Articles for tag: Darrel Rowland

Miscellaneous

2010 NACC: A Man and His Church

By Darrel Rowland Line after line, page after page, the neat dark handwriting lovingly chronicles the intertwined history of Don Pollock”s family and their church. March 1902: Grandpa and Grandma join the church on successive Sundays. January 1924: Parsonage next to church building dedicated. And October 1927: “First North American Christian Convention held at Cadle Tabernacle””P.H. Welshimer, president.” Pollock was there, just before his ninth birthday. And he was there nearly 83 years later, when the convention returned to Indianapolis last summer. As a youth, it didn”t seem unusual that he would accompany his parents to a church gathering, “Back

September 22, 2010

Miscellaneous

2010 NACC: We Can”t Say We Weren”t Warned

By Darrel Rowland First night, first message at this year”s North American Christian Convention, President Ben Cachiaras let us know that the week would be more about “afflicting the comfortable” than comforting the afflicted. Many of us had thought those square pieces of netting on our chairs that opening night at the Indiana Convention Center were some weird Hoosier way to save seats. Instead, they were a visible reminder from Cachiaras of Jesus” radical call to the first disciples to drop their nets and follow him to a place “beyond”””the convention”s theme””and of our need to do the same today.

March 7, 2010

Ethics & Moral Issues Sexuality

Balancing Grace and Truth with Homosexuals

By Darrel Rowland Read the sidebar, “How to Help,” by Darrel Rowland Heated battles over gay marriage issues rage from California to Maine. Loud people from a tiny church in Kansas tote signs saying “God Hates Fags” and protest at funerals of troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Gay activists contend that many Christians” philosophy on homosexuality, “hate the sin but love the sinner,” is akin to “keep slavery but love the slaves.” Debates multiply over hate crimes legislation, proposals to add sexual orientation to antidiscrimination laws, the implications of such concepts as “don”t ask, don”t tell” or “equal rights,

August 30, 2009

Church & Ministry Church Growth

The Multisite Movement: Success Stories

by Darrel Rowland The couple had a simple question: How much does it cost to join the church? That”s when the leaders of Rocky Mountain Christian Church (www.rmcc.org) knew they were hitting their target audience of unchurched people with their first multisite campus. “They said, “˜Don”t you have to pay a membership fee? Do you have to buy tickets? We”ve never been in church before,”” recalls Rick Thielen, who helped launch the new 30-acre site about 17 miles east of Rocky Mountain”s home campus in Niwot, Colorado. “When you start getting those kinds of questions, you”re starting to get

November 16, 2008

Elders & Ministers: Speaking the Same Language

Healthy elder-minister relationships help churches lead with trust, humility, shared vision, and spiritual focus. Darrel Rowland highlights growing churches where leaders work together well.

November 16, 2008

Should the Minister Be One of the Elders?

Darrel Rowland explores whether ministers should serve as elders, highlighting church leaders who value trust, accountability, biblical eldership, and healthy elder-minister relationships.

November 16, 2008

Two Elders Now Ministers Talk About Elder-Minister Relationships

Ernie Graf and Jim Sloderbeck reflect on elder-minister relationships from both sides of church leadership, emphasizing mutual respect, trust, communication, and unity.

November 16, 2008

What Elders Don’t Understand About Ministers

Church leaders reflect on what elders may not understand about ministers, including workload pressures, family strain, leadership empowerment, and the high personal stakes of ministry.

November 16, 2008

What Ministers Don’t Understand About Elders

Elders share what ministers may misunderstand about their role, outside pressures, meeting participation, and desire for honest partnership in church leadership.

July 20, 2008

H. Lynn Gardner

Christian Thinking and Christian Living

H. Lynn Gardner calls believers and congregations to recover Christian thinking, renew the mind through Scripture, and train disciples whose lives reflect the truth of Christ.

July 20, 2008

Changing the Way We Do Church

Willow Creek’s Reveal study challenged assumptions about church activity, spiritual maturity, and discipleship, urging leaders to rethink how believers grow beyond attendance, programs, and traditional ministry measures.

July 20, 2008

The Bible Is the Springboard

At Grandview Christian Church, Aaron Wymer says discipleship must move beyond Bible knowledge alone, encouraging members to develop gifts, serve together, and live out Scripture in community.

July 20, 2008

More Than the ABC”s

Mountain Christian Church keeps disciple making at the center of its mission, measuring growth by spiritual transformation rather than attendance alone.

July 20, 2008

Intentional Events

Southland Christian Church’s discipleship approach emphasizes fewer events, deeper relationships, home-based formation, and small groups shaped by shared life, spiritual growth, and service.

July 20, 2008

Church & Ministry Church Growth

ONLINE EXTRA: Making Disciples–An Interview with Ethan Magness

Ethan Magness of Mountain Christian Church discusses how churches can resist pandering, pursue deepening faith, and use both large events and small groups to make disciples.

July 16, 2008

Mark A. Taylor

Showing a Better Way

Mark A. Taylor reflects on Doug Wood’s reminder that healthy church growth begins with making disciples, not with polished programming, image-building, or crowd-attracting strategies.

November 11, 2007

Ethics & Moral Issues Sexuality

Three Stories, One Problem

A sober look at sexual temptation among church leaders—why assumptions of immunity collapse, how secrecy and loose connections enable repeated harm, and why true restoration requires time, accountability, and deep character formation.

October 8, 2006