Articles for tag: Church Planting

May 31, 2009

Christian Standard

Simple Church: Returning to God”s Process for Making Disciples

An Overview of “Simple Church” by David Ray “Tis the gift to be simple,  “tis the gift to be free,  “tis the gift to come down where you ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right,  It will be in the valley of love and delight.1    If today”s church leaders were to tell the truth, many would admit they arenot “in the place just right,” because most churches have become anything but “simple,” and the stress in leading them is nothing like finding yourself in any “valley of love and delight.” Why? Because churches have

May 24, 2009

Christian Standard

What We Learned from Hard Times

  By John Plunkett Thirty-two years ago, when I was interviewing for a ministry position with Creve Coeur (Illinois) Christian Church, it quickly became clear the church was dependent on the workforce of Caterpillar. My wife, who was invited to sit in on part of the interview process, asked a simple question: What happens if Caterpillar goes on strike?  The answer was reassuring: Caterpillar had not been out on a strike in years and the company was enjoying the best of economic times. I accepted the position, and 18 months into our ministry, Caterpillar union employees went out on strike.

May 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Kurt Ervin

By Brad Dupray As executive pastor of church expansion at Central Christian Church in Henderson, Nevada, Kurt Ervin is overseeing one of the most innovative forms of evangelism and discipleship the church has ever seen. While Central has expanded to seven physical campuses, the campuses with the potential to turn the world upside down have no physical locations. Central”s online and Facebook campuses have eight different weekly services and reach attendees around the world. The church”s goal is to have 300 new campuses or churches in the next 10 years, and the online campuses are key to fulfilling that vision.

April 12, 2009

Christian Standard

Evidence of Providence

  By Eddie Lowen Providence is the forseeing care and guidance of God over the creatures of earth. We can agree on that. But has it ever occurred to you that God may not want credit for some of what is attributed to him by human beings? My theology could be flawed, but I don”t imagine God will be disappointed if the next hot dog eating champion or Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover girl fails to credit him for their fame and success. To go further, some religious statements seem unlikely to have originated with God, despite the claims of those

March 29, 2009

Christian Standard

What Is the Glue?

  By David Faust In a 1910 lecture at Yale, Charles E. Jefferson described the difference between a church and an audience, It is to be regretted that we have come to . . . judge preachers by the number of persons who listen to their sermons. A superficial man is consequently tempted to work, not for a church, but for an audience. An audience, however, is not worth working for. An audience is a group of unrelated people drawn together by a short-lived attraction. . . . It is a fortuitous concourse of human atoms, scattering as soon as

March 8, 2009

Christian Standard

A Capitol Idea of Serving Others

By Rod Roberts I was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives on November 7, 2000. Since that first election victory I have had the good fortune to run opposed in four subsequent re-election campaigns. At the conclusion of this current term I will have served 10 years in the Iowa House. There are 100 members who comprise the Iowa House of Representatives. A five-term member like myself is a legislator who has seniority among his peers. In addition to seniority, I am a leader within the House Republican caucus. In any state Legislature, seniority and position matter a

March 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Mexico Family Camp: Families Building Homes, Homes Building Families

By Gayla Cooper Congdon In his book, Ordering Your Private World, Gordon MacDonald encourages families to make memories rather than investing in the accumulation of things. This was the premise that sparked a discussion 15 years ago with my longtime friends from Pacific Christian College, Dean and Amy Mathis, to impact families by taking them on a short-term mission trip. We recognized we lived in a culture where a constant spiritual battle was waged for the family. We noted all the factors that made it difficult for families to connect. It begged the question, “How much quality time do families

February 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Restoration Revolution

By David Empson What could happen if all of us worked together in a special emphasis to reach the lost? That”s the challenge of a number of people who have been working together on this dream for several months. Their vision: to set aside the years 2011 to 2020 for a new move of God in our churches, college ministries, and mission agencies. Dave Linn, who will serve as president of the 2010 National Missionary Convention in Lexington, Kentucky, proposed this idea to the NMC Continuation Committee during the most recent convention in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Inspired by Acts 13:2, Linn

January 7, 2009

Christian Standard

Something New”“-for All Our Readers

By Mark A. Taylor You can sort most CHRISTIAN STANDARD readers into one of three categories. Some read or at least skim every page every week. Some read some of the magazine some weeks, when they have time or when they see something that particularly interests them. They don”t feel bad about what they choose to skip. Some receive a copy every week and want to read it””but they feel guilty when they fall behind. Unread issues stack up beside them in an accusing pile. We”d like to serve those in all three groups, and we”d like everyone to feel

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Nurturing Missions Partnerships

By Janie Mehaffey READ THE SIDEBAR: “Church Pursues More Active Partnerships” by Janie Mehaffey       A church cuts off support to a missionary after 20 years. Is it a travesty or a natural progression of ministry? Church and mission leaders are considering this and other mission-giving questions after Sam Stone stirred up the topic in his May 11 CHRISTIAN STANDARD column, “Second Thoughts About Mission Giving.” Sam”s article pondered, “What constitutes missions giving?” and “What responsibility does the church have?” Whether looking at it from the church”s perspective or through the eyes of a mission/parachurch organization, the view

November 16, 2008

Christian Standard

Should the Minister Be One of the Elders?

By Darrel Rowland   “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17).   Does this verse mean the preacher could/should be a pastor and regarded as an elder? Three of the four churches examined this week because they have a well-functioning leadership team believe so. Bob Russell was an elder at Southeast Christian in Louisville. Robin Hart in Ohio and Eddie Lowen in Illinois are elders today. Greg Marksberry is not, although he acknowledges that a “fly on the wall” at elders

October 12, 2008

Christian Standard

Double-Espresso Church Planting in New Orleans

By Rick Grover Church planting can be described as a high-octane, caffeine-pumping, roller-coaster-riding, faith-testing, prayer-building, life-changing experience. If conventional church life can be likened to espresso, church planting would fit the double-espresso category followed by a “chaser” of Red Bull. Journey Christian Church launched October 6, 2002, with 212 people (40 of whom were “well-wishers”). We experienced the roller-coaster ride of dropping down to about 100 people with the gradual climb back up to about 200, the development of a discipleship process, small groups, and the beginning stages of an eldership-study process. Within three years things were moving along pretty

October 12, 2008

Christian Standard

Helping People Find Their Way Back to God in Kansas City

By Troy McMahon I was sitting on a park bench at Ozark Christian College, next to the young woman who would soon become my bride, when I made the decision. I was going to live a life without regrets.  I had just attended the National Youth Leaders Conference where I heard Tony Campolo speak. He shared some statistics about people in their 90s. When asked what they would do differently in their lives if they had to do it all over again, three themes emerged. First, they would take more risks; second, they would reflect more; and third, they would

October 12, 2008

Christian Standard

An Invitation to God”s Drama in New York City

By Jared Witt Editor”s note: ImagineNYC is the latest project of Orchard Group Inc., a church planting organization in New York City. The new church will launch in September 2009 in two separate Manhattan locations, the upper West Side and Greenwich Village. Jared Witt is lead minister. Additional staff for the new church has yet to be selected.       Novelist Tom Wolfe has suggested that New York City is no longer a real city inhabited by real people. It is, rather, a spectacle, a drama staged and orchestrated for the benefit of tourists, a massive public exhibition. New

October 12, 2008

Christian Standard

The National New Church Conference”s “˜Exponential” Development

By Jennifer Taylor From multisite campuses to nationwide networks, interest in church planting is at a new high. Restoration Movement leaders have been planting churches and sharing their experiences for decades, but this renewed focus on reproducing churches””plus a commitment to cross-denominational collaboration””has made the National New Church Conference the premier church planting event in the country.   Historical The National New Church Conference (NNCC) first met in 1969 as the “First National Colloquy on New Church Evangelism.” According to John Wasem”s August 2006 article in Christian Standard, 38 people attended this first event held at Great Lakes Bible College

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 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Just Asking: Five Questions for the Restoration Movement

By Jim Tune I shouldn”t be writing this article. I”ve never seen myself as a poster boy for the Restoration Movement. I”ve never been much of a joiner of causes. My early days as a preacher were marked by zeal for the ministry but ambivalence toward the movement. I”ve changed a lot. This will sound decidedly uncool to my church planting peers, but the Restoration plea as first envisaged by men like Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Barton Stone actually quickens my pulse these days. I”ll be the first to admit that the vision for unity around simple

September 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Golf Scores & Dashboards: Keeping Track of How the Church Is Doing

By Dave Ferguson Golfer 1: “What was your score?” Golfer 2: “Seventy-two.” Golfer 1: “That”s not too bad at all!” Golfer 2: “Thanks! I hope I”ll do better on the second hole.” When a golfer steps up to a tee, he knows how to keep score. It”s simple: Every time he hits the ball it counts as a stroke. At the end of 18 holes, he tallies up how many strokes he took, and that is his score. WHAT”S THE SCORE AT YOUR CHURCH? So, how does your church keep score? Usually churches keep score by counting the attendance and

August 10, 2008

Christian Standard

I Choose Optimism

By Ken Idleman You”ve probably heard the story of the woman who had twin 10-year-old sons, one an incurable pessimist, the other a cockeyed optimist. One day, at her wit”s end, she asked a counselor for advice. Together they came up with this plan for the boys” birthday: get two refrigerator boxes and fill the pessimist”s box with a wonderful assortment of new toys, and the optimist”s box with manure. On the big day, the woman sent her boys to their separate rooms, where the boxes had been prepared. She shut their doors and then waited outside with the counselor

July 30, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Ken Idleman

By Brad Dupray Ken Idleman served on the faculty and administration of Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, for 34 years””27 as president. In 1992, he became the youngest man ever selected to serve as president of the North American Christian Convention. For the past year Ken has been serving as senior pastor of Crossroads Christian Church in Newburgh, Indiana. He holds graduate and postgraduate degrees from Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College and Seminary and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Milligan College in Tennessee. He and his wife of 40 years, Kaylene, have three grown children and 11 grandchildren. As

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