Do It Again, Lord
Habakkuk prayed for God to repeat his mighty deeds and remember mercy. This Communion meditation points us to Jesus’ one-time sacrifice—the bread and cup reminding us why he went to the cross.
Articles for tag: Indiana
April 6, 2026
Uncommon Men’s Conference 2026 Fort Branch
Uncommon Men’s Conference is a men’s event hosted locally by participating churches across the country. Each conference is designed to encourage men through biblical teaching, fellowship, and practical challenge for faithful Christian living. Registration is managed directly through the local host site.
April 6, 2026
DiscipleShift 2026 Brownsburg
DiscipleShift 2026 is a two-day hands-on training experience designed to help pastors and church leaders make disciples of Jesus through authentic relationships. The event focuses on intentional leadership, relational disciple-making, small-group environments, alignment around a common mission, and building a disciple-making culture within the church.
July 1, 2023
What the Restoration Movement Should Learn from Bud Light
By Jerry Harris Earlier this year, it seemed the whole country was caught up in the cancellation of Bud Light, America’s best-selling beer. The turmoil resulted from a promotion that connected the brand to Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender TikTok influencer; Bud Light sent personalized beer cans to Mulvaney celebrating both March Madness and Mulvaney’s yearlong transition to identify as a woman. Mulvaney’s videos on social media triggered a backlash that caused many Bud Light beer drinkers to reject the iconic brand. In just a few weeks, Anheuser-Busch lost $5 billion in market value, 17 percent in sales, and 21 percent
IDES Planning 50th Anniversary Open House (Plus News Briefs)
International Disaster Emergency Service—better known as IDES—will celebrate 50 years of sharing help and hope worldwide on July 8 with an open house and a 5-kilometer walk and run. Plus additional news briefs from ICOM, Great Lakes Christian College, Ozark Christian College, and more. . . .
September 12, 2022
Ministry to Combat Vets in Indiana Plans Major Retreat Center
Point Man of Newburgh—an Indiana ministry that helps combat veterans returning from war—is moving toward purchasing and developing a $4.5 million retreat center. The project is a monumental one for the 13-year-old nonprofit organization that got its start with the help of Crossroads Christian Church in Newburgh, Ind.
2|42 Community Church Calls New Senior Pastor
Tony Johnson has been called to serve as the new senior pastor of 2|42 Community Church, a multisite church of about 10,000 with locations in seven southeast and central Michigan cities and suburban towns.
October 22, 2020
Renegade Preachers
The “Throwback Thursday” online feature from Christian Standard’s archive has been on hiatus for a few months. We hope it was missed. We resume the feature this week with a short item about punishing “renegade preachers” that appeared in our pages exactly 150 years ago today. _ _ _ MICHIGAN CONVENTION—RENEGADE PREACHERS Oct. 22, 1870; p. 3 It will be remembered that one J.H. Davis was dismissed from the Franklin, Ind., Church in May, 1869, and was published for “lying, hypocrisy, and for keeping company with bad men and women generally.” About a year ago he retired to Michigan, and
February 22, 2020
Can Online Churches Create Offline Connections?
Three Churches Share Stories from the “Wild West”of Worship on the World Wide Web By Justin Horey From smartphones to social media, Facebook to FaceTime, the Internet and the tools we use to access it are often advertised as ways to help people relate to one another. Dating apps and websites aim to bring people together in person, while social media platforms and videoconferencing were created to help people stay in touch when they can’t be together in the same room. Technology experts and ordinary people alike love to debate the effectiveness of relating with online tools, but these tools
January 22, 2020
Traders Point, Southeast Starting New Campuses This Year
Megachurches in Indiana and Kentucky are starting new campuses this year. The new Midtown Campus of Traders Point Christian Church launched in a temporary space in Indianapolis this past Sunday. TPCC has purchased a former grocery store to house the Midtown Campus, with services likely to begin there in 2021. The church spent $7.6 million to purchase a 57,000-square-foot former Marsh Supermarket that sits on a 6.6-acre parcel, according to the Indianapolis Star. Planned improvements there include creation of an 800-seat auditorium. TPCC also plans to launch its new Northeast Campus in Fishers, Ind., on Feb. 23, also in a
January 2, 2020
Your Medical Debt Has Been Forgiven
How Churches Are Erasing Health Care Obligations for Thousands of Families in Need _ _ _ “I was sick and you looked after me.“ _ _ _ By Justin Horey Julie was a single mother of two when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her health insurance helped cover the cost of treatments that ultimately put the disease in remission, but she was still left with $18,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses. Despite the generosity of family members and her own personal commitment to making installment payments on the various bills, Julie was unable to pay it all. Like the estimated
December 31, 2019
New Things
By Stuart Powell A spirit of optimism permeates our culture at the beginning of every year. The idea of newness is everywhere. However, it seems the “newness” quickly fades. Our government is still in strife. Our boss still makes unreasonable demands. Most of our resolutions are quickly broken. The temptations and sins that plagued us last year haven’t vanished. The old stuff that caused us to long for last year to end looks amazingly similar to the new stuff in our New Year. Israelites in Isaiah’s day faced similar struggles against the sinfulness of their age. They looked to God
December 18, 2019
Even after 25 Years, Churches Welcome Thousands for ‘Journey to Bethlehem’
By Chris Moon Another year, another “Journey to Bethlehem.” For some Restoration Movement churches, the “Journey” is a tradition that has spanned decades. Christian Standard found two churches that have been at it for at least 25 years—New Hope Christian Church in Washington, Ind., and Capital City Christian Church in Jefferson City, Mo. “Things kind of gain a life of their own,” said Joe Coquillard, lead pastor of New Hope, which held its 25th annual “Journey to Bethlehem” last weekend. He said 1,791 people participated in the interactive Nativity that guides participants through a series of scenes that tell the
August 22, 2019
A Little Boy’s Prayer
By Micah Stephen Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day. Not because of my kids going to sleep, but because I get to wrap up the day with them. On one particular evening, however, as I walked across that squeaky old floor toward the kids’ bedroom, I was hoping bedtime would be easy. The routine includes a story, a quick prayer, kisses goodnight, and saying “I love you” to one another. At bedtime, I can forget my daily stress. No bills. No problem-solving. But, for whatever reason, on this night I just wanted “me” time. Little did
August 22, 2019
THE BIG CHALLENGE FACING SMALL CHURCHES (8): The Future
By Jerran Jackson Rural churches have faced many challenges, and they will face many more. We have highlighted possible solutions in these articles. While your church may be doing well right now, it’s not inconceivable it could be forced to close its doors within the next 20 years. The best mind-set is a willingness to join Jesus in new adventures. The future for your church might include part-time ministers, mergers, and hiring from within. It’s important to openly discuss and pray about what might be necessary and best for the kingdom. It’s also important to try new approaches. If the
June 22, 2019
2018 Fast Facts about Large and Medium Churches
These statistics from 2018 are gleaned from large and medium church data collected by Kent Fillinger. Be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “2018 Special Church Report, Part 2: Large and Medium Churches,” and look at the accompanying tables, “The 2018 Charts: Large and Medium Churches.” _ _ _ AVERAGE ATTENDANCE Large Churches: 691 Medium Churches: 358 Combined average weekly attendance (174 churches): 91,595 _ _ _ GROWTH RATES Large Churches: 1.9% (down from 2.9% in 2017); overall, 52% of large churches grew (down from 56% in 2017) Medium churches: 3.7% (up from 1.3% in 2017); overall, 60% of medium churches
Effective Preaching
Cecil J. “C. J.” Sharp wrote hundreds of articles that appeared in Christian Standard through the years. The first appeared in 1912, while he was still minister with First Christian Church in Hammond, Ind., which he served from about 1903 through 1929. Prior to that, he was a high school principal. He joined Standard Publishingâformer parent company of Christian Standardâin January 1930 as head of the Teacher Training Department. He retired in 1951. At the time of his death in 1953, his New Training for Service had sold more than 250,000 copies. Sharpâ™s version of that book dates to 1934,
February 26, 2019
IN THE ARENA: Should Churches Embrace and Utilize Debt? (YES)
By Matt Merold There are benefits that come when a church uses debt. Rich and wise Solomon, who wrote some of the strongest warnings against debt, took out a 20-year loan of sorts to help build God’s temple (1 Kings 9:10, 11). Certainly the Bible cautions us about being in debt. Scripture describes what may happen if we borrow money and fail to pay it back. Most of the counsel about financial debt in Scripture paints a picture of the rich exploiting the poor. However, it doesn’t say much about those who calculate the cost, take out a loan, and
July 31, 2018
Southwest Indiana Restoration Preaching Rally
Here is a poster for the upcoming Southwest Indiana Restoration Preaching Rally.
SPOTLIGHT: Northside Christian Church, New Albany, Indiana
Former senior pastor George Ross and his son, Nate Ross, switch roles. By Andy Rector In 1999, when George Ross arrived at Northside Christian Church in New Albany, Indiana, the congregation had been without a lead pastor for 14 months. During the interim, attendance had grown 12 percent. That fact impressed upon Ross that Northside was fertile soil. After spending more than a decade with the church, Ross was nearing retirement age, and he knew church leaders faced an important decision. What should Northside’s next step be? “Did Northside need something different from me?” Ross said. “I talked with
