Articles for tag: Jerry Harris

August 27, 2017

Jerry Harris

The NACC: Identity, Inspiration, and Ideas

By Jerry Harris Three words describe the core of the mission of the North American Christian Convention: identity, inspiration, and ideas. The convention has been crucial to the unity and vibrancy of the independent Christian church since its inception in 1927. The 2017 NACC in Kansas City, Missouri, June 27-29, was the first time I was tasked with setting up and manning a booth instead of just attending the NACC as a pastor of a local church. Even before the convention started, I was surrounded by many people critical to our fellowship. Identity As my wife and I checked in

August 24, 2017

Jerry Harris

David Johnson and a Harvest of Reconciliation

By Jerry Harris It was November in Charleston, South Carolina, but for our group of northerners it didn”t feel like late fall on that beautiful and warm Sunday morning. We had arrived early for meetings that would take place over the next two days, and so we took the opportunity to attend church services at Harvest Pointe Church in suburban North Charleston. It would prove to be a new experience for many of us. At that time, Harvest Pointe was a noninstrumental African-American church of Christ, a part of our brotherhood we had very little connection with until the past

August 22, 2017

Jerry Harris

No Room for Racism

By Jerry Harris In our most recent Christian Standard digital newsletter (dated August 16), we shared a story reported in the Des Moines Register about a Glenwood, Iowa, church”s reaction to the appalling events in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12. (As you will recall, white supremacists demonstrated, there were counter-protests and violent clashes, and then a man drove his car into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing one and injuring several others.) In response, the Iowa church changed the message on its sign to read, “White supremacy is sin. Say it.” After sending out the newsletter, we received a comment back

July 12, 2017

Michael C. Mack

Giving Honor to an Editor and Friend

By Michael C. Mack I don”t recall what the speaker said, but I”m sure his words were well-spoken and significant. I do remember, however, who that speaker was on that Sunday evening 21 years ago: Mark Taylor, who was at that time publisher at Standard Publishing Company. Mark had already played a key role in my life. When I worked in the New Products department at Standard in the early to mid-“90s, Mark was my boss. When I left to start a web-based small group ministry in 1995, he encouraged me and gave me opportunities to do freelance work, which

June 20, 2017

Michael C. Mack

How I Got Here . . . on God”s Path

God knows what we need before we ask him, and he knew I needed Mike Mack. As the new publisher of Christian Standard Media, my first major responsibility was finding a qualified, passionate editor for Christian Standard. The Lord provided a writer, editor, minister, and disciple maker who already had a great relationship with the magazine, and I”m excited to have him tell you a little about his story. “”Jerry Harris _ _ _ By Michael C. Mack God drastically changed my life in 1988. I found Jesus, found a great church, was baptized, lost my job, started seminary, and

June 19, 2017

Jerry Harris

A Plea for the Restoration Movement

By Jerry Harris It”s foolish to want all Christians to be in unity if we can”t be unified in our own brotherhood. We need to fight for relationship in all the issues that could potentially divide us. Otherwise, no one should take this Restoration Movement seriously. The first-century church had more difficult challenges that threatened deeper divisions than we do now. We must learn the same lessons of living out the fruit of the Spirit that they did. We can”t allow ourselves the prideful position of proving ourselves right over the greater need of loving each other. If we can

June 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Church Gives Away 4,000 Copies of Christian Standard

On Sunday, June 18, Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, gave 4,000 copies of the July issue of Christian Standard, with its new design and focus, to its members and attenders. Senior pastor Barry Cameron told those in attendance that the magazine is one of the oldest continually published magazines in the United States and is all about our “tribe.” “We told them the emphasis of this publication is to unify and rally all the Christian churches together to have a greater impact for the kingdom and to share the great stories of what God is doing in our

June 18, 2017

Christian Standard

The July Issue Is Now Available Via Our App

The July issue of Christian Standard“”completely redesigned, updated, and refocused””should be arriving in our print subscribers’ mailboxes very soon and is available for download right now via our app. There is a new leadership team, featuring Publisher Jerry Harris and Editor Michael C. Mack, a new designer, and a firm commitment to (as Jerry writes this month) “capture the power that comes from our unity.” Christian Standard”s ownership has also changed in recent months. A new not-for-profit, Restoration Movement Media, now owns both Christian Standard and her sister publication, The Lookout. It is the first time in 62 years that

June 13, 2017

Jerry Harris

What to Expect from CHRISTIAN STANDARD

By Jerry Harris Why is the survival of CHRISTIAN STANDARD so important and what does it offer that other magazines don”t?  Other magazines like Relevant, Outreach, and Christianity Today offer lots of good commentary and resourcing for churches and leaders in general, but they represent no actual tribe. CHRISTIAN STANDARD is critical to the Restoration Movement because it serves a vital role unique to us. We are comprised of about 5,300 churches, all autonomous, without any denominational support to hold us together. It”s one of our greatest strengths, but without something connecting us regularly, we can lose much of the potential of

April 30, 2017

Jerry Harris

Securing a Future

By Jerry Harris What”s going on with the CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout? As a pastor of a church and a founding board member of The Solomon Foundation, I was interested in the answer to that question. Both magazines have been staples of the Restoration Movement from early on, and I, like many, had assumed they would always be there. When I heard in our board meeting the CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout could be shut down because their owners had found no buyers for them, I was deeply troubled. The chairman of the Publishing Committee had informed Doug Crozier,

April 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Michael Mack Named Christian Standard Editor

Michael C. Mack has been named the 12th editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Jerry Harris, newly appointed publisher of Christian Standard Media, announced that Mack will join him on the staff of the magazine, beginning with its July issue. “We at Christian Standard Media are truly blessed to have on our team the combination of talent and passion we find in Michael Mack!” Harris said. “We welcome Mike and his wife, Heidi, into a bright future with CHRISTIAN STANDARD.” Mack comes to the position with 28 years of experience in publishing, local church ministry, and national small groups leadership. He is

March 14, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

My Retirement Plan

By Mark A. Taylor Yesterday”s announcement of Jerry Harris as the new publisher for Christian Standard Media includes news of my retirement. I”d like to use my space this week to add a little background. I told Standard Publishing management about 20 months ago, in July of 2015, that I planned to retire after the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim in 2016. But when most of Standard Publishing (but not the magazines) was sold to David C. Cook in December 2015, I changed my plan. We assumed that some new owner would also eventually acquire CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The

March 13, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Restoration Movement Media Announces Christian Standard Media Publisher Transition

PARKER, CO””The president of Restoration Movement Media, Doug Crozier, along with its board is very pleased to announce the next chapter of leadership for Christian Standard Media. Jerry Harris, senior pastor of The Crossing based in Quincy, Illinois, has been named the new publisher of CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The Lookout magazines. He will serve in this role while continuing his leadership at The Crossing. The transition coincides with the retirement of the current publisher, Mark A. Taylor, on June 30, 2017. “Mark Taylor has faithfully served in a variety of roles at Christian Standard Media, formerly Standard Publishing, for more

December 30, 2016

Jerry Harris

Growing the Kingdom

By Bruce Webster The Bible”s mandate is to grow quickly, not to grow large. Look what happens when believers today take their strategy from the New Testament instead of the church in the West.  Are you like me? For many years when I read the parable of the mustard seed1, I pictured a tiny seed growing slowly like an oak tree, attaining good height as it matured. But when the people listening to Jesus heard him tell that parable, they had a very different picture. They knew the mustard plant didn”t grow very big””maximum height about 10 feet””but it grew

May 14, 2015

Jerry Harris

Evangelism Today

By Kent E. Fillinger To learn more about the state of evangelism in our churches, we asked questions of a dozen ministers from churches of all sizes: “¢ David Clark, lead pastor, Central Christian Church, Beloit, Wisconsin “¢ Scott Clevenger, lead pastor, Christ”s Church Camden, Kingsland, Georgia “¢ Doug Dykstra, lead minister, Adventure Christian Church, Tavares, Florida “¢ Tim Harlow, senior pastor, Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, Illinois “¢ Jerry Harris, senior pastor, The Crossing, Quincy, Illinois “¢ Nathan Head, executive pastor of ministries, Southland Christian Church, Nicholasville, Kentucky “¢ Cal Jernigan, senior pastor, Central Christian Church, Mesa, Arizona “¢

May 5, 2013

Jerry Harris

A Church for People Who Don”t Go to Church

By Kent E. Fillinger The Crossing is a multisite megachurch. Its original campus is in Quincy, Illinois, a town of 40,000 people. Even though there are 85 churches in Quincy, 80 percent of the people there don”t attend any church, so Jerry Harris, senior pastor of The Crossing, decided to focus on being the church for people who don”t go to church. The Crossing was a small church of 230 people in 1998 when it decided to spend $2.5 million to buy a community college to serve as the church”s new home. As part of the deal, The Crossing shared

December 10, 2012

Jerry Harris

Rediscovering the Sacred Stones

A church”s new multisite campus. A town steeped in history. The grave of a Restoration Movement pioneer”s wife. A reflection on what this frontier preacher stood for, and the message we still proclaim today.  By Jerry Harris There she was. Her stone lying on its back, broken and weathered among scores of neglected reminders of lives long since past. The inscription was hard to read because of a combination of age, moss, and dirt, but careful examination gave witness to the precious soul long forgotten to so many.   Celia W. Wife of Elder B.W. Stone Died Apr. 23, 1857

March 24, 2010

Christian Standard

Interview with Jerry Harris and Rodney Roberts

By Brad Dupray In his 11 years as senior pastor at The Crossing, a five-campus church with a home base in Quincy, Illinois, Jerry Harris has seen the church grow from 230 to more than 4,000. That growth did not come without challenges, but The Crossing is “clicking on all cylinders” and a year ago was listed as the fastest-growing megachurch in the United States among those in Christian Standard”s megachurch issue. A large part of The Crossing”s success can be attributed to the relationship Jerry has established with his elders. Jerry, along with Rodney Roberts, an elder at The

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