Solving the Church Leadership Crisis
A New Collaboration with NationsUniversity to Develop Leaders Where They Are Already Planted and Working
Articles for tag: Churches of Christ
CCCB-SLCC Merger Nearing Completion
The merger of Central Christian College of the Bible and St. Louis Christian College is in its final stages, with the two Restoration Movement schools slated to join forces by about June 1.
March 1, 2022
The Search for Authentic Church Membership
What Leaders Were Saying About This Topic 90–150 Years Ago, from the Christian Standard Archives
February 2, 2022
RENEW.org Launches Job Board (Plus Other News Briefs)
RENEW.org has launched a job board for ministers and congregations in the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ. Plus briefs from Johnson and Milligan universities, Ekklesia Christian Church, and more.
January 18, 2022
Churches Encouraged to Complete Our Annual Survey
All independent Christian churches and churches of Christ are encouraged to participate in Christian Standard’s annual survey, which is now available.
The Preacher Pipeline Problem
A ministry friend recently worked with the Slingshot Group, a church staffing firm, to find a new ministry, and they told him he was one of 19,000 candidates they were helping. I imagine this represents people from a multitude of denominations and backgrounds, as well as those seeking a variety of church ministry roles. Either way, it’s clear there’s a sizable number of people currently in ministry who are looking for something different or somewhere new to serve. But what does the future “preacher pipeline” look like based on who’s leading our Christian churches today? A Long-Term Look at Lead
January 1, 2022
Looking Back: How Christian Colleges Have Responded to the Need for Preachers Over the Past Century
Fifty years ago, most pulpit ministers in Christian churches and churches of Christ were products of our Restoration Movement colleges. It had been that way for some time, and it likely remains that way today . . . though probably to a lesser extent. [See related article, “The Ministry Pipeline,” by Chris Moon] A survey of pertinent articles appearing in Christian Standard between 1969 and 1974 and a review of James B. North’s Restoration Movement history book, Union In Truth, indicate that most of the colleges producing ministers for Christian churches and churches of Christ were started in the 1920s
December 22, 2021
Northview Christian Church Ships Thousands of Bibles to South Africa
On a recent Friday, members of Northview Christian Church, Coldwater, Mich., loaded about 27,000 Bibles into a shipping container headed to South Africa Christian Mission.
November 16, 2021
An excerpt from ‘At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge’
An excerpt from the new book, "At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge," by Jack R. Reese, about the noninstrumental Churches of Christ which are now seen as being in rapid decline.
October 27, 2021
CCLN Looks to Help Churches with Pastoral Transitions
The Christian Church Leadership Network wants to help churches find a better way to transition from one pastor to the next. The organization has developed a working relationship with Interim Pastor Ministries, which supplies experienced interim pastors to churches who are searching for their next leaders.
October 21, 2021
Throwback Thursday: Reconsecrating a Church
In the 1930s a church in Ohio wrote, "Our present church membership roll will be scrapped on Friday, April 10, and the entire membership will be called upon to reconsecrate themselves to Christ and His church” . . .
October 13, 2021
Noninstrumental Churches of Christ Facing Uncertain Future
Jack R. Reese’s book "At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge" chronicles the rise and fall of the noninstrumental Churches of Christ. The book includes several startling facts and concerning predictions from leading researchers in the Church of Christ fellowship.
September 16, 2021
Missouri Colleges Will Be ‘Better Together,’ SLCC President Says
Under a merger plan being discussed between Central Christian College of the Bible and St. Louis Christian College, the latter’s campus “will remain open and functioning as normal for this entire academic year,” SLCC president Terry Stine said.
September 2, 2021
THROWBACK THURSDAY: ‘Is Divorce the Unpardonable Sin?’
“In churches of Christ and Christian churches, is divorce the unpardonable sin?” Judy Norris asked in this column from 1980. "Have we become so Pharisaical that our own self-righteousness causes us to negate love?"
September 1, 2021
The State of Noninstrumental Churches of Christ . . . Before and After the Pandemic
“I don’t want things to go back like they were. I want things to be better.” Oklahoma minister Randy Roper’s words are echoed by people in Churches of Christ across the nation as they emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Roper preaches for the Edmond Church of Christ in the suburbs of Oklahoma City. The congregation, which was averaging about 1,250 for weekly worship prior to the pandemic, is one of about 12,000 autonomous congregations in the U.S. that seek to share Jesus through the practice of simple, New Testament Christianity without manmade creeds. Churches of Christ share roots with
A Christian Standard Survey: Postpandemic Communion Practices
In May, we conducted an informal survey about how COVID-19 affected the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in corporate church services.
CDF Capital Announces Leadership Transition
CDF Capital has announced a leadership transition that will see president and CEO Dusty Rubeck retire from those roles and longtime CDF board member Eric R. Schroeder replace him on July 1.
February 1, 2021
‘My Story Is for God’s Glory’
After living a life as a criminal and prisoner, David Green has experienced—and now makes known a message of—redemption and reconciliation. In the early morning hours of Easter 1978, just after midnight, a group of adolescent boys entered a 24-hour convenience store in New Orleans’ notorious Ninth Ward, intending to steal alcohol. During the attempted robbery, shots were fired and the clerk on duty behind the counter was mortally wounded. All of the boys managed to flee the scene except one, a 15-year-old known to his cohorts as “Red.” As he tried to escape, a paying customer tripped him and
February 1, 2021
A Core Conviction
(for All of Us)
(Read “When Brothers Dwell in Unity,” a companion article by Rudy Hagood’s brother, Fate Hagood.) Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore (Psalm 133, all Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version). I have always been passionate about unity. While it might be a manifestation
January 27, 2021
Sam E. Stone: ‘A Steel Hand Inside a Velvet Glove’
Mark A. Taylor shares memories of his colleague, teacher, and friend, Sam E. Stone. Sam, who was Christian Standard's longest-serving editor, died on Monday.
