January 13, 2025
Debt Free
God’s new covenant includes this welcome promise: “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
Articles for tag: Debt Free
Is There a Future for Our Colleges? (And Is There Even a Need?)
A few years ago, Christian college presidents were invited to our movement’s annual megachurch ministers’ get-together. We gathered in San Antonio, Texas, to talk about greater partnership, and one preacher stood to share his view. “To be honest, do we really need these colleges?” he asked. “So many are small and struggling, and I hire most of my people from within. Maybe it’s time to let them die.” That kinda hurt my feelings. Actually it didn’t. He asked a great question—one I’ve asked myself. After 14 years as president of Ozark Christian College, I understand why management guru Peter Drucker
July 5, 2018
Special Church Report Part 3: Small and Very Small Churches
By Kent Fillinger This is the final installment in a trilogy of articles from our annual church survey. If you missed the updates on megachurches and emerging megachurches from May and large and medium churches from June, I suggest you backtrack and read those articles—and view those charts—as well. For the first time, our survey included churches with attendances of fewer than 250. We received responses from 77 small churches (average weekly worship attendance of 100 to 249) and 51 very small churches (attendance of fewer than 100). Click here to access “The 2017 Charts: Small and Very Small
A Conversation with Chris Seidman
Chris Seidman, senior minister of The Branch Church, Dallas, Texas, speaks with CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor Jennifer Johnson about “serving as a missionary in the land of religion” and how being debt-free has allowed his church to be “spontaneously generous.” Seidman was a main-session speaker at the 2015 North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. See the exclusive interview.
Learning the ABC”s
By Brad Dupray Everyone”s heard the complaint: “All the church ever talks about is money.” That perception has gotten the best of many preachers. As a result they have shied away from talking about money because they don”t want to be guilty of overplaying the issue. How does a preacher face a congregation and encourage them to give money to the church without at least a little concern that it seems self-serving? Greg Nettle, senior pastor of RiverTree Christian Church in Massillon, Ohio, wrestled with that conflict. Nettle felt when he preached about “stewardship” there was too much focus on
