January 12, 2026
David Faust urges churches to live their mission statements and core values—not just display them. Grounded in faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13) and Israel’s daily manna, he calls for fresh, daily obedience.
September 3, 2025
When a vision is communicated effectively, people are drawn to the vision and not just the leader. In the long term, this gets far more traction for the church and for the kingdom of God.
February 25, 2019
By Jerry Harris It happened quietly in 2018. The owner of Christian Standard and The Lookout took on not-for-profit status for the first time ever. For about 150 years, the magazines were guided by Standard Publishing, which did business like most of the working world . . . as a for-profit. The company encouraged churches to buy and pass out their magazines for free and to purchase their books and other helps for teaching. That system endured for years, even as the business was bought and sold four times. Then, in early 2017, a church-centric organization purchased the magazines, and
February 21, 2018
Use these 5 tips to create a church culture that handles conflict in a God-honoring way. By David Dummitt Churches are made up of broken, messy people. That statement won’t shock anyone reading this. Problems in churches are inevitable. Conflict can lead to division. Planning ahead for how to navigate through conflict is important to protecting the unity of our churches. Whether you’re planting a church or have been leading one for years, it is never too early (or late) to create a road map for dealing with conflict within your church in a way that honors God. Here
August 9, 2017
By Michael C. Mack Last Sunday I worshipped with a steel rake and a pair of pruners. I was not alone. At my church, Northeast Christian in Louisville, Kentucky, 2,069 volunteers gathered Sunday morning at 31 local schools to help get them ready for a new school year. Church members showed up with gloves, wheelbarrows, yard tools, paintbrushes, and their various spiritual gifts to work together as the body of Christ. One guy, a farmer, brought his tractor to the school where my wife and I served. We pulled weeds and mulched garden areas, trimmed shrubs, painted lines on parking
July 23, 2017
By L. E. Mackenzie You did it! As the lead pastor of your church, you established an amazing mission statement to keep everyone focused and on track. It looks so good on paper that you framed it and hung it on the wall behind your desk. You show the statement to others, you preach on it, and your people know it by heart. But something is not right . . . You have strong, practical ideas to grow and mature your church, but you feel resistance at different levels. In e-mails and quiet conversations people ask, “Why are we doing
July 18, 2017
Letter from Jerry Harris, Publisher of Christian Standard.
November 6, 2014
By Jon Rice I believe Markle Church of Christ has sustained interest in missions for longer than I have been alive. This deeply rooted, mission-focused body of believers puts a lot of effort into providing missionary updates to our church and living out what we say is important. Mission commissioning and involvement is one of our five core values, for we believe “every member is called, by God, to actively engage in missions” (see Matthew 28:18-20). Faith promise is a key element to sustaining interest in missions. Faith promise is a personal commitment each person can make to God to
September 7, 2008
By Gary L. Johnson Did you ever think gasoline would sell for more than $4 a gallon? The increasing cost of fuel is having an impact on driving habits. In particular, many rethought summer travel plans because of fuel costs. Long-distance travel plans were canceled. Maps were put away in favor of staying close to home. The value of a vacation wasn”t as great as the cost of getting there. Regretfully, some churches are making a “change in their travel plans” by not practicing strategic planning. “Moving” the local church strategically to a distant point in the future doesn”t happen
December 9, 2007
A book review by Myron Williams When Jon Weece became senior minister of Southland Christian Church, Lexington, Kentucky, he convened the leadership team to help determine Southland”s future direction. The mission, “Love God, love people,” was in place, but the strategy to accomplish these mandates was nonexistent. Over a two-year period the team developed six core values. This article tells the story of value four: “Life happens best in community.” A strategy grew out of many discussions and much prayer about how to create environments for moving “weekend-only” adults into smaller community settings where they could know and be known
By Brad Dupray Mike Schisler is an elder at Heritage Christian Church in Peachtree City, Georgia, overseeing the congregation”s missions ministry, but his occupation takes him to Chick-fil-A restaurants throughout the southeastern United States. As regional management consultant at Chick-fil-A, Mike works directly with the Chick-fil-A operators. Mike is a graduate of Georgia Tech University and has been married to Teresa for 34 years. The Schislers have three grown children, Kelly, Kim, and Kyle. How did you end up at Chick-fil-A? In the late “70s I went to Southwest Christian Church with Jimmy Collins, who eventually became the president of
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April 28, 2026
Rick Cherok
April 28, 2026
David Faust
April 28, 2026
Rick Cherok