Articles for tag: Evangelism

October 1, 2019

Christian Standard

Christian Arabic Services (Egypt): The Best-Kept Secret in the Restoration Movement?

A Christian Standard Interview with Safaa Fahmi By John Caldwell Christian Arabic Services of Cairo, Egypt, is strategically located in the Islamic world, at the crossroads of Africa and Asia and next to the world’s only Jewish state. Safaa and Mona Fahmi lead the CAS ministry, which targets the 420 million Arabic-speaking people concentrated in northern Africa and the Middle East. The Fahmis and their dedicated team of associates have trained leaders who have helped to reopen at least 200 Egyptian village churches from Aswan to Alexandria. Through its efforts, several hundred denominational churches have embraced New Testament Christianity, as

October 1, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

The Mainstreaming of Online Church

By Kent Fillinger If Paul were still preaching, would he have an online church live-streaming from Jerusalem? It’s entirely possible. After all, Paul said, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22, 23). All that to say, Internet worship services are becoming more mainstream. In July, I provided an overview of how Christian churches and churches of Christ are using various social media platforms to communicate. I want to go

September 11, 2019

Christian Standard

McGilvrey Retiring after Ministry with an Unexpected Twist

By Jim Nieman When Mark McGilvrey’s church provided seed money to help start 2|42 Community Church in 2005, he had no idea of the boomerang effect. McGilvrey, who retires this month after 47 years of ministry in Livonia, Mich., said the church he serves, Compass Christian Church, reached an agreement earlier this summer to be adopted by 2|42, and is slated to become an official 2|42 campus, probably in the fall of 2020. “It’s a beautiful thing,” McGilvrey said. “We started just this past Sunday with live video from [2|42].” Since being planted in Brighton, Mich., 2|42 has been one

August 22, 2019

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Reclaim Christian Church, Ansonia, Conn.

By Chris Moon Reclaim Christian Church in Ansonia, Connecticut, is living up to its name. The church last fall moved into its new sanctuary space after doubling the size of its building. Since then, Reclaim has seen its average attendance grow by more than 25 percent—and that after the church had grown steadily for nearly a decade. It’s God’s reclamation project, which is just how lead pastor Breandan McTighe likes it. “Taking something that is old, which is who we were, and something that is beaten down and tattered and weathered and has the markings of past pains and hurts—and

August 22, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

2018 SPECIAL CHURCH REPORT, PART 3: Small and Very Small Churches

By Kent E. Fillinger This is the final installment of a three-part series sharing the research findings from our annual church survey. The May issue focused on 2018 data from megachurches and emerging megachurches. The August issue covered large and medium churches, and now we conclude the series with statistics from 78 small churches and 47 very small churches. This was the second year of surveying small and very small churches, so I will include some year-to-year comparisons, while acknowledging more data is necessary before identifying trends. Statistical Snapshot Small and very small churches had the slowest growth rates of

August 21, 2019

Christian Standard

Kansas Church Plans ‘Major Evangelistic Event’ at City Park

By Jim Nieman With school resuming and families settling back into a routine, South Rock Christian Church has planned an outdoor community worship service at a city park through which it hopes to reach hundreds of unchurched people. This Sunday’s event, dubbed South Rock ONE, “is all about reaching people who don’t know Christ and/or don’t have a church,” said Rick Wheeler, lead pastor with SRCC, located in Derby, Kan., a few miles south of Wichita. The church averages about 1,300 in weekly attendance. “We’ve done outreach events off-site, but never a worship service,” Wheeler said. “We sent a letter

August 2, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Two Interviews, Two Brothers, One Passion for Making Disciples

By Michael C. Mack I had the privilege to interview Robert Coleman in his home in Wilmore, Kentucky, for our August 2019 issue. It took me back to when I interviewed his brother Lyman Coleman—founder of Serendipity House, compiler and editor of the Serendipity Bible for Groups, and widely known for being a pioneer in the small group movement in the United States—for a cover story in The Lookout in 1993. Robert described Lyman as his “best friend for all these years.” The brothers worked together many times, and each of their ministries often benefited the other’s. For instance, Robert

July 22, 2019

Jared Johnson

Develop the Art and Skill of Listening

By Jared Johnson The “headquarters” of e2: effective elders is in Indianapolis, a metropolitan area of nearly 1.5 million people. Whether in the bustling downtown or in suburban neighborhoods, one never fails to see someone running around—literally and figuratively—wearing those all-too-familiar earbuds. Music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more flood the auditory canals of our fellow Hoosiers. Of course, ubiquitous earbuds also communicate this strong nonverbal message: “Don’t talk to me; I’m occupied with something more important than conversing with you.” People who wear earbuds aren’t listening to us, but they are listeningto someone. Could that change? What would it take for

July 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Going to the Cities

By Michael C. Mack Cities are a key setting in God’s story. The churches in Jerusalem, Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, and many others in the New Testament were urban. And, while the Bible’s story began in a rural area (surely two people in a garden surrounded by lots of animals is rural!), it ends in an urban locale, “the Holy City, the new Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:2). Cities also present a strategic opportunity for the church today. Several statistics quoted by writers of this month’s articles stood out to me: – “The most recent U.S. Census data revealed for the first time

June 22, 2019

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

2018 SPECIAL CHURCH REPORT, PART 2: Large and Medium Churches

By Kent Fillinger This is the second installment of a three-part series sharing research findings from our annual church survey. This month, we turn our attention to 88 large churches (average weekly worship attendance of 500 to 999 during 2018) and 86 medium churches (average attendance of 250 to 499). Growth Flip-Flop The medium churches on average grew at almost twice the rate of large churches in 2018 (3.7 percent compared to 1.9 percent, respectively). This was the first-time since 2009 that medium churches we surveyed grew faster than large churches. This flip-flop partially resulted from medium churches having their

June 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Clarifying—and Simplifying—Our Disciple-Making Efforts

By Michael C. Mack I read Robert Coleman’s book The Master Plan of Evangelism as a seminary student in 1989, when it was in only its 45th printing, with more than 925,000 copies sold. It has now sold more than 3.5 million copies and been translated into 105 languages. I’ve read the book many times over the years. It’s hard to find a page that doesn’t contain highlighting, underlining, asterisks, exclamation points, and notes in the margins. I’ve read his follow-up, The Master Plan of Discipleship, based on the book of Acts, many times as well. These books formed my

June 20, 2019

Christian Standard

A Profile of ‘Raccoon’ John Smith (Part 2)

(Read Part 1 of this profile, published June 13.) Before launching into Part 2 of this profile of “Raccoon” John Smith from 1925, we should offer an explanation for how he acquired his nickname. The opening of M.M. Davis’s article about Smith from June 12, 1909, gives this account. _ _ _ “Raccoon” John Smith [1784–1868] is the most unique character in our history. . . . Just why he should have this undignified nickname is not clear, for he was never a hunter of anything, much less of raccoons. But of all names in the world needing a distinguishing

May 22, 2019

Megan Rawlings

THE BOLD MOVEMENT

Training Multiple Generations of Women to Carry Their Swords and Use Them Properly By Megan Rawlings The alarm wakes me early on a Saturday morning. A few minutes later, I grab my Bible and race out the door, headed to a Bob Evans an hour away. I pray as I drive, asking God for boldness and that my millennial heart will be content with him receiving all the glory. I walk into the bustling restaurant and sit down in a booth across from a new disciple of Christ. The waitress brings me my usual, a cup of half coffee, half

May 20, 2019

Christian Standard

Changing the Scorecards

What statistics really count in the church? Baptisms? Attendance? Or something much more vital? By Jim Putman I have been in many meetings over the years with so-called “big dogs” in the American Christian world . . . and I have left these gatherings feeling very dissatisfied. These meetings often sound spiritual and may even come from good hearts, but they often leave me feeling like something big was missed. The purpose of meeting usually is good: How do we win people to Jesus? Most everyone acknowledges our culture is falling apart, that many Americans are leaving the faith and

March 25, 2019

Christian Standard

SPOTLIGHT: Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky

Reaching Out to the Community and the World By Andy Rector In 2018, Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, experienced gains in many ways. “It truly was a year of growth,” said Dave Stone, senior pastor. Growth occurred in evangelism: “The majority of people who were baptized in 2018 were baptized by the person who led them to the Lord,” Stone said. Growth occurred with the facilities: Construction began on the Chapel in the Woods, only a quarter mile from the main campus. The chapel is designed for weddings, funerals, and worship. There also was numeric growth: “Our attendance grew more

March 7, 2019

Christian Standard

Restorer of Gospel Evangelism

As promised last week, here is an article about Walter Scott by Enos E. Dowling, who was then serving as librarian of the School of Religion at Butler University in Indianapolis. This article is from January 27, 1945. Dowling begins the article by describing what some call “the most important sermon ever delivered on American soil.” _ _ _ Restorer of Gospel Evangelism Walter Scott Logically Comes First in a Series on ‘Great Evangelists of the Restoration Movement’ By Enos E. Dowling January 27, 1945 Every seat in the meetinghouse of the Baptist church was filled. Many stood around the

February 5, 2019

Christian Standard

To Love

By Ronald G. Davis  The word valentine speaks to us of love. And to love is to be the most like God we can be. Let me repeat that: to love is to be the most like God we can be. For God is love. The disciple who most sensed the love of God wrote to early Christians and to us, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8) and “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (4:7). In his image, we want the very best for all those

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

Building an Integrated Church

 A Minister Speaks about His Experience in Building a Multiracial Congregation   By Andy Daniell Most Restoration Movement church leaders I’ve talked to, both online and in person, say they desire to build more integrated, multiethnic congregations. They see advances in diversity in other parts of society and think their congregations are lagging behind. Bible verses such as Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11, and Revelation 5:9 and 7:9 suggest the church should lead in such efforts. And so it is dismaying that surveys consistently show only about 5 percent of Protestant and nondenominational congregations have a “minority” group—be it black, white,

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

Henrietta Heron — ‘The Friendly Counselor’

— Jan. 7, 1939 — I recognized the name Henrietta Heron, but knew next to nothing about her until I stumbled upon the column we feature today. Research revealed that she worked at Standard Publishing (parent company of this magazine until recent years) before serving as president of the World Wide Baraca Philathea Union from 1928 until 1933, and then as general counselor of the organization after that. According to Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s website, “Baraca Philathea was an ecumenical movement designed to facilitate adult evangelism through Bible study. A million strong during the early twentieth century, it tried to bridge

January 1, 2019

Mark A. Taylor

Good Strategies for a New Year

Former editor Mark A. Taylor offered these thoughts two years ago under the headline, “Strategies for a New Year.” At the time, Taylor confessed to sharing similar thoughts a few years earlier. He wrote on Jan. 1, 2017: “. . . I still need to follow my own advice here! So let’s read it together as, once again, we recommit ourselves to faith and ministry at the beginning of a new year.” _ _ _ By Mark A. Taylor Anytime can be the right time for new beginnings, but the transition to a new year seems like a natural. If you’re

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