Articles for tag: Christian Education

October 30, 2011

Christian Standard

You Must Read This . . . Beyond a Job Description

By Teresa Welch The Pastor: A Memoir Eugene H. Peterson New York: HarperOne, 2011 For those of you who have read Eugene Peterson”s other works, you will anticipate his memoir to be a collection of well- crafted stories about this author/professor/pastor who has already shared so much through his writings. What he provides in his newest work, The Pastor: A Memoir, exceeds those expectations. Interwoven into Peterson”s memories about his childhood, vocational discernment and formation, planting a new congregation, and responding to the needs of his community are words of exhortation and hope for the church and for those who

September 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Taking the First Bite Out of Biblical Illiteracy

By Jim Eichenberger An old joke asks, “How do you eat an elephant?” The response, of course, is “One bite at a time.” The church of the early 21st century seems to agree that biblical illiteracy is the elephant on our plate. Anecdotes abound of believers who confuse Abraham of Ur with Abraham Lincoln and who can name all four Beatles but not all four Gospels. How can we call others to the message given to us by God if many of our own brothers and sisters in the faith do not have a good working knowledge of our treasured

August 17, 2011

Christian Standard

How Churches Can Help Children Pray

By Katie Barbee There are so many things we, as adults, must teach children about prayer””persistence being one of them. I believe that teaching children how to pray certainly starts at home. After praying for a baby brother or sister for nearly one and one-half years, our 5-year-old son Drew prayed aloud one night: “Dear God, thank you for my family. Thank you for my friends . . . could you please give us a baby, whenever you think it”s time? Oh, never mind””could you just give me a puppy?” My husband and I tried not to laugh until we

August 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Who”s the Hero?

By Teresa Welch During my 15-year tenure as a children”s minister, I was proud of how much Bible content the children learned. But now I wonder if that was enough. Whether it was through Sunday school, kids worship, youth groups, or summer programs like church camp and Vacation Bible School, I knew children were learning the Word of God. However, as I reflected on those years, I saw a problem. Sometimes our efforts to make sure children were learning the Word of God didn”t lead them to learn about God. Certainly we taught about the number of stones David collected

August 15, 2011

Christian Standard

The Rules Are Changing

By Mary Manz Simon Do mousers play in your church nursery? Is mompetition undermining efforts to build community through small groups? How many weblebrities are in the fourth-grade Sunday school class? Those words might be new to you, but they reflect real-world issues faced by those serving children and families. As we gear up for another year of Christian education, volunteers and professional church staff members will communicate the same biblical truths that have been shared for centuries. But in 2011, the rules of engagement have changed. These shifts are so significant that we must deep-dive to pinpoint the implications

August 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Discovering the Good in the Bad

By Eleanor Daniel   G. K. Chesterton wrote a series of short stories featuring Father Brown, a little priest with amazing discernment and wisdom. He solves crimes and other puzzling situations easily. He dispenses wisdom freely. These are fascinating stories. In “Father Brown”s Secret,” the cleric explains how he solves the mysteries that regularly come his way. The priest says he imagines himself as the perpetrator of the crime””and that reveals the solution. When someone in the story objected that he could not carry out such evil, the priest observes that no man can know how good he can be

June 24, 2011

Christian Standard

TCM”s “˜Priscilla Initiative” Boosts Training for Women

By Jennifer Taylor   Training Christians for Ministry (TCM) created its “Priscilla Initiative” to provide graduate-level Christian leadership education, training, and practical experience to women in Europe and Central Asia. Over the last 10 years, women around the world have become more influential in developing their families, churches, and communities. “Yet because of cultures and customs,” TCM writes, “these women have fewer opportunities than their male counterparts to access formalized Christian education and training that will enable them to grow spiritually and develop as strong Christian leaders.” TCM is working to solve these problems by establishing a scholarship fund and providing

May 30, 2011

Christian Standard

Alexander Christian Foundation

By Tom Scott The Alexander Christian Foundation seeks to partner with the churches of Indiana to provide scholarships for those preparing for ministry. “Now is the time of God”s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Paul wrote those words to spur on the Corinthians. He wanted them to realize it was their moment to reach people for Christ. There is a real sense of passion in these words from the great evangelist in 2 Corinthians 6:2. He believed at any moment Christ was going to return. That same message applies to our generation today. With all the unrest around

May 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Adult Education and the Challenge to Make Disciples

By Tom May Just before ascending to Heaven, Jesus commissioned the disciples to go and make other disciples“”a word that implies teaching and mentoring (Matthew 28:18-20). He also used the word teaching in those verses. With the blasting trumpet of an elephant”s screeching cry, the church is challenged to teach in such a way that the result makes disciples. It”s been the elephant in the room for years. For decades, churches have interpreted Jesus” final instructions to mean “cookie- cutter” programming””Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening service, Wednesday evening service, and an adult Sunday school program that mirrored the activities for

January 17, 2011

Christian Standard

Revitalizing Your Children”s Ministry

By Karen Wingate “Growing, dynamic churches are rooted in a powerful philosophy that recognizes kids matter to God,” says Rick Chromey, author of Energizing Children”s Ministry in the Smaller Church. Those are discouraging words to a church that sees the population of its children”s department slipping into oblivion. Struggling churches know that without the next generation, their congregation”s future is in jeopardy. Is it possible to revitalize a dying children”s ministry? “Yes,” says Teri Lewis, director of the Son Harbor children”s ministry program at Plymouth Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of 250 in Deland, Florida. In 2003, a “good” Sunday

January 14, 2011

Christian Standard

What College Didn”t Teach Me About Children”s Ministry

An Interview with Ryan Frank Ryan Frank, creator of KidzMatter Inc. (www.kidzmatter.com), is the publisher of The Kitchen children”s church curriculum and K!Magazine. He is a children”s minister in Indiana. His latest book, 9 Things They Didn”t Teach Me in College about Children”s Ministry, has just been released by Standard Publishing. We asked Ryan a few questions about his experience in children”s ministry and his advice for children”s ministers today. How did you get interested in children”s ministry? I was only 16 years old. My minister approached me and said, “We need someone to teach Junior Church. Will you try

January 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Making a Difference

By Joni Sullivan Baker Christmas decorations are down, second semester is underway, and snow is on the ground. It”s January. For those involved in children”s ministry that means only one thing””it”s time to start planning Vacation Bible School. Every summer, Standard Publishing puts its brand-new, unpublished VBS curriculum to the test by asking a local church to actually try it. Christ”s Church at Mason (Ohio) tested the new VBS last June. VBS 2011 is called “Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street: Where Jesus Makes a Difference Every Day!” The children in the field test learned about five of

November 30, 2010

Christian Standard

Working to Expand Mission in Chile

By Jennifer Taylor Jim and Cheryl Green launched Conosur Christian Ministries in 1996 to oversee their work in Chile and planted a new church””Iglesia Cristiana Ciudad Satélite””during their eight years as missionaries there. Now the nonprofit ministry, based in Palmdale, California, where the Greens currently live, plans to build a Christian K-12 school to expand its mission. “The church began with a vision for reaching the emerging middle class in Chile, with an emphasis on future leaders who can influence a society becoming more secular,” says Jim. This focus on education was part of the Greens” work from the early

November 25, 2010

Christian Standard

A Date with God

By Daniel Schantz “For I have espoused you to one husband” (2 Corinthians 11:2, King James Version). Paul describes our relationship with Christ as a kind of marriage, and marriage goes through certain phases. YOUNG marriage starts out with celestial expectations. You see no reason the honeymoon can”t last forever. Every day is a “date.” She makes breakfast for you, then you go jogging together before heading off to work. You buy each other expensive gifts to prove your love. Passion is strong, and nights are interesting. You talk a lot, but some of those talks turn into quarrels, and

November 19, 2010

Christian Standard

A New Way to Train Workers

By Ron Holland As demographics and strategies for the mission of God change and shift, we find that old methods and ideas need to be rethought. The globalization and urbanization of the world”s populations present major challenges and opportunities in the church”s efforts to participate in the mission of God. Meanwhile, Christians today are realizing anew that God wants the church to be an instrument of social justice in the world. This sends us back to the drawing board in most of our endeavors. LivingStone International University (LIU), a joint project of Christian churches and churches of Christ, in Mbale,

October 18, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Oct. 24, 2010: God”s Universal Reign (Psalm 47)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for October 24) is written by Brenda J. Lang who serves as professor of music and worship at Cincinnati (Ohio) Christian University. God”s Universal Reign (Psalm 47) By Brenda J. Lang Clap your hands all you people, Shout unto God with a voice of triumph. Clap your hands all you people, Shout unto God with a voice of praise. Hosanna! Hosanna! Shout unto God with a voice of triumph. Praise Him! Praise Him! Shout unto God with a voice of praise. I suspect as you read those words based on Psalm

March 10, 2010

Christian Standard

We Want to Help You Extend Your Ministry

By Mark A. Taylor Here”s one thing we”ve learned about recessions and local churches. Local churches may be slow to feel the impact of an economic downturn, but they”re also slow to acknowledge a recovery from one. This means even if the economy is picking up (and the experts don”t agree on that point), budgets at your church are likely still tight. Here”s one thing we know about ministry during recessions: It never slows down. In fact, needs usually multiply when finances fail. We want to help. We”ve come up with a plan that allows you to extend your ministry

January 20, 2010

Christian Standard

Don”t Let Us Forget

By Mark A. Taylor When I was a young parent, I cared a great deal about the children”s ministry at my church. Every week I asked my kids what they”d learned in their classes. I fretted over the issue of child care vs. Bible teaching for young children. I questioned whether lessons were appropriate for their ages. When I was a Christian education staff member at my church, I gave a great deal of attention to children”s ministry. I struggled to find enough workers, and the right workers. I labored over choices of curriculum. I tried to figure out how

January 13, 2010

Christian Standard

Time-Consuming . . . and Effective!

By Mark A. Taylor One of the most time-consuming methods for developing volunteers is also one of the most effective””and most overlooked. Some call it discipleship. Lately the popular word has been mentoring. Both terms describe a similar approach: ongoing, individualized attention to a person for the purpose of helping him or her grow spiritually and discover his call to Christian service. A number of methods, strategies, and approaches are out there. But I”ll never forget the advice Dr. Steven Hancock gave me and the rest of his Christian education students in seminary many years ago. “Whenever you do anything

October 25, 2009

Christian Standard

Sixteen Minutes on Sunday

  by Daniel Schantz Childbirth can”t be harder than getting a boy out of bed in time for church on Sunday morning. Talking doesn”t work. I still marvel how a mother”s voice can be as soothing as chicken soup one moment, then suddenly turn into a weapon of mass motivation, able to penetrate thick walls, doors, and several layers of blankets. “Danny! If you don”t get out of bed this minute and get ready for church, I will send your father in there!” By 11 years of age, I had already learned to tune her out. Soon my father would

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