How Should We Respond to the Never-Ending News Cycle?
In a culture filled with bad news, may God give us wisdom to lead graciously and share boldly the good news of Christ.
Articles for tag: COVID
The Christian Standard Church Report for 2024: Continued Growth (Part 1)
Christian Standard Church Report for 2024. This is a representative sample of our movement that provides important historical data, current trends, and valuable insights.
October 3, 2023
MACU’s New Heritage Hall to Open This Month
After three long years, Mid-Atlantic Christian University is on the cusp of opening its new classroom building. The original Heritage Hall suffered a partial collapse back in September 2020 during a roofing project. It forced a total rebuild of the structure. It’s been a difficult road for MACU . . .
Scary Faith
God led us to reach thousands more for Christ through a capital campaign for a new building. This is our story of walking with God through whirlwinds of uncertainty.
June 13, 2023
SPOTLIGHT: Fast-Growing Ohio Church Merges with Neighbor
The past year-plus has been eventful for First Church of Christ in Fairborn, Ohio—the fastest-growing “very small” church in Christian Standard’s 2022 Church Report. . . . The changes include merging, moving, and adopting a new name: New Beginnings Christian Church. . . .
June 6, 2023
SPOTLIGHT: SouthBrook Christian Church Grows Through Teaching, Service
Charlie McMahan says SouthBrook Christian Church in Miamisburg, Ohio, took a major step forward last year in its recovery from COVID-19—an event that he compares to the 9/11 terrorist attacks . . . but which had an opposite effect on the church in this country. . . .
May 16, 2023
SPOTLIGHT: Nebraska Church Enjoys Strong Recovery from COVID
Sometimes, a story of growth is a story of recovery. Such is the case at First Christian Church in Norfolk, Neb.—which had one of the highest growth rates in Christian Standard’s 2022 Church Report, published in the current print magazine. . . .
May 1, 2023
SPOTLIGHT: ‘Pretty Feisty’ River Christian Church Embraces Big Growth
River Christian Church has seen God work in some interesting places—including the three years they met at a local funeral home and cemetery. The church also has seen God work at some interesting times—like during the COVID-19 pandemic when they have grown weekend attendance from 950 to nearly 1,500. . . .
March 1, 2023
A Life of Cross-Cultural Relationships
By Laura McKillip Wood As a child in the 1950s and ’60s, Harry Douglass sat in the pew at Mountain View Church of Christ in Phoenix every Sunday morning and Sunday night. He loved church, and he loved listening to his pastor, Don Mitchel, passionately preach interesting sermons. What he really loved, though, was listening to visiting missionaries who stopped in for Sunday night services. They showed slides of the people they worked with and told stories about their lives in faraway places. They not only told of their work but of the need for more people to follow their
January 30, 2023
Charlie Russell Continues to Make Strides with COVID-19 Recovery
Charlie Russell’s recovery from COVID-19 and multiple attendant health challenges during weeks of hospitalization in 2021 has gone better than expected—much better. . . .
January 10, 2023
Churches Encouraged to Complete Our Annual Survey
Christian Standard's annual survey of churches is now available! This survey is designed for every Restoration Movement church (Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ). "We have made it much shorter and easier for you to respond [this year]," says editor editor Michael Mack. . . .
September 22, 2022
Two Congregations Join Voices in Spokane
When Henry Holub moved to Spokane, Wash., in early 2020 to minister with Northside Church of Christ, a noninstrumental church, one of his first orders of business was to meet with Troy Burns, pastor of Sunrise Church of Christ, an independent Christian church. That meeting has led to a growing partnership between their churches that transcends their differences.
August 8, 2022
Swearingen Assumes Full-Time Lead Role with Florida Church Planters
After 17 years as lead pastor with Crosspoint Church, Cape Coral, Fla., Jeff Swearingen has assumed the full-time lead role with Florida Church Planters. The church's elders, meanwhile, selected Jeff's son, Matt, to lead Crosspoint.
July 20, 2022
What Issues Are People Concerned about Today?
Our elders at Risen Church Westside, Santa Monica, Calif., were challenged to make decisions that addressed the present reality of post-COVID-19 life. To better serve our congregation and community, we decided to conduct a survey to understand the questions and issues being asked and considered by our members, local Christians, and non-Christians in the community. . . .
Make Sure You and Your Ministry Are Healthy
By Doug Crozier You can’t avoid it. The health of your ministry is tied to your personal and professional health. Many leaders (me included) have learned this lesson too late; we continue to push harder because we passionately want to grow God’s kingdom. Working hard is one thing; overworking is another. Since transitioning from the corporate world almost 30 years ago, I have dedicated my life and ministry to the Restoration Movement. It was a big change, but I have never regretted it. After many periods of burnout in my life, I began to develop a plan to break these
CIY Returning to ‘Full Steam,’ but Facing Inflation Pressure
Christ In Youth could see record attendance at its conferences this summer after suffering two lean years because of COVID-19. But inflation pressures—including the price of diesel fuel for the tractor trailers that transport its gear to various venues—mean that challenges remain.
Church Camps Ready for a More ‘Normal’ Season
After two seasons impacted by COVID-19, directors of Lake James Christian Camp (Angola, Ind.) and Woodland Lakes Christian Camp (near Cincinnati) are anticipating a more normal summer camping season.
May 9, 2022
Rekindling the Light: Reflections on a Trip to Romania
David Faust traveled to Romania with Remember the Children’s Andy Baker and others the last week of April. The group sought to encourage Romanian Christians who have been assisting the thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have flooded into their country since the war began in late February.
May 1, 2022
Charles Darwin and the Restoration Movement
By Wes Beavis What relevance does Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory, have to the Restoration Movement? A lot. As a clinical psychologist, I spend most of my time counseling RM ministry leaders. I can attest to the relevancy of Darwin’s oft-quoted phrase, “survival of the fittest.” Simply put, those organisms that can adjust favorably to their environment are the ones that survive. If they can’t adapt, they die out. Finding Support in Autonomous Churches This “survival of the fittest” concept is very much a part of our movement’s construct. Pastors who can adapt and overcome their prevailing difficulties
May 1, 2022
Hindi Church Online Reaching Millions in India and Beyond
When COVID-19 caused lockdowns, Central India Christian Mission responded quickly by creating Hindi Church Online. The ministry has grown quickly and is now reaching 7.5 million weekly viewers. "What is happening now, only God can do," says CICM's Ajai Lall.
