February 28, 2023
Men for Christ, a 71-year-old men’s ministry in central Kentucky, is discovering new life after the COVID-19 storm. The long-standing mission of the group has been to support new church plants. And the group has a multimillion endowment fund that supports churches with building improvement and maintenance needs. . . .
June 30, 2021
Larrie Fraley oversees missions work at Christ's Church of the Valley in Arizona while ministering to Harley-Davidson riders across the Phoenix metro. “I kind of look at [them as] my flock.”
January 8, 2020
By Don Wilson Churches in America are concerned about the loss of future generations. Some say our youth programs do not adequately prepare students to defend their faith as they encounter secular professors in universities. Others say young people cannot relate to the church’s outdated methods. And beyond that, organized sports are competing for our children’s attention on Sundays and throughout the week. While these and other issues are concerning, I believe there is a more significant and fundamental problem that is often overlooked. I’m referring to the influence fathers and men can have on the decisions their children make
March 25, 2019
Intentional Continuity and Longevity Lead to Steady Growth By TR Robertson First Christian Church in Rolla, Missouri, was averaging about 200 when senior minister Tim Cook began his ministry there in 1982. Over the past 37 years, the congregation has moved, changed its name to Greentree Christian Church, and grown to around 2,500 members; GCC now averages about 1,200 to 1,300 on Sunday mornings. The site where the church met for more than 100 years had only 25 parking spaces. When the church reached the point of drawing around 500 in three services, they knew they needed to expand. The
February 24, 2017
By Gary Olsby What one church decided about how to help the men they serve in a day when most men are confused about how to be the man God wants. I have a friend named Nick. He”s a great guy””funny, athletic, a hard worker, a good leader, and a good citizen. He”s a good husband and a great father who provides well for his family. He”s also a loyal Northside Christian Church member (NCC is where these thoughts were developed). You”d like him, too, if you ever got a chance to know him. But Nick has some issues. You
January 22, 2017
By Michael C. Mack It”s March, baby! Don”t miss all the “trifectas” and “dipsy-doo dunk-a-roos” during all those “NCAA knee-knockers”! Here are two prime-time ideas for your ministry this month: March Madness for Missions. Horizon Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado (www.horizoncrc.org), offers a bracket challenge for a cause. When participants pay their sign-up fees, they write in the name of a local ministry outside of Horizon. They then fill out the designated Internet NCAA bracket in the church”s group. When the winner is announced, the local ministry selected by the bracket-challenge winner receives all the winnings as a charitable
September 8, 2016
By Mark S. Krause Emily and Michael’s Story Newlyweds Emily and Michael have decided to begin their life together by choosing a “neutral” church to attend. Michael, raised Catholic, has had little interest in church since his confirmation 15 years ago, but he is committed to church involvement with his new wife. Emily”s family moved frequently when she was growing up, exposing her to a wide variety of Evangelical-flavored churches, small and large. Finding a new church seems easy to her, but she has never had a church where she felt grounded and committed. The couple agreed to attend a
By Michael C. Mack Church ministries often find themselves working as silos, fixating on their own specific objectives and depending on their own resources. Imagine what could be achieved for God”s kingdom if different ministries learned to work together to make a difference in their towns, cities, and the world! For the body of Christ to work effectively to carry out Jesus” mission, ministry leaders must first learn to listen to the Head, that is, Christ, as well as to local church leaders who can coordinate teamwork. They must also see themselves as stewards of the ministry; they refer to
January 25, 2016
By Rick Bundschuh Manhood, inaccurately portrayed and difficult to understand by so many today, is especially hard for many preteen males to attain. Here”s how one Christian leader not only worked to make his church man friendly, but also created a program to show boys how to be godly men. I could sense the longing immediately. The kid was around 12, had bed head hair, was awkward, somewhat unkempt, and was beginning to exchange baby fat for the sinewy muscles of coming manhood. All I had done was to make a couple of jokes with the boy, and then showed
September 21, 2015
By Jennifer Johnson For more than 30 years, a group in Australia has led a three-stage program to help teenage boys transition from boyhood to adulthood. Last year Christ”s Church of the Valley (San Dimas, CA) launched the program for its own young men. Leadership USA is designed in one-week stages spread out over three years, with boys starting stage one at age 15 and completing stage three at 17. “THIS IS NOT SUMMER CAMP” the church”s webpage explains; instead, it is an intense and challenging experience designed to help the participants grow spiritually, physically, mentally, and socially. “When I
August 4, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor Any college teacher, particularly one who is a Christian, will tell you this: Many, maybe a majority, of college students today come from troubled families. Chris DeWelt, an Ozark Christian College professor, described the students he knows: “Most . . . bring with them much more than just computers, clothes, and small fridges. They often bring baggage that is not so easily identified or addressed.” It”s true on secular campuses too. In his interview this month, longtime campus minister Gary Hawes says, “The largest percentage of students we are involved with today come from either dysfunctional
June 27, 2015
By Daniel D. Schantz My father had a magical way with men. In his 87 years, my father led a host of men to Christ and guided several into the ministry. I think it was because Dad was more than just a preacher. He was first and foremost a truly fine man. Like Jesus, Dad was both godly and human, and men could identify with that. On Sunday, Dad was “the preacher,” but at Friday night church softball, he was just “Ed.” On Sunday my father dressed like a prince. The navy blue suits preachers wore in the 1950s seemed
October 31, 2014
By Michael C. Mack “What is the best form of men”s ministry you”ve seen and why?” asked Steve Hinton, lead minister at Cypress (Texas) Crossings Christian Church. Responses via his Facebook group ranged from getting men involved in serving together, which gives them the opportunity in that environment for fellowship and discipleship, to Texas Hold-em nights. “Success is less about programming and events than it is cultivating an environment for masculine expressions of relationship,” said Tim Ogle, teaching/preaching pastor at Litchfield (Minnesota) Christian Church. “The best men”s ministry,” he said, “is built by and upon men seeing that the relationship
September 19, 2014
By Michael C. Mack In 2009, Dave Runyon gathered a group of 20 lead ministers in the Denver area to think, dream, and pray about how their churches might join forces to serve their community. The ministers asked the local mayor a simple question: “How can we as churches best work together to serve our city?” The mayor”s response has inspired passion and a movement. “The majority of issues our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to become a community of great neighbors,” the mayor said. Runyon and Jay
October 12, 2012
By Eddie Lowen Man Alive: Transforming Your Seven Primal Needs into a Powerful Spiritual Life Patrick Morley Colorado Springs: Multnomah, 2012 Several people who narrowly escaped the collapse of the World Trade Center towers 11 years ago credited their safety to “a man wearing a red bandana.” The man approached several bewildered people and said, “Follow me. I can help you get out.” He carried one woman on his back down 17 flights of stairs. When the rubble was cleared from where Tower One once stood, the body of a young man wearing a red bandana was found among the bodies
October 17, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor  When John Seitz joined the Antioch Christian Church (Marion, IA) staff in 2000, he challenged the men to join a team committed to praying for his ministry and for the church. “Prayer is so integral in seeking guidance from God and providing spiritual protection for the pastor,” Seitz says. “We have a prayer ministry open to everyone, but I wanted this to encourage strong male leadership in the church.” In addition to praying through the week, each year the team gathers for a retreat, and each Sunday morning several of the men gather at the church building
October 6, 2011
By Jennifer Taylor When John Seitz joined the Antioch Christian Church (Marion, IA) staff in 2000, he challenged the men to join a team committed to praying for his ministry and for the church. “Prayer is so integral in seeking guidance from God and providing spiritual protection for the pastor,” Seitz says. “We have a prayer ministry open to everyone, but I wanted this to encourage strong male leadership in the church.” In addition to praying through the week, each year the team gathers for a retreat, and each Sunday morning several of the men gather at the church building
November 24, 2010
By Paul Covert In July of 2003, I nervously made a call to Cal Jernigan, the senior pastor at Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona. I had known Cal for 25 years and had always respected him. I hoped he could point me to a church that might have some interest in my passion for prayer. Thirty days later I was leading the prayer ministry at Central. When I called Cal, I didn”t know Central had just gone through an extensive season of developing their core values. One of them was, “As a community of believers, we seek God”s guidance
April 20, 2008
By Jennifer Taylor You know the statistics: fewer men are going to church. And although the most urgent concern is helping those men meet Jesus, churches also face a second problem: if men aren’t attending church, they’re definitely not leading the church. Even men who do attend may remain spiritually immature; many lack role models, biblical knowledge, and awareness of leadership expectations. Three churches are creating and adapting programs to reverse these trends and build groups of men equipped for service as husbands, fathers, teachers, and even elders. From ornery middle school boys to retired business executives, these congregations disciple,
January 13, 2008
By Andy Hansen Have I told you I”m an assistant teacher for fourth-grade boys on Wednesday nights? Those who know me realize my skill set is much more in line with the junior high and senior high level. I”m much more comfortable with that age group. So . . . why fourth-grade boys? A Problem in Our Society In a recent article in Newsweek (September 17, 2007, page 44), a 24-year-old male teacher told how numerous fellow teachers and even parents asked him to be a “buddy” and mentor to certain at-risk students. Josh Holt quickly realized why. “The principal
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