Articles for tag: Mark A. Taylor

June 6, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Credit Report

By Mark A. Taylor Some assume a magazine”s editor is alone accountable for the insights and errors that have appeared in its pages. But as I write this, my last editorial for CHRISTIAN STANDARD (indeed, my last piece of any kind as an employee of Christian Standard Media, known as Standard Publishing during almost all my 41 years here), I know better. I must share credit, along with some blame now and then, with a long list of encouragers, examples, and givers of advice. And in this space I have room only to summarize. I think first about a decades-long

June 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Should We Build It? Will They Come?

By Mark A. Taylor We wanted experience from church leaders who have led their congregations to build. We were able to spend an hour with four who brought insight and a couple of warnings for any congregation considering a building campaign:  Gene Appel, senior pastor with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, California;  Gary Johnson, lead servant with The Creek in Indianapolis, Indiana;  Darrel Land, senior minister with Redemption Christian Church in Jasper, Indiana; and  David Vaughan, senior minister with Whitewater Crossing Christian Church in Cleves, Ohio. Here are excerpts from that conversation. Tell us about your last building project. Appel:

May 30, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Your New Chapter””Don”t Be Afraid to Turn the Page

By Mark A. Taylor New parents sometimes feel trapped. Infants need constant attention, and Mom and Dad may grieve the diminished freedom, increased expenses, and unending on-call status that come with this new addition to their family. But after only 18 years or so, that son or daughter, now looking ahead at a life of independence, leaves home. He gets a job, and she establishes a household of her own. And some parents discover a new reason to grieve: without that child who was once such a challenge, now the house seems empty and lonely. Whether pressed by our current

May 23, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Failure, Formation, and a Hopeful Future

By Mark A. Taylor It”s a principle of leadership whose impact we may not have grasped for our spiritual lives: failure is often the prelude to success. In fact great success may not happen unless it”s built on a foundation of failure. In a way, this is nothing new. We know about Thomas Edison”s thousands of efforts to find a filament for the electric light bulb. “I have not failed,” he said. “I”ve just found 10,000 ways that won”t work.” History teachers tell us how Abraham Lincoln suffered defeat after defeat only to rise to greatness. Others describe J.C. Penney”s

May 16, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

First Family

By Mark A. Taylor Ministry can be hard on a minister”s family life. The demands of the congregation don”t stop when the church office closes. Needs and opportunities to serve abound in the evenings, threatening to take the minister away from conversations with a spouse or attendance at children”s ballgames and concerts. Phone calls can come night and day. And the minister may feel he has no one to talk to about disappointments and difficulties except a spouse, who then becomes overwhelmed with information and worries that cannot be shared with anyone else. We can be encouraged that 70 percent

May 9, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Our Future: with Unity?

By Mark A. Taylor If you led a workshop on the future of the Restoration Movement, you”d likely mention many positive signs about our tribe. Here are some I included when I was asked to speak on that topic: “¢ Our churches are doing dynamic ministry, trying new approaches, and succeeding with new strategies. We”re a creative bunch. “¢ Closely related to the above, our lack of hierarchy leaves our leaders free to try new ideas without needing permission from anyone. And new ideas abound among us. We”re an entrepreneurial bunch. “¢ Leaders from our group are publishing widely, with

May 2, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Our Future: What Kind of Influence?

By Mark A. Taylor Will the Restoration Movement* stay strong if its institutions continue to struggle? The question is more than academic in a time when more than one influential ministry has disappeared or is laboring to survive. And in an era characterized by massive change on every front””technology, education, media, transportation, and economic and political norms””we are no longer shocked when one of our institutions closes its doors. Change is the order of the day. Furthermore, many of our ministries still serving could not continue with support from our fellowship alone. For example, our two national conferences, while still

April 25, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Our Future: as Evangelicals?

By Mark A. Taylor Are members of Christian churches and churches of Christ properly categorized as Evangelicals? We addressed this topic in the first year I served as editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD*, and now as I close my tenure, I wonder if anyone is still asking the question. The two who answered in 2003 wrote passionately and convincingly and came to completely opposite conclusions. William R. Baker described James DeForest Murch”s decision to boldly identify himself with the growing Evangelical movement in the 1940s and afterwards. “Not since Isaac Errett, founding editor of CHRISTIAN STANDARD, had anyone from the Restoration

April 18, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

All the Potential in an Open Book

By Mark A. Taylor Several years ago I was helping host a retreat for emerging leaders among the Christian churches and churches of Christ. One session began with the question, “What are you reading?” and every one in the circle of 25 had something different to report. These men and women were reading widely””not only books about the Bible and church leadership, but also an assortment of biography, classic literature, and fiction. It was one of several times I”ve realized the future of our movement is strong because so many young leaders in our movement are strong. This happened around

April 11, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

resurrection of Christ

Why We Celebrate

An Easter editorial on why Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ: historical testimony, witness accounts, and a call to humility. Faith is not surrendering intellect, but surrendering arrogance as we seek and find.

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

April 4, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

My Read on a Surprising Remedy

By Mark A. Taylor Readers of a certain age can”t resist a bold, red headline that says, “Live Longer!” And when the caption below it promises “50 Proven Ways to Add Years to Your Life,” an almost-retired guy like me knows he wants to know more. You could probably guess several of the live-longer tips offered by the March 2017 AARP Bulletin: get your sleep, drink water, eat whole grains, exercise. But some of it is less intuitive: get rid of throw rugs (they cause falls), find a woman doctor (statistically their patients have better results), watch your grandkids (regular

March 28, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Not Happy? Don”t Worry

By Mark A. Taylor Just when you think the world is beyond hope, here comes the United Nations trying to bring a smile. Did you know that Monday last week, March 20, was International Day of Happiness? Did you know it was the fourth such day, having been “adopted by consensus of all 193 member states of the United Nations” on June 28, 2012? Did you miss your local International Day of Happiness celebration? If so, I”m right there with you. Maybe Americans don”t make much of celebrating happiness, because, according the U.N.”s World Happiness Report 2017, the United States

March 21, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Immigration: My Final Word

By Mark A. Taylor It”s true for every web post, published article, or magazine cover theme: Some agree. Some object. And many ignore what has been written. That”s been the pattern for the immigration posts appearing at christianstandard.com this month (all of them lifted from the March issue of the print magazine), and your editor is tempted to reply to each response. I”ll resist, but I am motivated to give 500 or so more words to the subject. First: the positive comments, Facebook reposts, and retweets of links to the articles are gratifying. But I”ll admit that some of this

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

March 7, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Her Final Lesson

By Mark A. Taylor What should we note about the life of Eleanor Daniel? Thousands of her former colleagues and students are telling what they remember about her now, after her death March 2 and her memorial service yesterday, March 6. They speak of her skill and passion as a Christian teacher. The remember her encouragement in their own teaching ministries. They recite her faithfulness in Christian service. They note the impact she made on three seminaries among the Christian churches and churches of Christ. (Some are quoting from Bruce Parmenter”™s tribute, published last December, in which he describes her

February 21, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

FAQ

By Mark A. Taylor With the acquisition of Christian Standard Media, announced February 13, itӪs only natural that some readers may have some questions. Here are some answers. Acquisition? Who acquired you?ӬChristian Standard Media, consisting primarily of The Lookout and CHRISTIAN STANDARD magazines, was acquired by The Solomon Foundation. Solomon created a wholly owned, independent, nonprofit subsidiary that will manage this ministry Solomon is in Denver, right? Does this mean youӪll be moving there? ҬNo, and yes. It is true that we have a new business address: 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202 Parker, Colorado 80134 All correspondence for the magazines,

February 14, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

A Command for Valentine’s Day

By Mark A. Taylor Sweetheart dinners, couples retreats, and sermons about love are all great, as long as they move us beyond the frivolous expressions typical of our culture”s shallow take on deep issues. When it comes to marriage, God has spoken. His command comes three times in Paul”s epistles, twice within a few phrases of each other. “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” Paul tells the Ephesians. “Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies” (5:25-28). To the Colossians, the apostle puts it this way: “Husbands, love

February 14, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Reasonable Doubt

By Mark A. Taylor Confronted with doubters, some Christians display one of two unfortunate reactions. Some look away. They prefer not to think about serious skeptics. Isolated inside the church with no real relationships outside it, they are comfortable with a faith they themselves may never have questioned. They ignore the skeptic. But others attack. They can”t pretend doubters don”t exist. They”ve heard the cynical sneers about Christianity from public critics, and the arguments make them angry. They view disbelievers as the enemy, and their instinct is to defend the faith with sarcasm, condemnation, or insult. Those in either group

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