December 9, 2025
Restore & Renew: Preserving the Legacy of Alexander Campbell
A major new initiative is underway to preserve one of the most significant collections in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement: The Alexander Campbell Papers.
Articles for tag: Capital Campaign
November 11, 2025
GNPI Celebrates 50 Years of Ministry
Good News Productions, International (GNPI) has reached the half-century mark for using media and technology to share the gospel around the world and empower other Christians to do the same.
Kentucky Christian University Marks Historic Milestone
Kentucky Christian University announces the elimination of all institutional debt and the public launch of the "For the Good of the Cause" capital campaign.
October 3, 2023
MACU’s New Heritage Hall to Open This Month
After three long years, Mid-Atlantic Christian University is on the cusp of opening its new classroom building. The original Heritage Hall suffered a partial collapse back in September 2020 during a roofing project. It forced a total rebuild of the structure. It’s been a difficult road for MACU . . .
Scary Faith
God led us to reach thousands more for Christ through a capital campaign for a new building. This is our story of walking with God through whirlwinds of uncertainty.
April 14, 2021
GNPI Launches ‘100 Lights’ Campaign (Plus News Briefs)
GNPI has launched a “100 Lights” capital campaign to raise $1.45 million over the next two years with the vision of using “media and online curriculum to train more people around the world on how to use technology as their tools to attract and teach people . . . about Jesus,” president Mike Schrage announced via Facebook.
December 22, 2020
MACU’s Heritage Hall Undergoes Partial Demolition
Partial demolition of Heritage Hall began last week at Mid-Atlantic Christian University. “This is a delicate removal of the second floor to review if the first floor is salvageable,” MACU reported on its website. “Current expectation from the insurance company is to rebuild the middle section of Heritage Hall and try to salvage the end sections and first floor of the building.” Leaders at the Elizabeth City, N.C., school say they are concerned weather may have caused further damage to the building in the three-plus months since the roof’s collapse. Discussions with the insurance company and consultants are ongoing. Heritage
SPOTLIGHT: Ridgeview Christian Church, Rolla, Missouri
Growth in New Directions By TR Robertson When Adam Bloch began his ministry at Ridgeview Christian Church in 2013, the congregation had just gone through a tough year. Ridgeview’s longtime minister had retired, 13 church members had passed away, and morale was low. A hiring committee member told Bloch, “We can be a good place for someone to get a few years of ministry experience before they go somewhere else.” “Being in my first full-time ministry,” Bloch said, “I’m not sure if I provided any stability for a while, but after a few years Ridgeview started to grow.” Most of
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
May 12, 2018
SPOTLIGHT: Mosaic Christian Church, Elkridge, Maryland
“Spiritual maturity is baptizing a friend.” By Justin Horey Ask most any person at Mosaic Christian Church in Elkridge, Maryland, “What is the most important thing at Mosaic,” and there’s a good chance they will tell you, “It’s when we baptize someone.” MCC is just nine years old (the church will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall). In that brief time, Mosaic has baptized more than 500 new believers. Church planter and lead pastor Carl Kuhl said the reason is simple: “At Mosaic, a ‘win’ is baptism.” For the past few years, Kuhl and his staff have set a
January 13, 2018
How to Prepare for a Financial Storm
By Darren Key and Mike Kocolowski Managing church finances can be like preparing for a hurricane—it’s best to have a plan in place before the wind starts to spin. That way, if the worst-case scenario develops, you’ll be prepared to weather the storm. Faith and Finances We have consulted with hundreds of churches on financial issues over the last three decades, and we know that managing a church’s cash flow is tricky. Seasonal cycles, unexpected events, and the inherent irregularity of income and expenses add to the complexity. For these reasons, keeping ample reserve funds is critical to your
July 18, 2017
Letter from the Publisher
Letter from Jerry Harris, Publisher of Christian Standard.
May 23, 2016
The Weight of Leadership
By Tim Harlow There is always a great deal of chatter among my peers about succession planning and the right time to step away from leadership of the local church. I have been at my post for 26 years and would like to make it another 14. But I am only one year away from the senior discount at IHOP. If that weren”t bad enough, it also means that next year I qualify for the 55+ Ministers and Wives Conference. Ben Merold spoke this year! How can I be in the same category as Ben Merold? I interned under him,
December 12, 2013
Church Development Fund Announces Presidential Transition
IRVINE, California ““ Provision Ministry Group CEO Larry Winger, along with the PMG and Church Development Fund boards, announced today a transition in the presidency of CDF from Brad Dupray to Dusty Rubeck. The news follows several months of reassessment related to the ministry”s current status and needs, which resulted in the identification of a directional shift in the essential leadership qualities needed for future growth. “Brad Dupray stepped in at a critical moment in the history of CDF to assume the role of president and provide much-needed stability during the worst economic recession we have experienced in years,” said
May 16, 2013
Growing in the Cape
By Kent E. Fillinger A mother church and a legacy church provided a great foundation for the birth of Crosspoint Christian Church in Cape Coral, Florida, in January 2006. Jeff Swearingen, lead pastor at Crosspoint, was on staff at First Christian Church in Fort Myers when discussions about a church plant started. He initially resisted the idea of planting a church, but God eventually changed his mind. About 150 people from First Christian committed to help birth Crosspoint. The church also benefited financially from a local Christian church that closed, sold its property, and then invested a significant amount into
May 9, 2013
The Church at Antioch
By Kent E. Fillinger John Seitz arrived as senior pastor of Antioch Christian Church in Marion, Iowa, in 2000 when the church was averaging 220 in attendance. Seitz and the elders wanted to see the church grow, to reach out, and to love the lost. Antioch Christian purchased 93 acres on a main highway to create space for growth and relocated to its new facility in December 2005. The church”s attendance has almost doubled since 2006, growing 21 percent last year to an average worship attendance of 1,136. Seitz credits the growth to the grace of God working through the
January 21, 2013
When the Minister Leaves
By Jeff Chitwood I reached two milestones in my life at about the same time: turning 50 and being at the same church for 25 years. Those milestones began a journey that would last a couple of years. A nagging question had settled in my heart and mind that would not go away: Does God have somewhere else he wants me to serve? Things were going well at the church, and I had no yearning desire to follow what some perceive as the ultimate success in ministry””go to a bigger church. But that burning question caused me to seek God in
September 9, 2012
Spreading the Gospel, Unleashing Compassion
By Justin Horey This summer, as Eastside Christian Church celebrated five decades of dynamic ministry in Southern California, senior pastor Gene Appel emphasized “Eastside”s second 50 years” as much as its first. Later this year, Eastside is scheduled to complete one of the largest, most expensive, and most ambitious relocation projects ever undertaken by a Christian church””with a total project cost of more than $50 million. The church”s leaders believe the project will “carry forward the congregation”s spiritual passion by positioning Eastside for exponential impact in its second 50 years.” Shortly after Eastside Christian Church began meeting in 1962, the
May 17, 2012
How Do We Reach People Who Don”t Trust Church?
By Kent E. Fillinger It”s a question Bert Crabbe and his staff ask themselves regularly. Suppose a person who knows nothing about church attends one of our worship services. Will we say or do anything that makes him want to run away? True North Community Church officially started in 2005, but its true genesis started earlier than that. Bert Crabbe is a native New Yorker who had spent 15 years on Long Island before launching True North. As a youth minister at an area church for 10 years, he started a Sunday evening service for high school students and young
May 17, 2012
How to Follow a Great Act
By Kent E. Fillinger Succeeding a well-known, well-loved, successful, retiring senior minister is a daunting task for virtually anyone. But Aaron Brockett also faced stepping into the ministry of a church with minimal growth for five years prior to a major relocation and building project. Granted, several factors contributed to the lengthy attendance stall at Traders Point Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. “¢ A prolonged relocation process kept the church idling in an undersized facility. “¢ A daughter church grew out of Traders Point”s young adult ministry””a good development that nevertheless cleared the bench of younger, upcoming leaders for a time. “¢
