Articles for tag: House Church

April 1, 2021

OneIN Uses Trusted Links to Partner with Nationals and Spread the Gospel

Shampa sat next to her husband, Mukul, in their apartment in Calcutta, India. Their neighbor sat across from them, nervously describing how the company he had worked for as a day laborer had closed due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Money was scarce before the lockdowns, but now survival would be nearly impossible. This man was a member of the house church Shampa and Mukul had started, and here he was, struggling right in front of them. Shampa glanced at Mukul. She looked back at their neighbor. “As long as the lockdown continues, you and your family can come and have

January 23, 2014

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

A Conversation with Randy Gariss

Interview by Jennifer Johnson Last time we talked, you”d just finished a sabbatical. How has it changed you and the church? We decided on my six-months sabbatical partly to give me prep time for the next five to eight years, because all leaders need some extended time to study and refill the well. But the other reason is no congregation accidentally gets younger. There are four of us on staff who had been here 25 years or longer, and that wasn”t setting us up for the future. Clearly, we”re not a “throw-out-the-old” type of church. But you only get younger

November 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Urban Ministry in Lansing

By Kendi Howells Douglas Lansing, Michigan, is a city of about 115,000 with a median income of $35,000. The population is 61.2 percent white, 23.7 percent black, 12.5 percent Hispanic, and 3.7 percent Asian1. The car industry town has seen economic hardships the past few years, with increasing unemployment, crime, domestic violence, single-parent homes, school closings, and many health care and education issues, among others. As in most towns, there are areas that seemingly are ignored, forgotten, or plain invisible. Delta Community Christian Church decided to go to one of those forgotten neighborhoods. Delta is a house church of about

November 22, 2010

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Standing with Jesus in Urban Chaos

By Ash Barker On the morning of May 19, all hell broke loose across Bangkok. While more than 1,000 people were injured and over 50 died in the two months leading up to this day, May 19 was the most violent, bloody climax imaginable. Not far from our slum house””just a few-minutes walk away””a mob was using grenades, M-16s, and machetes to fight the army and loot convenience stores, luxury shopping malls, and banks. By midday, the crazed mob was inching ever closer to our slum. I looked up from the Klong Toey Community Centre and saw plumes of smoke

September 16, 2010

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

MEDIUM-SIZED CHURCHES: Preacher Paints Grace in a Fresh Way

By Kent E. Fillinger Preacher Paints Grace in a Fresh Way “We”re not great at anything, and everything here is a work in progress,” says senior minister Mike Gunderson. In spite of various internal challenges, Oak Park Christian Church in Grover Beach, California, was the fastest-growing medium-sized church last year, growing 42 percent and breaking the 200 barrier. Since 2008, Oak Park has grown 53 percent to an average worship attendance of 266. Oak Park is located near Pismo Beach in an isolated, affluent, and growing retirement community of 45,000 people. There are only two other small Christian churches in

November 30, 2005

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

What Kind of Church Are You?

“Can your kind of church change your kind of world?” Drawing from a profile of 113 megachurches and emerging megachurches, this piece highlights growth trends and indicators to help leaders improve church health and effectiveness.