Articles for tag: Community Outreach

March 14, 2018

Christian Standard

Worn-Out Boots and Real-Life Ministry

By Mel McGowan   Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, Idaho, strives to meet people where they are and then walk a mile or even a lifetime alongside them. This church does not attempt to impress its community but, rather, exposes its own raw, real character to draw in “messy, ordinary people.” My company learned this firsthand when we presented a storyboard to them that included a photo of nice, new work boots, and the church leaders’ immediate pushback was that the boots wouldn’t be theirs. That’s because the shoes they walk in would be a pair of boots borrowed

March 9, 2018

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

What Are Your Church’s Push and Pull Factors? (Part 2)

By Kent Fillinger Last month we looked at “push” factors that cause a person to leave a church or religion. This month we look at conditions that “pull” someone into one church or faith over another.   Common “Pull” Factors A LifeWay Research survey asked about 2,000 “unchurched” Americans (those who have not attended a worship service in the last six months, outside of a holiday or special occasion) what, if any, life experiences would make them more open to consider turning to the church for help. The top three life experiences (as reported in Facts & Trends, Fall 2016)

September 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Changing Our Church to Change Our Community: The South Fork Story

By Bob Hightchew How do you change an unhealthy church culture without any pain? How do you make necessary biblical changes without upsetting people? You can”t. If we are to serve the kingdom, we will have to fight some battles. The battle is worth it, though, if the process helps move a church to better health. I”ve learned this firsthand over the course of the last 20-plus years. South Fork Christian Church in Verona, Kentucky, has been an easy congregation for me to love. Our pews are filled with kind, generous, and loving individuals. However, when I arrived, the church

September 1, 2017

Christian Standard

A New Church Planted in an Old Church

By Matt Summers This month, Crossroads Christian Church (the urban church we planted in Joliet, Illinois) celebrates its 10-year anniversary. During that time, we have grown from several dozen people into a thriving congregation of more than a thousand with a vision to reach thousands more for Christ. We have built our ministry by meeting the social and spiritual needs of our community. We have baptized 500 people into Christ, remodeled our original church building, built a larger worship center, started a Spanish-speaking congregation, and now we are relocating to a new building that will facilitate even greater growth and

August 30, 2017

Christian Standard

Creekside Fellowship Helping Shelter Storm Victims

Read “Houston-area Churches Coping with Harvey Flooding.” ________   By Chris Moon All pastor Greg Garcia could do Tuesday evening was wait. Garcia, founding pastor of Creekside Christian Fellowship in Needville, Texas, and his wife were in a hotel room, having been evacuated from their home in Katy, Texas, as the floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey rose. The last he had heard, hours before, was that the water was at his garage””and it was expected to rise another two feet. Serious damage to the family”s house and the loss of three cars seemed quite possible. “If that happens, we”re down to

August 6, 2017

Christian Standard

Hitting the Target: Measuring Success Through Outputs

A comprehensive strategy for realigning your church”s ministries, activities, and programs for fall By Tom Harper For many, August marks the beginning of a new school year and, with it, a new church year as well. Most of us now face a plethora of programs, classes, small groups, events, and holidays that stand looming like a line of horses ready to burst out of the starting gate. No matter that the pastor and his staff were supposed to enjoy a summer of rest. Dutifully, you”ll jump back in the saddle, like you always do. But before you put your feet

July 27, 2017

Christian Standard

A New Lease On Life: First Christian Canton Comes Rushing Back

By Ryan Rasmussen I must admit, right off the bat, that as a minister, I”m still learning, and the church I lead, First Christian of Canton, Ohio, is a work in progress. We don”t have the greatest turnaround story of all time, but God has done some incredible things over the past few years, despite our imperfections. You see, as I write this, I am sitting at my dining room table on a beautiful 82-degree day. The sun is breaking through the blinds as if God himself is stretching the rays of light, pinching one end between his thumb and

June 20, 2017

Christian Standard

The New Face of Rural Ministry

Roachdale Christian Church has been faithful to its mission for 129 years. Over that time, it has seen its share of preachers come and go, but lately the church is looking a whole lot younger!  Since starting, the church building has been located on the same corner in Roachdale, Indiana, a sleepy little town of just over 900 in the middle of Indiana cornfields, about an hour west of Indianapolis. A circa 1888 white clapboard building was replaced in 1924 by a larger brick structure. An educational wing was added in the 1960s, and in the “90s, a worship center

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE?—Area 10 Faith Community, Richmond, VA

By Justin Horey Area 10 Faith Community was established in the fall of 2008 in Richmond, Virginia—a city incorporated in 1742. (The church takes its name from the designation local Realtors have for downtown Richmond.) Not surprisingly, in a city nearly 300 years old, there is no vacant land available for new churches to buy. Since its inception, Area 10 has met for Sunday worship at The Byrd Theater, a historic, 1,300-seat movie cinema. The Byrd is a local landmark, but it lacks space for children’s ministry and other church needs like offices. One month before Area 10 held its

February 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Church Moves from Mortgage to Ministry

By Jennifer Johnson It”s common for church plants to meet in school buildings, and leaders in those new churches happily haul gear, set up rooms for children, and tear down worship spaces each week. It”s much less common for decades-old congregations to give up their buildings and go back to this way of worshipping, but for Journey Christian Church in Roswell, GA, this facility decision is opening up new opportunities for ministry. When Dan Garrett became lead pastor at Journey (then First Christian Church of Roswell) in 2011, the church was paying off $2.5 million in debt. The church had

January 30, 2017

Shawn McMullen

Smaller Churches . . . Here to Stay & Making a Difference

By Shawn McMullen Encouraging stories about local congregations you may not know, but churches still having a huge impact for God. Thom Rainer, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, notes that 90 percent of all churches in America average fewer than 350 in worship attendance and that 50 percent of all American churches average fewer than 100. Smaller churches have been a part of the American landscape since our country”s inception and they”re here to stay. Across the nation, smaller churches are making disciples and impacting their communities. Here are some examples. JERUSALEM CHRISTIAN CHURCH Greenville, Pennsylvania John Canon

December 9, 2016

Christian Standard

Missions Pastor”s Family Part of the Neighborhood

By Jennifer Johnson “A number of churches were moving to the suburbs, but we made a commitment to stay,” B.J. Leonard says. First Christian Church in Decatur, IL, has seen lots of change during its 180 years in the city. However, over the last 15 years some of the area”s bigger manufacturing and industrial companies have shut down and left, the unemployment rate soared, and people began to move. The congregation had to wrestle with its future. “We sensed God was leading us to reach outside our building and try to make a difference where we are,” says Leonard, missions

December 1, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Christmas Best Practices

By Michael C. Mack Pre-invite: Christmas Movie Celebration Host a Christmas film fest, featuring family-friendly Christmas movies, at the church building or another community gathering place. Serve seasonal foods and refreshments, and encourage church attendees to invite their friends. This may be a great way to “pre-invite” people and help them get to know others before your Christmas services. Invite Friends to Christmas Services. According to a recent LifeWay Research study, 61 percent of Americans attend church services at Christmastime. Which means, of course, that 4 out of 10 people do not attend. Yet, among those who don”t attend church

November 25, 2016

Christian Standard

Serving to Be the Church

By James C. Jones These believers are working together to make a difference in their community.  Many houses where I live in Illinois are old. The house where I live, for example, was built in 1900. Since the population of many small towns in central Illinois has stayed roughly the same or decreased over the years, few homes are being built. Consequently, many people live in relatively old houses. Because so many houses are old and require continual maintenance, many people struggle to keep up with all that needs to be done. Many houses in our small town have fallen

September 27, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Back to the Middle

By Mark A. Taylor “We need to rediscover the midsize groups of 20-50 people,” Alex Absalom told our interviewer Kent Fillinger not long ago. When I read that quote, I knew I wanted to know more. For years I”ve grieved the virtual abandonment of adult Bible fellowships””Sunday school classes””by most local churches. Among the many reasons for their demise is the fact that few Christian church/church of Christ leaders were taught how to use adult Sunday school as something more than a place for often-mediocre Bible teaching. Early in my ministry I was trained to use such adult groups as

July 30, 2016

Christian Standard

It Just Keeps Getting Better

By James Book I met Jackie when I began my ministry with First Christian Church of Kissimmee, Florida, in May 2011. Her father was a military man who became very violent and abusive toward her from the time she was 10 years old until she later moved out. Jackie worked full-time while attending high school, graduating in 1975. She married the first man to ask her in 1978. Jackie shared with me that she felt so worthless and unloved that she literally sabotaged her own marriage. She got a job shortly after the wedding and started having an affair with

March 31, 2016

Michael C. Mack

April Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack Autism Awareness Month. April is Autism Awareness Month. What can your church, class, or group do to come alongside families in your community who deal with autism? “¢ Start a support group for families with autism. “¢ Some churches offer Sunday school classes designed especially for children with autism. “¢ One church offers a regular “Parents” Night Out” event, providing volunteer child care for parents with autistic children. While moms and dads enjoy some quiet alone time, children have fun with crafts, snacks, and movies. “¢ Be creative. Come up with your own ideas to reach

March 19, 2016

Christian Standard

Redefining Success Without Lowering Your Standards

By Karl Vaters Pastors may be the hardest-working, most undervalued members of our society. And that goes double for the small church and bivocational pastors I spend a lot of time with. So why are we so dismissive of our own worth? I”m not talking about humility, which is always appropriate. I”m talking about a toxic mind-set that traps many of us. We tell people in our churches that God is interested in them for who they are, not for what they do. We tell them it doesn”t matter how much money they earn, how big their business is, what

March 10, 2016

Christian Standard

Our Challenges, My Peace

By Dan Lang Since my youth, the burning conviction to be a preacher moved me in the direction God wanted me to go. There was no escaping it. I was compelled. During training at Lincoln Christian University, Jesus” commission to make disciples of all people jelled for me as the simple but profound strategic mission that would shape the way I carried out my personal call to leadership ministry. A picture materialized of what my ministry in a local church might look like. I never dreamed I would be in my 28th year leading an increasingly diverse urban church with

February 4, 2016

Christian Standard

Grandview Sharpens Focus for Local Missions

By Jennifer Johnson In 2013, the people of Grandview Christian Church (Johnson City, TN) changed the way they thought about local missions””and how they reached out to their community. “In the past we had a “˜community concern committee” that made decisions about which local nonprofits to support,” says Brandon Waite. “But we gave small amounts of money to many different groups and didn”t really build relationships with any of them. We decided to be more intentional about reaching our area and really partnering with a few local organizations.” The new initiative was called JCServe, and Waite was hired to serve

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