After Cincinnati Christian University closed, the former Price Hill campus began a new chapter. BLOC Ministries is partnering with IDEA Price Hill to provide after-school support and community care—and leaders hope their presence is “good news.”
January 19, 2026
David Faust recalls his relay leg in Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon and the lessons it taught him about endurance, teamwork, and finishing well. The Christian life, like a marathon, calls for perseverance with eyes fixed on Jesus.
August 11, 2025
As we take the bread and the cup today, let’s hold onto this: “It is finished.” The debt is settled. The slate is clean.
January 17, 2023
Kairos Benevolence Fund and International Conference on Missions are combining to “jointly power” Pressing On: A Conference of Encouragement for Ministers and Missionaries, set for May 9 to 11. The conference's goal is to encourage ministers to do what Paul describes in Philippians . . . “press on.”
April 25, 2022
Bad Samaritans evidently can become good ones. That’s why Jesus wanted the gospel to be preached in Samaria (Acts 1:8), and when it was, many Samaritans accepted Christ and were baptized (Acts 8:5-11).
December 25, 2021
"I've shared every Christmas of my life with the star that sits atop our Christmas tree," writes Shawn McMullen. "I inherited it years ago from my parents." (This is the final installment in a weeklong series of Christmas memories.)
December 15, 2021
Over the past year and a half, residents from the Christian Village at Mason, Ohio—a senior living community—have expressed their gratitude to Cincinnati healthcare workers by sending more than 600 handmade cards. Plus news briefs from ICOM, Forest Grove Christian Church, and more.
September 16, 2021
A committee devoted to strengthening the elderships of our churches formed in 1942 and sponsored a series of columns in Christian Standard throughout 1943. As part of their introductory article, they shared an “Elder’s Achievement Chart” that most elders should find interesting.
The longtime site of now-closed Cincinnati Christian University is changing hands. CCU’s 54-acre campus has been sold to IDEA Public Schools, a Texas company that operates 120 schools in Texas and Louisiana.
September 22, 2020
By Michael C. Mack After our wedding in 1990, Heidi and I moved into a 40-unit apartment building in Cincinnati. We wanted to lead an investigative Bible study to reach out to people who lived there, so I asked Glen, a minister at our church, to tell me how to start. “I don’t think you should do a Bible study . . . at least not yet,” he said. The tilt of my head and subconscious furrow of my brow must have given away my concern; I was eager to start this study right away and allow God to use
Spiritual Growth Emphasis Spurs Numerical Growth By Rick Lowry Mount Carmel Christian Church in Batavia, Ohio (about 20 miles east of Cincinnati), has experienced significant growth in recent years. Didi Bacon became senior minister 21 years ago when the church averaged about 400 in worship. In 2015, Mount Carmel moved into a beautiful new facility and now consistently averages more than 1,000. Bacon and the rest of the staff are convinced a major reason for the numerical growth has been their emphasis on spiritual growth. Teaching minister Tim Peace, who works with groups, said a significant dialogue started when the
March 31, 2020
Shawn McMullen, who has concluded his service as editor of The Lookout magazine, will begin work Wednesday as vice president of partner relations with the Christian Church Leadership Foundation. McMullen’s responsibilities will include working with Cincinnati area ministers, churches, and mission teams to present the work of the CCL Network and the Russell School of Ministry. He will identify partners to support student scholarships, library services, and network memberships. He also will closely work with representatives from the Cincinnati Christian University Alumni Association to help maintain communication and connection with the CCU community within the CCL Foundation. “I’m grateful for
February 22, 2020
Three Churches Share Stories from the “Wild West”of Worship on the World Wide Web By Justin Horey From smartphones to social media, Facebook to FaceTime, the Internet and the tools we use to access it are often advertised as ways to help people relate to one another. Dating apps and websites aim to bring people together in person, while social media platforms and videoconferencing were created to help people stay in touch when they can’t be together in the same room. Technology experts and ordinary people alike love to debate the effectiveness of relating with online tools, but these tools
January 29, 2020
By Chris Moon Jim Lloyd is facing the challenge of a lifetime. The longtime librarian at the now-closed Cincinnati Christian University has been tasked with preparing the school’s George Mark Elliott Library—all 150,000 print volumes as well as a large archival collection—for relocation. So far, Lloyd and some volunteers have filled 750 boxes with books. It’s likely to take 10,000 boxes to move it all. And after the library eventually is moved, the contents must be unpacked and reshelved. “It’s just a Herculean task,” Lloyd told Christian Standard. “It’s almost more than I can bear to think about sometimes.” And
November 16, 2019
Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Mo., which is working toward opening an extension campus in Cincinnati next spring, has announced plans to maintain “three key ministry support services” that have been a part of the soon-to-close Cincinnati Christian University. According to its website, CCCB plans to provide ministry education through the Russell School of Ministry, continue development of a national network of churches through the Center for Church Leadership, and provide library services through the George Mark Elliott Library. The Missouri college is asking for “the [financial] support of Cincinnati constituent friends and church families” to help make
By Russ Howard Of the countless strategies we have to reach and restore people to Christ, none are as simple, profound, or powerful as Jesus’ simple command to “love your neighbor” (Mark 12:31). For more than 20 years BLOC Ministries, an inner-city ministry on the west side of Cincinnati, has done just that. The people live where they serve. BLOC’s roots reach to the hollers of Kentucky where Dwight Young was born and raised. Dwight met his wife, Stephanie, at Johnson Bible College. Together they served churches by working with teenagers in Louisville, Knoxville, and eventually Cincinnati. Early on, Michael,
July 11, 2019
James Challen wrote a number of articles for Christian Standard during its first dozen or so years of publication. The articles were good, but the most interesting essay to feature Challen likely was his obituary, written in 1878 by founding editor Isaac Errett, with whom Challen was sharing a pulpit in Cincinnati when Challen was struck ill late that year. As you’ll read, Challen “shared the fellowship and the labors of all the leading spirits of the Reformation” during his lifetime. Also interesting to note, Errett referred to the man, who was 18 years his senior, as “Father” Challen. Here
January 29, 2019
By Emily Drayne Youth conferences, weeks of camp, training conferences for adults, and mission trips are all mountaintop experiences. Participants come home refreshed, revitalized, and more passionate about the things they spent time focusing on. But life inevitably slows down, the daily humdrum returns, and the fire inside begins to flicker. There is at least one Great Commission-focused event, however, from which there seems to be no post-event letdown: the International Conference On Missions. What makes ICOM different? I’m convinced it’s the on-fire vibe that permeates the conference. People attend ICOM to do something: win the world for Christ, find
January 3, 2019
(Part one of a three-part series) By Steve Carr Let me start with the story of two movements. By virtue of reading this magazine, I’m sure you can guess the first one, so I’ll introduce you to the other. About four decades after the inception of the Restoration Movement, American innovation led to the creation of a game that would quickly become the national pastime: baseball. Abner Doubleday is often credited with creating the game, but historians have virtually refuted this. Regardless of who started it, the history of baseball is robust. It continued to spread rapidly across the United
November 21, 2018
By Michael C. Mack The International Conference On Missions was held last week in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the theme, “Unhindered.” Kevin Dooley served as president this year. Christian Standard Media was a sponsor and exhibitor. We plan to report in more detail about the conference later in our print/digital issue, but here is a quick recap: — ICOM is still tabulating total attendance, but 3,500 people pre-registered and several thousand registered onsite. — About 2,300 people attended the first three sessions, which is an increase of about 400 to 500 over last year’s sessions. — There were 314 exhibitors
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