Articles for tag: church leadership

March 1, 2021

Ken Idleman

Trustworthy Church Leadership

“The greatest source of power available to a leader,” said Dr. James O’Toole, founding director of Neely Center for Ethical Leadership at the University of Southern California, “is the trust that derives from faithfully serving followers.” Three decades earlier, Howard Hendricks, longtime professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, told a Promise Keepers rally, “The greatest crisis in America is a crisis of leadership, and the greatest crisis of leadership is a crisis of character.” During the past several decades, a proliferation of books, journals, degree programs, podcasts, online conferences, and DVD series have addressed the issues of character and trust in leadership in virtually all arenas

February 1, 2021

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

How to Change Your Church Scorecard (in an ‘AC’ World)

What’s the score? Who’s winning? Both are common questions during a sporting event. Fans of the winning team often point out the scoreboard to the opposing team’s fans at the end of a game. “Keeping score” can be a positive or a negative depending on the situation and the underlying intent. Churches have traditionally used metrics like the ABCs (Attendance, Baptisms or Buildings, and Cash) or the three Cs (Church attendance, Conversions, and Cash) to “keep score” and to measure their growth and effectiveness in accomplishing the mission. The new norm for many church leaders seems to be the sharing

November 25, 2020

Christian Standard

Every Church Is Now a Church Plant

Three Significant Considerations for Every Church in the Midst of and Post-COVID-19 By Trevor DeVage As every aspect of our daily lives is being reconsidered and refashioned by the pandemic, churches are rethinking their futures, too. Or at least they should be. But I’m afraid some are anticipating the days ahead only with a vision of the years behind. And I’m convinced this just won’t work. My thinking on this was influenced by the recent mentoring retreat I attended with Cal Jernigan, lead pastor with Central Christian Church in Arizona. I get together several times a year with Cal and

November 22, 2020

Rusty Russell

How to Lead a Peacekeeping Church

Practice These Three Crucial Habits to Live at Peace with Everyone and to Be an Example for Our Communities and Nation to Follow Never before has peacekeeping in the church been so difficult! This past summer in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, I received two emails from people who were upset at how we were handling the situation. The first said she was leaving the church because we weren’t properly social distancing (although we thought we were) and we weren’t making people wear masks. The second said she was leaving the church because we were listening to the liberal

November 4, 2020

Christian Standard

Christian Colleges Facing ‘The Perfect Storm’

By John Derry Last year, I was among seven Christian university presidents from Southern California to retire. It wasn’t a coordinated decision, just a coincidence—we all were about the same age. I recently was on a Zoom call with some of them and we commented about how, even though we faced plenty of challenges, we never expected anything like COVID-19, a pandemic that has forced cancellation of on-campus instruction and athletic competition, loss of revenue, and transitioning to remote instruction. Initially, many of us thought the crisis would affect only the spring semester, but it has become clear there is

November 1, 2020

David Faust

Blame the Leaders? (Nov. 8 Lesson Application)

This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Nov. 8, 2020: Appoint Godly Leaders (Titus 1:5-11) ________ By David Faust In an episode of the TV comedy The Office, regional manager Michael Scott makes his priorities clear. He tells his boss from the Dunder Mifflin corporate office, “I want the credit without any of the blame.” Blameless appears twice in Paul’s description of godly elders (Titus 1:6-7). If being blameless requires moral perfection and flawless decision-making, no one qualifies except Jesus. Noah was “blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God,” yet he had some less-than-stellar moments

November 1, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Discovery Questions for November 8, 2020

COMPANION RESOURCES Lesson for Nov. 8, 2020: Appoint Godly Leaders (Titus 1:5-11) “Blame the Leaders?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) ________ Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What new challenge did you face last week? 2. In what specific ways did the Lord give you strength this past week so that through you his message could be proclaimed? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read Titus 1:5-11 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Ask the third person to summarize what this passage is about. 3. If you were

October 24, 2020

David Roadcup

Giving Honor to Whom Honor Is Due

The chairman of the elders of our church called to invite me to join the elder team of our congregation. At the time, I was vice president for student services at Cincinnati Christian University and an active member at Mason Church of Christ (now Christ’s Church) in Mason, Ohio. I wound up accepting his invitation, which started an interesting chapter in my journey during which I was able to see the work of an elder from an altogether different viewpoint. For the previous 13 years, I had been in leadership ministry in the church or teaching at one of our

October 24, 2020

Christian Standard

The Future of Missions in a Post-Pandemic World

By Ben Simms What impact will COVID-19 have on the future of missions? This is an important question to ponder, no matter your church role. The pandemic will impact how we allocate church resources. It already has affected the deployment of church members for mission activities. It no doubt will alter mission programming for years to come. What will stay the same and what will need to change? What has already changed? We all are grappling with the impact of COVID-19 on the future of the Great Commission. As we wrestle with these questions, I would propose three key reflections:

October 14, 2020

Michael C. Mack

2020 SpireConference Goes Off Virtually Without a Hitch

By Michael C. Mack Spire Network leaders pivoted from their planned in-person, three-day conference in Orlando, Fla., to a one-day virtual event held Sept. 30. The online event proceeded smoothly except for a couple technical glitches that were fixed quickly and actually became opportunities for participants to build some community and tell jokes in the comments section. “Even though it was a shift from the three-day conference we had planned in Orlando, the one-day virtual conference turned out to be a great step forward for this gathering, and for Spire Network and hopefully everyone that attended,” said Rick Rusaw, who

September 28, 2020

David Faust

Are We Making Progress? (Oct. 4 Lesson Application)

This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Oct. 4, 2020: Teach (1 Timothy 4:6-16) ________ By David Faust Ronald Reagan quipped, “Status quo is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in.’” We won’t get out of this mess without God’s help. That’s why we need teachers who communicate God’s grace and truth with reverence and relevance. Progress Requires Intentional EffortPaul urged Timothy to carry out his ministry “so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15). That verse compels me to ask, Would others say I’m communicating God’s Word more effectively today than I did five years ago?

September 22, 2020

Michael C. Mack

The Pandemic’s Leadership Lessons

By Michael C. Mack Great leaders have a blend of humility—they know that they don’t know everything—and a curiosity to discover answers. They are constantly learning from a variety of sources, beginning with God’s Word, but also through books, mentors, failures, crises, and personal struggles, to name just a few. Perhaps John F. Kennedy summarized it best: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” The pandemic and all of its interconnected effects have provided a wellspring of important learning opportunities for us. In this issue, our writers highlight many of these. Here are four I believe are especially worth

September 21, 2020

Mark Scott

Lesson for Sept. 27, 2020: Lead (1 Timothy 3:1-16; 5:17-22)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the October 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “Who Is Worthy to Lead?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Sept. 27, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Assemble leaders who model Christ, and be such a leader. ________ By Mark Scott Jesus prayed all night before choosing the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12-13). The Holy Spirit selects the right leaders for

September 21, 2020

David Faust

Who Is Worthy to Lead? (Sept. 27 Lesson Application)

This “Application“ column goes with the Bible Lesson for Sept. 27, 2020: Lead (1 Timothy 3:1-16; 5:17-22) ________ By David Faust I don’t measure up. That feeling stirs in my heart when I read the daunting biblical qualifications for church leaders. From one perspective, what the Lord asks of leaders isn’t very different from what he asks of every Christian. Who shouldn’t be gentle and hospitable? Who shouldn’t avoid the love of money? But “above reproach” is a tall order. God has high expectations of church leaders, and “we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Oversight of

September 21, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Discovery Questions for September 27, 2020

COMPANION RESOURCES Lesson for Sept. 27, 2020: Lead (1 Timothy 3:1-16; 5:17-22) “Who Is Worthy to Lead?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) ________ Study Questions for Groups By Michael C. Mack 1. What new challenge did you face last week? 2. How would you evaluate your prayer life this past week? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to read 1 Timothy 3:1-16 one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Repeat the process with 1 Timothy 5:17-22. Ask the third person to summarize the passages as if teaching a fifth-grade Sunday school class about

August 15, 2020

Christian Standard

God Provides in Times of Crisis

Generosity, Responsibility, Humility: The Church’s Threefold Response to COVID-19 By Gary Johnson and Jared Johnson “History repeats itself” is a familiar phrase because it’s true. In the opening pages of Scripture, Egypt was a world superpower. That nation experienced prosperity like no other realm had ever known. The years of unprecedented bounty, though, were followed by seven years of famine. Is something similar occurring in America? In recent years, the United States has enjoyed an era of prosperity—from record low unemployment to record high returns in the financial markets. However, an insidious and destructive virus circled the globe and within

July 15, 2020

Gary Johnson and Jared Johnson

Legacy

Like father, like son. He’s a chip off the old block. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. These well-worn phrases still impart truth. Life is lived in and through generations. From beginning to end in the Scriptures, we read of generations of people. The genealogy of Jesus is listed in both Matthew and Luke. Today, there are five living generations: builders, boomers, gen X, millennials, and gen Z. Despite the untold volumes written and conferences held about the qualities and particularities of these generations, a far greater concern is each one’s legacy. Many people think of generational legacy

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