Articles for tag: Elders

October 19, 2020

Christian Standard

Candyman

By Jon Wren Upon arriving in the little Russian town of Kalinovka around the turn of the 20th century, a new priest launched a program where each week children were given a short passage of Scripture to memorize—in exchange for a piece of candy. Soon, children from all over the village and countryside came to learn from the village priest and to get their candy. And of all the children who participated, a young boy named Nikki stood out by memorizing the most passages. The village elders and the priest were confident Nikki’s impressive knowledge of Scripture would lead to

September 21, 2020

Mark Scott

Lesson for Sept. 27, 2020: Lead (1 Timothy 3:1-16; 5:17-22)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the October 2020 issue of Christian Standard + The Lookout. (Subscribe to our print edition.) ________ COMPANION RESOURCES “Who Is Worthy to Lead?” by David Faust (Lesson Application) Discovery Questions for Sept. 27, 2020 ________ Lesson Aim: Assemble leaders who model Christ, and be such a leader. ________ By Mark Scott Jesus prayed all night before choosing the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12-13). The Holy Spirit selects the right leaders for

May 27, 2020

Christian Standard

COVID-19 Causing Children’s Minister to ‘Rethink Everything’

By Chris Moon In her 20 years in children’s ministry at Fairview Christian Church in Carthage, Mo., Angie Fewin has never seen anything like COVID-19 and the effects it has had on the local church. “We’ve had to rethink everything,” she said. Just as senior pastors and church elders across the country have been working out how to reestablish in-person worship services as government stay-at-home orders are lifting, so children’s ministers are trying to figure out how to return their ministries to some semblance of normal—or at least to a new normal. And there’s no time to lose. Summer—the highlight

March 15, 2020

Gary L. Johnson

Resurrection Sunday: A Way to Live

By Gary L. Johnson Several important American holidays are for the purpose of remembering. Memorial Day is set aside so we can remember our war dead, whereas Veterans Day is for remembering the men and women who served in our nation’s military. A grand remembrance happens every July 4 as we celebrate our nation’s independence. We have religious holidays—Christmas and Easter—to remember the birth of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Yet, Easter is more than a holiday marked with ham dinners and Easter egg hunts. It’s more than a day to fill baskets with candy and churches with

November 27, 2019

Christian Standard

Bycroft Serving Oklahoma Church after Long Ministry in Kansas

By Chris Moon Retirement didn’t last long for David Bycroft. “That’s a little bit of a joke,” he told Christian Standard. Bycroft retired from Tyro (Kan.) Christian Church in September 2017 after a long ministry—47 years in all—that saw the church grow in average weekly attendance from 40 people to 950. And that was in a town of just 250 residents. The church attracted people from towns all around the area.   Not long after preaching his last sermon in Tyro, Bycroft was contacted by the leadership at East Bartlesville Christian Church, located in Bartlesville, Okla., about 30 miles south

October 1, 2019

David Roadcup

It’s Time for a New/Old Approach

By David Roadcup I love the pioneering personality. Such a person can blaze new trails and find new horizons in education, business, the arts, and the church. A rare breed, indeed. They should be prized for breaking ground that many others would not attempt. Micah Odor is one such pioneer. Odor serves as minister of spiritual formation with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. A few years ago, he was a student in my seminary class, “Assimilation and Development of Church Members.” I had challenged students to come up with an approach to their ministry that would not only

September 4, 2019

Christian Standard

Key Lay Leaders of First Christian, Evansville, Die in Plane Crash

First Christian Church in Evansville, Ind., suffered the loss of three key lay leaders in a plane crash last week in Montana. Tim Arnold, Grant Weythman, and Allen Eicher were flying in a small plane toward Pinehaven Christian Children’s Ranch in Montana as part of a volunteer missions team when they struck a power line and crashed. According to the Courier & Press, Weythman and Eicher were elders at First Christian, and Arnold was a former elder. They were headed to the children’s ranch to repair broken machinery. “They were very much what we call shepherds—trying to make sure everybody

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (6): Elders Wanted

By Matt Johnson If many people with leadership gifts and experience attend your church, then your pool of potential leaders is deep. If your church is comprised of people who have little leadership experience or skill, you’re facing a completely different situation. You may have great workers with great hearts, but you may not have competent leaders. It is possible this dynamic contributes to the size of the church. How can the small church cope with a dearth of potential leaders? My response is mostly anecdotal. The church I served until recently, Levittown Christian Church, is in a lower-middle-class, blue-collar

August 22, 2019

Jim Estep

Leading through Rural Church Challenges

By Jim Estep When I hear the word rural, I have flashbacks to my childhood. Not because I was raised on a farm, but because I watched Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies while growing up. I found those shows humorous, but they weren’t documentaries of life in rural America. Elders in rural congregations face many challenges their counterparts in urban and suburban churches do not, but country churches can be very vibrant and successful. Declining Population The rural population has declined over several generations. It’s common for once lively rural communities to now be half their previous

June 22, 2019

Jim Estep

Educating Elders

By Jim Estep Most elders didn’t go to Bible college or seminary. I know of no degree in “eldering.” Congregations must provide for the education of elders. Scripture teaches that “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17, English Standard Version). The church is not an organization that “produces” elders. Instead, the church is an organism, a living body—the body of Christ—and elders are “grown” in the soil of church relationships. What kind of relationships can educate, prepare, and equip someone for service? Study An elder needs more than head knowledge, but becoming an effective elder begins with

June 22, 2019

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Crossroads Christian Church, Largo, Fla.

From Mechanic to Minister By Andy Rector “My wife, Beverly, felt a call from God, which she revealed to me, which made me smile,” said Harold Kellermier, pastor with Crossroads Christian Church in Largo, Florida. “[That] led [me] to a seat in a local Bible college at 44 years old.” Up until then, Kellermier had managed the vehicle-maintenance department for the local school system.  In 2010, at 48, he was asked to become part of the staff at Crossroads. “I left the world of mechanics, finished school, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies.” But once again, Kellermier’s

April 25, 2019

Gary L. Johnson

Three Ways Elders Must Respond to the Next-Generation Crisis

By Gary L. Johnson I hadn’t finished breakfast and had already heard of three crises facing our nation. One news commentator spoke of the growing crisis at our southern border, while other reporters spoke of global warming and opioid crises. And some commentators questioned whether these were crises at all. It caused me to think of a real crisis facing us as Christians: How does the church reach and keep the next generation for Christ? In recent years, we’ve experienced a definite decline in the number of young people coming to Christ, while increasing numbers of Christian young people have

March 25, 2019

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Compass Christian Church, Chandler, Arizona

Elders, Staff, Discipleship Program, Prayer Culminate in Baptisms By Melissa Wuske Compass Christian Church “has had a heart for evangelism since day one,” said senior pastor Brian Jobe. But in recent years, the church’s growth has been astounding—even in an area crowded with megachurches and in the midst of a culture of church hopping. Jobe said the Greater Phoenix church’s eldership has been crucial to “putting the church in a place to receive God’s blessing” during his three years there—including a year overlapping with pastor Roger Storms, who had served the church for 29 years and helped instill “mission-mindedness, flexibility,

February 27, 2019

Christian Standard

Four Ideas for Illustrating Truth

By Jeff Faull “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17, New American Standard Bible). Church leaders are often called to work hard at preaching and teaching. One of the most challenging aspects of that responsibility is finding and developing sources of relevant, interesting, and compelling illustrations. Here are a few simple suggestions for finding fresh illustrations for sermons, meditations, or Bible studies.   SCOUR THE NEWS, ESPECIALLY THE WEIRD NEWS The news provides illustrations from real life that are instantly documented, perennially

February 2, 2019

Gary L. Johnson

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

January 3, 2019

David Roadcup

How to Deal Effectively with Difficult People

By David Roadcup How we react to difficult people and their behavior is a test of how well we’ve implemented Scripture’s relational principles. The Word tells us how to respond when difficult situations present themselves. Effective leaders follow the teachings of patience, forbearance, self-control, careful thought, and action. When called upon to deal with a difficult person, our patience and forbearance will be strengthened as we do the right thing in dealing with those who need help. Dealing with difficult people is always a stretching experience. As James 1:2-4 instructs us, difficult situations, especially those prompted by difficult people, prompt

December 31, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Make Next Year a Great One for Your Staff, Elders, Group, or Family

(Start your year off right by considering our editor’s suggestions in this brief item we first published two years ago. This approach can be used successfully among a wide variety of people who meet regularly and seek to love and honor God.)  _ _ _ By Michael C. Mack When we make resolutions, we usually emphasize what we will do under our own power and will. When we run out of willpower, we begin to fail at keeping those resolutions. For Christians, there’s a far better way. Move from New Year’s resolutions to spiritual reconstitutions! Here’s how. At your first

November 27, 2018

David Roadcup

An Elder’s Greatest Priority

By David Roadcup Luke reveals the grand priority to which we are called as shepherds of the flock. Two sisters and a brother loved Jesus deeply. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had an abiding relationship with him. They entertained him and his traveling entourage; they provided a place to stay, meals, and no doubt made contributions to his ministry. Luke 10:38-42 records a meaningful exchange between Jesus and his hostess. Martha is busy fixing a meal and is frustrated that Mary, “who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to his word” (v. 39, New American Standard Bible), was not helping

October 5, 2018

Christian Standard

Decisions, Decisions

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Rod Nielsen Decision-making in a church can be a blessing or a curse. Often, the decision itself is not as problematic as the process of coming to a decision. Major decisions—such as entering into

September 28, 2018

Christian Standard

Richard Baxter: Timeless Advice

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Larry Carter Richard Baxter, a preacher who lived in the 1600s, wrote a book to help church leaders understand the nature and task of ministry. Among his many wise instructions and observations in The

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