviewed foresee some storms on the horizon. In my previous column (May 27), I shared seven positive trends megachurches are experiencing. These were gleaned from interviewing nine authors, academics, megachurch pastors, and missional church planters. These nine were overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of megachurches. But not everything they see is positive. Today, we”ll look at three concerns that were mentioned in those interviews.   1. Overfishing in Other Churches” Ponds “There are two kinds of megachurches,” states Eddie Gibbs, senior professor of church growth at

June 8, 2012

Christian Standard

Difficult Questions

By Mark A. Taylor Steve Reeves makes an eloquent and convincing case for long ministries. But how can we reconcile positive experience like his with the result of our research showing how church growth slows as a minister”s tenure increases? That”s the question we posed to church leaders across the country, and their answers this week suggest this is an issue for all of us to consider. Perhaps the truth is not as cut-and-dried as the numbers alone suggest. Perhaps several other factors (church dynamics, community growth and culture and demographics) are in play when church growth slows in a

June 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Seven Positive Trends for Megachurches

By Brian Mavis I asked nine authors, academics, megachurch pastors, and missional church planters “What”s next for megachurches?”Â The nine shared enough opinions and insights for several articles, and I will develop those in upcoming issues. Several of the leaders I contacted mentioned some concerns, but this month let”s focus on identifying and distilling seven positive trends.   1. Deeper Discipleship Megachurches are growing less content with measuring attendance alone. David Faust, president of Cincinnati Christian University, said at a megachurch leaders conference he was . . . encouraged to hear a number of megachurch leaders talking about how their plans for the

April 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Trends, Turns, and Trailblazing

By Brian Mavis CHRISTIAN STANDARD asked me to write a column about “what”s next,” and I said, “OK.” When will I learn? I”m not a futurologist. I don”t know anything about horoscopes. I brewed my tea leaves, and my Magic 8 Ball is stuck on “Reply hazy, try again.” When I look into the future, the only thing I see are people confronting me with, “Hey Mavis! Where are those flying cars with onboard waffle makers you said we would have by now?” Let me clarify the purpose of this column. It”s not about predictions or prophecies; it”s about looking

March 7, 2012

Christian Standard

NACC 2012: Interview with the President

By Brian Mavis Rick Rusaw has served as the lead pastor at LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, since 1991. He is the cofounder of Externally Focused Network, and coauthor of Externally Focused Church, Externally Focused Life, and Externally Focused Quest. Here he answers questions from people like you about this summer”s North American Christian Convention. I contacted 15 different church leaders from around the country and asked them to send me one question they would like to ask you about this year”s convention. Several asked, “How would attending the NACC help me grow as a minister?” RUSAW: The theme

October 29, 2011

Christian Standard

You Must Read This . . . Looking Afresh at “The Least”

By Brian Mavis Same Kind of Different as Me Ron Hall and Denver Moore Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2006 I gravitate toward “heady” books, but if you want a book to make your heart smart, read Same Kind of Different as Me. It is the true story of three uncommon friends, Ron and Deborah Hall and Denver Moore. The Halls are white millionaires, and Moore is a homeless black man. The book alternates between the perspective of Ron Hall and Moore as they tell their inspiring story of enduring tragedy, repenting from prejudices, and forging an authentic friendship. And really, it”s

September 7, 2011

Christian Standard

A Future Filled with Joy?

By Mark A. Taylor Not everything on Facebook is true, but I want to believe the picture posted there several weeks ago is real. It depicts an announcement board in a church hallway, with white plastic letters pushed into a black background. At the top we read: Evenings at 7 in the Parish Hall. Then this menu follows: Monday: Alcoholics Anonymous Tuesday: Abused Spouses Wednesday: Eating Disorders Thursday: Say No to Drugs Friday: Teen Suicide Watch Saturday: Soup Kitchen And then, below all this: Sunday Sermon 9 a.m. “America”s Joyous Future.” The irony made me laugh out loud, but lately

March 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Another Statement About What”s at Stake

By Mark A. Taylor A longtime reader of CHRISTIAN STANDARD paid us a wonderful compliment earlier this year. “Thank you for giving us a magazine that makes us think,” he said. This likely would have seemed a small achievement just a generation or two ago. There was a day when many in the Christian churches and churches of Christ spent more energy defining orthodoxy than questioning tradition. But fresh winds are blowing today””new churches, growing congregations, multisites and multimedia and external focus””all of it energized by a crop of younger leaders sold out to finding new ways to evangelize. “It”s

June 21, 2009

Christian Standard

How to Listen to a Sermon

By Brian Mavis SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERYONE IN YOUR CHURCH. (DETAILS BELOW.)       One hundred times more people will hear a sermon this week than preach one. So why are there thousands of articles, books, and classes on how to preach a message, but virtually none on how to listen to one? It”s because most people think listening just comes naturally. But that”s not what Jesus thought. Jesus said to “consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). The state and fate of your life depends on how you listen. Teachers are responsible for teaching well, but you

January 4, 2009

Christian Standard

Small Groups that Give and Live Graciously

By Brian Mavis What would happen if a church gave back to her small groups half of what the groups tithed and asked them to invest the money in ministry? I had pondered this for a few years. I wondered whether the people in the small groups would be motivated to give more, and what they would choose to do with the money. When I joined the staff at LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colorado, I shared some of these thoughts and questions with the leaders and elders, and I was floored when they said, “Let”s find out.” Before I share

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