Articles for tag: Indianapolis

March 12, 2015

Christian Standard

Connecting Churches, Transforming Indy

By Jennifer Johnson Lots of churches in Indianapolis are working to help people in poverty. City Mosaic is helping those churches work together. “We realized many churches were doing their own thing in silos, with no coordinated partnership,” says Stacia Murphy, communications director at City Mosaic. “We exist to connect those churches and help them work together to transform and empower the communities of our city.” The three-year-old organization has developed initiatives in education, housing, job creation, family transformation, and church revitalization to accomplish this goal. Volunteers serve as tutors in several of the city”s elementary schools; church partners and

January 13, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Contributors, Indeed!

By Mark A. Taylor Today is the middle day of this year”s annual CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editors retreat. For all of us who attend it, this is a special gathering that enriches us in a unique way. Of course, personal enrichment is a byproduct of the meeting. Its stated purpose is to brainstorm topics and writers for future editions of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. And this is a purpose that has been wonderfully achieved, year after year. Many of the innovations and changes you”ve seen in the magazine through the years have come at the suggestion (or prodding!) of this group. Several

January 4, 2015

Christian Standard

Child Sponsorship Made Easy

By Jennifer Johnson Bruce Wydick, a professor of economics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, recently reported that sponsoring a child is one of the most effective ways to fight poverty around the world. Now Christian Missionary Fellowship (Indianapolis, IN) is making it easier than ever for churches to involve their members in child sponsorship with its new Start! program. Families, individuals, and groups can all sponsor a child through CMF, and Start! is specifically created to help churches launch events to introduce the concept and connect members to children in need. CMF provides promotional videos, sermon

December 9, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Taking Time

By Mark A. Taylor Too many in the developed, Western world feel trapped in the treadmill of now. They work for companies whose investors demand profit growth this quarter, not next year. They go to doctors and expect a drug to cure their aches and pains today. They rush from work to meetings, sports events, or kids activities with hardly time to eat. So they grab fast food, quick take-out, or an instant dinner from the grocery store shelves full of them. And church leaders are not immune. We expect to see higher giving after a 12-week class, or more

September 6, 2014

Christian Standard

Why Would You Be the President of the NACC?

By Tim Harlow I made a joke the final day of the North American Christian Convention when I appointed my friend Mike Baker as next year”s president. I knighted him with a sword (because Mike and I are weird that way), and then I said, “But I”m keeping the sword””because you might be tempted to fall on it sometime this year.” In case you are wondering, there is no pay involved in being the president. Actually it”s the opposite; your church or organization will likely have to spend money on it, and it will cost you in many ways. Is

August 31, 2014

Christian Standard

2014 NACC: Different & Demanding

By Darrel Rowland It”s hard to say which was the more unusual sight at this year”s North American Christian Convention: the heavy-metal guitarist with waist-length dreadlocks and arms covered by tattoos as a featured speaker or the video of venerable Ben Merold, now 88, playing the Godfather. Or was it the appearance of a beardless Duck Dynasty star? Perhaps the oversized beach balls and foam flying discs tossed into the crowd before several of the services? Or possibly even the NACC president admitting that his primary prayer to God was “not to screw up the work of his Holy Spirit”

July 26, 2014

Christian Standard

Two Kinds of Churches

By Gary Johnson (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) As the lead servant at Indian Creek Christian Church (The Creek) in Indianapolis, I will be forever indebted to the late Dr. Joe Ellis, one of my favorite professors at Cincinnati Christian University. Dr. Ellis told me there are two types of churches: member driven and mission driven.  Member-driven churches account for roughly three out of four churches across America, and the desires of the members drive these congregations.  However, only one of four churches in our nation is on mission to seek and to save

July 24, 2014

Christian Standard

Big Buildings, Big Holes

By Howard R. Brammer (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) A few weeks into my new ministry with Traders Point Christian Church, it became clear we weren”t growing as quickly as anticipated. We told no stories in the church newsletter of rapid growth and large worship service crowds””there were no such stories. Actually there were unprinted accounts of a few people who were leaving. My concern increased to the point that I brought the matter to the attention of church leaders. I didn”t anticipate I would receive timely advice I have applied to many ministry

July 15, 2014

Mark A. Taylor

Recommitted to the Mission

By Mark A. Taylor  A large convention of Jehovah”s Witnesses met last weekend in Indianapolis, on the heels of the North American Christian Convention there Tuesday through Friday. When some JW delegates began arriving on Thursday, a teenager I know said, “I wonder if they”ll go through the hotel, knocking on every door.” We all chuckled, but later I thought, Wouldn”t it be something if OUR movement were known for persistently sharing what we believe about Christ? After last week”s convention, that could happen. President Tim Harlow”s theme for the week was ReMission, a challenge to recommit to the mission

July 5, 2014

Christian Standard

5 Things to Do at the NACC

By Susan Lawrence As usual, the North American Christian Convention is packed with possibilities. You might not know where to begin. If you”ve attended for years, you might drift through this year”s event””July 8 to 11 in Indianapolis””on autopilot. Or, perhaps you want to take in as much as possible, so you”ve highlighted your program to maximize every day from sunrise to well past sunset. Take a deep breath. The NACC isn”t just a program for you to power through. 1. Make eye contact. Notice people around you. Stroll. Sit. Savor. Don”t rush from one session to another and miss

December 20, 2013

Christian Standard

What a Bunch of Hard-core Vegan Pagans Taught Me About Jesus

By Ryan Rasmussen Quite possibly the scariest moment in my life came at age 22, whereupon graduating from Bible college, I was embarking upon my first full-time ministry. I had taken a job as youth pastor at a little church just north of Indianapolis, Indiana. The church sat comfortably between cornfields and was on the outskirts of a blue-collar factory town the Beach Boys used to sing about (Kokomo). The people were nice, the church was great, but I still felt all alone in this new world I had taken by storm. In an effort to kill time and distract

November 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Two Christian College Presidents Announce Resignations

By Jennifer Johnson Two Christian college presidents have announced their resignations: Dr. Keith H. Ray from Lincoln (IL) Christian University and Dr. David Faust from Cincinnati (OH) Christian University. Ray began his administrative career in higher education as dean of students at Dallas Christian College in 1990 and later served as DCC”s president for four years. He began his presidency at LCU in 1998 and will end his service with the school in May. Ray will be moving to St. Louis to work with Christian Homes Inc. in leadership development and external relations. In a letter to the LCU community,

September 3, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

Find Us Faithful, Too!

By Mark A. Taylor “I want that song played at my funeral,” my wife whispered to me as the soaring rendition of Steve Green”s “Find Us Faithful” flowed from the grand piano onstage.  The pianist, Wayne Lundberg, morphed seamlessly into “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” as the auditorium filled for the retirement celebration honoring John and Joyce Samples for 50 years of ministry. About a decade and a half of that has been at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis where we gathered Sunday, August 25. The 75-minute program was full of nostalgia (speakers included an elder from the first church

August 3, 2013

Christian Standard

Indianapolis Church Receives Boost to Enrich Garden

By Jennifer Johnson Englewood Christian Church and the Englewood Community Development Corporation (Indianapolis, IN) planted a community garden years before such projects became trendy, but this year State Farm is giving them $25,000 to take it to another level. “A woman in our congregation keeps an eye out for potential grants, and [she] submitted an application to State Farm Neighborhood Assist on our behalf,” says Chris Smith, a member of Englewood Christian Church and editor of The Englewood Review of Books. “The 3,000 entries were eventually narrowed down to 40 winners, chosen in part by voting on Facebook. We were

July 2, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Aaron Brockett

AARON BROCKETT Lead pastor,  Traders Point Christian Church,  Indianapolis, Indiana “Masterful” was the only word in the e-mail I sent to Aaron on a Monday morning to comment on his sermon of the day before. It was the best word I could think of to express appreciation and to convey encouragement. Actually, there are many Monday mornings that this procedure could be repeated without becoming trite or overused. Aaron”s teaching is relevant while firmly grounded in Jesus and his story . . . lengthy but highly engaging . . . delivered without notes yet extremely well-prepared. He is straightforward but

June 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Set Free

By Tom Ellsworth The Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis is an impressive place to visit; its rotunda and artwork are beautiful. Among its many commemorative statues is a bust of Col. Richard Owen, commandant of Camp Morton, a facility in Indianapolis that housed Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. The bust is more than just a statuette, it is a unique memorial. Prisoner of war camps during the Civil War were horrendous places in both the North and South. Perhaps the most infamous was Camp Sumter military prison in Georgia, better known as Andersonville Prison. Nearly 13,000 Union soldiers

March 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Class in the City

By Dave Smith For almost six years, students from Ozark Christian College have attended class in New York City. They have overcome their fear of urban areas, learned from diverse church leaders, and begun to discover their fit in this globalized world. This journey from Joplin, Missouri, to New York City traveled by way of California. In 2000, Ken Idleman, Ozark Christian College”s president at the time, took a one-year sabbatical to help his son, Kyle, plant a church in Southern California. President Idleman experienced firsthand how God uses new churches to reach people far from God. He returned to

January 6, 2013

Christian Standard

How Do You Define Your Leadership? Mike Crull

By Mike Crull The nature and style of my leadership is best described as service and goal oriented. I strive to lead by clarifying and modeling the stated mission, values, and objectives of the Christian faith and practices seen in the life of Jesus Christ and prescribed in Scripture. In so doing, I first and foremost try to lead by example, modeling the essential expectations of the Christian faith, but also the mission and purpose of the organization, ministry, and community of people I serve and live within. My leadership strengths include being direct, focused, grounded, stable, and someone who

December 1, 2012

Christian Standard

ICOM 2012: Radical . . . Again

By Dave Butts “Radical . . . Again.” The theme for the 2012 International Conference on Missions (ICOM) November 15-18, was more than a clever title pulled from a popular Christian book. It was an apt description of a conference committed to challenging Christians to meet the needs of an increasingly desperate world in every way possible. Preaching, workshops, worship, exhibits, and service projects combined to call those thousands who attended to deeper levels of global impacting discipleship. It was appropriate the inaugural meeting of ICOM, formerly the National Missionary Convention, was in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Convention Center is always

October 11, 2012

Christian Standard

Leaders Are Readers

By Mark A. Taylor Buying books is cheaper than changing ministries. So goes the advice often attributed to Russ Blowers when he was minister of East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis. But are young leaders today heeding the advice? All of us following a leader hope so! We want our leaders to know more than what they find on Facebook or ESPN. We need to hear more from our preachers than their own experiences. We expect our teachers to challenge us with ideas loftier than their own. We need those helping us live the Christian life to examine the

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