Articles for tag: Communication

June 27, 2011

Christian Standard

God Does Not Have a Plan for Your Life

By Jennifer Johnson “God”s plan for your life isn”t a map you see all at once, but a scroll unrolled a little at a time, requiring faith,” Rick Warren recently tweeted. “God will accelerate his plan for your life as you put your trust in him. God is giving you victory sooner than you think,” says Joel Osteen. Less prominent Christians champion the theology as well. In responding to a new believer”s question about his career, a contributor to Bible-Knowledge.com writes, “God will now be the one to fully guide you into whatever jobs he will want you to have. .

February 14, 2011

Christian Standard

Breathing Space in the Spiritual Journey

By Jan Johnson I felt the pressure building as I griped at my son for breaking his lunch box. A few days before, my husband, Greg, had been laid off for the third time, and every time something broke or wore out I felt my tightly bound panic cut loose. I needed to quiet myself before I heaped more shaming, unfeeling words on my family. I felt drawn toward my bedroom, so I finished preparing lunch and slipped on to my bed””not to sleep, but to pull out an untidy spiral notebook and spread my grief before God. God, I”m

December 30, 2010

Christian Standard

Regrafting: A Matter of Motivation

Ken Swatman “Dying on the vine,” it seems to be the new catchphrase among leaders of struggling churches. Often I hear from these ministers and leaders that they do not want to “die on the vine.” Here are some key issues/questions that need to be addressed in order for a church to grow. I do not believe churches just die on the vine. Branches of a vine die because they are either diseased, malformed, infested with parasites, or somehow choked off from their source of nutrition and health. This is also true for churches. Churches wither and die because of

December 20, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Dec. 26, 2010: God Is with Us (Isaiah 43:1-7, 10-12)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for December 26) is written by Tom May who serves as discipleship minister with Eastside Christian Church in Jeffersonville, Indiana. God Is with Us (Isaiah 43:1-7, 10-12) By Tom May Isaiah would not have used the word near to describe any part of his life in Judah. Isaiah was not near to his friends and family. His work as a prophet often took him from his home. The burden of sharing an unpopular message from God put a strain on many of his relationships. If the traditional belief that Isaiah was

October 19, 2010

Christian Standard

Extending the Call

By Don Anderson When you finally find the minister you believe has the competence, chemistry, and character you have been praying for God to provide, you feel like breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating””but your work is far from complete. It is important to be thorough as you complete these last few steps. Doing Your Homework Before you begin searching for any candidate, create a job description and poll other churches to find out the compensation packages they provide for similar positions. The best practice is to maintain approved salary ranges with associated benefits by job classification so you

October 9, 2010

Christian Standard

Shut Up

By Janet McMahon Have you ever watched one of those dating shows on TV where two people are on their very first date? Invariably, either the guy or girl goes on and on and on talking about himself or herself. It”s painful to watch. In fact, it”s so painful you either must look away, turn the channel, or yell at the TV screen, “Just shut up already!” There is no way the chronic talker is getting a second date. Even though we hate watching someone talk too much, it”s often exactly what many of us do in our relationships. We

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Preparing to Preach

By Bruce E. Shields Who is your ideal preacher? Think about a preacher who has had a positive impact on you. Can you recall a single sermon he preached? Was it the sermons or the character of the preacher that left the lasting impression? I often ask student preachers these questions, and invariably it is character they recall and not individual sermons. I hasten to add that this does not mean sermons have no lasting value, but rather that the sermons make up just one part of the overall impression that preachers leave. This means the preacher needs to pay

May 16, 2010

Christian Standard

Embracing Our Questioners

By John Castelein Christians ask two kinds of questions: (1) safe questions, conceived and answered from within the faith; and (2) difficult questions about the entire faith enterprise itself. In many churches, small groups, and adult Bible school classes, persistent questioners can feel ostracized because difficult questions are not pursued. Willow Creek Community Church led many churches to respect the questions of seekers outside the church. However, in spite of such openness at the front door, church membership and attendance appear to be on the decline in the United States, especially among those 30 and younger (this follows the pattern

March 28, 2010

Christian Standard

The Blessings of Scarcity

By Stephen Bond I meet for lunch every month with four other senior pastors who serve in my community. I”m surprised by the openness of each pastor in sharing the unique hurdles and challenges his church faces. But one challenge we”ve all wrestled with in the past two years is finances. The economic downturn has affected our churches in different degrees””but we”ve all felt the crunch. In our state, Nevada, unemployment hovers near 13 percent. When people don”t have jobs, it often means they don”t have money to support their local church. This inevitably affects the financial resources churches have

January 17, 2010

Christian Standard

The Lost Art of Encouragement

By Terrie Todd As I left my employment with the church””after 25 years as administrative assistant, drama director, communications director, and finally director of creative arts””I was cleaning out my office. Among the items I packed up and took home with me was a basket filled with various encouragement cards and notes I”d received over the years. Some of them are more than 10 years old, some are e-mails I”d printed, some are hilarious, and some move me to tears. They came from people I led, people I followed, people close to me, and people I barely know. But each

June 7, 2009

Christian Standard

What I”ve Learned While Serving Single Moms

  By Nancy Karpenske It”s what the church is supposed to be doing. It takes longer than you think. Their backgrounds and situations are not all similar. Their problems are large and expensive. Their hurts are deep. Their children are their priority. Many have little knowledge of God”s plans for marriage and family. Many have little grasp of God”s love and grace. Many have been turned away from their church, either because the small church can”t meet their financial needs or because that church punishes those who get divorced. Many have a hard exterior that covers a wounded heart. Many

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: The Value of a Brand (Web-Only Feature)

  By Kent E. Fillinger “Christianity has an image problem.” This is the first sentence in UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity . . . And Why It Matters. The book chronicles the negative perceptions and skepticism that Americans ages 16-29 have of all things Christian: the faith itself, the people who profess it, the church, the Bible, and even Jesus.  Authors David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons summarize the most common points of skepticism and objections raised by outsiders into the following six broad themes: hypocritical, too focused on getting converts, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental.

November 9, 2008

Christian Standard

Keys to Teamwork (Part 4): Wise Decision Making

By Stephen Bond   Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the fourth of

November 2, 2008

Christian Standard

Keys to Teamwork (Part 3): Conflict Resolution

By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the third of four

October 26, 2008

Christian Standard

Keys to Teamwork (Part 2): Communication

By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the second of four

September 14, 2008

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Five by Oliver Sacks, MD

By LeRoy Lawson Awakenings (New York: Vintage Books, 1990 [originally published in 1973]). The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (New York: Touchstone, 1998). Seeing Voices (New York: Vintage Books, 2000). An Anthropologist on Mars (New York: Vintage Books, 1996). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007). I first met Dr. Oliver Sacks in his book of essays, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Who could resist such a title? Especially a lover of Dr. Seuss”s The Cat in the Hat. You don”t turn to Dr. Sacks to learn

August 31, 2008

Christian Standard

Everyone Connected: Relational Strategies to Get Your Whole Church Involved

By Michael C. Mack Two of the most common questions I hear church leaders ask is, “How do we connect people? What is the best method for assimilation?” I”ve given those questions a lot of thought and study, and I have been frustrated trying to figure out what methods the early church used to assimilate the 3,000 believers baptized on the Day of Pentecost (as well as all those who continued to be added to the church). We know what their values were and some of what they did together. We know they met in homes and the temple courts.

August 17, 2008

Christian Standard

How Much Is Much?

By Mandy Smith The front page of The New York Times carried the headline “The Millionaires Who Don”t Feel Rich.” The article told of millionaires in the Silicon Valley who, because they”re surrounded by multimillionaires and billionaires, don”t consider themselves wealthy. One multimillionaire admitted, “Everyone around here looks at the people above them.” Another added, “Here, the top 1 percent chases the top one-tenth of 1 percent, and the top one-tenth of 1 percent chases the top one-one hundredth of 1 percent.”1 We may roll our eyes, but don”t we do the same? If we rank in the 50th percentile

August 10, 2008

Christian Standard

How Your Small & Midsized Church Can GROW

By Leonard Wymore Every congregation already has in place the leadership to stimulate growth””it just needs fine-tuning! Every church, no matter the size, has a staff of associates. These will relate and serve together as a TEAM (Together Everyone Accomplishes More). The preacher is the coach and the volunteers are the associates. A TEAM OF ASSOCIATES For example, even small churches usually have a leading elder whose role is shepherding the congregation, a Bible school superintendent, a youth coach, a music leader, a missions chairperson, and a preacher. Why not give associate status to all such leaders? Each could prepare

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link