April 6, 2026
Harbor: The Pepperdine Bible Lectures 2026 is a multi-day Christian conference at Pepperdine University designed for worship, learning, renewal, and restoration. Built around the theme “A More Excellent Way: The Transformative Power of Love,” the event gathers Christian community and leaders for keynote sessions, classes, and fellowship on Pepperdine’s Malibu campus.
November 16, 2022
Ben Merold, 96, a beloved minister in Christian churches and churches of Christ for almost three-quarters of a century, died Wednesday morning. Merold was known as a church builder and a friend of the small church.
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
March 27, 2019
Two new churches have started in recent weeks. Venture Christian Church, Katy, Texas, held a four-week grand opening from Jan. 20 to Feb. 10 and saw 151 different people come to its services. Lead planter Nathan Boldt wrote that Venture’s intent is to “reach people with no connection to a church.” He added, “If I were to share one stat, it would be that about 80 percent of our crowd are unchurched. . . . We are thrilled at what God has been up to!”VCC is a plant by Nexus Church Planting and is also supported by several Texas congregations. Further west, Luminous
March 25, 2019
Wildfire Doesnâ™t Quash Churchâ™s Community Mission By Justin Horey The moment that defined 2018 for Mission Church actually took place at the end of 2017. On December 4 of that year, the Thomas Fire started burning in Santa Paula, California, just 20 miles from Ventura, where Mission Church has been located since its founding in 2011. The wildfire burned with unusual speed, and lead pastor Mike Hickerson remembers watching the flames approach as he stood on the roof of his home that evening. The fire reached Ventura overnight and began destroying structures in the city. By the time the fire
February 9, 2018
By Kelly Carr Ben and Pat Merold—most folks seldom say one of their names without the other, and that’s just fine with them. When they talk, you hear their love for one another, the joy they feel together, and the immense pride they have about the other’s ministry. One could easily declare that Ben and Pat Merold are who we all hope to be when we grow up! Ben and Pat share their story of a lifelong love for serving the Lord and for each other. Jumping into Ministry The year was 1948. Pat, a freshman at Johnson
November 13, 2016
By Justin Horey It took a gang member for Tommy Nixon to understand grace. In 2002, Nixon cofounded Solidarity, a ministry designed to “help churches transform their cities,” but after a decade living and working in the low-income neighborhoods of Fullerton, California, he was frustrated. Nixon”s work with Solidarity had introduced him to a number of local gang members, and he had been ministering to one in particular for 10 years””but the young man”s life wasn”t changing. Despite Nixon”s efforts to help him, the gang member wound up in jail, and even was deported. Nixon recalls turning to God in
July 18, 2016
By Bart Rendel In the summer of 1985 my life changed forever during the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California! For years, my family had attended the convention for inspiration and connection. That summer we made the trek out west to visit family and friends. The convention was the centerpiece of our trip. I was between my 10th and 11th grade in high school. With college in the offing, I was seriously contemplating my life”s direction. How did he want to use me? Where should I focus my education? It was at the convention that I felt the Lord
July 14, 2015
Jodi Hickerson, programming director with Mission Church in Ventura, California, talks about her journey and how God has opened doors for her to serve his church. See the exclusive interview with Lookout Editor Kelly Carr here.
June 30, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor The Internet is buzzing with reactions to last week”s Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Advocates are adding the #LoveWins hashtag to every tweet, and Christian leaders are urging the church not to be discouraged in the face of what many view as a terrible loss. Amid all the chatter, Caleb Kaltenbach”s perspective offers a voice as refreshing as it is calm. “Some say this is the defining issue of the day,” he said when I interviewed him last week at the North American Christian Convention. “But I believe the church is getting it wrong.” We
January 13, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor Today is the middle day of this year”s annual CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editors retreat. For all of us who attend it, this is a special gathering that enriches us in a unique way. Of course, personal enrichment is a byproduct of the meeting. Its stated purpose is to brainstorm topics and writers for future editions of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. And this is a purpose that has been wonderfully achieved, year after year. Many of the innovations and changes you”ve seen in the magazine through the years have come at the suggestion (or prodding!) of this group. Several
July 19, 2014
Gene Appel says “The evangelistic temperature of a church drops faster than anything else.” He discusses how to solve this problem, including a strategy of reducing ministry programs where he preaches, Eastside Christian Church, Anaheim, California. Hear his interview with CHRISTIAN STANDARD Editor Mark Taylor here.
July 19, 2014
By Dudley C. Rutherford (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) My dad told me many years ago that whenever someone compliments or criticizes you, you should only believe about 10 percent of it. For example, I”ve had people come up to me after a sermon and tell me it was the best message they”ve ever heard. That”s encouraging to hear, and there might be some truth in their words. But if I allow myself to steep too long in flattering remarks, I”ll eventually drown in my own pride. On the other hand, I”ve had people
July 9, 2014
By Bruce Templeton (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) The worst advice I ever received was from an elder who knew a lot about running a bank, but very little about leading a church. I was “young and dumb,” but I loved the church and was willing to listen to any advice I could get! I was serving a church coming off its best year in the last 25: more baptisms, greater attendance, and a greater spirit of excitement and joy. He believed the real way to build a church was to visit people who
July 12, 2013
RACHEL OBLON Missional life pastor, Parkcrest Christian Church, Long Beach, California Rachel may be one of the best young leaders you have not yet heard about, but my guess is your children will remember her if they”ve been to Christ In Youth conferences. They have been moved by her stories, conviction, and passion as they”ve heard her speak over the past several years. What they don”t get to hear about are the ways this young woman, who is barely 30, influences a church of people who are mostly older than she. She leads with humility, coupled with a conviction of
July 12, 2013
T.D. OAKES Worship arts pastor, Mission Church, Ventura, California Patient. Friend. Servant. Kind. Caring. Creative. Generous. Consistent. Shepherd. Humble. Developer. Fully present. Party waiting to happen. Super talented. Jack-of-all-trades. Includer. I have known T.D. since I was 18 years old, and have been privileged to call him friend for more than 16 years. And each of the above words fits him perfectly. We”ve worked together, laughed together, cried together, prayed together, served together, given together, sacrificed together, dreamed together, learned about parenting together, baptized friends together, tried to become better husbands together, moved together, planted a church together . .
August 17, 2012
By Jewell Johnson When my husband retired after 42 years as a minister, a time of adjustment followed. As LeRoy reflected on his years in ministry, he began to second-guess all the time he had spent working for God. Did I do any good? he asked himself. Is there any lasting fruit from those years? Did I help even one person? A few years after retirement, LeRoy and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. That”s when we received a special phone call. “Does a Pastor Johnson live at this number?” a hesitant voice asked. As LeRoy talked on the phone,
June 5, 2012
By Darrel Rowland There are exceptions to the rule . . . there are rare exceptions . . . and then there is Ben Merold. Point to statistics showing that a long-term ministry generally doesn”t equal numerical success for a church, and those who disagree will more than likely point to Merold, in ministry for 63 years and counting. After a 12-year stint at an Indiana church, he spent more than 22 years with Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, where weekly attendance grew from 185 to 3,000. Then, at age 65, he launched a 17-year stay as senior minister
February 18, 2012
By Jennifer Taylor In the fall of 2009, Pepperdine University opened the Churches of Christ Heritage Center on its campus in Malibu, CA. Today the collection of books, photographs, congregational histories, speeches, and other documents fills a room in the school”s library. “Many of these “˜artifacts” are connected to Pepperdine, like the catalog from the school”s first year in 1937,” says Jerry Rushford, director. “But there are also unusual pieces like a device from the 1920s used to fill Communion cups. A church in Idaho donated it to us.” In fact, the collection was created primarily with donations from
December 19, 2010
By Brad Dupray The city of Bell, California, has experienced significant demographic change over the past three decades, transitioning from the post-World War II baby boom of middle-class Anglo families to being a city primarily comprised of Hispanic immigrants. As a means of connecting to its culture, Southland Christian Church conducts Las Posadas, a celebration of Mary and Joseph”s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. This observance resonates within the Hispanic culture and has served as a means of evangelizing Southland”s community. Jeff Cox came to Christ at Southland as a teen, was hired as youth pastor in
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