February 16, 2022
The Englewood Community Development Corporation—founded by Englewood Christian Church in Indianapolis—has launched a major initiative aimed at bolstering churches in its own backyard and nationally. The initiative is funded by $2.5 million in grants from the Lilly Endowment Inc.
May 25, 2020
By Adrienne Feldmann A young family went on a summer getaway to Chicago. They spent a long day walking up and down the Magnificent Mile—the city’s premier shopping district—and honestly, the kids did not find it quite as magnificent as their parents did! As the marathon shopping session was ending, Mom and Dad realized their children were worn out, so they did what most parents of young kids do—they made a beeline for the best playground they could find. Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is a park to end all parks. Slides are everywhere. There are incredible things to climb.
August 19, 2017
By David Dummitt When I was first invited to write an article about urban church planting, I planned to write about trends, research, data, and the like. But after thinking about it some more, I decided that rather than share my thoughts, it would be more powerful to share the insights of someone in the proverbial trenches of urban church planting. I recently sat down with Eric Metcalf, a colleague, fellow church planter, and friend. Eric and his wife, Erin, are church planters in downtown Chicago. Eric is also the residency catalyst for NewThing. Their passion for the Jesus mission,
March 11, 2017
By Juliet Liu She gestures at her stomach, making a bulging motion with her hands. Then she looks up and points at my belly. “You?” she asks. Embarrassed, I pat my stomach . . . a few inches larger than I”d like it to be. What is she asking? Is she pointing out the extra pounds I”m carrying from the holidays? I know some cultures don”t have the same stigma against extra weight that Americans do, but still . . . isn”t it kind of rude to call attention to my belly? The “conversation” continues like this for a while.
March 18, 2016
By Rich Gorman We were failing miserably. We moved into our Chicago neighborhood in 2010 to join others in starting a new church that would help people discover Jesus and lead to lasting life change and community transformation for God”s glory. Our neighborhood provided some unique challenges. It is one of the most dense and diverse in the city, a home to refugees and immigrants from all over the world. It is a community of stark divisions: ethnic, racial, gender, socioeconomic, language, religion, culture . . . and the list goes on. But we were certain God would bless what
Alberta Bible College, Calgary, AB, Canada, announced the appointment of Dr. Stanley N. Helton as its new president effective July 1, 2015. Helton has served as professor of Bible and ministry, and later, academic dean with Western Christian College, Regina, SK, Canada. His congregational ministry experience spans almost 20 years working with all three streams in the Restoration Movement: Disciples, a cappella, and independent churches of Christ and Christian churches. He served churches in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Orleans, LA, and Chicago, IL, before pursuing full-time teaching and doctoral studies. He grew up in a small Oklahoma town. Helton
July 11, 2014
By Veva Appel (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) The best advice I have ever received, other than taking the advice of the man who asked me to marry him, came from my boss, George Gahr, president of Christian Homes, where I was his secretary. After my beloved husband, Leon Appel, died at a young age, I thought I would be continuing in the secretarial position I enjoyed. But one day, Mr. Gahr asked me, “Veva, would you be willing to do some development work for Christian Homes?” I replied, “George, don’t ask me, I
September 16, 2013
By Tammy Melchien “We need to plant campuses in the city!” It was a simple text. I typed the eight words to Community Christian Church”s lead pastor, Dave Ferguson, and hit SEND as I was finishing an overnight getaway in downtown Chicago. I was energized by the past 24 hours in the city. I”ve always loved big cities. The energy. The life. The opportunities. Dave”s reply was simple too: “We do and we will!” It wasn”t until the car ride back to my suburban home that it hit me. I was supposed to be part of the vision to reach
March 22, 2013
By Tim Harlow The front page of USA Today said, “Protestants lose majority status in the US” (October 9, 2012). It just happened to catch my eye as I walked past a newsstand. I thought to myself, OK, but what could have taken its place? Catholicism is dying””is this about Mormonism? The article explained that Protestant numbers are down from 53 percent in 2007 to 48 percent today. But these Protestants didn”t switch to a new religious brand. They just let go of any faith affiliation or label. According to the Pew Forum, one in five Americans now claims no religious identity.
June 27, 2012
By Jennifer Taylor Rich Gorman, pastor at the Edgewater campus of Community Christian Church (Naperville, IL), was praying for the area and wondering how to share the love of Christ with such a large population. As he watched people walk to and from the “L” trains one day, he hit on an idea: everyone is looking down, so put the message there! Rich, his wife, Dori, and a small team from CCC Edgewater now meet every other Tuesday evening to pray and then divide into teams to write the messages on sidewalks leading to and from the L stations. Team
January 10, 2012
Nothing challenges us to think about changing times more than the transition from one year to the next. On this first day of 2012, we asked six Christian leaders to think about the church a year from now and to draw a picture of our progress””and our problems””then. * * * By Jon Ferguson Last fall my family moved to the north side of Chicago””we love this city. We love Chicago for its sports teams, architecture, and history, but most of all, we love Chicago for its people: hard-working, unpretentious, and good-natured””as long as you don”t take their parking space
September 28, 2011
Lots of new churches launched the weekend of Sept. 17, 18! Pathways Christian Church (Cincinnati, OH) Mission Church (Ventura, CA) Community Christian Church (Edgewater location, Chicago, IL) Legacy Christian Church (Menomonee Falls, WI) Lifepointe Church (Downtown location, Raleigh, NC) And one additional church launched on Sept. 25: Reunion Church (Plainfield, IN) Did we miss any? E-mail bu**@*********ub.com if you have news to share!
March 25, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor Not one but TWO new campuses of Community Christian Church (Naperville, IL) launched this past weekend! Campus pastor Dave Richa and his team rehabbed the former Shale Harbor Church in Lemont, IL. “Currently, Shale Harbor has multiple small church communities around the country,” says an article about the new site. “When Shale Harbor members felt the Lemont church wasn”t realizing its redemptive potential, they sought out the partnership with Community Christian, said Dave Ferguson, lead pastor of Community Christian Church.” The launch team included people from both Shale Harbor and CCC. Community also launched a new campus
November 15, 2010
Visioneering Studios Architecture, a niche firm focused on “designing destinations that lift the spirit” and the 2008-09 Solomon Award winner for “Best Church Architect,” is opening two new design studios this month. The two new Visioneering Studios are located in Chicago, IL, and Charlotte, NC, and complement Visioneering Studios located in Los Angeles, Denver, and Atlanta. Randall Coy, previously director of planning and design for General Growth Properties, will lead Visioneering Studios-Central in Chicago as regional director. David Dial, previously president and chief steward for Living Stones Architecture, will lead Visioneering Studios-East in Charlotte. Dial has designed more than 120
August 30, 2009
 by Darrel Rowland Jon Ferguson, cofounder of Community Christian Church near Chicago (www.communitychristian.org) and director/cofounder of the NewThing Network (www.newthing.org) discusses the hows and whys of multisite.    Why multisite in the first place, especially vs. expansion at the original location, and vs. planting an entirely new church at the new location? At Community, we”re always asking, “Where is God at work?” or better yet, “Where may God be dreaming?” Our mission is helping people find their way back to God. Multisite and church planting have been our responses to where God is at work in our
September 25, 2005
Partnership is often overlooked in kingdom work. Tom Ellsworth reminds leaders that God is the senior partner, and Noah’s story shows how faithful obedience and trust carry us through the storms.
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