Articles for tag: Justin Horey

Local Churches Organizations & Events

SPOTLIGHT: Mosaic Christian Church, Elkridge, Maryland

“Spiritual maturity is baptizing a friend.” By Justin Horey Ask most any person at Mosaic Christian Church in Elkridge, Maryland, “What is the most important thing at Mosaic,” and there’s a good chance they will tell you, “It’s when we baptize someone.” MCC is just nine years old (the church will celebrate its 10th anniversary this fall). In that brief time, Mosaic has baptized more than 500 new believers. Church planter and lead pastor Carl Kuhl said the reason is simple: “At Mosaic, a ‘win’ is baptism.” For the past few years, Kuhl and his staff have set a

May 2, 2018

Local Churches Organizations & Events

SPOTLIGHT: New City Church, Phoenix, Arizona

“Teaching the truth has helped us reach young people.” By Justin Horey Brian Kruckenberg, lead pastor of New City Church, compares Phoenix, Arizona, to a doughnut. Until five years ago, he says, the population was almost entirely concentrated in a circle of suburbs surrounding the region, with a “hole” in the center—the downtown area—where virtually no one lived. Now Arizona’s capital city is making up for lost time, building apartments and condominiums on formerly vacant lots and creating brand-new residential neighborhoods in the heart of the city. Kruckenberg said people are moving to downtown Phoenix because they want to

March 24, 2018

Church & Ministry Church Leadership

Maintaining Hope in Ministry

Compiled by Justin Horey Easter is a season of hope. The resurrection promises that God’s power triumphs over darkness. But the crucifixion reminds us that God “did not spare his own Son” from pain during his earthly ministry. Jesus faced discouragement, disbelief, and disloyalty, yet he remained “obedient to death—even death on a cross!” We all face difficulties in ministry. Even at Easter—or perhaps, especially at Easter—we struggle with “trials of many kinds.” In our weakness, it can be difficult to maintain hope. This Easter season, we asked Christian Standard readers for practical answers to one question: When you

February 14, 2018

A Night for “Kings and Queens” to Shine

By Justin Horey On the evening of Friday, February 9, limousines will line up in front of Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in coastal Florida. As guests in tuxedos and gowns make their way down the red carpet toward the entrance, cameras will flash and onlookers will yell, “You look great!” “We love you!” Some of the honored guests will be in wheelchairs. Some will use walkers. Others will struggle to speak. On this night, the occasion is not an award show or a celebrity gala; it’s “Night to Shine,” a prom-style formal event for people with special needs created by

October 6, 2017

Church & Ministry

Overcoming the Challenges of Rural Ministry

By Justin Horey Imagine you live a half hour from the nearest pizza place, and no one delivers. That”s not the premise for a new reality television show. It”s how Dr. Barney Wells, graduate academic dean and associate professor of Bible and ministry at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University, playfully defines “rural communities” for his undergraduate students. Although millions of Americans live in rural communities, small-town people are often overlooked and misunderstood by sociologists and economists more focused on serving larger population centers. Likewise, few have studied or analyzed what it takes to succeed and thrive as a ministry in a

August 31, 2017

Free Indeed: Crossroads Christian Church, Joliet, Illinois

By Justin Horey Joliet, Illinois, is a prison town. The Joliet Correctional Center opened in 1858 and housed inmates for nearly 150 years until it was closed in 2002. The prison shaped Joliet”s culture for a century and a half, even bringing fame and notoriety; it served as the setting of the opening scene in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers and the site of the first season of the Fox television drama Prison Break. Even though that prison has been closed for 15 years, the Statesville Correctional Center remains open just outside of town, so the prison influence continues.

June 19, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE?—Area 10 Faith Community, Richmond, VA

By Justin Horey Area 10 Faith Community was established in the fall of 2008 in Richmond, Virginia—a city incorporated in 1742. (The church takes its name from the designation local Realtors have for downtown Richmond.) Not surprisingly, in a city nearly 300 years old, there is no vacant land available for new churches to buy. Since its inception, Area 10 has met for Sunday worship at The Byrd Theater, a historic, 1,300-seat movie cinema. The Byrd is a local landmark, but it lacks space for children’s ministry and other church needs like offices. One month before Area 10 held its

June 19, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Journey Christian Church, Roswell, GA

By Justin Horey For many years, Journey Christian Church met for worship in a traditional brick building with pews and a steeple. Today the congregation worships in the media room of a local high school. But Journey Christian Church isn”t dying. Journey didn”t lose its building. The congregation willingly sold its seven-acre campus so it could spend more on “ministry and mission” and less on “mortgage and maintenance.” When senior pastor Dan Garrett arrived at Journey (then First Christian Church of Roswell) in 2011, the congregation was averaging around 150 in attendance. Though Roswell has one of the highest per-capita

June 19, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Discovery Christian Church, Broomfield, CO

By Justin Horey Discovery Christian Church already has one slightly unconventional building, but its plans for future development are far more progressive and ambitious. Broomfield, Colorado, is a high-tech city with rural roots, so Discovery”s existing building””a 20,000-square-foot, multipurpose structure designed to resemble a barn””is a tribute to the city”s history. With that facility in place, lead pastor Steve Cuss said Discovery plans to use the rest of its 18 acres in radical ways “to meet the needs of our city.” Discovery”s motto is “Loving God and Serving Others,” and the master plan for the church”s site emphasizes those two

June 19, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” 2|42 Community Church, Brighton, MI

By Justin Horey and Jennifer Johnson 2|42 Community Church (pronounced “Two Forty-Two”) didn”t mind being a portable church in its early years. In fact, lead pastor David Dummitt liked being portable. He found that the weekly set-up and tear-down made it easy to involve men, who sometimes struggle to find their place in a new church. Moreover, the lack of a building allowed 2|42 to invest more money into ministry and community outreach. During that time, Dummitt said, the number one question he heard from other pastors was, “When are you going to build?” Dummitt and his team didn”t want

June 18, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” New City Church, Phoenix, AZ

By Justin Horey Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, is home to a burgeoning art scene. In the center of it all””on Central Avenue, in fact””is New City Church. Lead pastor Brian Kruckenberg describes New City as “a church in the middle of the city, for the city.” In Phoenix, being “for the city” means reaching the local artists” community. New City”s first building was a house that doubled as an art gallery. New City Church worshipped in the house on Sundays, but it was also used by local artists who stored supplies on site and even taught classes in the building. Kruckenberg

June 16, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Restore Church, Silver Spring, MD

By Justin Horey In the fall of 2016, Restore Church of Silver Spring, Maryland, opened “The Living Room,” a coworking space where individuals have access to open office space, a kitchen, Wi-Fi, printing, scanning, coffee, and tea for a small monthly membership fee. The Living Room is one of a growing number of shared office environments around the country tailored to freelancers and telecommuters who don”t need a full-time office but prefer not to work out of their home. “The Living Room gives us a space where we can connect in relationships,” said pastor and church planter Aaron Thomas. “By

June 12, 2017

WHERE’S THE STEEPLE? “” Journey Church, Three Way, TN

By Justin Horey At Journey Church in Three Way, Tennessee (near Jackson), lead pastor and church planter Jeremy Brown likes to ask, “What would we do if we didn”t have to do anything?” That approach led to Journey meeting at the Fun Zone””West Tennessee”s premier indoor inflatable party center””in the early years of its existence. Every Sunday morning, a team of volunteers from the church would deflate and roll up 13 large jumpers before setting up for worship. Afterward, volunteers would unroll and reinflate the jumpers. Brown liked the message the Fun Zone location conveyed to outsiders. “No one who

April 21, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Staff

Safety and Security on Sundays and Beyond

How churches are protecting property and people By Justin Horey On Christmas Eve 2012, thieves broke into Grandview Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee, and stole musical instruments and audio-visual equipment belonging to the church”s worship ministry. No one was harmed during the heist, though the theft created additional stress for the church staff on one of the best-attended days of the year. Thankfully, Grandview was able to borrow equipment from another local congregation in time for its worship services that evening, and most of the people who attended had no idea what had transpired earlier in the day. Churches

March 10, 2017

Mission & Evangelism

OUR MINISTRY TO REFUGEES: “˜Jesus shows up for the brokenhearted”

By Justin Horey Tucson, Arizona, may seem an unlikely destination for international refugees, but it is a federally designated “hub city” with one of the largest refugee populations per capita in the United States. Roughly 1,000 international refugees arrive in Tucson every year. Most of them come feeling frightened and alone with few possessions and little money. But a growing number are greeted at Tucson International Airport with balloons, “Welcome to America” banners, and friendly, smiling faces from the people of nearby Pantano Christian Church eager to show the love of Christ to their new neighbors. Pantano Christian started its

March 5, 2017

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

A Christian Perspective on Immigration

A conversation with immigration attorney Land Wayland By Justin Horey President Trump”s election in November left many Americans wondering: Will he really “build that wall,” as his supporters chanted at campaign rallies? Will our new president follow through on his campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented (illegal) immigrants? Will he institute a ban on Muslims entering the United States? The 2016 presidential campaign brought the issue of immigration back into the news and back into the minds of many American voters. It also left millions of people in fear of imprisonment, deportation, or worse because of their immigration status.

November 13, 2016

The Church Needs the Hood

By Justin Horey It took a gang member for Tommy Nixon to understand grace. In 2002, Nixon cofounded Solidarity, a ministry designed to “help churches transform their cities,” but after a decade living and working in the low-income neighborhoods of Fullerton, California, he was frustrated. Nixon”s work with Solidarity had introduced him to a number of local gang members, and he had been ministering to one in particular for 10 years””but the young man”s life wasn”t changing. Despite Nixon”s efforts to help him, the gang member wound up in jail, and even was deported. Nixon recalls turning to God in

September 10, 2016

“˜Everyone Wants a Cause”

How one church is facilitating the priesthood of all believers””inside and outside the church walls By Justin Horey Is a Little League coach a children”s ministry worker? Is a backyard barbecue a discipleship group? Is living out your faith as a public school teacher as important as serving in student ministries? At Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, the answer is yes. Lead pastor Ben Cachiaras says Mountain Christian Church encourages ministry both inside and outside the church walls, because it”s essential to do both. “We legitimize ministry even if it”s not within the four walls of the church,” Cachiaras

August 7, 2016