Kentucky Christian University Marks Historic Milestone
Kentucky Christian University announces the elimination of all institutional debt and the public launch of the "For the Good of the Cause" capital campaign.
Articles for tag: Debt
Point University Continues to Grow Enrollment Through Employer ‘Subscription’ Program
Point University continues to expand its enrollment through "subscription" agreements with Chick-fil-A and other companies.
February 14, 2024
Louisville Bible College Eliminates Its Debt
Louisville (Ky.) Bible College hosted a Celebration Service on Feb. 3 at Life Bridge Christian Church adjacent to the LBC campus, wrapping up the college’s 75th anniversary observance. The gathering also served to celebrate elimination of the school's debt, which LBC has been working toward for several years. . . .
November 18, 2023
GLCC Banquet Benefits Children of Ministers, Missionaries
Great Lakes Christian College’s recent Legacy Scholarship Banquet exceeded is fund-raising goal, ensuring that the school can continue providing tuition-free scholarships to the children of ministers and missionaries. . . .
April 4, 2022
April 10 | Application
They appeared to have nothing in common at all. People treated him like gold and they treated her like dirt . . .
November 9, 2021
Virginia Church Transforms Horse Farm into First Permanent Home
LifePointe Christian Church in Toano, Va., which started in 2006, is finally moving into its first permanent home—a horse farm on 10 acres it purchased in 2018.
Ellsworth’s Farewell Sermon On Hold Until Church Can Gather Again
By Chris Moon Tom Ellsworth jokes that his “crystal ball” must have been broken when he announced last year his plan to retire at the end this month. Ellsworth has put in nearly 40 years of service as pastor of Sherwood Oaks Christian Church in Bloomington, Ind. He’s seen the church grow from an attendance of about 80 people to more than 3,000 on two campuses. But 40 years is a good biblical number, and Ellsworth had his 65th birthday earlier this year. The church began working on a retirement plan a couple of years ago, and Shawn Green was
January 2, 2020
Your Medical Debt Has Been Forgiven
How Churches Are Erasing Health Care Obligations for Thousands of Families in Need _ _ _ “I was sick and you looked after me.“ _ _ _ By Justin Horey Julie was a single mother of two when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her health insurance helped cover the cost of treatments that ultimately put the disease in remission, but she was still left with $18,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses. Despite the generosity of family members and her own personal commitment to making installment payments on the various bills, Julie was unable to pay it all. Like the estimated
The Debt Debate
By Kent E. Fillinger September is a prime time for churches to start planning next year’s budget, as most use a calendar year (January to December) budget cycle. To assist in your church’s budget projections, I’ll share some statistics and summaries on giving and debt from our 2018 church survey. Among church leaders, there are two distinct schools of thought about debt. Some are anti-debt and make being debt-free a primary goal of their church, while others see debt as a strategic tool to help finance the church’s vision. Whatever your thoughts, my hope is this data will help guide
February 26, 2019
IN THE ARENA: Should Churches Embrace and Utilize Debt? (NO.)
By Chris Philbeck I have been in ministry for 38 years, serving as senior pastor of three churches: a church plant, a turnaround church, and a megachurch. Over those years, my churches have borrowed money for ministry expansion. Raising money was not something I knew much about when I was young, but time and experience have helped me grow in this area of leadership. As the result, two of the three churches I have pastored became debt-free, including the church I serve today. When I look at the opportunity being debt-free has provided those two churches to make a greater
February 26, 2019
IN THE ARENA: Should Churches Embrace and Utilize Debt? (YES)
By Matt Merold There are benefits that come when a church uses debt. Rich and wise Solomon, who wrote some of the strongest warnings against debt, took out a 20-year loan of sorts to help build God’s temple (1 Kings 9:10, 11). Certainly the Bible cautions us about being in debt. Scripture describes what may happen if we borrow money and fail to pay it back. Most of the counsel about financial debt in Scripture paints a picture of the rich exploiting the poor. However, it doesn’t say much about those who calculate the cost, take out a loan, and
February 14, 2019
An Epistle on Debt from Mrs. Alexander Campbell
This brief article by and about the second wife of Alexander Campbell developed in a roundabout way. The February issue of Christian Standard deals with finances, including “In the Arena” articles by Matt Merold and Chris Philbeck that take stands on the question, “Should churches embrace and utilize debt?” (Matt says yes; Chris says no.) I wondered if writers from the magazine’s past had weighed in on this subject, so I dug into the archives of the Christian Standard’s first 100 years of publication. I turned to the listing for DEBT—an obvious place to begin the search—and was surprised to
February 2, 2019
3-D Church Finances
By Gary Johnson Most Americans welcomed in the new year by making a resolution. By far, the most popular resolution is to lose weight by exercising more and going on a diet, and most of us do not enjoy either of those. Likewise, money issues are a necessary part of church life that needs periodic attention. As elders, we enjoy dealing with church finances about as much as we enjoy diet and exercise. Like it or not, money is an everyday aspect of ministry. Bills (salaries, utilities, insurance premiums) must be paid. Missionaries need our support, and ministry programs must
September 5, 2018
Louisville Bible College Rebounds after Rough Patch
By Jim Nieman Contrary to what you might have heard, Louisville Bible College continues to train preachers and ministers for church ministry. “Some people think we closed,” said Jason Anderson, registrar and assistant professor of Bible at LBC. “We never closed, but for one school year we didn’t offer classes.” The college went through a rough patch in 2015-16, and decided to forgo classroom instruction after “we let our debt get out of hand,” Anderson said. The next school year, LBC resumed offering classes under the guidance of Tom Mobley—who returned as president in 2016, after previously serving LBC in
May 17, 2018
Special Church Report Part 2: Large and Medium Churches
By Kent Fillinger This month, the focus is on large churches (average worship attendance of 500 to 999) and medium churches (250 to 499 weekly) from our annual church survey. If you missed the May issue on megachurches and emerging megachurches, you can read it online to get caught up. Next month, I’ll conclude this series with a report on small churches (averaging 100 to 249 weekly) and very small churches (fewer than 100) and share the first-ever recorded data on these two church sizes. Here are some stats and stories that show the major themes that emerged for large
June 19, 2017
WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Discovery Christian Church, Broomfield, CO
By Justin Horey Discovery Christian Church already has one slightly unconventional building, but its plans for future development are far more progressive and ambitious. Broomfield, Colorado, is a high-tech city with rural roots, so Discovery”s existing building””a 20,000-square-foot, multipurpose structure designed to resemble a barn””is a tribute to the city”s history. With that facility in place, lead pastor Steve Cuss said Discovery plans to use the rest of its 18 acres in radical ways “to meet the needs of our city.” Discovery”s motto is “Loving God and Serving Others,” and the master plan for the church”s site emphasizes those two
June 4, 2017
Should We Build It? Will They Come?
By Mark A. Taylor We wanted experience from church leaders who have led their congregations to build. We were able to spend an hour with four who brought insight and a couple of warnings for any congregation considering a building campaign: Gene Appel, senior pastor with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California; Gary Johnson, lead servant with The Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana; Darrel Land, senior minister with Redemption Christian Church in Jasper, Indiana; and David Vaughan, senior minister with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. Here are excerpts from that conversation. Tell us about your last building project. Appel:
January 8, 2015
A Healthy Church Manages Debt Well
By Don Anderson Thank you for even starting to read an article about an important topic that is seldom considered exciting. I am certain I could find church leaders who would argue that an indebted church cannot be considered “healthy.” And others would argue that debt has little to do with a church”s overall health. I think the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. Debt can be like a noose squeezing the necks of leaders, or it can be a useful tool for eliminating real obstacles to growth, such as the lack of seating or parking. Debt and commercial
February 11, 2014
Living with Open Hands
By Mark A. Taylor The topic was consumerism, and I was ready with my questions for the three CHRISTIAN STANDARD writers who formed the panel at our Beyond the Standard BlogTalkRadio program last month. But soon they took the conversation much deeper than my concerns about defining wealth and deciding how much of our money we should give away. “Consumerism is a byproduct of bad thinking,” said E.G. “Jay” Link, head of Stewardship Ministries based in Mooresville, Indiana. “You can”t resolve the big issues of life simply by resolving to spend less. The basic issue is: I own nothing.” Link
January 5, 2014
The Kingdom of Anxiety or the Kingdom of God?
By Ryan Connor Instead of satisfying us, the things we buy can leave us simply frustrated or even afraid. A Christian”s first weapon against consumerism is deciding which master he or she will serve. Are you worried about your life? We Americans are an anxious people. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports anxiety disorders to be the most common mental illness in the United States. From a biblical worldview, anxiety disorders are ultimately a result of the curse God placed upon all of
