July 28, 2026
A Well-Balanced Life
A reflection on balance, grace, and spiritual maturity, drawing from Ecclesiastes, church leadership, and Jesus’ example of growing in wisdom, stature, and favor.
Articles for tag: Church Leaders
March 7, 2026
2026 Stone-Campbell Journal Conference
The 25th Annual Stone-Campbell Journal Conference will take place April 10–11, 2026, at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hosted by Johnson University and presented by Stone-Campbell International, this year’s conference will center on the theme “A Fresh Look at Hebrews and Thessalonians.” The event brings together scholars, students, ministers, and others interested in Stone-Campbell scholarship for plenary sessions, study groups, and paper presentations. Featured speakers include Cynthia Long Westfall of McMaster Divinity College, James Thompson of Abilene Christian University, and Rafael Rodriguez of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Online registration is listed as closing on March 31, 2026.
January 24, 2023
Deadline Extended for Completing Our Annual Church Survey
In our quest to collect comprehensive data that accurately reflects our movement, Christian Standard has extended until Feb. 1 the deadline for completing our annual church survey.
November 3, 2021
Book Seeks to Encourage Pandemic-Scarred Church Leaders
What have been the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic? What are the greatest challenges you face moving forward? A new ebook from BiblicalLeadership.com seeks to answer these questions.
January 21, 2021
There’s Still Time to Participate in Our Annual Survey
Church leaders are invited to participate in our annual church survey. We will be collecting data from churches of all sizes through Monday, Jan. 25.
January 11, 2021
Leaders Encouraged to Participate in our Annual Church Survey
How do we gauge what exactly happened in our churches during 2020 and what is the best course of action as we endeavor to resume face-to-face community during this new year? A good first step is to share your church’s experience with us via Christian Standard’s annual survey of Christian churches and churches of Christ. “Capturing the stories and statistics from 2020 is vital for us to gauge the true impact of the pandemic on our churches and establish baselines to measure future growth and changes,” said Kent Fillinger, who has been conducting our annual survey for more than a
June 21, 2016
Three Ways Churches Can Address Biblical Skepticism
By Mark A. Taylor Americans are less engaged with the Bible than ever, according to research released by the Barna Group last week. The trend is “toward biblical skepticism,” Barna President David Kinnaman reported. The report shows, for example, that only a third of Americans agree strongly with the statement, “The Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches,” down from 48 percent in 2011. Only 45 percent agree with this statement: “The Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life,” down from 53 percent in 2011. “With each passing year, the
Join the Celebration
By Mark A. Taylor Sure, you enjoy reading posts at this website, but now may be the time for you to give our print magazine a try. We have an offer that gives you so much more than the posts we add to this site each month. It”s our 150th anniversary, and we have a special (read “low cost”) way for you to join the celebration. Now you can get a whole year of CHRISTIAN STANDARD delivered to your home for only $15.00. That”s way less than HALF our normal subscription price! In fact, it”s lower than almost all of
December 20, 2015
Meditating on Joy: December 20
By Becky Ahlberg For many, especially church leaders, Christmas is more chaos than celebration. Besides the extra programs and parties, family responsibilities and expectations also expand. These short meditations (which started December 6 and will continue with a new, early morning post each day through January 1) are designed with leaders in mind. Take a few minutes each day to ponder these thoughts designed to help you find the wonder of the incarnation in the midst of your responsibilities. Advent is simply a time to prepare for the celebration of Christ”s birth. In liturgical settings, Advent begins four Sundays before
November 1, 2015
New Baby, New Life, New Year (27 Daily Devotions)
For many, especially church leaders, Christmas is more chaos than celebration. We need to refocus on what is important, and these 27 short meditations are written to help us do that. Take a few minutes each day to ponder these thoughts designed to help you find the wonder of the incarnation in the midst of your responsibilities. These daily meditations, written by Becky Ahlberg of Anaheim, California, begin on Sunday, December 6, and conclude on January 1, 2016. The four weekly themes center around the concepts of hope, peace, joy, and love. May your holidays be blessed as you celebrate
January 13, 2015
Contributors, Indeed!
By Mark A. Taylor Today is the middle day of this year”s annual CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editors retreat. For all of us who attend it, this is a special gathering that enriches us in a unique way. Of course, personal enrichment is a byproduct of the meeting. Its stated purpose is to brainstorm topics and writers for future editions of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. And this is a purpose that has been wonderfully achieved, year after year. Many of the innovations and changes you”ve seen in the magazine through the years have come at the suggestion (or prodding!) of this group. Several
December 26, 2014
A Greeting Card Ministry with a Potentially Lifesaving Twist
By Michael C. Mack Imagine the feeling of receiving a handwritten envelope and greeting card in the mail for a significant event. Many churches have greeting card ministries that send cards for special occasions as a way of expressing the church”s care for people, acknowledging God”s love for them, and providing an opportunity to plant seeds of truth along with a personal message. Max Hickerson, who retired several years ago after more than 60 years of ministry, has added a simple yet effective ministry especially for church leaders: he sends wedding anniversary cards. “I have done it for many years
November 5, 2014
Johnson to Begin Offering Free Online Course on Acts
By Jennifer Johnson Johnson University (Knoxville, TN) has announced it will begin offering its Acts of the Apostles course online to the general public. “This course is intended for church leaders, Sunday school teachers, and other Christians who are motivated to learn about the book of Acts on a deeper, more advanced level,” the school writes. “Course participants will not earn college credit; consequently, Johnson University is providing the course free of charge as a service to the church.” Dr. Gregory Linton, professor of New Testament at Johnson, designed the course. He has taught the book of Acts for 15
August 1, 2014
Five Off-Target Notions about Starting a College-age Ministry
By Michael C. Mack Is your church planning a ministry to college-age students this fall? Before you do, be sure to clear away any of the fallacies church leaders often have. Brad Baker, college minister at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, lists these five: You must hire a (preferably young and trendy) full-time staff person. You must have a cool band and a world-class communicator. Your church must be close to a university campus. Your goal is to have a huge crowd of students. You need experience to start a college-age ministry. “”www.collegeministry.com/top-5-misconceptions-about-starting-a-college-age-ministry/
June 16, 2013
What Is a Small Group?
By Michael C. Mack The question keeps popping up. At conferences, in Internet discussion groups, whenever small group leaders get together, the question is asked, discussed, and sometimes even argued. You”d think we”d know the answer by now. A small group minister asked, “What exactly is a small group? There is a crucial advantage to having groups that are highly intentional about spiritual growth, external ministry, and living missionally””that is, reproducing both disciples and groups. At the same time, many people in the church are not ready to be part of such a group. Some people are just looking to
May 25, 2012
Beautiful
By Mark A. Taylor “How beautiful is the body of Christ,” sang the children”s choir, standing in perfect rows on risers in the Sunday-morning worship service. The Twila Paris anthem pictures Christ”s perfect hands and feet and heart and eyes””all sacrificed with pain deeper than we fully understand to take care of sin greater than we fully grasp. And then it reminds us that his beautiful body is still alive and active today, whenever “humble hearts give the fruit of pure lives so that others may live.” As the melody echoed in my mind throughout the day, I remembered
The Challenge Is for All of Us
By Mark A. Taylor Gary Weedman”s analysis deserves careful reading and thorough discussion among church leaders everywhere. Here”s why: Most of us attend congregations led by ministers and other staff members who graduated from one of the schools listed on pages 14, 15. Most of us attend churches that send financial support to one or several of them. Many of us have urged our own children to attend one of these schools. We have strong emotional, philosophical, and financial ties to these colleges and universities. They deserve our support: they continue to serve faithfully, they continue to improve the quality
June 19, 2011
The Dad Who”s Not There
By Mark A. Taylor Life without Dad can be lethal. That”s the conclusion of Anthony Bradley, posting at WORLDmag.com last year*. According to his research, “¢ 60 percent of rapists . . . “¢ 63 percent of youth suicides . . . “¢ 70 percent of long-term prison inmates . . . “¢ 71 percent of high school dropouts . . . “¢ 72 percent of adolescent murderers . . . “¢ 85 percent of youths in prison, and . . . “¢ 90 percent of homeless and runaway children come from homes without dads. He”s talking about the
March 7, 2010
How to Help
Darrel Rowland considers how churches can respond before crisis comes, helping leaders face hidden same-sex struggles with honesty, accountability, and Christlike care.
February 7, 2010
Enduring a Painful Ministry
Brian Giese offers counsel for church leaders facing painful ministry setbacks, urging honest reflection, support, continued service, and renewed strength through closeness to God.
