Articles for tag: Coronavirus

November 2, 2020

Christian Standard

CCCB Resumes In-Person Classes after COVID-19 Cases Subside

By Jim Nieman Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Mo., resumed in-person classes Monday, two weeks after switching to virtual/remote learning due to a spike in COVID-19 cases that saw nearly half of its residential student population either test positive for the virus, isolate with symptoms, or quarantine due to exposure. “We’re down to two active cases—one student and one employee—with five [people] in quarantine,” college president David Fincher reported Monday. Of the five people who remained in quarantine, four are employees. The student with COVID-19 and the quarantined student both were off-campus, he said. “Some of the

October 28, 2020

Christian Standard

Interview: David Empson Discusses ICOM’s Roller-coaster Year

By Jim Nieman The International Conference On Missions’ executive director, staff, and this year’s president have had to overcome monumental challenges in planning this year’s event in the age of COVID-19. Work for the November conference essentially had to begin anew over the summer when ICOM announced it was switching to a hybrid format—both online and in-person. ICOM officials have promised the in-person portion will be safe and comfortable, but limited mainly to the popular exhibit area where so many friends and mission agencies connect. The virtual aspect, meanwhile, will be robust and comprehensive, so that as many as possible

October 20, 2020

Christian Standard

Dozens of CCCB Students In Quarantine Or Isolating Due to COVID-19 Outbreak

By Jim Nieman Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Mo., has switched to online-only instruction for the next two weeks due to a spike in COVID-19 cases among residential students. The change in format will enable the school to reduce the risk of exposing more students to the virus. The school announced its decision Monday morning. After the first residential student tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, another seven students tested positive on Sunday and Monday, president David Fincher and vice president of student development Darryl Ammon said via email. As of Tuesday afternoon, about 45 percent of

October 7, 2020

Christian Standard

Christian College Presidents Share Enrollment Numbers, Describe Challenges

By Jim Nieman Christian colleges and universities were already under significant stress even before the COVID-19 tsunami came crashing over our nation. In fact, two of them—Cincinnati Christian University and Nebraska Christian College—have closed during the past year. We decided to take the temperature of institutions across the United States by asking college presidents to share their year-over-year attendance figures and to describe the challenges they are facing. It might surprise some to learn that a handful of the 16 colleges and universities that shared their data with us actually saw their enrollment increase from fall 2019 to fall 2020.

September 28, 2020

Christian Standard

Virtual Spire Conference Slated for Wednesday

It’s not too late to register for the all-virtual 2020 Spire Conference, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday. A great lineup of speakers is scheduled to participate. And as a bonus, you can forgo paying the $19.95 conference registration fee if you download Spire’s app from Apple’s App Store or from Google Play. More information is available at Spire’s website. The coronavirus impacted this year’s conference—as it seemingly has affected everything else—forcing it to transition from an in-person, three-day gathering to a virtual, one-day gathering. Spire CEO Rick Rusaw called the change in plans due

September 22, 2020

Michael C. Mack

The Pandemic’s Leadership Lessons

By Michael C. Mack Great leaders have a blend of humility—they know that they don’t know everything—and a curiosity to discover answers. They are constantly learning from a variety of sources, beginning with God’s Word, but also through books, mentors, failures, crises, and personal struggles, to name just a few. Perhaps John F. Kennedy summarized it best: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” The pandemic and all of its interconnected effects have provided a wellspring of important learning opportunities for us. In this issue, our writers highlight many of these. Here are four I believe are especially worth

September 22, 2020

Christian Standard

Different Environments, Different Approaches (Ministering in the Midst of COVID-19)

Urban, Suburban, and Rural Church Leaders Share Their Experiences of Leading Through a Pandemic By Chris Moon No two churches are the same, even in how they have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, the virus has left a mark on Restoration Movement congregations and pastors across the country. For some churches and pastors, especially in rural, conservative areas of the country, the pandemic seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. The major difficulty was figuring out how to get the internet to cooperate during a brief closure. “There’s a lot of things you face like that

September 22, 2020

Megan Rawlings

Megan Rawlings

5 Lessons from a Flea

By Megan Rawlings The Black Death was caused by bacterium and was initially spread by fleas. Starting in Asia (most likely), it spread to Eurasia and North Africa in the mid-1300s, and eventually the plague killed up to one-quarter of the world’s population in about four years. At least 100 million people died. And to think, it was spread by a pest barely visible to the eye. I will spare you the details, but the symptoms of this virus were devastating, and death usually occurred only weeks, sometimes days, after the first symptoms. It was not uncommon for the ill

September 22, 2020

Jim Estep

What COVID-19 Taught Rural Churches

By Jim Estep State by state, county by county, the COVID-19 pandemic led to limitations, shelter-in-place orders, and essentially a shutdown of “normal.” In rural congregations—which are often smaller, singular in focus (worship), and fairly stable in ministry programming—this became an impetus for reflection, reevaluation, renewal, and a reenvisioning of ministries across the country. Theology of the Church We all know the church is made up of people—it’s not the building or the worship service—but our everyday theology would say otherwise. Whether we like it or not, our default theology turns church into a place or time. (“We are going

September 22, 2020

Kent E. Fillinger

Four Opportunities for Every Church in the New Reality

By Dave Ferguson On March 12, 2020, I made two different versions of a video, knowing only one of them would be sent to our entire church. In the first video, I said we would stick to our normal schedule with 26 services at 11 locations across Chicagoland. In the second video, I introduced a new reality by telling everyone our church facilities were closing and we were moving everything online. After I finished recording the videos, my wife and I headed to O’Hare International Airport to fly to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. We were planning to see our youngest son,

September 22, 2020

Kent E. Fillinger

The Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Christian Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger As I write this in late June, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to morph daily as it impacts the world, economy, and church in innumerable ways. During the week of June 7, I conducted a COVID-19 Church Impact Survey to take a “snapshot” of how churches fared during the initial three months of quarantine (March to May) and what they anticipated would be happening over the next three months (June to August) as many started to regather for in-person worship services. A total of 334 church leaders from 39 states responded, providing a balanced cross-section of all-sized

September 22, 2020

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Beyond the Pandemic: How the Church Can Respond to Three Urgent Needs in Their Communities

By Kent E. Fillinger The full impact of COVID-19 goes well beyond the number of confirmed cases, the death toll, and the unemployment rate that many are tracking. The pandemic has exacerbated several preexisting problems like anxiety, depression, suicide, child abuse, drug abuse, and others. These often overlooked “killers” are affecting scores of Americans today, and some experts say these conditions have reached epidemic proportions. Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, assistant U.S. secretary for mental health and substance use, said in late May, “The increase in the number of suicides, fatal drug overdoses and instances of domestic abuse will be broad, deep

September 22, 2020

Christian Standard

5 Big Shifts: What Will the Church Look Like Post-COVID-19?

By Randy Frazee Before I share my perspective on what the church will look like after the coronavirus, let me offer a couple of disclaimers. First, I missed the “Pastoring through Pandemics” class in seminary. Who would have thought we would ever need that? Second, I do not claim to be a prophet. (As a matter of fact, I lead a non-“prophet” organization.) And besides, if I were a prophet, I would have bought more toilet paper! The coronavirus has created the single greatest disruptive inflection point for American society in our lifetime. It has called us to a critical

September 22, 2020

Christian Standard

Rebuilding from the Rubble

What Will We Do If God Doesn’t Restore His Church to ‘Bigger Is Better’? By Kim Harris As I sat on the back deck on one of the cooler evenings in July, I compulsively picked up my phone for my routine post-dinner scroll through Twitter, my only connection to the world outside my COVID-19 bubble. I assumed my timeline would again be filled with petty debates about the efficacy of different mask fabrics, some sort of hashtag challenge designed to drown out the contentiousness in the world, or a friend from high school selling skin-care products. I expected to sigh

September 22, 2020

Christian Standard

The Challenge: What Do In-Person Services Look Like Upon Reopening?

By Justin Horey In Manhattan, Kansas—“The Little Apple”—a church of about 1,000 regular attendees has resumed in-person worship with no serious complications. Though the average Sunday attendance is lower than its pre-COVID-19 norm, Crestview Christian Church has found reopening to be a blessing. Elsewhere, three other churches found that resuming in-person worship wasn’t so simple. One church reopened successfully but the state forced it to “reclose,” another church opened partially, and the other reopened but then closed again after a church employee tested positive for the virus. These are their stories. _ _ _ Reopened and Staying Open: Crestview Christian

September 22, 2020

Christian Standard

The Waiting Place: What Does Church Look Like When Your Doors Are Closed?

By Justin Horey Trying to summarize how churches are resuming in-person worship after the 2020 quarantine feels a bit like a tribute to Dr. Seuss: Some are meeting, some are not. Some are indoors, some are out. But while reopening plans vary across a wide spectrum, churches that have decided to postpone in-person worship, even as local municipalities began to lift restrictions, have much in common. Most of them are large, with attendance of 1,000 or more. Many of them minister in cities with left-leaning political ideologies. And all churches—regardless of their reopening plans—are eager to minister face-to-face again. Despite

September 21, 2020

Christian Standard

Ozark Lifts ‘Self-Quarantine’ Order

Ozark Christian College has lifted a weeklong “self-quarantine” order that had asked students to remain in their dorm rooms as much as possible. In-person classes resumed today after a full-week of remote learning. In-person chapel also is slated to resume. “Our numbers of isolations and quarantines have improved,” Damien Spikereit, executive vice president of administration, wrote on OCC’s website late last week. “This is an answer to many prayers, and I’m proud of the self-discipline and wisdom you’ve shown this week.” Ozark’s “COVID Dashboard” as of noon Monday listed 6 students in isolation, meaning they are either symptomatic or have

August 15, 2020

Christian Standard

The Attitude that Makes the Difference

A Lesson from Stephen About Doing Church in a Time of Chaos By Caleb Kaltenbach UFOs . . . Harry and Meghan stepping away from the royal family . . . Carole Baskin . . . murder hornets . . . the Golden Gate Bridge making music . . . Zoom-using 95-year-olds . . . America, the land of homeschooling. . . . If you had asked me a year ago what all of these things would have in common, I never—in a million years—would have guessed 2020. Until this year, you probably didn’t say “in-person gatherings,” “flatten the curve,”

August 15, 2020

Megan Rawlings

Megan Rawlings

The Gospel That Never Shuts Down

By Megan Rawlings What a time to be alive. This year has handed us unique opportunities that have changed our sense of normalcy. Could these changes become the standard moving forward? I doubt it, but it’s safe to say some changes are here for a while. Take the quarantine, for example. Our routine was roughed up, plans were postponed, and distraction delayed what needed to be done. But there is a positive side to all of this. We were exposed to an eternal truth: Even when the world seems to be falling apart, God has a plan. I have seen

August 15, 2020

Christian Standard

Wandering through the Coronavirus Wilderness

How the Church Can Serve the Most Vulnerable in Our Spiritual Families By Tom Ellsworth Thirty-five years ago, Indiana issued a license plate with the slogan, “Wander Indiana.” I understood the invitation to casually tour the state for all it has to offer, but the wording felt more like an invitation to lazy futility. Can you fathom what it was like for the Israelites to spend 40 years plodding through a barren land on a journey that could have been accomplished in a matter of weeks? And many of them knew they would never set foot in Canaan, which only

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