January 24, 2010
It”s Just Like Fishing
Rick Chromey uses a fishing story to help smaller churches think about recruiting and retaining children’s ministry volunteers through grace, relationships, ownership, worth, laughter, and safety.
Articles for tag: Grace
January 24, 2010
Children”s Ministry Leadership GOLD!
Rick Chromey shares a GOLD framework for children’s ministry leadership in smaller churches: grace, organism, loopy feedback, and decentralized leadership shaped by relationships and flexibility.
January 6, 2010
Interview with Chris Travis
Chris Travis discusses Unnamed, a book about overlooked biblical figures and modern everyday heroes who show how God works through ordinary people in daily obedience.
Loving Those Who Annoy You
Jan Johnson reflects on loving difficult people through prayer, confession, silence, and service, showing how God cultivates a heart of goodwill even in ordinary irritation.
November 8, 2009
God”s Pleasure Principle
Karen Diefendorf reflects on a dry devotional season, discovering in Ephesians a renewed sense of God’s pleasure in saving us and our grateful call to obedient, holy living.
October 25, 2009
The Wide Road Is Still the Wrong Road
David Faust, universalism, salvation, evangelism, George Barna, Unitarian Universalist Church, Restoration Movement, Cincinnati Christian University,
September 27, 2009
A Look at This Year”s NACC: Grace Week
Steve Reeves reflects on the 2009 NACC in Louisville, highlighting grace-filled preaching, practical workshops, worship with Casting Crowns, and the lasting value of face-to-face ministry connections.
September 27, 2009
A Look at This Year’s NACC: I”m Glad I Was There!
Clay D. Perkins reflects on the 2009 NACC, describing meetings, friendships, “holy hugs,” preaching, and the convention’s role in encouraging leaders and preparing future ministers.
August 23, 2009
My Grace Journey
Brian Giese reflects on discovering the joy of grace, warning against both legalism and taking grace for granted while calling the church to teach God’s grace clearly.
August 23, 2009
To the Best of My Ability
Glen Elliott contrasts religious performance with grace-filled discipleship, showing how guidance, freedom, and relationship help people follow Jesus well without turning faith into another grading chart.
August 23, 2009
Baptizing Grace
Bill Hallsted explains why baptism is rooted in God’s grace, not flawless wording or a legalistic formula, while still calling Christians to teach the biblical meaning of baptism faithfully.
August 2, 2009
Walking with My Expatriate Catholic Friends
Don M. Hamilton offers practical guidance for churches welcoming ex-Catholics, emphasizing patient listening, clear Bible teaching, worship explanation, family sensitivity, and grace-filled discipleship.
July 26, 2009
A Place of Quiet Rest
By Kelly Kastens In the fall of 2004 we moved into a long-awaited, brand-new worship center. It was an awesome time in the life of our church. And, for a while, it was an awesome time in my life. As worship programming director, I was insanely busy, but it was fun and it felt like we were doing something that mattered. God was showing up every week and new people were showing up every week and life change was happening. While all these good things were going on, I was getting busier and busier. There was always more to do,
The Lord”s Supper: The Power of Memory, the Power of Presence
Paul Blowers reflects on the Lord’s Supper, memory, Alzheimer’s disease, and the church’s powerful calling to remember Christ on behalf of those who can no longer remember.
July 8, 2009
Interview with David Clark
David Clark reflects on “Grace that Heals,” explaining how God’s grace restores wounded souls, confronts hidden brokenness, and invites people into prayer, humility, and lasting spiritual healing.
Leaders Are the Key
Larry Travis and Tim Wallingford identify four leadership challenges facing small- and medium-size churches: unclear roles, conflict, lack of training, and the struggle to embrace biblical vision.
What I”ve Learned While Serving Single Moms
LifeBridge Christian Church’s ministry to single moms offers meals, mentoring, child care, counseling, practical help, and steady encouragement for women and families carrying deep burdens.
May 31, 2009
The Day I Went to Church and Ended Up in a Closet
Mark Atteberry shares a humorous church visit gone wrong and the deeper lesson it revealed: even strong congregations have embarrassing moments and need grace.
March 1, 2009
Remember Your Baptism
By Bruce E. Shields  This article is no longer available online, but all of the articles about baptism that appeared in the March 1 and 8, 2009, issues of CHRISTIAN STANDARD–plus a bonus article–are available for purchase as a single, redisigned, easy-to-read and easy-to-use downloadable resource/pdf (a fuller explanation is below).  Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives Item 02973 “¢Â $2.99 What does the Bible teach about baptism? What does baptism symbolize and what does it accomplish? Why is there so much disagreement? Seven writers offer their insights on this controversial but fundamental topic in this 14-page resource that””with the exception
March 1, 2009
Not the Only Christians
Robert O. Fife reflects on baptism, grace, Dachau, and Martin Niemoeller while asking whether loyalty to biblical baptism can become blindness to the marvelous grace of God.
