Articles for tag: Michael C. Mack

June 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Two Interviews, Two Brothers, One Passion for Making Disciples

By Michael C. Mack I had the privilege to interview Robert Coleman in his home in Wilmore, Kentucky, for our August 2019 issue. It took me back to when I interviewed his brother Lyman Coleman—founder of Serendipity House, compiler and editor of the Serendipity Bible for Groups, and widely known for being a pioneer in the small group movement in the United States—for a cover story in The Lookout in 1993. Robert described Lyman as his “best friend for all these years.” The brothers worked together many times, and each of their ministries often benefited the other’s. For instance, Robert

May 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Moving Past the Silence: How Can We Actually Restore New Testament Christianity?

By Michael C. Mack “Have we to any great extent restored New Testament Christianity?” Christian Standard editor Burris Butler asked that intriguing question 65 years ago . . .  and we’re still asking it today. Butler’s assessment of the situation in 1954 may seem harsh. He said, A big eloquent silence is the kindest answer we can give to this question. Here and there a life thoroughly committed to the Son of God has shone out like a bright light in the darkness. Now and then a local congregation has given a hint of its spiritual potentialities. But on the

April 25, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Working in the Messiness of Multigenerational Ministry

By Michael C. Mack With apologies to Abraham Lincoln (and John Wycliffe, who, it’s said, actually originated the phrase I’m referencing), Christian Standard is produced by different generations of people, with different generations of people, and for different generations of people . . . to equip and encourage people to make disciples of and effectively lead different generations of people. The Christian Standard team consists of three millennials (born 1981–2001): operations manager Renee Little and designers Megan Kempf and Abby Wittler, and four baby boomers (born 1946–1964): publisher Jerry Harris, managing editor Jim Nieman, contributing editor Shawn McMullen, and me.

March 25, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Decision Points, Pain, and Church Growth

By Michael C. Mack Why do some churches grow and multiply, some plateau, and others decline? It™s a question I™ve considered for a long time. As I studied the article and charts Kent Fillinger prepared for this month, it reinforced my theory that growing churches do certain things and have a particular mind-set largely absent in stagnant and declining churches. I™ll try to explain. In my personal life, I™ve seen a direct correlation between my physical health and my tolerance for pain. For years I lived with carpal tunnel syndrome and eventually lost quite a bit of functionality in both

March 20, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Two Vital Preaching Principles

By Michael C. Mack We decided to focus on “biblical preaching” for this year™s annual Easter issue. The need is as great as ever to “preach the Word.” I hope this issue serves as a sort of “preaching guide” for our readers. Four of our feature articles provide powerful, practical, thought-provoking principles for preaching. (Amazingly, alliteration is not one of them.) Our e2 and Metrics columns also focus on preaching this month. We seek to restore, among several things, biblical preaching. To that end, I™d like to consider two vital preaching principles I don™t hear discussed much. Perhaps we take these

February 2, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Financial Issues: Don’t Be Discouraged!

By Michael C. Mack The statistic is alarming. According to a Christian university study reported by the Center for Church Leadership, over a 10-year period 70 percent of ministers drop out of ministry. And some of the biggest reasons for that high attrition rate are financial. CCL’s September 2016 State of the Ministry research study of Christian church/church of Christ ministers reveals that 74 percent of responders who serve in vocational ministry have debt. It also found that 54 percent of churches do not provide retirement benefits and 47 percent don’t offer health/medical insurance. No wonder the survey determined 85

January 29, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Debatable Issues

By Michael C. Mack As you read this issue, you may not agree with every writer’s viewpoint. Several articles contain debatable issues, and, in one case, we go “In the Arena” on a highly contentious matter: women’s involvement in teaching and leadership in the church. We believe it’s helpful to provide a forum in which readers can consider both sides of debatable issues. In churches large and small, leaders are discussing these issues, and we hope to provide biblical perspectives from others who have already done the hard work of studying, applying, and even teaching on these matters. I ask

January 3, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Racial Reconciliation: Strides in the Right Direction

By Michael C. Mack Most of us can agree on a few facts about racial prejudice, division, and conflict. It’s real. It has existed in our culture and in our churches in the past. It persists today. And it will likely  continue to be an issue for some time. Thank God, it will not exist in Heaven. I think we’d all agree it’s wrong. It’s unbiblical. It’s definitely not Christlike. Most of us know the Bible verses: Matthew 28:19; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; 1 John 4:8-11; Revelation 7:9; and others. Many of us know something I didn’t. Most Restoration Movement

December 31, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Make Next Year a Great One for Your Staff, Elders, Group, or Family

(Start your year off right by considering our editor’s suggestions in this brief item we first published two years ago. This approach can be used successfully among a wide variety of people who meet regularly and seek to love and honor God.)  _ _ _ By Michael C. Mack When we make resolutions, we usually emphasize what we will do under our own power and will. When we run out of willpower, we begin to fail at keeping those resolutions. For Christians, there’s a far better way. Move from New Year’s resolutions to spiritual reconstitutions! Here’s how. At your first

December 9, 2018

Michael C. Mack

When God Doesn’t Feel Like ‘Immanuel’

By Michael C. Mack What do you do when everyone around you is singing about joy and glad tidings and peace on earth . . . but your life reflects none of it? How do you get through “the most wonderful time of year” when your season is anything but merry and bright? And let me ask leaders, how do you lead others to experience Immanuel, God with us, when God feels far away this Christmas? Let’s face it, we are surrounded by people who are experiencing sadness, depression, sorrow, discouragement, and pain this December. Perhaps you are among them.

November 4, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Paper Christians

By Michael C. Mack The cafeteria in my old workplace was a microcosm of the world. When I worked at Standard Publishing in the early 1990s, the seven-acre building was divided distinctly into two parts: the front housed the editorial, management, and sales departments, and the back was the printing plant. As you might suspect, the editors in this Christian publishing company were active in their faith; many were teachers, preachers, and elders in their local churches. There was no spiritual requirement to work in the back. The cafeteria was situated in the middle of the building. My first day

October 28, 2018

Michael C. Mack

What’s the Missing Discipleship Ingredient?

By Michael C. Mack “If you make disciples, you will always get the church. But if you try to build the church, you will rarely get disciples.” This quote from Mike Breen jumped off the page as I read his article, “Why the Missional Movement Will Fail,” several years ago. Apparently many others also found it compelling; the last time I checked, the article has more than 20,000 shares online. As a discipleship and small groups guy, I’ve read lots of articles and have been involved in many discussions about whether churches and groups should emphasize discipleship or being “missional”

October 14, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Leadership Insights from the Trail

By Michael C. Mack I’ve learned many leadership principles while riding my bikes. I try to ride either my road bike or mountain bike several times a week with a group of friends, and while my main goal is physical fitness and fun, I’ve also adapted several cycling lessons to spiritual leadership. Here are two that both deal with the importance of vision.   Keep Your Eyes on the Trail A vital principle in mountain biking is to keep your eyes on the trail rather than what’s not on the trail. Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Yet many people make

October 7, 2018

Michael C. Mack

You Do You

By Michael C. Mack   You do you. When managing editor Jim Nieman asked what I’ve learned over the last year and a half as Christian Standard editor, this is the first thing that came to mind. You do you. It’s a common catchphrase in today’s culture that means “Just be yourself.” (It can also be used as a sarcastic response to someone who is doing something simply because they want to. Pastor Jeremy: “My new 10-week sermon series is titled, ‘Spiritual Lessons from Paddington 2.’” Elder Frank: “You do you, pal.” Or . . . Student: “I’m having Declaration

September 23, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Five-Minute Daily Devotions for Leaders: C’mon Man!

By Michael C. Mack Recently as I was reading Psalm 61, I came to a significant verse: “Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!” (Psalm 61:4, New Living Translation). King David was on the run, but he yearned to be back in Jerusalem, not because that’s where his palatial home was, but because that’s where God’s sanctuary was. To David, God’s presence resided especially in the sanctuary, and David yearned to be there. Don’t miss the word forever in this verse. David longed to dwell in God’s presence forever. The relationship—the fellowship he

September 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Christmas Article on Hold as Authorities Investigate Editor’s Illness

Christian Standard editor Michael C. Mack was confined to bed rest after taking ill while reading Caleb Kaltenbach’s Christmas article that extrapolates Christian principles from the holiday classic movie, A Christmas Story. “I don’t know what happened,” Mack said, blinking his eyes rapidly but unable to focus on anything. “I think Caleb may have somehow shot my eyes out . . . figuratively, of course.” “The article is actually quite mesmerizing,” said Mack. “I had read through it once and was starting a second pass when a strange feeling came over me. I tried to stand to get a coffee

September 2, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Urban Ministry, Disagreement, Changes

By Michael C. Mack This month we focus on the urban church. This topic may bring about disagreement among readers. Our cities, after all, often serve as the stage for highly charged emotional issues in our culture. In addition, we also tackle the contentious question of online church; is it really church? And how do we even discuss debatable issues in a sane and unifying manner? (We cover that too.) Finally, I want you to know about a few changes we’re making to serve you better.   What Urban Ministry Means to You As several writers point out, the New

August 19, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Back to School . . . for All of Us

Editor’s Note: Starting today, each Sunday we will publish a new blog post from the editors of and regular contributors to Christian Standard. Our purpose is to encourage and equip leaders with timely and relevant leadership lessons we are learning. We will relate to current events in the church and culture and also provide insider information about Christian Standard Media. And we’d love to hear from you! If you have a reaction to a post, please comment below! _____ By Michael C. Mack As kids in our area went back to school this past week, I started reflecting on those

July 12, 2018

Michael C. Mack

A Continuing Commitment to Discipling Our Children

By Michael C. Mack The Standard Publishing Company that I worked for many years ago had an obvious commitment to children’s and youth ministry. We produced top-selling VBS materials, children’s and youth Sunday school curriculum, take-home papers for middle and high school students, and more. We trained teachers and leaders in our Teacher-Leader Conferences (known as TLCs) across the country. Today, Christian Standard Media has that same DNA, that same commitment to and passion for children and youth, though it may not seem so obvious at first glance. The Lookout and Christian Standard work in tandem to play a vital

June 27, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Christian Standard Interview: Back at the NACC

Why Nathan Loewen and other gospel-believing Disciples of Christ pastors are attending the North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis this year.   By Michael C. Mack Much has changed and much has remained the same in the Restoration Movement over the past 90-plus years. The separation was set in motion, many say, over a two-year period beginning with the 1926 Disciples of Christ convention in Memphis, Tennessee, and then the response by the more biblically conservative church leaders who organized the first North American Christian Convention in 1927. Over the next 45 years or so, the two groups drifted apart

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