Articles for tag: church staff

October 1, 2019

David Roadcup

It’s Time for a New/Old Approach

By David Roadcup I love the pioneering personality. Such a person can blaze new trails and find new horizons in education, business, the arts, and the church. A rare breed, indeed. They should be prized for breaking ground that many others would not attempt. Micah Odor is one such pioneer. Odor serves as minister of spiritual formation with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. A few years ago, he was a student in my seminary class, “Assimilation and Development of Church Members.” I had challenged students to come up with an approach to their ministry that would not only

June 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Practicing the Implications of Truth: How We Become Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only

By Wes Sebree Not even an extremely gifted communicator can rival experience as a teacher. My good friend Mike would add, “Truth is discovered, not downloaded.” In other words, truth must be experienced to take root. If these statements are accurate—and they are—we need to consider whether we want to proclaim the truth or whether we want to equip people to live faithfully. The first can be accomplished without doing the second. Additionally, equating information transfer with spiritual growth robs Christ’s body of experiencing God’s truth and love in tangible ways. This results in a subtle brand of gnosticism where

May 14, 2019

Christian Standard

Ranson Closing Out 40-Year Career at Hazelwood Christian

By Jim Nieman Back on May 20, 1979, during his first Sunday as senior minister with Hazelwood Christian Church in Clayton, Ind., Steve Ranson had no idea it would be his first of 2,000-plus Sundays there. He was unaware the church had had 31 ministers since its founding in 1910—a span of 69 years. That’s a new minister every two-plus years. “It wasn’t trending well,” Ranson deadpanned. But things worked out, though Ranson now confesses that, early on, he was occasionally at a loss for topics to preach about. “It wasn’t like it is today, with the Internet and so

April 25, 2019

Christian Standard

LIVING IN THE TENSION

How the Church Must Respond to Sexual Identity Issues in Both Truth and Grace By Caleb Kaltenbach Not long ago, I sat in an apartment crying with two African-American lesbians. They were married and were attending a church in Houston that I was working with. After being with the church awhile, they concluded God designed sexual intimacy for marriage between a man and woman. They asked the church staff about next steps, but the ministers were as confused as the ladies. Now I was in their living room processing their situation. They had been together for 10 years and married

August 29, 2018

Christian Standard

5 Keys (and 3 Crucial Attitudes) for a Successful Food Ministry

By Troy M. Borst A food ministry can be an effective way for an urban church to engage the congregation, serve its neighbors, and share Christ’s love. But such a ministry isn’t without challenges. New Beginnings Christian Church in Tampa, Florida (www.newbeginningscctampa.org), operates a successful food pantry that serves 80 to 90 people on a regular basis as a means of reaching out to South Tampa. For more than a decade, we have provided food staples for the homeless, poor, and working poor in Tampa. It is an essential part of how we love our immediate neighbors. Matthew 25:34-46 guides

May 25, 2018

Christian Standard

5 Things You Need to Know about the 5-Generation Church

By Haydn Shaw I was recently in a church talking with a room full of baby boomers (those born 1946–64) and millennials (born 1981–2001) who wanted to understand how to build community across generations. They realized that people tend to socialize with others of their own generation before and after the worship services, and they wanted to know how they might bridge the differences. They wondered if they should have intergenerational small groups. The boomers and millennials want to spend more time together, but their different life stages create practical challenges. For instance, many baby boomer small groups enjoy big

May 23, 2018

Christian Standard

The Lead Pastor: XP Edition Pairs a Lead Pastor with an Executive Pastor

By Caleb Kaltenbach MALIBU, CA—Pastor Paul Porgman needed an executive pastor, so he went on The Lead Pastor: XP Edition. The show is patterned after the hit series The Bachelor, which features a single man who spends weeks with many attractive women until he chooses his future wife. In The Lead Pastor: XP Edition, Porgman spent weeks with many unattractive, out-of-shape, type A personality men until he chose one to be his executive pastor. “It was . . . bizarre,” Porgman said. “We never got in a hot tub, but I walked on the beach with each one of them. I also had to take them out

January 27, 2018

David Roadcup

Young Ministry Staff and Elders—Connecting Together

By David Roadcup The summer of 1966 was a watershed time for me. I was 19 years old and going into my sophomore year at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College. I had accepted my first summer youth ministry in a rural church in central Illinois. I remember my first day. I knew I had been called to this, my life’s work, but that first day was daunting. Where do I start? How is this going to go? Who are these people in my new church family? Will I be liked? Will they work with me? It was a challenging and impactful

November 22, 2017

Christian Standard

The Night Before Christmas

By Kelly Carr  “Twas the night before Christmas, when all through church houses, every creature was stirring, all the staff and some spouses. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, but peek inside the church building””you”ll find everyone there. While others are restful, sugar-plums in their heads, on Christmas Eve church leaders are busy instead. Ministers across the country confirm what you already know: Christmas Eve is one of the best attended services of the year. Large and small congregations, suburban, rural, and city locations all welcome folks who rarely darken the doorway of a church building other

August 10, 2017

Christian Standard

Rejuvenate Your Ministry

By Kelly Carr I was in the throes of my job editing The Lookout. The weekly nonstop pace provided a rhythm to my work, yet by the spring of 2016, two and a half years in, my freshness was waning””I just hadn”t realized it yet. Around that time, I was invited to attend the Catalyst leadership conference and interview some of the featured speakers for The Lookout. Although I intended solely to mine material for the magazine, I unexpectedly unearthed something from the sessions””rejuvenation in my own leadership. GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES After my positive experience last year, I recently attended Catalyst

June 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Called to Serve Millennials, but Can We Reach Them?

By Haydn Shaw Churches have three main options for reaching millennials (those born 1981″“2001). When I consult with churches, I usually recommend the first, and sometimes the second, but never the third because it”s the one that doesn”t work. Option 1: Change the church now This is the best option for most churches. It”s important to hear what people who never grew up in the church have to say, so research is invaluable (my Generational IQ book is one resource, but there are many other helpful generational resources). Since 30 percent of the unchurched used to go to church, don”t

February 18, 2017

Christian Standard

Sayings

By Eddie Lowen Build the culture you want with the phrases you repeat. Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon put some thought into his team”s 2015 season motto. He unveiled it at spring training: “Embrace the target.” The sports psychology behind the motto was sound, but it didn”t catch on. Some players began using their own motto: “We are good.” They were, but not quite good enough to reach or win the World Series in 2015. As the Cubs entered the 2016 season, Maddon joked that the team motto would be “Try not to suck” (note: though definitely slang, the word

December 22, 2016

Christian Standard

The Wrong Kind of Strong

By Eddie Lowen Three attributes we should seek when we say we want a strong leader. In Disney”s animated film Beauty and the Beast, a strapping young man named Gaston cannot fathom why Belle (the Beauty, herself) is so disinterested in him. After all, Gaston is Mr. Everything. As the song sung by Gaston”s sidekick exclaims, he”s the slickest and quickest, and his neck is the thickest! No one can “hit” or “match wits” like Gaston. And for the record, no one can spit like him, either! With a bio like that, what young French maiden could resist? Answer: Belle. She

October 27, 2016

Christian Standard

The Trouble with Trying to Do a Good Job

By Angela Sanders Nothing sets up a person for failure more effectively than an intense desire to do a good job when the definition of that “good job” is vague, subjective, and a matter of public interest. I ought to know. I am a minister”s wife. For my husband, my church, and myself, I”ve wanted few things more than to wear well the title “minister”s wife.” Now, before you start tsk-tsk-ing me and pointing out problems with that statement, let me save you the trouble and admit that some of my thinking early on””and intermittently over the years””has been skewed.

September 10, 2016

Christian Standard

“˜Everyone Wants a Cause”

How one church is facilitating the priesthood of all believers””inside and outside the church walls By Justin Horey Is a Little League coach a children”s ministry worker? Is a backyard barbecue a discipleship group? Is living out your faith as a public school teacher as important as serving in student ministries? At Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, the answer is yes. Lead pastor Ben Cachiaras says Mountain Christian Church encourages ministry both inside and outside the church walls, because it”s essential to do both. “We legitimize ministry even if it”s not within the four walls of the church,” Cachiaras

May 26, 2016

Christian Standard

Want Millennials Back in the Pews? Stop Trying to Make Church Cool

By Rachel Held Evans EDITOR”S NOTE: Obviously, this essay, adapted from one that first appeared in the Washington Post on April 30, 2015, does not represent the position of CHRISTIAN STANDARD on every issue. But it provides a prod to our thinking and practice that can stimulate some healthy discussion. We invite our readers to react. Add a comment below or send us an e-mail. Bass reverberates through the auditorium floor as a heavily bearded worship leader pauses to invite the congregation, bathed in the light of two giant screens, to tweet using #JesusLives. The scent of freshly brewed coffee

May 14, 2016

Christian Standard

We Have a Plan

By Steve Reeves For the two weeks leading up to this year”s Super Bowl, the most asked question where I live was, “Will this be Peyton Manning”s last rodeo?” (Will he retire after the Super Bowl?) Truth is, that kind of question is being asked someplace almost every week, whether it concerns the long-tenured coach, college professor, or corporate executive. It”s also a relevant issue for well-known musicians and politicians: “Will this be their last concert, election, or board meeting?” Frankly, I don”t know how long the issue of ministerial retirement and succession has been such a major topic of conversation,

May 3, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

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

April 26, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Not Common Enough

By Mark A. Taylor An old friend was catching me up on his career in Internet technology project management. More than once he”s been thrust into dysfunctional situations in companies struggling to reach goals and meet deadlines. These aren”t Christian enterprises, but my friend told me what he”s discovered about how to make progress: “Good management generally is a matter of Christian principles combined with common sense.” Excuses he”s heard: She”s wrong. He”s late. They”re incompetent. “That”s not what we”re going to be about,” he tells employees. “We”re all in the same boat, heading toward the same goal.” Common sense:

April 25, 2016

Christian Standard

Unveiled

By Eddie Lowen What I”m learning about becoming transparent, and how I”m trying to communicate that with the staff at the church where I serve. When Moses descended from the mountain in Exodus 34, his face glowed from having been in God”s presence. At first, he didn”t realize it. But soon, Moses sensed people were being weirded-out by his shiny face. His solution? A veil. Why? Here”s my best interpretation: it required less explanation. Paul recalls that event in 2 Corinthians 3. In verse 13, he surprisingly states, “We are not like Moses.” Paul explained his goal was to live

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