January 1, 2026
Elders! Help Put the “Success” in Succession!
If succession is not done effectively, it may result in the loss of momentum, people, resources, and more. Fully engaged elders help put the “success” in succession.
Articles for tag: Indian Creek Christian Church
December 31, 2024
Churches Stepping Up: How Local Churches Are Developing Elders
It’s time to hand the keys of leadership to the next generation of elders and watch them accomplish more for our King’s kingdom than we ever thought possible.
October 31, 2024
Elders are Mission Servant-Leaders
There has been no finer servant leader than Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus called people to serve him then, and he calls people to serve him now.
March 1, 2024
Oldest Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
A listing of Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ started before 1860 . . .
November 15, 2023
Readers Help to Double Size of Oldest Independent Christian Church Listing
From almost the moment we posted a list of the oldest Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ still meeting for worship each week, we began receiving updates to our list from readers. The list of churches that started before 1860 stood at 51 when we posted it on Nov. 1. Since then, it has grown to 105. . . .
August 15, 2020
Thinking Forward, Moving Forward
3 Church-Leader Challenges as We Merge onto the Virtual Highway By Gary L. Johnson Earlier this year, COVID-19 drove news reports. Every day, every media outlet reported on some aspect of the coronavirus and its impact on our lives. One news story caught my attention. It reported how teenagers had completed driver’s education training, but because of social distancing, their required road tests were waived. That story brought back memories of my driving test. After pulling out of the parking lot and into traffic, the examiner had me drive through busy streets and residential areas. I even had to parallel
August 5, 2020
Best Christian Workplaces Listed (Plus News Briefs)
Compiled by Jim Nieman The Best Christian Workplace Institute has honored 76 faith-based organizations as Certified Best Christian Workplaces for 2020. Among those churches, mission organizations, and parachurch ministries honored: • 2|42 Community Church, Brighton, Mich. • Canyon Ridge Christian Church, Las Vegas, Nev. • Compass Christian Church, Chandler, Ariz. • Northridge Christian Church, Milledgeville, Ga. • StoneBridge Christian Church, Omaha, Neb. • CDF Capital, Irvine, Calif. • Christian Children’s Home of Ohio, Wooster, Ohio • Cookson Hills, Kansas, Okla. _ _ _ News Briefs Hope International University, Fullerton, Calif., will begin fall semester in a remote learning arrangement. In
March 15, 2020
Resurrection Sunday: A Way to Live
By Gary L. Johnson Several important American holidays are for the purpose of remembering. Memorial Day is set aside so we can remember our war dead, whereas Veterans Day is for remembering the men and women who served in our nation’s military. A grand remembrance happens every July 4 as we celebrate our nation’s independence. We have religious holidays—Christmas and Easter—to remember the birth of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Yet, Easter is more than a holiday marked with ham dinners and Easter egg hunts. It’s more than a day to fill baskets with candy and churches with
December 14, 2019
Children Matter . . . All Year Long
By Gary L. Johnson “Christmas is for children,” declares one song of the season. We can see the truth of that statement in society simply by observing parents and grandparents as they buy gifts to make children’s Christmas wishes come true. As elders, we understand the importance of children all year round. We have a serious problem in the church that will directly impact the next generation and can claim the spiritual lives of countless people. Elder teams must respond quickly with strength and wisdom from God so we can avert this crisis. The Problem Elders need to be keenly
December 2, 2019
The Threefold Trust Given to Elders
By Gary L. Johnson Long before I went to seminary, I earned a degree in finance and worked as a commercial loan officer. I enjoyed everything about the banking environment, from the people to the processes to the policies. Many banks use the word trust in their names, such as First National Bank & Trust. It should be no surprise, then, that one of the many services banks provide is the management of trust accounts. Banks typically have a trust department where workers oversee assets entrusted to the bank. A trust department can manage thousands of trust accounts worth hundreds
April 25, 2019
Three Ways Elders Must Respond to the Next-Generation Crisis
By Gary L. Johnson I hadn’t finished breakfast and had already heard of three crises facing our nation. One news commentator spoke of the growing crisis at our southern border, while other reporters spoke of global warming and opioid crises. And some commentators questioned whether these were crises at all. It caused me to think of a real crisis facing us as Christians: How does the church reach and keep the next generation for Christ? In recent years, we’ve experienced a definite decline in the number of young people coming to Christ, while increasing numbers of Christian young people have
April 17, 2019
Church Helps Workers after Restaurant Fire (Plus News Briefs)
Compiled by Chris Moon and Jim Nieman Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio, is helping about 50 employees of a local restaurant that suffered a kitchen fire earlier this year. The church has been holding weekly fish fry fund-raisers during Lent for Kreimer’s Bier Haus, a German-American restaurant just down the street from the church. The restaurant’s kitchen caught fire in January and the eatery has been closed for renovations since then. “Mark Kreimer, the owner, is a very good friend and part of our church,” said executive minister Jess Adkins. “We were trying to see how we could
February 2, 2019
3-D Church Finances
By Gary Johnson Most Americans welcomed in the new year by making a resolution. By far, the most popular resolution is to lose weight by exercising more and going on a diet, and most of us do not enjoy either of those. Likewise, money issues are a necessary part of church life that needs periodic attention. As elders, we enjoy dealing with church finances about as much as we enjoy diet and exercise. Like it or not, money is an everyday aspect of ministry. Bills (salaries, utilities, insurance premiums) must be paid. Missionaries need our support, and ministry programs must
December 19, 2018
Johnson, e2 Headed to India to Lead Elder Training
By Jim Nieman Gary Johnson of e2: effective elders is excited to offer a three-day Elders’ Conference early next year in India, at Ajai Lall’s suggestion, for church leaders from six Asian countries. “This is e2’s first venture into a cross-cultural elder setting,” Johnson said. “The men will leave with both biblical and practical ways to recruit, train, and release elders to lead courageously for God’s glory.” The groundwork for this training venture was laid earlier this year when Lall, founder and director of Central India Christian Mission, suggested it during Johnson’s visit there. “There has never been a meeting like this,” Lall told
December 2, 2018
Joy to the Church Leaders
How to Break Out of Seasonal Stress to Experience the Joy of Jesus This Christmas Compiled by Justin Horey Joy is more than the subject of a classic Christmas carol. Joy is an integral part of the Christmas story. It was “good news of great joy” that the angels announced to the shepherds outside Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. Ironically, the trappings and traditions of the modern Christmas season can threaten to steal our joy at a time when we should be celebrating Christ’s birth. This is even true—perhaps especially true—for those in full-time ministry. From staff parties
October 25, 2018
Living as Missionaries
By Gary L. Johnson “Clean your room.” Do you remember saying that to your child or being told that by a parent? It’s straightforward. Clear. Easily understood. A parent simply expects the child to clean his or her room. Nothing more. As a dad, I remember telling my sons to “clean your room” over and over again. Yet, instead of actually cleaning their rooms, what if my sons gathered their friends together and discussed what “cleaning your room” means, or they spoke of various cleaning methods, or even memorized the phrase, “Clean your room.” As a dad, all I wanted
August 27, 2018
Three ‘Plays’ for Elders in Urban Churches
By Gary L. Johnson The very first church was in the heart of a world capital. Thousands of people were part of “First Christian Church—Jerusalem.” In every sense of the word, FCC—Jerusalem was an urban church. Members worked and lived in close quarters, on streets teeming with thousands of people who were not fellow believers in Jesus Christ. These first-century believers were strong salt and bright light to their family members, neighbors, coworkers, and friends who had rejected Jesus. Some things never change. Many of us live in cities teeming with people who are far from God. The churches we
August 4, 2018
Back to School
By Gary L. Johnson It’s a busy time of year when tens of millions of students return to classrooms. The cycle of learning ramps up in the late summer every year. Student recruitment, by contrast, is one practice in higher education that never seems to slow. Universities invest time, money, and effort to recruit students who exhibit tremendous potential as scholars, artists, and athletes. Competition for outstanding students is fierce among universities; all schools want to fill their dormitories and classrooms. It’s never ending. Recruit. Vet. Educate. In the church, elders need to recognize that a similar focus on recruiting
Church Hosts 18 Different Camps for Kids (plus News Briefs)
By Chris Moon Summer has been a little more fun this year in Independence, KY. Nicholson Christian Church is hosting 18 different children’s camps throughout the summer for kids in the community. The camps are dedicated to such things as volleyball, engineering, woodworking, scrapbooking, basic first aid, tae kwon do, “Whodunnit,” food decorating, basketball, archery, Legos, dance, music, and soccer. The church is also hosting a weeklong theater camp for kids of all ages that will culminate in a production of the Broadway musical Mary Poppins at 7 p.m. this Friday. ________ NEWS BRIEFS Cincinnati Christian University hosted a celebration
April 4, 2018
An Every-Day Resurrection Day Church
By Gary L. Johnson Another Easter weekend has come and gone. Packed worship services were exciting. Music and preaching stirred our celebration of Jesus raised from the dead. And we reveled as we witnessed people being baptized into Christ. It’s no wonder Resurrection Sunday is considered the pinnacle weekend of the year for Christians. What if we could experience Easter weekend every weekend? It seems the first-century church in Jerusalem had a Resurrection Sunday experience not only on the Lord’s Day, but every day, as “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Can
