Articles for tag: Chuck Sackett

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (15)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Chuck Sackett Chuck Sackett grew up outside the church and became a Christian during high school. His parents owned a bar and restaurant in a small town in Idaho. He came to Jesus through the friendship of someone willing to “cross the tracks” into his world. He currently preaches at Madison Park Christian Church (Quincy, Illinois) and teaches at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University and for TCM International Institute. He is husband of Gail and they have three married

June 24, 2016

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

The Menu

By Chuck Sackett The menu””dated 2 April 1912″”offered a choice of consommÃ© mirrette, sweetbreads, spring lamb, and braised ham. When the menu went to auction in 2004 (92 years after the actual meal) it was expected to produce a record sale for Titanic memorabilia. It did, selling for 51,000 pounds. The original menu was sent from Ireland by Fifth Officer Harold Lowe to his future bride, Ellen Whitehouse. Lowe figured as one of the heroes the night of April 14, 1912. He was responsible for filling a number of life rafts with women and children, actually using his pistol to

June 17, 2016

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

Where Everyone Is Equal

By Chuck Sackett Ellie sat in the third row, left-hand side of the worship center. Ellie was from the wrong side of the tracks. Her clothes were not the best, and sometimes not the cleanest. She didn”t always clean up well, especially at first. But she was there, every Sunday. Ellie didn”t always eat well. Many of her meals in years past had been served from the Dumpster side of restaurants. Even now she had few dishes and little money for food. Actually, she wasn”t that good of a cook. The Binghams sat in that same row. They might have

June 10, 2016

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

We”ve Waited All Week

By Chuck Sackett Edgar Nichols spent his final years serving in Boise, Idaho. He used to enchant his students at Boise Bible College with stories of crossing the Himalaya Mountains from Tibet to India, or induce tears telling of his family leaving him alone in India for months as he recovered from tuberculosis Having spent years as a missionary to the people of Tibet India, Ghana, and Hawaii, Nichols commanded a hearing every time he stood to speak. One Sunday morning at First Church of Christ in Boise, he stood tentatively at the Communion table. His then feeble voice was

June 3, 2016

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

With Eyes Wide Open

By Chuck Sackett Immediately before worship was to begin, a leader in the congregation dumped a boatload of complaints on the preacher. As the preacher entered the worship area, his once light spirit””which had been anticipating worship and preaching””bottomed out in a wash of questions. Instead of worshipping, he fidgeted throughout the singing, trying to get his heart and mind back on track. He was agonizing over the complaints, frustrated by the timing, and momentarily incapable of preaching. Fortunately, Communion was served before the sermon that day. As he continued to try to settle his spirit, he felt a hand

January 2, 2016

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (6)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Tim Mitchell Tim Mitchell graduated from Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, in 2006. He serves as preaching minister of Bucklin Christian Church in Bucklin, Missouri, where he lives with his wife, Jenna, and their daughters, Diana and Zelda. Tim”s Best Sermon: The best funeral sermon I”ve ever heard is by Dr. E.V. Hill, longtime preacher of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, who died in 2003. You can listen to the

July 31, 2015

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Chuck Sackett’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed severalÂ influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is fromÂ Chuck Sackett, preaching minister with Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, Illinois. ________ Slavic Prochavska was a preacher in Prague, Czech Republic, who died a few years ago. I first met Slavic on the platform at the train station in Praha (Prague). Slavic was a leader in the days when Communist leaders punished him for being a preacher by withholding his asthma

March 6, 2015

Local Churches Organizations & Events

Getting Ready for Easter: Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, IL

Good Friday Prayer Walk By Chuck Sackett, preaching minister, Madison Park Christian Church, Quincy, Illinois A few years ago we decided to do something completely different for Good Friday. Instead of a traditional service, we did a prayer walk. It started in the lobby, moved down the hall to the next large space, into the fellowship hall, through the worship space (we have removable seating), and ended in a large classroom. Each room was a new prayer station. It started with a place for prayer and symbolic washing, then an opportunity to take the Lord”s Supper. The fellowship hall was

March 31, 2014

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Elders: Men Churches Can Count On

By Chuck Sackett What kind of church do elders need? Three stories illustrate the answer. Men of Character Sally”s question was wise beyond her years, “What can I expect from you (elders)?” Bill”s answer took the form of an explanation. “When someone approaches us with a complaint, our response will always be, “˜Have you talked with Sally? If not, we have nothing to discuss. If she doesn”t respond to you in a professional or Christian manner, come back and see me. Then we”ll have something to talk about.” Sally, we promise you we will never accept criticism about your ministry

June 24, 2013

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

The “˜Up-frontness” of Eldership

By Chuck Sackett Sam compassionately shepherded a congregation I”ll call Countryside Church, but a massive heart attack cut short his ministry, forcing him into an extended rehabilitation, and ultimately, retirement. The elders, assessing the situation, determined that Sam”s wife could live in the parsonage until he was released from the hospital. However, the church would begin searching for a minister immediately, so she needed to vacate the parsonage upon his release. On the other side of the state, Doris served the children of a congregation I”ll call Community Fellowship. Her ministry was exploding with children. Tragically, her husband found her

April 9, 2013

Christian Living

You Are What You Choose

By Mark A. Taylor All of us who have heard, “You are what you eat” can agree to a corollary for the spirit and emotions: “You are what you choose.” Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos underscored the truth of this as he addressed Princeton University”s graduating class, May 30, 2010: When you are 80 years old, and in a quiet moment of reflection narrating for only yourself the most personal version of your life story, the telling that will be most compact and meaningful will be the series of choices you have made. In the end, we are our choices. Build

October 20, 2012

Church & Ministry Teaching

Google Is My Best Friend: Resources for Bible Teaching (Part 5)

By Chuck Sackett “What”s in a name?” “What does the Bible say about God”s honor?” “Taking God”s name in vain.” Those recent searches resulted in an abundance of usable illustrative materials. Which is my way of saying, I don”t use the web for the substance of the sermon, I use it for developing creative means of communicating what the text has revealed through the hard work of Bible study. GoogleÂ is not the only search engine, but it represents a category of tools every preacher must become adept at using. The fact that the web abounds with material is both bane

October 4, 2011

Commonsense Suggestions About Elders

Chuck Sackett offers five practical suggestions for building healthy, effective elderships rooted in biblical shepherding, authentic relationships, accountability, care for people, and strong leadership through congregational change.

October 4, 2011

Church Leadership Preaching

A Parable of Two Churches

Chuck Sackett uses the contrasting stories of Parr and Samlet to illustrate how church leaders can hinder or nurture young leaders—and the difference faithful partnership can make.

June 2, 2010

Brad Dupray

Interview with Mike Claypool

Mike Claypool discusses preaching, sermon preparation, collaboration, and life change, sharing how Scripture, personal suffering, and pastoral authenticity shape his ministry.

September 2, 2009

Mark A. Taylor

News & Updates Christian Standard Updates

Reflecting Our Desire to Serve a Diverse Fellowship

Mark A. Taylor explains how Christian Standard’s contributing editors reflect the fellowship’s diversity and introduces three new voices joining the magazine’s rotating advisory group.

December 14, 2008

Ethics & Moral Issues Addiction

Reflections from a Bartender’s Son

Chuck Sackett reflects on alcohol, abstinence, moderation, and Christian leadership, urging believers to weigh motives, wisdom, Scripture, family impact, and witness with humility.

October 19, 2008

It’s Harder to Do than to Talk About

Chuck Sackett reflects on returning to local church preaching and relearning how leadership, change, sermon preparation, and spiritual formation are harder to practice than to teach.

September 28, 2008