December 31, 2024
Thoughts on Leadership
There's no shortage of people wearing the leadership badge, but are they true leaders? Without a leader casting a vision, a church can find itself in turbulent waters.
Articles for tag: church leadership
September 1, 2024
Character or Results … What Makes a Good Leader?
When we lead our local churches to see our local communities as our primary mission field, it gives Christians who are breathing the toxic fumes of expressive individualism a breath of fresh air. We are summoned outside of self to love something bigger than self . . . our God and neighbor.
September 1, 2024
‘Preach the Word’: Four Bible Colleges Focusing on the Preaching Mission of the Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement isn’t bound together by an organization or authority structure, it is bound together by preaching.
The Gift of Pain
Micah Odor writes, "Every meaningful period of growth in my life has been a time of tremendous pain" . . .
May 2, 2024
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘What Makes a Good Church Leader?’ (1968)
"God’s Word provides some rather explicit instruction concerning the basis for choosing church leaders," Sam E. Stone wrote in 1968. "Four basic principles are outlined in the opening verses of 1 Timothy 3." . . .
May 1, 2024
Baptism: The Healing Plunge into Jesus’ Plea for Unity
I wondered, "What could I do as a local church pastor to exalt Christ, proclaim gospel truths, and heal hardened and hurting hearts?" . . .
November 22, 2023
Point U. Announces Record Enrollment for Fall Semester (Plus News Briefs)
Point University welcomed its largest incoming class in university history this fall. Across all its programs, the West Point, Ga., university’s enrollment now totals 2,817 students. . . . Plus briefs from three other Christian universities: Johnson, Dallas, and Manhattan.
November 1, 2023
Agape Love in the Life of an Elder
By David Roadcup Cornerstones were critical in the architecture of the ancient world. A cornerstone was traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones set in reference to it. Thus, a cornerstone determined the position of the entire structure. Cornerstones have been around for millennia. A poorly crafted or placed cornerstone can compromise an entire structure. In the life of an elder or church leader, several critical cornerstones need to be identified, grown, and matured. Examples include these: POWERFUL AND IMPACTING LOVE Scripture uses four Greek words for love: eros (extreme self-gratification), storge (love for family), filos
November 1, 2023
Is It Time for a New Restoration Movement? (Part 2)
By Jim Putman As I shared in Part 1, I am skeptical of any new view of original things. My reasons are twofold. First, when speaking about something historical in nature, eyewitnesses and their contemporaries are more likely to have it right. Second, Scripture warns that people will come seeking to change views that were once well understood. Thomas Campbell, a Restoration Movement founder, coined the phrase, “Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where it is silent, we are silent.” It captures the spirit of Romans 14 and resonates with me. Freedom exists where Scripture is silent, but we
August 23, 2023
News Briefs for August 23
Briefs from churches in Tennessee, Texas, and Iowa, along with items about an opportunity for high schoolers to take a Biblical Interpretation course for college credit (at a discount), and the passing of a retired Kentucky Christian University educator.
NationsU Offering Discount for U.S. Congregations
NationsUniversity—an accredited, online Christian university associated with the Restoration Movement—is offering a discounted yearly tuition for full- or part time ministers and missionaries serving in the U.S. and other developed countries.
CCCB’s Graduate Program Takes Russell School of Ministry Name
All three of Central Christian College of the Bible’s locations will use the Russell School of Ministry name for the school’s growing graduate program. Until now, RSM—named for Bob and John Russell—had been used only at the school’s Cincinnati-area location. . . .
January 31, 2023
The Duct Tape Letters (Book Review)
I must admit, I simply couldn’t ignore this title. I had to buy a copy of "The Duct Tape Letters" just to see how it measured up to "The Screwtape Letters" by famed author C. S. Lewis. . . . Would Drew Baker’s recently published homage be worthy of comparison?
November 9, 2022
Caroline and Mark Worley Leave a Legacy at DCC (Plus News Briefs)
Mark and Caroline Worley, who both passed away in recent weeks, leave a legacy at Dallas Christian College. Also, in other news, Lincoln Christian College honors two alums, and a bridge is named for Duard Walker at Milligan University.
November 1, 2022
The Sons of Issachar, the Church at Sardis, and Our Leadership Teams
By David Roadcup The sons of Issachar are widely noted in church leadership circles for having the ability to read their circumstances and respond in wisdom: “Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command” (1 Chronicles 12:32). This text comes at a time when Israel had divided into Israel and Judah. The nation needed to reunite under the leadership of David. The sons of Issachar knew it was time for this to happen for the sake of
September 1, 2022
8 Ways Church Growth Has Reached an Idolatrous Level (Part 2)
By Tyler McKenzie Church growth shouldn’t be the crowning pursuit of success among leadership. And yet, we’ve framed the pursuit of growth as natural and celebrate its attainment as health. In part one of this article, I shared four concerning trends I’ve observed in American evangelical churches/ministries that can be explained (at least in part) as a consequence of the idolatrous pursuit of the gospel of growth. In this conclusion to the article, I share four more trends that may be indicative of that pursuit. 5. A Culture of Competition over Church (big C) Unity Sometimes I question if this
September 1, 2022
Are Church Leaders Prepared for Quicksand and Lava?
By Megan Rawlings When I was a child, probably around the age of 10, I perceived a few natural phenomena as threats to me on my journey to adulthood. For example, I spent hours researching and watching videos on how to escape quicksand and run away from volcanic lava. I didn’t realize, though, that neither of those was a threat to me in my southern Ohio hometown! I have prepared for one natural disaster my whole life, knowing that living in southern Ohio it was possible (notice I did not say “probable”). I could experience a tornado. I knew that
KBF & ICOM: Two Are Better than One
Kairos Benevolence Fund and the International Conference on Missions are partnering to provide encouragement and support to those who have given their lives in service to Christ.
July 1, 2022
The Vital Signs We Must Measure
By Matt Merold In every hospital room, sitting right by the patient’s bed, is an electronic vital signs monitor. Most of these monitors display the four main vital signs that are regularly checked by medical professionals. A vital signs monitor is a quick and simple way to assess the patient’s current health. Body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration rate—if all four of these are in the normal range, the patient is assumed to be stable and healthy. Based mostly on vital signs, a physician will describe the patient’s condition with just one word: good, fair, serious, critical, or dead.
July 1, 2022
Healthy Churches Are Built on Trustworthy Leaders
By Ken Idleman In 2011, New York Times best-selling author Tina Rosenberg published Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World. The question she addressed in her secular book was, How do you get people to change for the better? How do you get them to live healthier lives . . . to diet, exercise, and not drink excessively? In short, how do you get individuals to grow in a positive direction? She concluded that the masses don’t change simply because they desire to change or by getting more information. Virtually everyone who smokes knows smoking is bad
