Articles for tag: Jim Nieman

December 13, 2018

Christian Standard

New Testament Theology & Bible

God Touched Man

– Dec. 24, 1932 – It’s fitting to focus on Christmas writings both this week and next. To kick things off, here’s an editorial that appeared on page 14 of the Dec. 24, 1932, issue. It most likely was written by editor Edwin Reeder Errett. _ _ _ GOD TOUCHED MAN The glorious thing about the act of Jesus in cleansing the lone leper who came to Him saying “If thou wilt”—, was not merely the fact that Jesus cleansed him, or even the fact that Jesus said “I will.” The thing that throws a flood of glory around the

November 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Key Documents Restoration Movement History

A Thanksgiving Editorial from 1881

– November 26, 1881 – Thanksgiving 1881 came at a strange time in the life of Christian Standard. It was only two months after the death of President James A. Garfield, who was shot twice by Charles A. Guiteau in Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1881. Garfield remained alive, but largely in misery, until his death Sept. 19. (The account of Garfield’s medical treatment, and how it likely contributed to his death, is quite fascinating.) Garfield, of course, was one of the initial investors in Christian Standard magazine. The first editor of this magazine, Isaac Errett, surely knew Garfield and

November 7, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

Simple Steps for Improving Security at Your Church

IDES offers a “Safe Worship” training program to help churches increase their safety and security. By Jim Nieman Shootings at houses of worship are becoming more common in the United States. But there are simple, straightforward, low-cost steps churches can take that minimize the potential for such incidents. “The very first thing to do is address building access,” said Ed Sanow, a 30-year police veteran who serves as director of training with International Disaster Emergency Service, Noblesville, Ind. In his role with IDES over the past two years, Sanow has conducted 50 “Safe Worship” training programs at churches across the

October 17, 2018

Christian Standard

IDES Helping with Hurricane Recovery on Two Fronts

By Jim Nieman International Disaster Emergency Service has been extremely busy since mid-September responding to hurricanes that made landfall in North Carolina and along Florida’s Panhandle. David Stine, director of operations for IDES, said recovery efforts are well underway in the Carolinas, largely with the help of partner Two Rivers Church in hard-hit New Bern, N.C.. Work is just beginning in Florida, however, with Bayou George Christian Church, located near Panama City, likely to serve as the hub of response. (BGCC is pictured above.) “We are stretched, but God is providing,” said IDES executive director Rick Jett. “We have a

October 17, 2018

Christian Standard

Auction of First John Deere GP Tractor (Circa 1928) to Benefit Church

By Jim Nieman The first John Deere GP tractor ever built is one of two tractors donated for auction to benefit a building shared by Taylorville (Ill.) Christian Church and VisionWay Christian School. The 1928 general purpose tractor was the first of more than 30,000 John Deere GPs built and sold through the mid-1930s; its distinction as No. 1 was made during an authentication process conducted by Aumann Auctions, Nokomis, Ill. The anonymous benefactor was informed of the tractor’s historic significance, Aumann marketing director Tyson Reed told the Shelbyville Daily Union. Some thought the man might want the tractor back,

October 15, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

What Makes the Fastest-Growing Churches Grow?

By Jim Nieman How do you explain your church’s tremendous growth in 2017? That’s what we asked lead ministers of the fastest-growing churches in three attendance categories from Christian Standard’s annual survey of churches: churches of 1,000 or more (megachurches and emerging megachurches profiled in May), churches of 250 to 999 (large and medium churches—June), and churches 249 and fewer (small and very small churches—July). All three churches have one thing in common—new facilities—but that wasn’t the only explanation for their growth. We spoke with and/or emailed questions to: Aaron Brockett, lead pastor of Traders Point Christian Church (Whitestown,

September 19, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Growth

Small Church Takes Big Leap, Buys Crossroads College Site

By Jim Nieman A church of 150 in Rochester, Minn., has purchased and relocated to the former Crossroads College property, is renting apartments on the 37-acre site for below-market rates, and is revamping “commercial space” for use by nonprofits. Bear Creek Christian Church lead pastor Aaron Wager and outreach pastor Jeff Urban refer to this undertaking as the church’s “Big Holy Audacious God Goal” (with apologies to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great). So far, it seems to be working—though not without some bumps. From Conversation to Reality When the property was up for sale, Wager and Urban mused

September 13, 2018

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square

Assessing the World, from Bismarck to Bernhardt

CS Archive from September 15, 1888 _ _ _ You might not think of Christian Standard as a place to turn for national and international news, but in 1888—130 years ago—it surely was. And the reader back then received not only the news, but commentary. The lead article/column, which started in the top-left corner of the September 15 issue that year, carried items under the small headline “AROUND THE WORLD.” The wide-ranging reports are layered with opinion and occasionally drip with sarcasm. It’s entertaining writing, but some items may cause one to cringe, so be advised. Then again, some news

September 5, 2018

Christian Standard

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

Louisville Bible College Rebounds after Rough Patch

By Jim Nieman Contrary to what you might have heard, Louisville Bible College continues to train preachers and ministers for church ministry. “Some people think we closed,” said Jason Anderson, registrar and assistant professor of Bible at LBC. “We never closed, but for one school year we didn’t offer classes.” The college went through a rough patch in 2015-16, and decided to forgo classroom instruction after “we let our debt get out of hand,” Anderson said. The next school year, LBC resumed offering classes under the guidance of Tom Mobley—who returned as president in 2016, after previously serving LBC in

August 23, 2018

Christian Standard

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

What The Christian Standard Will Be . . .

#ThrowbackThursday The Restoration Movement Archive—August 24, 1878 ___ Selecting items to share with you for this new “Throwback Thursday” feature is like trying to sip water from a fire hose. There’s quite a lot to look at in Christian Standard’s archives, as you might imagine—tens of thousands of pages of issues going back to 1866. Making matters more difficult is that issues from before 2005 are not yet easily searchable. That said, I came upon p. 4 of the August 24, 1878, edition—the issue that dates from 140 years ago tomorrow. It is what we consider to be the editorial

August 11, 2018

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Race

Andrew J. Hairston: Central to the Struggle

By Jim Nieman Andrew J. Hairston has harnessed an inner drive his entire life. A drive to learn. A drive to serve his community and others. A drive to serve God. And an unwillingness to passively accept injustice. Instead, he has stood up and identified wrongs while working to change them. Hairston’s efforts, and the efforts of many others in the African-American churches of Christ, have helped bring about changes that most everyone would agree are a better reflection of God’s ideal for unity within his church. A Life of Accomplishment Hairston, 86, was born the 13th of 15 children

August 6, 2018

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Pontoon Boat Wedding a First for Minnesota Minister

By Jim Nieman Randy and Michelle Thoennes like to spend as much time as possible on the lake, so when it came time to choose a wedding location, they selected nearby Lake Darling. And not along the shore of Lake Darling in Minnesota, but in a boat on Lake Darling, flanked by about 15 other pontoon boats filled with more than 100 relatives and friends. The wedding party—which included minister John Taplin of New Life Christian Church in Alexandria, Minn.—glided down the middle of the guests’ boats, which were tethered together on either side. It was like they were “coming

July 30, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission & Evangelism

BikeMasters Ministry Takes Show on Road in California

By Jim Nieman Volunteers from CrossCity Christian Church, Fresno, Calif., started repairing bikes as a small part of a big ministry event about 15 years ago, but it wasn’t until three years ago that the church began throwing significant financial resources behind the bike-repair effort and made it a full-fledged ministry. BikeMasters now repairs bikes at about 10 events a year, focusing its efforts and peddling good feelings mainly in poorer neighborhoods. “It’s taken on a life of its own,” says Jim Corrao, CrossCity’s chief financial officer and missions pastor for the past five years (and, before that, executive pastor

July 25, 2018

Christian Standard

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

Storm Blows Roof Off Church in Tennessee (Plus News Briefs)

By Jim Nieman A storm that rolled through eastern Tennessee late Friday night tore the roof off of part of Love Chapel Christian Church in Erwin, leaving tons of debris and causing extensive water damage. No one was hurt. The integrity of the original 1953 church structure is still being assessed, senior minister Robert Bess said Tuesday, but an adjoining, 1960s-era, rectangular addition that includes classrooms, a nursery, restrooms, and an office is a total loss. In all likelihood, the church will need to relocate for a period of months while repairs are made and new construction occurs, said Bess,

July 23, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

6 Students Answer Call, Share Preaching Duties at Church

By Jim Nieman High school seniors who attend Peterstown (W.Va.) Christian Church didn’t hesitate when asked if they would be willing to fill the pulpit at a nearby church. Of course they would. And so, since the beginning of the year, these five young men, plus another who is already attending college, have been serving in a preaching rotation at the Church of Christ at Lerona (W.Va.). “I have a fantastic group of teenagers,” says Don Henegar, who has taught the high school Sunday school class most of the 16 years he has served as evangelist with the Peterstown church.

July 10, 2018

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Pastoral Transitions & Succession

Making an IMPACT in Indy

By Jim Nieman On June 24, the Fairfax Christian Church family in inner-city Indianapolis celebrated their final weekend of worship together under longtime minister Tom Richason, and on July 1, the church became the newest site of Mount Pleasant Christian Church’s IMPACT Ministry. Chris Philbeck, senior pastor of Mount Pleasant—a church of about 4,700 located in Greenwood, Ind., about a dozen miles south of Indy—says MPCC hopes to “bring renewal to this new ministry opportunity.” Fairfax voted unanimously to transfer ownership to MPCC on Feb. 25, but no ministry changes occurred until the first of this month. Like many urban

May 24, 2018

Michael C. Mack

The Disturbing Truth

By Michael C. Mack “Do Not Disturb.” The unseen sign hung noticeably on Bob and Mary’s heart. The boomer minister had retired and was replaced by a millennial lead pastor. More millennials joined the staff and eldership. The church’s mission statement was reworded and the music updated. The pulpit disappeared as the new guy preached noteless. New signs were added above the doors declaring the vision to reach people “out there.” This month we ask an important question: How can we minister effectively to—and with—multiple generations? Many of our articles this month seek to answer that question. Haydn Shaw tells

March 17, 2018

Christian Standard

Communion & Lord's Supper Theology & Bible

Archaeologists Unearth the Centrality of the Table

By Jim Nieman The discovery of a floor to what might be the earliest-known Christian church seems to confirm that early Christ followers came together around a table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In 2005, prisoners unearthed a 580-square-foot mosaic floor with three inscriptions likely dating to the third century. One of the inscriptions speaks of a table “offered . . . to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.” The mosaic floor was discovered within a prison holding 1,200 Palestinian inmates, in Megiddo, on a hill overlooking the Valley of Jezreel—“the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16).

February 15, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

In Search of a Happy Ending

By Michael C. Mack and Jim Nieman It was intended as a feel-good story for the October 2017 issue. Managing editor Jim Nieman reported on a son turning his life around, through God’s grace, and returning to his hometown to minister to those who are “down on their luck.” It was a story with a stern warning and a storybook ending. And then everything utterly collapsed. The preacher’s son who had battled years of addiction to opiates during and immediately after high school, and then managed to turn his life around and graduate from Christian college and return to his

January 25, 2018

Christian Standard

New Testament Theology & Bible

Jesus Spent Much of His Life Escaping Death

By Jim Nieman Near the end, when praying in the garden, his arrest but minutes away, and his crucifixion only hours away, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). From the time he was a baby, Jesus was escaping death. Herod tried to kill him shortly after he was born in Bethlehem, so his parents took him to Egypt. As an adult, the Jews set out to kill him because he was healing on the Sabbath and calling God his father.