Articles for tag: Jennifer Johnson

March 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Aid to Stick

By Jennifer Johnson Why do we always want to Band-Aid the solution? Never mind. I know why. Whether it”s homelessness or abortion or violence in schools, it”s easier to organize a sock giveaway, stand on a picket line, or bicker about gun control than to address the systemic social issues that first led to the problem. I relearned this a few months ago when interviewing my friend Becky Ahlberg about My Safe Harbor, a nonprofit she (and Anaheim First Christian Church) launched in 2008 to serve a city ravaged by gang violence, crime, and poverty. It might have been easier

March 9, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Compelled to Do More

By Jennifer Johnson “Williamsburg, Virginia, is a wonderful place to live, a place full of history and beauty,” says Fred Liggin. “It”s also a city that”s in denial about its homeless population and its deep poverty.” Several years ago a family showed up at Williamsburg Christian Church asking for a place to stay overnight. Liggin, who serves as WCC”s lead minister, felt compelled to do more. “I decided we”d have to do better than a room for the night, because Jesus would not want this family and their little baby to go back on the streets,” he says. “I had

March 7, 2014

Christian Standard

Your NACC Planner

By Jennifer Johnson In American Religion: Contemporary Trends, author Mark Chaves reports the percentage of people in the United States who say they “never” attend church has risen steadily over the last 30 years, and that if current trends continue, we will soon be a “Protestant-minority” country. Warren Bird, director of research for Leadership Network, recently blogged that 125 million Americans””more than 1 out of 3″”haven”t attended any religious services in the last year, and writes, “That number alone would be the 10th largest country in the world!” At this year”s North American Christian Convention, President Tim Harlow will challenge

January 31, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Partnership Opening Doors to China

By Jennifer Johnson The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that China sends more students to study in the United States than any other country””and some of them now study with Lincoln (IL) Christian University. In 2008, LCU began partnering with the American China Civic Exchange to meet the needs of Christian students and churches in China. Today the school”s China Institute offers beginning English study, seminars, training classes, and summer camp experiences as well as two- and four-year college degree programs. “We think of the China Institute as a gateway for these students,” says Dr. James Estep, dean of the

January 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Spiritual Gifts Theology & Bible

Re:gifting

By Jennifer Johnson According to Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians, each Christian has been given a spiritual gift as evidence of the Holy Spirit working in his life, and each gift is intended to build up and serve the church. Love that. What I don”t love is that I cannot, for the life of me, figure out my gift. I”ve done all the tests and they”re inconclusive at best””some say one thing, some say another. It”s entirely possible the tests are flawed, not the principle, or that the problem is with me. Then again, many generations of believers built the

January 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Getting Involved

By Jennifer Johnson Like many churches, West Side Christian Church (Springfield, IL) constantly needs volunteers. Unlike many churches, West Side recently focused an entire weekend on creatively and intentionally connecting people with ministry opportunities””and today 50 percent of their adults serve at church in some way. “The volunteering emphasis was part of our “˜Cannonball” initiative, which shared our vision for what God”s calling us to as a church and challenged people to go “˜all in” with their faith,” says Melissa Sandel, director of ministries. Sandel and her team focused on removing barriers and making it as easy as possible for

January 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

A Conversation with Jim Tune

By Jennifer Johnson Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we talk with Jim Tune, senior minister with Churchill Meadows Christian Church in Toronto, Canada, and director of Impact Canada about why he still believes in the Restoration Movement and thinks you should, too. You”ve developed this reputation as “the Restoration Movement guy.” And I”ve always appreciated your balanced perspective on it; on the one hand, you live in a post-Christian country and you”re more interested in telling people about Jesus than engaging in doctrinal battles. At the same time, you have a high value for the movement. What”s the story

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

January 14, 2014

Christian Living

Not Hiding, but Seeking

By Mark A. Taylor If you follow contributing editor Jennifer Johnson”s blog, then you”ve probably already enjoyed a chuckle from a link she posted there last week. If not, go now to “21 Brilliant Little Children Who Have Absolutely Mastered the Game of Hide and Seek,” and then please come back. The delight of the pictures is the tendency of toddlers to think they”re hidden if they cover their heads. There they are under the bedspread or behind a sofa cushion or wearing a lampshade, with feet or hands and arms all sticking out in plain sight. But they can”t

January 2, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Neighbor Saving

By Jennifer Johnson My favorite neighbors are the Jewish couple next door. This is not because they are the only neighbors I know, although that, also, is true. But even if I knew everyone on our street I would still adore the Needlemans and their squishy, smiley, 1-year-old twins. This weekend we”re taking care of their two black labs; when Matt and I travel in a few weeks they”ll look in on our own ginormous dog. This past summer our times together included an impromptu Memorial Day cookout, a cozy Sunday evening with the kids, and a trying but ultimately

January 2, 2014

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

Extending Our Hand All the Way

By Frank Shirvinski (In this column,Â Frank Shirvinski, senior minister at Chaparral Christian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, writes about the church”s initiatives to connect with its local interfaith community.) Our relationship with the Jewish community in Scottsdale started a number of years ago with the release of The Passion of the Christ. When [Mel] Gibson”s movie came to town, two synagogues and two churches took the opportunity to present a joint screening, followed by a panel discussion with local clergy. The theater was sold out””and the discussion was greatly appreciated by an audience both interested in and concerned about the state

December 26, 2013

Christian Standard

Colleges & Seminaries Organizations & Events

A Conversation with Phyllis Fox

Meet Our Contributing Editors:Â This month we talk with Phyllis Fox, director of church relations and Youth in Ministry at Milligan College in Tennessee, about young leaders, broken kids, and the future of the church. Interview by Jennifer Johnson You wear a couple of hats””let”s start with your role in church relations at Milligan. Church relations is an opportunity for us to be in touch with the churches that support the mission of the college. The money these churches give totally supports student scholarships, so my role is enhancing those relationships, and even more importantly, to serve those churches in significant

December 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

Institute Completing First Term

By Jennifer Johnson This month, adults of every age and from every background are completing their first term at the Eastside Institute for Spiritual Growth and Leadership, a new educational initiative created by Eastside Christian Church and Hope International University. The two Fullerton, CA, ministries have partnered to develop a two-year, four-term “night school” that introduces students to the Bible, the character and nature of God, his covenant, the teachings of Jesus, the mis-sion of the church, and more. “The Institute is providing three things,” says Charles Stoicu, director. “One is a focus on Bible knowledge””many people are biblically “˜illiterate,”

December 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Race

On the March

By Jennifer Johnson This August, Matt and I took the kids to Washington, D.C., for several days of museums and merriment. (A tip: if you have kids, the single best thing you can ever spend money on in your entire life is a hotel room with a set of bunk beds and a second TV.) Because we are rock stars at planning, our week in the city happened to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, which meant visiting the Lincoln Memorial with 9 trillion extra people. It also meant that on the morning of the event,

December 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Planting

Sometimes the Best Things Aren”t Planned

By Jennifer Johnson “We didn”t set out to recruit three African-American church planters for our 2014 plants,” says Brent Storms, president of the Orchard Group, a church planting organization based in New York City. “Our goal is always to find the very best young leaders, and Watson, Jordan, and Derrick were simply the right people.” Watson Jones will plant in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, an area rich in history and diversity, but with little church attendance and a growing Islamic community. Jordan Rice, currently a leadership resident at Forefront Church in Manhattan, will start a church in Harlem, once

November 11, 2013

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

A Conversation with Doug Priest

Meet Our Contributing Editors: This month we talk with Doug Priest, executive directorÂ of Christian Missionary Fellowship International, about missions trends, short-term missions trips, and the worldwide multiplication of urban squatters. Interview by Jennifer Johnson How did you get started in missions? My parents went to Ethiopia as missionaries before I began high school. We first heard about it when I was a sixth-grader, and I said, “Oh boy, I get to be Tarzan!” My younger sister was very excited because she wanted a monkey. (She actually did have a pet baboon for a while.) I attended a very good boarding

November 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Colleges & Seminaries Organizations & Events

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,

October 28, 2013

Christian Standard

Becoming the “˜Go-To” Church

By Jennifer Johnson “We were doing missional before it was cool,” says Becky Ahlberg with a smile. In 2005, Anaheim (California) First Christian Church decided to stay in its rapidly changing neighborhood, connect with its residents, and work strategically to be part of the solution. Since then the church has elevated its community profile and even founded My Safe Harbor, a nonprofit ministry that empowers low-income single moms with relationships, life skills training, and personal development. Through its own relationship building, the church also has strong partnerships with a variety of community agencies, the school district, city government, and the

October 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

Educating Ministers as They Serve

By Jennifer Johnson “Old methods of seminary training assume an outdated model that”s primarily baptizing, marrying, and burying,” says Mark Love, dean of the School of Theology and Ministry at Rochester College (Rochester Hills, MI). “But we don”t live in that world anymore. We need to be teaching students how to read a culture and relate to it as missionaries.” To this end, Love created the Master of Religious Education in Missional Leadership, a two-year, 36-hour program designed to educate students while they serve in a local ministry. “Their ministry context is their primary classroom,” Love says. “So we combine

October 4, 2013

Christian Standard

Adoption & Foster Care Family & Relationships

Extra Time, Attention a Step in Right Direction

By Jennifer Johnson Raise your hand if you”ve ever felt guilty because you don”t want to be a foster parent. I firmly believe Christians should be leading the way in fostering the needy kids in our communities. In fact, one of the moments I knew I wanted to marry Matt was when he initiated a conversation, during a road trip a few months before our actual engagement, about being foster parents someday. But fostering is not for everyone, and it”s certainly not for everyone at every time. Matt and I just wrapped up a successful first year of a new