Articles for tag: Church Development Fund

December 5, 2010

Christian Standard

A Story to Challenge All of Us

By Mark A. Taylor This week we”ve posted several encouraging accounts of new church plants in Greater Salt Lake City. But the bigger story tells how Christian leaders worked together and depended on God to see these happen. It”s a story about cooperation and collaboration. “The churches of the Restoration Movement had never attempted something like this,” says Steve Edwards. The collaboration began more than 15 years ago when the Salt Lake City church planting organization asked the Intermountain Church Planters Association based in Boise, Idaho, if they could work together under one name. Edwards became executive director of ICPA

December 1, 2010

Christian Standard

God on a Mission in Salt Lake City

By Brent Storms Kyle Costello was born in Provo, Utah, while his parents were attending Brigham Young University. He was raised in a small town on the Utah/Nevada border. Because his family was Mormon, they made frequent trips to Salt Lake City. As a 19-year-old, Kyle prepared for his two-year “mission.” He began to anticipate some of the questions people might ask him when he knocked on doors. His quest for answers began innocently enough. He really wanted to know how to defend his faith. But the more he explored, and the more he raised questions with his father (now

October 8, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Sue Ann Cordell

By Brad Dupray For 17 of the 19 years Randy Cordell has ministered with Lakeshore Christian Church, Nashville, Tennessee, his wife, Sue Ann, has been honing her skills and working toward becoming an expert in human resource management at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME), a large and diverse entertainment agency. Sue Ann now manages the Nashville office as her vocation, but her life”s passion is her relationship with Christ. She and Randy have been married 34 years and are the proud parents of two children and four grandchildren. Sue Ann has been a retreat speaker for more than 25 years

October 2, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Byron Davis

By Brad Dupray Dream of Destiny is casting a vision for Christian churches and churches of Christ across America to increase their evangelistic outreach through ethnic diversity in ministry. Dudley Rutherford, senior pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch, California, challenged Byron Davis to spearhead the venture as a member of the staff at Shepherd. Byron left a career in pharmaceutical sales to join the church staff. He was a member of the U.S. National Swim Team from 1994 to 1996, was an eight-time All-American swimmer at UCLA, and was a U.S. Olympic team alternate in the

September 20, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Jay Akin

By Brad Dupray In August 2007, Jay Akin was called to serve as senior pastor at Elberton Christian Church, a midsize church in a small town in rural Georgia, after having served in youth and associate ministries and as a campus minister. ECC, which averages 260 in attendance in a town of 4,700, makes a big impact in its local community. Jay and his wife, Cristal, love the people of the church. As Jay says, “My family has never been treated better by a church. These people have done so much to minister to my family. They treat us like

June 20, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Arron Chambers

Arron Chambers By Brad Dupray Arron Chambers is a pastor, husband, father, writer, triathlete, and he loves to eat . . . with sinners. Arron”s latest book, Eats with Sinners: Reaching Hungry People Like Jesus Did, examines Jesus” approach to creating conversations with people over a meal and how to apply that approach today. Each chapter of Eats with Sinners deals with a character trait of Jesus that made eating with sinners an effective means of sharing his message. Arron is lead minister of Journey Christian Church in Greeley, Colorado, and a contributing editor to Christian Standard. Arron maintains the

January 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Chris Travis

By Brad Dupray In his new book Unnamed, Chris Travis explores the stories of eight biblical heroes who went without much recognition. In fact, the Bible doesn”t even mention their names. Based on Standard Publishing”s 2010 Vacation Bible School theme, his book combines stories of these Bible personalities with incredible accounts of modern-day unnamed heroes. Readers will discover solid biblical insight to consider what it means to live a heroic life for God in our day. Last year, Chris and his wife, Lindsay, left a staff position with LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, to move to New York City

December 16, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Jerl Joslin

By Brad Dupray Forest Hill Christian Church in Oklahoma City is a solid, midsize church making a major Christmastime impact on its community. Forest Hill runs about 500 in weekly attendance, but more than 7,000 attend its “Journey to Bethlehem” one weekend each Christmas season.  “Journey” leads people on a path toward a figurative Bethlehem where they ultimately encounter the Christ child. Attendees don”t just watch a Christmas story, they live the Christmas story. The church is in its ninth year of leading the program. Senior minister Jerl Joslin, who has served at Forest Hill for 18 years, tells the

December 2, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with David Bycroft

By Brad Dupray Tyro, Kansas, is a city of 250 people with a post office, a secondhand store and a church: Tyro Christian Church. David Bycroft started preaching at the church as a weekend minister in 1969 while a junior at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. After graduation he was called by the church to preach full time and he has been leading Tyro Christian ever since. David”s wife, Kathy, grew up in the Tyro church and was baptized there in her youth. David and Kathy recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Their three children are involved in local

September 9, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Lorraine Dupray

By Brad Dupray Married just days after high school graduation, Lorraine Dupray dedicated herself to raising her family and serving the local church. As a young woman she had no idea she would eventually become a ministry pioneer, developing the staff role of “director of women”s ministry” at Knott Avenue Christian Church, Anaheim, California, in the early 1980s. She went on to serve on several boards of directors, including that of Hope International University. She led the girls” camp at Angeles Crest Christian Camp in Southern California for 30 years, served alongside her husband, Carl, in ministering to junior high

April 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Gene Appel

By Brad Dupray Gene Appel became senior pastor at Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, on October 1, 2008, after serving as lead pastor with Willow Creek Community Church”s South Barrington (Illinois) campus. In many ways, he has come full circle, having served as an intern at Eastside while a 20-year-old student at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College. At 25, Gene became senior minister at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and led the church from average weekly attendance of 400 to 8,000 during an 18-year ministry. Gene and his wife, Barbara, have three children, Jeremy, Alayna, and Jenna, with

March 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Church Loans, Risky Loans?

  by Darrel Rowland It”s not weakness in the stock market or real estate sales that concerns Doug Crozier the most about whether churches can repay their loans from the Church Development Fund.  It”s weakness of the flesh. “This current economic scenario scares me, but my biggest risk in making loans to churches is moral failure in the pulpit, not economic bad times,” says Crozier, CDF president. The Church Development Fund, based in California, currently has about 450 loans worth $650 million for Restoration Movement facilities in 41 states. Most are church buildings, although the list includes a handful of

February 11, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Jeff Stone

By Brad Dupray Jeff Stone, president of the 2009 North American Christian Convention, is in his 17th year as senior minister of Discover Christian Church in Dublin, Ohio. Jeff has served on the executive committee of the convention twice before and has been a lifelong attender and supporter of the convention. Jeff and his wife of 28 years, Johnnie, are the proud parents of Jason, Jennifer, and Justin. Why do you go to the North American Christian Convention? I go to the North American to spiritually recharge, to reconnect with friends, and to recalibrate priorities of ministry. Are there any

December 17, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Jon Weece

By Brad Dupray In 2005 Christmas fell on a Sunday, so Southland Christian Church (Lexington, Kentucky) used the calendar anomaly as an opportunity for outreach. Canceling Sunday worship services to serve the community was a controversial decision, but it forever changed the way the church conducts ministry. Jon Weece is in his sixth year as senior minister at Southland and in his ninth year on staff at the church. After graduating from Ozark Christian College, Jon spent four years as a missionary in Haiti. He and his wife of nine years, Allison, are the proud parents of 6-year-old Ava and

November 5, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Harry Graham

By Brad Dupray Southeast Christian Church in Parker, Colorado, has benefited from the leadership of men like Harry Graham throughout her storied history. Harry and his wife of 42 years, Barbara, were founding members of Southeast in the early 1970s. Along the way Harry helped manage the church”s finances, taught Sunday school, was among the church”s first elders, and has served as chairman of the elders. Southeast has grown from an initial group of 23 to more than 4,500 in Sunday attendance. Today, Harry continues to serve as an elder and works with staff in overseeing church operations. What kind

October 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Jim Penhollow

By Brad Dupray After serving in Latin America in cross-cultural church planting with Christian Missionary Fellowship, Jim Penhollow was called as director of church multiplication for East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he has served the past 14 years. Jim and his wife of 41 years, Leslie, live in Vancouver, Washington, since East 91st actively plants churches in the Northwestern United States. Jim joined East 91st 10 years into the church”s quest to plant 20 churches in 20 years. East 91st is now 24 years into that pursuit and will soon launch its 50th church. Is there

September 24, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Mike Kilgallin

By Brad Dupray As the newly appointed president of Crossroads College in Rochester, Minnesota, Mike Kilgallin is crafting a vision for what Crossroads College can do for the churches of Minnesota and beyond. Mike brings a broad base of experience to his new role, having served as the senior pastor of churches in Minnesota and Illinois, as the head of the Business Department and as staff development officer at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College, as a regional vice president with Church Development Fund, and most recently, as the vice president of church and faith-based services with Fifth Third Bank. Mike and

September 21, 2008

Christian Standard

NACC Viewpoints: It”s All About the Mission

By Justin Horey Iattended the NACC only once before joining the marketing team at Provision Ministry Group in 2002, so I have little with which to compare today”s conventions. But I have gathered, through my involvement with this high-profile “ministry partner” over the past seven years, that the convention isn”t what it used to be. Before and during the convention, I am often asked, usually in a somber tone, “How are registrations this year?” Apparently the only thing that matters about the convention””at least to those who question me””is the attendance. No one ever asks me who was there, or

August 15, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Dale Newberry

By Brad Dupray Dale Newberry has witnessed every facet of change for Ten Mile Christian Church (formerly Cherry Lane Christian Church), seeing the congregation in Meridian, Idaho, grow from an attendance of 60 to 1,300 in his 28 years as a member. When Dale and his wife, Cherrie, moved to Meridian, he was a nominal Christian, but as he got more involved and his relationship with Christ flourished he began teaching adult Sunday school, took classes at Boise Bible College, and eventually became an elder. He has served in that role for the past 20 years, today as chairman. Dale

August 15, 2007

Christian Standard

Interview with Mike Prior: posted 8/15/2007

MIKE PRIORAs president of Financial Planning Ministry (FPM) since 1994, Mike Prior has been assisting Christians with establishing wills and trusts that benefit Christian Churches and ministries. FPM has arranged estate gifts for about 630 specific churches and 200 parachurch organizations that total about $300 million. Before coming to FPM, Mike was on staff at Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona, where he served for five years as the business administrator and five years prior to that in children”s ministry. Mike is a certified specialist in planned giving (CSPG) and an attorney, having earned his juris doctorate from the American

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