Articles for tag: Jennifer Johnson

November 20, 2016

Christian Standard

Studying the City: Ozark Christian College

By Jennifer Johnson Several of the colleges and universities affiliated with our movement understand the need to reach their own cities while preparing students for an urban future. Here”s what one of them is doing. ________ OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Joplin, Missouri At first glance, Ozark seems an unlikely place to study urban ministry. “Most of our students come from small-to-medium-size towns,” says Mike Ackerman, professor of church planting and New Testament. “Some of them have never even been to a large city. But we need to care about cities because the world is moving to cities.” Previous study opportunities included

November 19, 2016

Christian Standard

Studying the City: Johnson University

By Jennifer Johnson Several of the colleges and universities affiliated with our movement understand the need to reach their own cities while preparing students for an urban future. Here”s what one of them is doing. ________ JOHNSON UNIVERSITY Knoxville, Tennessee, & Kissimmee, Florida Across the country, Johnson University has developed a variety of programs for its own students, for local high school and middle school students, and for the surrounding communities. In Knoxville, Kenny Woodhull leads the Urban Alliance, a Johnson initiative that partners with local organizations to offer educational experiences, mentoring, and leadership development. “A few years ago, a

November 14, 2016

Christian Standard

Lipscomb Takes Students to Prison

By Jennifer Johnson Leading Bible studies in prison? Old news. Coordinating worship services in prison? No problem. But holding college classes in prison””for both inmates and traditional students? Since 2007, Lipscomb University”s LIFE program””short for Lipscomb Initiative For Education“”has brought undergraduate students from its Nashville campus to the Tennessee Prison for Women, also in Nashville, to learn everything from conflict management to business communication””and to learn from each other. “I often quote the old biblical passage about “˜silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you,”” says Dr. Richard Goode, professor of history at Lipscomb and

November 5, 2016

Christian Standard

My One Life

By Jennifer Johnson I have been a Christian for 28 years, and I have not led anyone to Christ. It is painful to admit that. There were no “prodigal years” in my youth when I got off track with my faith. I never left the church, and my good friends who aren”t Christians know that I am. But I have never brought anyone into a relationship with Jesus. I don”t like that, but it”s true. When I talked to Jeff Vines about OneLife, an initiative that challenges every person to bring someone to Christ every 12 months, he quoted Andy

November 4, 2016

Christian Standard

Leveraging One-on-One Relationships for Christ

By Jennifer Johnson Jeff Vines, lead pastor at Christ”s Church of the Valley (CCV) in San Dimas, California, was a missionary in New Zealand for 10 years. In the first four years of his ministry at Shore Community Christian Church in Auckland, he grew the congregation from 350 people to more than 1,000 by challenging people to connect with “one life.” Today the same strategies are bringing growth to CCV as a whole and to many of its members. “New Zealand is a post-Christian nation,” Vines says. “I quickly learned that the best way to evangelize in that culture is

October 24, 2016

Christian Standard

The Sisterhood

By Jennifer Johnson A few years ago I planned a special event for women in ministry, open to any lady on staff at a church or parachurch organization. A few guys I know found it hard to understand. “So it”s a women”s ministry event?” “Not exactly. It”s for women who are in ministry.” “Oh, you mean like women married to pastors?” No. I don”t have anything against celebrating women or pastor”s wives (I happen to be both) but that”s not the audience I”m most interested in. Those groups enjoy plenty of conferences, blogs, and books developed especially for them. However,

October 23, 2016

Christian Standard

Helping Women Live Well, Lead Well

By Jennifer Johnson Blessing Ranch (New Port Richey, FL) is well known for its intensive counseling services and spiritual formation work with pastors and their families. Facilitating personal transformation is at the core of what they do, and now with “Beyond Her Story” they”re hoping to multiply that work among women across the country. “Over the last year or two I started feeling like God was leading us to make more efforts to reach women in ministry,” says Dr. Charity Walker-Byers, executive director of clinical services at Blessing Ranch. “We”ve worked with women in leadership here in the United States

October 21, 2016

Christian Standard

It Takes a Library: An Interview with C. Christopher Smith

By Jennifer Johnson In Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish, C. Christopher Smith makes a compelling case for the importance of reading as he discusses our reading with others and using what we”ve learned to discern our call and our identity as faith communities.  CHRISTIAN STANDARD recently interviewed Smith about some of the big ideas in his new book. _____ One of the themes running throughout your book is that the church needs to become a learning organization. Can you give us a brief definition of what that means and explain why reading

October 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Fear Not

By Jennifer Johnson I am angry about the state of our union. And I”m not alone. But anger isn”t the core problem. In January, the Esquire/NBC News “American Rage Survey” reported that half of Americans are angrier than they were a year ago. In February, BBC.com reported that 69 percent of Americans are either “very angry” or “somewhat angry” about “the way things are going” in the United States. As I write this, the day after the Orlando nightclub shooting, I”m sure the numbers are even higher. We are angry about climate change, about those who deny climate change exists,

October 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Helping Churches Help Refugees

By Jennifer Johnson The plight of refugees around the world captured our attention and our sympathy this past year. But even before that, Mike Schrage was working to create real solutions within the Restoration Movement. Schrage, executive director at Good News Productions, International (Joplin, MO), is also president of the 2016 International Conference on Missions, and he began brainstorming several years ago about a unique initiative for this year”s event. With help from friends and ministry leaders, he”s developed The RISE Project, an initiative to raise $250,000 in grant money for churches that want to minister to international students and

September 24, 2016

Christian Standard

Partnering to Teach the Bible

By Jennifer Johnson Southland Christian Church (Lexington, KY) has created a way to engage people who are interested in deeper study of the Bible, maintain their interest and involvement, and even train current leaders and discover future staff members: Southland University. “We”re trying to meet the needs of many different groups,” says Derrick Purvis, formation pastor at Southland. “Weekends are “˜bottom shelf” and designed to be as accessible as possible. Programs that go a bit deeper are the next step. “But we also knew a number of people wanted more challenge and more growth. The problem is it takes a

September 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Old Glory

By Jennifer Johnson For years I”ve heard that Grandma Moses began her acclaimed painting career at age 78. I always rolled my eyes when older people (that is, older than me) quoted that fact, assuming it somehow comforted them to think their own chance for “significance” hadn”t passed them by. Then I turned 40 and began seeing more people posting more lists of leaders and celebrities who had started their most successful ventures later in life: Henry Ford, who created the Model T at 45. Julia Child, who wrote her first cookbook at 50. Ray Kroc, who took charge of

September 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Retiree Helping Lead Fight Against Child Exploitation

By Jennifer Johnson “I can”t tell you I went willingly,” Opal Singleton says. “I was retired and didn”t want to get involved. But God arranged the whole thing.” Million Kids began in 2008 to support the work of Rapha House, a nonprofit organization that works to end the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. “At the time, Rapha House focused on Cambodia, Thailand, and Haiti, but I began to see more and more trafficking here at home in Southern California,” Singleton says. “In 2010, local law enforcement asked me to be a training coordinator, so I began writing curriculum about

August 27, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

What About Tomorrow?

By Mark A. Taylor In recognition of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s 150th birthday earlier this year, the North American Christian Convention featured a workshop led by three of the magazine”s contributing editors. We asked each of them to think about hopes and challenges they see for the future of the churches served by this magazine for a century and a half.  The comments below are edited from the hour-long workshop. See the whole session here. Matt Proctor What will be the future of the independent Christian churches? As I considered the churches I”ve seen, I thought of three answers to that question:

August 23, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

All We Need Is . . . Love?

By Mark A. Taylor Wisconsin state Sen. Lena Taylor offered a thoughtful evaluation of why riots erupted in Milwaukee August 13, after a policeman shot an armed black man running from a traffic stop. There”s much to consider in her perspective, but today I”m posting about a problem even bigger than America”s racial divide. At the end of Taylor”s interview, the host asked her this: “So as a leader in this community, what is your message now to the people living in Milwaukee who are experiencing this unrest, this anger, this expression of frustration that is in many cases taking

August 15, 2016

Christian Standard

A Night of Prayer for Muslims

By Jennifer Johnson Okolona Christian Church (Louisville, KY) has been praying for Muslims for years, but last year the church created a new approach designed to connect more of its members””and it”s something your church can do, too. “Previously we had coordinated 30 days of prayer initiatives, but last year we decided to hold a focused night of prayer on The Night of Power,” says Betty Byrd, vice president of prayer, operations, and personnel at Team Expansion (Lexington, KY) and a member at Okolona. The Night of Power, which commemorates the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad, is considered one

August 14, 2016

Christian Standard

Why Them?

By Jennifer Johnson In her memoir Lit, Mary Karr quotes her father speaking about the well-off: “Born on third base, . . . and they think they hit a home run.” I was born on second base, at least, and when I was a kid the game was black and white. People who don”t have jobs should get them, if you”re a responsible and hard-working person you will be able to afford a place to live, and only those with lesser character would need a hand up or a handout. I never heard things put so starkly by my parents,

August 13, 2016

Christian Standard

Hope Haven a Godsend for Single-Parent Families

By Jennifer Johnson The New Mexico Christian Children”s Home (NMCCH) in Portales, NM, has cared for thousands of children since building its first dormitory on 80 acres of farmland in 1954. Today the children”s home is breaking new ground””in every sense””by constructing duplex homes and offering help to struggling single parents. “We recognized the need more than 30 years ago, and began then to acquire homes and provide assistance to single parents and their kids,” says Tom Pittmon, director of public relations. “We already have 12 homes for single parents, but the need just continues to grow. Twenty-four to 34 percent

July 23, 2016

Christian Standard

An Interview with Rick Rusaw

“What if we put as much emphasis on scattering as we do on gathering?” Rick Rusaw talks about “neighboring” and the hard work of being an “organic” church in this interview with contributing editor Jennifer Johnson at the 2016 NACC in Anaheim.

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