Chris DeWelt is moving on to the next chapter in his life. But he’s not going to slow down—at least not much. “There’s always plenty to do,” said the longtime director of intercultural studies at Ozark Christian College, who retired from that position at the end of 2021.
The inaugural ChurchOS Conference will take place Feb. 1-2 in Arizona. The conference is for any church leader who wants to carry out the Great Commission more effectively and consistently. (Plus briefs from Johnson University, Bridges Christian Church, and more.)
November 30, 2021
Roger Munchian used to traffic marijuana. Tons of it. Today, as founder of the prison ministry Rescued Not Arrested, Munchian traffics something else—Bibles.
November 1, 2021
Could This Key Focus of ICOM Over the Next Four Years Restore the Missing Power of Pentecost?
September 16, 2021
Under a merger plan being discussed between Central Christian College of the Bible and St. Louis Christian College, the latter’s campus “will remain open and functioning as normal for this entire academic year,” SLCC president Terry Stine said.
September 1, 2021
Reaching our worlds with the gospel today demands that we think afresh about outreach.
July 29, 2021
(A classic column from David Faust in celebration of his 25th anniversary of writing for us weekly.) No magic formula, no technique dreamed up in a church growth laboratory, can replace the power of personal discipleship.
Spire Network is built on the vision of seeking measurable kingdom impact through practical ministry support. . . . It is a community linked together with a common identity that is working to help accelerate our movement of restorative Christian churches.
June 15, 2021
Early this year, TCM International developed an initiative called PrayerFast to encourage and celebrate prayer and fasting movements around the world.
January 17, 2021
Study Questions for Groups Note the short phrase at the end of verse 30, “you of little faith.” What does this phrase indicate to you about Jesus’ audience and his purpose for teaching this?
January 1, 2021
When We Decided to Teach People in Our Community How to Study the Bible, God Provided Everything We Needed When COVID-19 first hit and life ground to a halt, I didn’t know what I would do with myself. As a volunteer outreach coordinator at Copper Creek Christian Church in Maryville, Illinois, as well as a leader with several independent outreach opportunities in the community, I was devastated when all events were unexpectedly and indefinitely canceled. Suddenly my involvement in two to three outreach events per month dropped to zero. No more events. No more kids’ activities. No more social gatherings.
November 20, 2020
By Quentin Mumphery We are living in unprecedented times. A global pandemic forced us to re-envision life as we know it. Centuries-old racial tension forced this nation to wrestle with its original sin. Economic uncertainty. Businesses shuttering. Political polarization. Quarantining. Social distancing. All of these things created a “perfect storm.” The church has not been exempt from the volatility and uncertainty, yet the church is called to be a beacon of light and hope. A city upon a hill. But how do we provide light in darkness when we are wrestling with these sobering realities? How is the church, the
October 24, 2020
The headline “51% of Churchgoers Don’t Know of the Great Commission” from a Barna report in March 2018 caught my eye and caused me great concern. The report said that for 25 percent of churchgoers, the term “Great Commission” sounded familiar, but they could not remember the meaning of it. Only 17 percent of churchgoers said they had heard of the Great Commission and knew what it meant. Although not even half of any age group knew the term Great Commission well, the youngest adult generation was the least likely to recognize it. Only 10 percent of millennials (those born
September 22, 2020
By Megan Rawlings The Black Death was caused by bacterium and was initially spread by fleas. Starting in Asia (most likely), it spread to Eurasia and North Africa in the mid-1300s, and eventually the plague killed up to one-quarter of the world’s population in about four years. At least 100 million people died. And to think, it was spread by a pest barely visible to the eye. I will spare you the details, but the symptoms of this virus were devastating, and death usually occurred only weeks, sometimes days, after the first symptoms. It was not uncommon for the ill
August 24, 2020
By David Faust When astronauts take untethered space walks, they float in outer space without anything attaching them to the space station. What a feeling of complete freedom! They are untethered and free from all restraints—but in grave danger. I’m sure those astronauts feel relieved when they scramble safely back into the spaceship. They couldn’t survive out there alone. Do you want to be untethered and free from any restraint? Consider what it was like during the raucous era of the Judges. “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6, 21:25)—and that remains
August 15, 2020
What Israel’s Wilderness Wandering Reveals . . . Especially During Challenging Times By Kevin Dooley Oh, to have been numbered among the more than 2 million Israelites delivered from captivity in Egypt once the final plague broke Pharaoh’s resolve. What a thrill to have passed on dry ground between the columns of the Red Sea, and then to have witnessed the end of Pharaoh’s might as the waters closed in on his armies (Exodus 15:1-21). The spectacle that was Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the ensuing 40 years of wandering in the wilderness surely was “breaking news” across every culture
By Dudley Rutherford It’s no secret that California, where I live and pastor, is a blue state when it comes to the voting majority. However, not everyone leans to the left. Here you’ll find not only Democrats, but also Republicans, independents, and everything in between. Our church, Shepherd Church, is located in Southern California and is a reflection of our city’s great diversity. When I stand up to preach each weekend, we have people from every political persuasion, race, socioeconomic status, and background sitting in the audience of our worship center. Unlike many other churches across the country, every political
May 17, 2020
By Melissa Wuske An identity crisis is occurring among many denominational churches today. As they wrestle to define themselves amid the competing voices of denominations and modern culture, the Restoration Movement offers leaders and their churches the freedom, in Christ, to craft an identity that fits who they are as a local body while placing Christ firmly at the center. Shifting Identity Is Nothing New Churches leaving their denominations to become independent Christian churches is not a new phenomenon. “Most of the churches that became [part of] the Stone-Campbell Movement were something else first,” said Tim Cole, executive director of
May 17, 2020
By Jim Estep In ministry, is it more important to be theologically correct or culturally relevant? Every congregation and Christian leader is confronted with this dilemma. Every theological tradition also is caught in the controversy. We all live in the tension between faithfulness to Scripture and relevance to the culture in which we minister . . . between being the church and doing the church’s mission. On one side we shout, “Theologically correct ministry!” As Christian leaders, we obviously need to side with being theologically correct and aligned with Scripture. If not, we fail to heed the warning of Anglican
By Kent E. Fillinger Discipleship is a hot topic in church ministries and global missions today. Churches are placing a greater emphasis on disciple-making. And missionaries are more focused on trying to establish disciple-making movements around the world. As I prepared to write this article, I received an evite to attend a webinar about “discipling people online” in response to the COVID-19 lockdown. In our annual survey, we asked a series of questions about disciple-making processes in churches, and we also asked leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of their efforts. Would you describe your church today as a “disciple-making church”?
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