Articles for tag: Communication

February 28, 2018

Jim Estep

Leading Through Conflict

By Jim Estep Elders are no strangers to church fires, and by that I mean the conflicts that occur far too often in our congregations. Whether the conflicts involve leaders, staff, individuals, or groups, we often find ourselves ill-prepared to understand them and ill-equipped to respond to them. As elders, we need to understand the fires of conflict so we can ease confusion and help extinguish them when they flare up.   Understanding Conflict in the Church Here are some facts about church conflict. Fires are inevitable. No church is immune to conflict, so be aware of it and alert

February 7, 2018

Christian Standard

Denzil Holness Spreads a Message of Racial Reconciliation

By Jacqueline J. Holness Had Denzil D. Holness been hired as a pastor in Coward, South Carolina, or Peculiar, Missouri, or any other out-of-the-way American town or city, he may not have been led to take on racial reconciliation in the Christian church. However, since Holness was hired as the first black pastor at Central Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, “The City Too Busy to Hate,” it would seem tackling racial reconciliation was God’s plan for him all along.   Committed to Christian Church Principles Holness became CCC’s pastor in September 1979 and in December 2017, he retired from ministry

October 17, 2017

Christian Standard

An Inside Look at Rural Communities and Churches

By Kent Fillinger In September”s issue, I examined statistics and trends primarily affecting urban and suburban communities and churches in the United States. This month, I”m focusing on the rural counterpart. Rural America In 1950, more than a third of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. That rural percentage has consistently declined through the years to less than 20 percent today. The Wall Street Journal recently reported (“Rural America Is the New “˜Inner City,”” Janet Adamy and Paul Overberg, May 27-28, A1), [A]n unprecedented shift is under way. Federal and other data show that in 2013, in the majority

September 29, 2017

Christian Standard

My Crazy, Exciting Adventure in Rural Ministry

By Tom Claibourne I recently turned 60 and marked my 38th anniversary of serving with the same congregation. I am blessed, but the past five years have been the most challenging of my ministry for many reasons. As a result, I”ve had plenty of opportunities for introspection and evaluation. That”s a good thing, because every congregation or person in ministry needs both. My journey has been mostly positive, sometimes frustrating and disappointing, seldom dull, and always educational. I continue to learn valuable lessons about life and ministry.   Our Story Bethlehem Church of Christ has been representing Jesus Christ between

April 29, 2017

Christian Standard

Slow to Tweet

By Eddie Lowen This is no self-righteous rant about abandoning social media. But I do wonder if I””and many Christians I encounter online””have always thought through the implication of what we post. There were no newspapers, radios, or TVs. No blogs, podcasts, or social media. Sending a letter to 100 people meant scratching it out on parchment 100 times (that was a punishment when I was in elementary school). E-mail? Tweets? Voice mail? Unimaginable. In an age when no instant or mass communication tools existed, when fewer people lived on earth than in the United States today, James wrote, “Everyone should be quick to listen,

February 8, 2017

Christian Standard

Lost in Translation

By Jim Tune I wrote my message quickly and fired it off. Just seconds after clicking Send, it dawned on me with mortifying clarity that I had sent the text message to the wrong recipient. My message fortunately was not overly sensitive, rude, or confidential. Still, it left room for both misunderstanding and embarrassment. I”m guessing this experience is not unique to me. We”ve all been in a situation where someone reads a message intended for someone else that potentially could lead to misunderstanding and conflict. I was relieved when the unintended recipient responded graciously and with minimal offense. It

December 28, 2016

Christian Standard

Christmas Communicates

By Jim Tune “What we”ve got here is failure to communicate,” said the prison warden in the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke. The line has endured because communication is so tough. Marketers spend millions of dollars to communicate. Marriages have broken down due to a lack of communication. In some ways, communication is everything. The ultimate communication gap, though, is between God and us. Left to ourselves, we”d never be able to figure out what God is like. We would know that he exists, but what is he really like? Is he angry and harsh? Is he loving? Does he

October 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Be the Lead Servant

By Eddie Lowen A question for church leaders: Do you make time to worry about whether or not people think you”re inclined to serve? I met the world”s best restaurant server. From the moment he approached our table, he was the personification of service. He flawlessly memorized orders. He was fast without seeming hurried, informative without being verbose. He was genuinely friendly. He succinctly offered great recommendations, anticipated all we needed, and even kept the table from becoming cluttered. But what registered with me strongest was that he enjoyed taking care of us. His final words were, “I”m glad I

August 10, 2016

Christian Standard

Loving Through Listening

By Jim Tune I”m pretty good at talking. It”s a big part of what I do for a living. When I look for leaders, I look for someone who can communicate. I”m convinced, though, that speaking and writing are only part of what it takes to be a great leader. Leading also involves listening. “Listening comes first,” writes Adam McHugh in his new book The Listening Life. We started listening before we were even born. Listening is a key part of what it means to be human. “Somewhere along the way we start to violate the natural order of things,”

August 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Rushing to Blame

By Joe Boyd Not long ago in Cincinnati, where I live, a very unfortunate accident occurred at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. As you probably remember, a young boy somehow made his way into the gorilla habitat. Ultimately it resulted in the hard decision to kill Harambe, a powerful and beautiful western lowland gorilla, for the sake of the child”s life. Soon after that, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history happened in Orlando, Florida. A gunman entered a gay nightclub and killed 49 people, injuring 53 others. (And some of the injured are still clinging to life as

February 15, 2016

Christian Standard

My Theology and My Leadership

By Matt Proctor A few years ago, I was asked to give a class lecture on “how my theology affects my leadership.” What a helpful exercise! I tried to dig beneath the surface of my leadership practices to find my underlying motivating beliefs. As I brought these to the surface, I could see whether they squared well with Scripture. I ended up listing 10 ways my theology shaped my leadership. A few examples: Me vs. Us Despite my natural Lone Ranger tendencies, I have moved to a more team leadership approach. When I began as president, I was the only

January 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Parenting Resources for Christians and Their Leaders

This list of parenting resources is a sidebar to Peter Buckland’s article, “Parents Are Primary.” ________ By Peter Buckland FOR PARENTS Teaching Your Children Healthy Sexuality: A Biblical Approach to Prepare Them for Life, by Jim Burns (Bloomington: Bethany House, 2008) This book provides valuable information for Christian parents regarding the sexual information that children need to know and how the biblical sexual ethic may be presented to them. SOS Help for Emotions: Managing Anxiety, Anger, and Depression, by Lynn Clark (Bowling Green: SOS Programs and Parent Press, revised in 2014) Practical steps are provided that enable parents to help

December 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Sermons for a Postmodern Culture

By Rick Chromey Everything about church these days is different from what it was less than a generation ago. Everything but the sermon, that is. How can we change our approach to preaching in order to reach people receiving information today as never before? “No one . . . pour[s] new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16, 17). Few things in life are sacred, and fewer still are eternal. Wineskins come

October 12, 2015

Christian Standard

Quitting Solitaire

Four ministers. One concern: How to find a “band of brothers” for accountability, insight, and help to finish well. By Eddie Lowen I was set apart for ministry by the first church that employed me. I was only 19 when they hired me (and 20 when they ordained me), yet they took a chance. They took a chance that I would graduate a year after my ordination. They took a chance that I would mature in many ways. They also took a chance that I would find a wife! Seriously, at the time, an unmarried pastor was rare. Most of

June 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Jesus: The Middleman

By Rubel Shelly No irreverence intended, so please don”t hear it as anything other than what is intended. Jesus of Nazareth is the ideal middleman. As proof of my thesis, I quote Paul: “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity””the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:5, 6, New Living Translation). The notion of mediation involves standing between parties for the sake of communication. The ultimate hope in most of these situations is for more than communication; the mediator seeks understanding and reconciliation. A mediator seeks

April 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Life Lessons Among the Dying

By Karen Diefendorf I”ve served as a chaplain with Hospice Care of South Carolina for almost a year now. I”ve been privileged to be invited into the lives of patients and their families. I”m not a novice in pastoral care, but I”m still learning from my patients. I have been surprised at why people who are eligible for hospice care never take advantage of it, and I have learned that all hospices are not the same. I have also learned some very important life lessons. Pain Is a Given, Suffering Is Optional Most of the people I serve know about Job,

March 14, 2015

Michael C. Mack

The Ministry of Encouragement

Author Rob Bentz describes encouragement as “a blast of gospel-centered truth into a mundane and murky situation.” As Christ followers, and especially as those who seek to minister to others, we need encouragement. “It”s something we must passionately pursue for ourselves and intentionally seek to offer to others on the journey,” Bentz says in his book, The Unfinished Church: God”s Broken and Redeemed Work-in-Progress (Crossway Books, www.crossway.org). What can we do about this tremendous need in our lives? Bentz provides three straightforward suggestions: 1. Seek it out. Invite close friends, mature believers, and people whose faith journey you admire to

December 11, 2014

Christian Standard

50 Ways Your Church Can Fight Poverty

By Jennifer Johnson Most Christians want to do something to address the problems of poverty. But many of us just don”t know where to start. Here are 50 ideas, shared by 15 Christian leaders from around the world, to help you show the love of Jesus to those who are poor. Almost any of us could try at least one of these strategies.   Get Practical 1. Create a community garden. Each year ours produces thousands of pounds of healthy food that is distributed to hundreds of families in our community who live below the poverty line. They are invited to

September 12, 2014

Christian Standard

Are We Moving?

By James Riley Estep Jr. All the steps of moving from one home to another find their parallel in the progress a church must make. It”s never easy, but the new destination is worth the thinking, planning, and hard work. “We”re moving.” These two words evoke a wide range of emotions. Announcing this to family and friends only adds to the challenging experience. A new job, new prospects, a better house, or a future possibility””all available only elsewhere. The decision to move is often greeted with the exuberance of new opportunity.  But the exuberance soon changes to despair when dealing

August 19, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Lead On, Lead Up, Lead Now

By Mark A. Taylor No group will understand or fulfill its mission without a leader sounding the charge and setting the example. Eddie Lowen and I talked about this during my Beyond the Standard interview with him July 31. Churches need to be led, he said, and led by leaders with high integrity. We could say the same for school boards, corporations, or the government of any nation. But our experience with bad leadership in all of those environments may be one reason some are suspicious of leaders in the church. Can we find a leader more interested in his

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