Articles for tag: George Barna

September 1, 2022

Chris Philbeck

Chris Philbeck

Stay the Course

By Chris Philbeck   When it comes to ministry, for me, one Scripture verse stands above the rest. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”   I love this verse for many different reasons, but mostly because of Paul’s honesty in saying that doing good can wear you out. How else can you interpret those first eight words?   While I invest my life in many “good” things, preaching is the one constant “good” thing that takes up most of my

September 1, 2022

Kent E. Fillinger

Kent E. Fillinger

Why Do We Gather?

By Kent E. Fillinger  As a movement, we’ve striven from the beginning to be a church based on New Testament principles. Where the Bible speaks, we speak, and where the Bible is silent, we are silent. No creed but Christ and no book but the Bible.   When was the last time your church staff or elders stopped to consider what these maxims mean when it comes to worship gatherings? When did you last study the New Testament to see what it teaches about our purpose for gathering? Have your church leaders ever considered why you do what you do when

September 19, 2018

David Roadcup

‘Feed My Sheep’

By David Roadcup  It was probably one of the most impactful moments of Peter’s life. John 21 tells the story. After Jesus’ resurrection, while the disciples are fishing from a boat, Jesus appears on the beach, starts a fire, and fixes breakfast for them. After another fish-producing miracle, Jesus calls the disciples in for breakfast. After they eat, Jesus engages Peter in a powerful discussion. Three times, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Three times, Peter emphatically states that he does. Three times, Jesus exhorts Peter to fulfill a specific task. Jesus concludes round one of this exchange by

January 18, 2015

Christian Standard

I Still Need the Church

By T.R. Robertson This past February, Donald Miller, best known as the author of the book Blue Like Jazz, confessed on his Storyline blog that he doesn”t go to church very often.1 I”m not sure why this surprised anyone who has read his books, but his comments kicked off a hurricane of commentary in the blogosphere and on social media. Among the reactions were a blog entry titled, “Donald Miller”s prescription for spiritual suicide” (dennyburk.com2), and this tweet, “I”m scared for the next gen of young people who will read @DonaldMiller & think they don”t even need to go to

August 12, 2013

Christian Standard

What about the Preacher”s Family?

By Dennis Bratton Fifty percent of preachers” marriages will end in divorce. Eighty percent of preachers believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families. Thirty-three percent say being in the ministry is an outright hazard to their family. Local churches can change this picture. Here are some simple ideas any congregation can follow to make sure their preacher”s family is an example for every family. Preachers live in a continuum of unfinished tasks. At the end of nearly every day, the preacher can think of calls he needs to return, a sermon or lesson he needs to write, someone who requires a personal visit,

October 12, 2011

Christian Standard

Remember the Children

By Mark A. Taylor “Whenever two people are together, one is influencing the other.” My adult children tell me today this was one of my favorite reminders years ago whenever they left the house to be with their teenage friends. I”ve thought about my little proverb often since then, especially as Christian Standard has taken up issues of church and culture. How is the church today influencing the values of our culture? And how are the attitudes and ideals of today”s educators, politicians, entertainers, and corporate leaders changing the church? Research seems to say the church is not prevailing. George

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Three Reads to Make You Squirm

By LeRoy Lawson Frank Viola and George Barna, Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices (Carol Stream: BarnaBooks, 2008). Jim Henderson and Matt Casper, Jim and Casper Go to Church: Frank Conversations About Faith, Churches, and Well-Meaning Christians (Carol Stream: BarnaBooks, 2007); also available on Kindle. Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009). This column isn”t going to be easy reading. Well-intentioned friends recommended all three books. Maybe they felt I needed to squirm, undoubtedly thinking I”m a little too much at ease in Zion, too comfortable in my suburban church life. Well, I read and I

February 3, 2010

Christian Standard

What Will Make My Next Decade Different?

By Mark A. Taylor Her question has stayed with me for weeks. At a family gathering between Christmas and New Year”s, she challenged the group at the table, “Think back to the beginning of the decade that”s about to end. What would the person you were then think of the person you are today?” A day or two later I read a Facebook update from a friend anticipating a family meeting with her husband and two school-age daughters. The agenda: to discuss individual and family goals and dreams for the coming year. As simple as this is, it strikes me

November 1, 2009

Christian Standard

Read Well to Lead Well

  by Eddie Lowen Every church leader, especially the primary communicator, the preacher, should fear staleness. Those who listen to us instinctively know whether or not we are digging the well deeper or skimming the surface. When people begin to lip-sync your pet phrases as you speak them . . . when you have to feign enthusiasm for things that should genuinely excite you . . . when you preach old sermons because you can”t imagine improving upon what you wrote several years ago””you are going stale.  The easiest ways to stay fresh are through reading and discussion. Not every

March 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Hard Times for Healthy Churches

  By Darrel Rowland   On Long Island, fledgling True North Community Church is readily shelling out more than $2 million for a three-year-old building on four acres.  In northeast Ohio, historic First Christian Church in Canton is meeting the payments for a $25 million relocation project from three years ago””for now. Along Florida”s Gulf Coast, rechristened New Day Christian Church faces an uncertain future because of its struggle to pay for a $5.5 million facility built about four years ago. While America”s economic woes are unquestionably hitting churches across the country, the varying experiences of this trio of growing

November 9, 2008

Christian Standard

Windows of Youth Ministry

By Curtis Booher and Phyllis Fox   In the rapidly changing culture of adolescents, one thing has remained the same over the generations””the nature of teenagers. Students of the current millennial generation are struggling to find their identity, purpose, and direction in life, to be independent of their parents, and to find love. These same struggles have confronted students in every generation.  The big questions remain the same: Who am I? Where am I going? Why am I here? But there are also many characteristics unique to students growing up in the new millennium. It is important to understand the

January 16, 2008

Christian Standard

God”s Word, Our Opportunity

By Mark A. Taylor Several years ago, I spoke with a friend who was pursuing a graduate degree in a city about two hours from home. During this time he regularly stayed overnight there with a minister whose name every Christian church leader knows. More than once he commented on a ritual this minister and his teenage son shared. Each evening the two gathered at the kitchen table, ate from a plate of cookies, and read out loud a chapter from the Bible. This was their practice every weeknight, and we”re struck with its simplicity. Any family could do something

January 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Mentoring Fourth-Grade Boys!

By Andy Hansen Have I told you I”m an assistant teacher for fourth-grade boys on Wednesday nights? Those who know me realize my skill set is much more in line with the junior high and senior high level. I”m much more comfortable with that age group. So . . . why fourth-grade boys? A Problem in Our Society In a recent article in Newsweek (September 17, 2007, page 44), a 24-year-old male teacher told how numerous fellow teachers and even parents asked him to be a “buddy” and mentor to certain at-risk students. Josh Holt quickly realized why. “The principal

January 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Teens Matter

By Curtis Booher and Phyllis Fox The First of Four Articles About Teens We will offer four Reflection articles: an overview of why teens matter to the church (what you”re reading now), a second article in the spring on church leaders” perspectives on teens” role in the church, a third article in the summer on the vital influence of parents and other caring adults, and a closing article next fall about students” perceptions of their role in the community of faith. This dialogue began this summer at the NACC Teen Convention when a panel of nine ministers came together to

October 24, 2007

Christian Standard

Ministers Deserve Our Gratitude

By Mark A. Taylor “I feel like I got my husband back.” This testimony came from the wife of a fellow who had served many years in local church ministry before joining the staff of a Christian publishing house. He does not work at Standard Publishing; you wouldn”t recognize his name. But his situation is unfortunately familiar to many ministers you know. Several years ago, George Barna said churchgoers “expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks. That”s a recipe for failure.” And even without such unreasonable expectations, local church ministry can be more demanding than many

October 7, 2007

Christian Standard

Emerging Ministry for Emerging Churches

By Paul E. Boatman As New Vision Christian Church grew through the plateaus that stymie some churches, the emerging megachurch began to acquire a new look in its ministry staff. First, it added a minister of administration: Kevin was a successful businessman who had served as an elder in the church. The church”s need for competent financial and personnel management and the elder”s giftedness seemed a perfect match. He sold his business and focused his professional energies on the church he loved. Then an opening occurred in worship leadership. A search discovered several candidates who were recent Bible college graduates,

June 10, 2007

Christian Standard

An Unfinished Restoration Acknowledged

By Gary Weedman I am a fifth-generation member of the Stone-Campbell fellowship of churches. My maternal grandfather”s grandfather was a founding member of a “Campbellite” church in southern Illinois. My maternal grandmother”s grandfather was a founding member of a “Stonite” church nearby. I grew up drinking deeply of the history and aims of this movement. By the time I graduated from high school, I had read much of Campbell”s seven-volume Christian Baptist, which was in our church library (my friends think this explains my lack of social life in high school!). In seminary I took every course offered by Enos

January 14, 2007

Christian Standard

Evangelism in a Postmodern World

By Gary Zustiak There are two scenes in the movie Saved that provide insight to how the world views our usual attempts at evangelism. In the first scene, Hilary Faye (played by Mandy Moore) is sitting with a group of friends in a lunchroom at a Christian high school. She notices the school “rebel” (Cassandra) and decides the group needs to witness to her and get her “saved.” Hilary tells the group, “We need to show her just how cool we Christians can be. Come on, let”s start laughing . . . NOW!” The group follows orders and serves up

March 1, 2006

Christian Standard

Our Influence Through the Local Church

By Mark A. Taylor Pollster George Barna claims to have discovered a revolution. He says 20 million Americans today zealously pursue simple faith and an intimate relationship with God outside the activities and programs of the local church. He calls these Christians Revolutionaries and not only alerts us to their presence, but asks us to join them in his book Revolution. In 20 years, he says, “only about one third of the population will rely upon a local congregation as the primary or exclusive means for experiencing and expressing their faith.” We asked our contributing editors to react and to

February 22, 2006

Christian Standard

Healthy Churches Come in All Sizes!

By Mark A. Taylor Healthy churches come in all sizes! Many smaller churches today attract a third or more of their community to weekly services. Sometimes the greatest missions giving or most successful ministry recruiting happens in churches with weekly worship averages below 200. And many leaders of today’s megachurches grew up in small churches. We know there are far more smaller than larger churches. In fact, researcher George Barna says the average congregation in America welcomes fewer than 90 adults to Sunday morning worship. Yet in spite of their number and their invaluable contribution to the fabric of our

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