Articles for tag: Kent Fillinger

Deadline Extended for Completing Our Annual Church Survey

In our quest to collect comprehensive data that accurately reflects our movement, Christian Standard has extended until Feb. 1 the deadline for completing our annual church survey.

January 18, 2023

A Few More Days Remain to Complete Our Annual Church Survey

Only a few days remain to complete Christian Standard's annual survey designed for every Restoration Movement church (Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ). The deadline is Monday, Jan. 23.

January 10, 2023

Churches Encouraged to Complete Our Annual Survey

Christian Standard's annual survey of churches is now available! This survey is designed for every Restoration Movement church (Independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ). "We have made it much shorter and easier for you to respond [this year]," says editor editor Michael Mack. . . .

July 1, 2022

Culture & Public Square Technology

Behind the Screen: Insights into Online Church

By Kent E. Fillinger Prior to the pandemic, most larger churches were already actively and sometimes aggressively using online church as an outreach strategy to connect with more people beyond their physical locations. For many smaller churches, the pandemic expedited their technological timeline and forced them into the realm of online church. Every church I know is still trying to “crack the code” to determine how to shift people from “passive viewers” of online church to “engaged disciples.” Some churches have invested significant time, staffing, and financial resources to expand their online push and to upgrade their technology. Despite these

May 1, 2022

2021 Church Report

Let not your heart be troubled as you review our annual church survey report. Your congregation may not be in the church-size category where you expect it. For some churches, it may appear, at first glance, as if your attendance has declined over the last couple years, even if it hasn’t. It may look like some megachurches and emerging megachurches have suddenly vanished or that many of their regular attenders have dropped out. What’s going on? While Christian Standard reported combined in-person and online attendance numbers the previous several years (which was especially significant during the pandemic), our 2021 charts

May 1, 2022

Ministry in a (Post) COVID World

The 2021 Church Report

May 1, 2022

Michael C. Mack

Online Attendance: The Exception or the Rule?

You may notice changes in our 2021_Church_Report. We’ll blame COVID-19—at least partially. It’s the fashionable thing to do these days . . . and the pandemic has had a huge impact. Before 2020 and coronavirus, online streaming of worship services was the exception rather than the rule for many churches. A 2019 Lifeway Research study showed that 22 percent of churches were streaming their services at that time. But within months of the start of the pandemic in early 2020, 97 percent of churches were providing some form of online services. The exception became the rule and vice versa. Before

March 1, 2022

Authentic Online Church

By Kent E. Fillinger Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Since the pandemic started two years ago, there have been an endless number of “experts” making countless predictions about the future of everything—including the church. Plenty of churches offered an online campus or church online on various platforms before COVID-19. Broadcast methods varied by church; the main options were livestreaming, on-demand full service (worship and message), on-demand message only, and rebroadcast (simulated live). A 2018 survey by Vanderbloeman and Jay Kranda revealed the top three broadcast platforms were Churchonlineplatform.com, Facebook Live, and YouTube.

January 18, 2022

Churches Encouraged to Complete Our Annual Survey

All independent Christian churches and churches of Christ are encouraged to participate in Christian Standard’s annual survey, which is now available.

October 13, 2021

Restoration Movement History

Noninstrumental Churches of Christ Facing Uncertain Future

Jack R. Reese’s book "At the Blue Hole: Elegy for a Church on the Edge" chronicles the rise and fall of the noninstrumental Churches of Christ. The book includes several startling facts and concerning predictions from leading researchers in the Church of Christ fellowship.

May 1, 2021

Church & Ministry Small Groups

Be Faithful with the ‘Few’

In this issue you will see many examples of God supplying all the needs of his church, fulfilling Jesus’ promise, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).

January 21, 2021

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

There’s Still Time to Participate in Our Annual Survey

Church leaders are invited to participate in our annual church survey. We will be collecting data from churches of all sizes through Monday, Jan. 25.

September 22, 2020

Michael C. Mack

The Pandemic’s Leadership Lessons

By Michael C. Mack Great leaders have a blend of humility—they know that they don’t know everything—and a curiosity to discover answers. They are constantly learning from a variety of sources, beginning with God’s Word, but also through books, mentors, failures, crises, and personal struggles, to name just a few. Perhaps John F. Kennedy summarized it best: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” The pandemic and all of its interconnected effects have provided a wellspring of important learning opportunities for us. In this issue, our writers highlight many of these. Here are four I believe are especially worth

May 1, 2020

Michael C. Mack

Who Makes the First Move?

By Michael C. Mack The churches in our movement are “devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.” That is stated in the indicia of every issue of Christian Standard—but what about its processes? What can churches today learn from the start of the church on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 about how to plant and grow the church? An Acts 2 church begins in community: “They were all together in one place” (v. 1). Biblical community is the context or environment in which God does his work. This simple act

May 1, 2020

Church Life

2019 Fast Facts from Our Annual Survey of Churches

These “fast facts” are gleaned from survey data collected by Kent Fillinger about churches ranging in average attendance from 10 to 34,444 during 2019. This information is also available in chart form as a download. The download also includes a complete listing of the 439 churches that participated in our survey, and spotlights the 10 fastest-growing churches in each category and those churches with the highest baptism ratios (most baptisms per 100 in average attendance). Go here to ACCESS THE DOWNLOAD. Also, be sure to read Fillinger’s article, “The Difference a Decade Makes.” _ _ _ AVERAGE ATTENDANCE Megachurches: 5,765

February 2, 2020

Culture & Public Square Technology

Church Management Systems: Who Is Using What . . . and How?

By Kent E. Fillinger For all but the smallest of churches, leaders need an efficient and effective way to collect, organize, and utilize church-member data. A Church Management System (ChMS) is a powerful tool that can help churches with communication, giving and other financial reporting, event registration, children’s check-in, and more. In the last four years, a seismic shift has occurred in the ChMS world, according to leading expert Mark Kitts. During this time, a technology company called Ministry Brands has bought up more than 20 ChMS companies and their programs and consolidated them into a few basic platforms. This

January 29, 2020

Culture & Public Square

"This Is for All the Lonely Boomers"

By Kent E. Fillinger “OK Boomer” is a new social media catchphrase that is becoming popular with many people younger than 40. In the Washington Post, Holly Scott defined the phrase as “a jab from the young to the old, a collective eye-roll at the out-of-touch judgments baby boomers pass on the tastes, values and lived experiences of millennials and Gen Zers.” Generational divides and derision are nothing new. Ironically, when boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) were young adults, many said you can’t trust anyone over the age of 30. In my June 2019 Metrics article, I asked,

January 8, 2020

Mission & Evangelism

The Power of Invitation

By Kent E. Fillinger Jesus told the parable of a man who planned a great feast and invited many people to attend (see Luke 14:15-24). When preparations were completed, he sent his servant to tell his invited guests, “Come, for everything is now ready.” Surprisingly, the people on the guest list made multiple excuses for why they couldn’t attend. This angered the master, who told his servant to invite the poor, crippled, blind, and lame to come. After they arrived, there still was room. So, the master told the servant to invite anyone he could find to come to the

December 17, 2019