September 3, 2025
Can You Communicate Your Vision?
When a vision is communicated effectively, people are drawn to the vision and not just the leader. In the long term, this gets far more traction for the church and for the kingdom of God.
Articles for tag: From the Publisher
Are You Passionate About Your Vision?
Still healthy, somewhat effective, and obedient to a fault, many churches have lost the passionate vision they once had. Vision has been replaced by tradition, and passion by obedient maintenance.
October 31, 2024
Mary In the Middle of the Mess
Thankfulness and gratitude are choices, and Mary demonstrated great strength in making her choices, which must have been at least one reason why God favored her. Thankfulness and gratitude are choices for us as well.
September 11, 2024
Re-becoming a Child of God
What is a child of God? I certainly identified myself this way, but I defined it through my service and leadership in the church. But what happens when the titles are transferred? What happens when the gift set has no place to be plugged in? How can I be a child of God without the things that I’ve used to define me as one?
July 1, 2024
Evangelism and Discipleship . . . Evangelism Comes First
The word "evangelism" seems to have fallen out of favor with many in church circles these days and been replaced with the word "discipleship." . . .
May 1, 2024
The Restoration Movement Today
Where is the Restoration Movement today and why do I even need to know this? . . .
March 1, 2024
Story
We all have a story, and so do our churches and movement. . . .
January 1, 2024
Avoiding Leadership Burnout
By Jerry Harris All church leaders are dealing with stress right now. Stress can come from every area of our lives. You might be under pressure, facing big changes, feeling a lack of control, shouldering heavy responsibility, or feeling uncertain about the future. You might be facing multiple issues simultaneously or feeling the effects of past experiences. Your stress might be triggered by illness, injury, parenting, infertility, bereavement, abuse, marriage, divorce, relationships, or caregiving. You might have lost your job, or be seeking a new job, or just started in a new role. Perhaps you retired recently. You might be
November 1, 2023
The Lies and the Truth About God’s Love
By Jerry Harris This is the time of year for thankfulness, celebration, joy, and love, but it also can be a time of loneliness and longing, discouragement and depression. We may think this is a product of our own minds and circumstances, but something more sinister is at work. In 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Paul described a constant spiritual onslaught that is happening behind the scenes; it’s a battle for our hearts and minds that must be defended with the truth of God’s Word, especially as the enemy tries to rob us of that which God has richly provided. First Corinthians
September 1, 2023
A Hard Lesson in Hope
By Jerry Harris Some years ago, a church member phoned and asked me to make a hospital call on their distant relative who was dying in the hospital. This relative had a terminal brain tumor and no relationship with Jesus. I had not been invited by the immediate family and so I figured it was going to be a bit awkward. I stepped into the hospital room with complete strangers and introduced myself. I wasn’t greeted warmly. The person in the bed was Benny Robertson, and he appeared to be close to death. He was in a half-seated position and
July 1, 2023
It’s Not About How Much Faith You Have
By Jerry Harris When I came to The Crossing in Quincy, Illinois, 25 years ago, I fashioned a mission statement of helping people find “an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” The thought that a real relationship with Jesus was even possible was a game changer for many in our church and community, and it shaped our impact on the world around us. If I understand that the “what” of my faith is defined in my relationship to Jesus, and if a relationship is what I want, then the next logical step is the “how.” I think the “how” of
March 1, 2023
The Gift I Need the Most
By Jerry Harris It was October 21, 1999, my 40th birthday. That’s the birthday when many people start thinking they’re heading over the hill and begin contemplating their own mortality. Well, I was definitely contemplating mortality . . . just not my own. That was the day we buried my father. We headed to the same spot where we had buried my mom five years earlier. The family had picked out an oak casket for my dad, and it was heavy for the pallbearers. I was officiating and walking in front of the casket when I saw my brother buckle
January 1, 2023
Is There Still a Standard to Be Raised?
By Jerry Harris This issue marks the completion of six years since Christian Standard was faced with its consignment to history. In December 2016, Doug Crozier, CEO of The Solomon Foundation, received a phone call informing him of the impending shuttering of the magazine. First published in the spring of 1866, Christian Standard quickly became the voice of the fastest-growing religious movement of the 19th century; the publication was desperately needed after the ravages of the Civil War. It persevered through division, liberalism, two world wars, and the Great Depression. In 2006, Wicks Group, a private equity firm, purchased Standard
November 1, 2022
The Gospel and the Invitation
By Jerry Harris I admittedly write this column with some bias. Either because of how I was raised or how God wired me, a church service just seems incomplete without an invitation to enter a relationship with Jesus Christ. When I was growing up, invitations came after the preacher finished his sermon. He would leave the pulpit and come down to the floor—to the same level as his hearers—and invite those in the congregation to come forward and do some business with God. During an invitation song the preacher would scan the audience for movement. Those who came forward—to accept
September 1, 2022
The Struggle with Identity
By Jerry Harris Identity is a major topic in American culture today. What do I identify as? Who do I identify with? There are hot debates about race, gender, sexual orientation, victimization, and how we see ourselves and the world around us. The words we use or the words we are discouraged from using are all tied up in identity. The American Medical Association just recommended that we not put gender on our birth certificates. An AMA report said, “Imposing such a categorization system risks stifling self-expression and self-identification and contributes to marginalization and minoritization.” Some doctors are recommending replacing
July 1, 2022
The World Is Sick and Jesus Is the Cure
By Jerry Harris We’ve been ready for COVID-19 to end for two-plus years, but throughout this season I have seen the faithfulness of God in many ways. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. . . . For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well (Luke 12:22-23, 30-31).
May 26, 2022
A Response to the Southern Baptist Convention Report
As SBC Leaders release the results of an investigation of sexual abuse and cover-up, what can Independent Christian Church leaders learn?
September 1, 2021
The ‘Independent’ Christian Church
As I write this in June, many have been seeing news stories coming from the Southern Baptist Convention. Just about all of the news has been less than flattering, and some of it has been scandalous. There have been stories connected to sexual abuse, a history of racism (and debate over critical race theory), leadership roles and speaking roles for women, and the list goes on. At the convention meeting, outgoing president J. D. Greear changed a gavel used to open and close ceremonies because the traditional gavel had been provided by an early SBC leader who was an outspoken
