Articles for tag: Mountain Christian Church

July 5, 2009

Christian Standard

It”s Simple: Why We Partner with Civic Organizations to Serve the Community

  By Luke Erickson and Tom Moen  Attend a community council meeting and you quickly discover what”s important to the people in your county. What some people call “bellyaching” sometimes tells you the most:  “We don”t have enough programs for our kids.” “The shopping center is run-down and poorly lit. It attracts gang activity.” “The homeless are tracking through our property to get to the liquor store.” To address concerns like these, our community council naturally looks to its members, local law enforcement, and a host of civic organizations. While these groups may not be explicitly Christian, they are already

June 24, 2009

Christian Standard

The Baptism Bandwagon

By Mark A. Taylor As Jennifer Taylor indicated in her blog May 6, it”s easy to be cynical about bandwagons. But most of us will agree with her that it”s difficult to argue with the results of what may become a trend in Christian churches: spontaneous baptism weekends. So far we”ve heard about a half-dozen churches that have hosted these events. The preacher presents Bible teaching about baptism and then invites anyone in the crowd who hasn”t been baptized to come forward on the spot. The churches don”t make provision for changing rooms and robes. Those who respond are immersed

May 31, 2009

Christian Standard

Simply Courageous: Churches Cut Clutter in Order to Focus

  By Krista Petty In the early 1970s, McDonald”s had 13 menu items. Today, there are about 50. Thirty years ago, the city of Houston had five television channels. Today, there are more than 185. America is home to more than 1 million SKUs (standard stocking units, aka bar codes); according to marketing guru Jack Trout, an average supermarket has 40,000 SKUs but the average family gets what it needs from only 150. “That means there”s a good chance we”ll ignore 39,850 items in that store,” writes Trout.1 All this illustrates the explosion of options available to the average person.

September 21, 2008

Christian Standard

NACC Viewpoints: What Did You Expect?

By Randy Gariss “So how was the North American?” On the surface, that question seems rather innocuous, but somehow over time that simple inquiry has come to prompt a surprisingly complex and emotional set of responses. When it comes to evaluating a North American Christian Convention, you will hear every answer possible: “It was great!” “It was lacking,” “It was very helpful,” or a frustrated, “I can”t figure out where the NACC is headed!” How can there be such diverse reactions to the same experience? It is probably because our personal expectations for the convention are also extremely varied, and

July 20, 2008

Christian Standard

More Than the ABC”s

By Darrel Rowland The emphasis on making disciples is not subtle at Mountain Christian Church. It”s displayed in three-foot-high letters inside the church building. It”s in the bulletin every Sunday. It”s emphasized everywhere from new members classes to gatherings of the church”s top leadership. “The purpose of this church is to make disciples””more and better disciples.” “One thing that has helped us perhaps as much as any other thing is a crystal clear focus with a mission that everyone understands and knows,” senior minister Ben Cachiaras says. “Every line item in our budget we hold accountable to that mission, every

July 20, 2008

Christian Standard

ONLINE EXTRA: Making Disciples–An Interview with Ethan Magness

By Darrel Rowland His title alone””spiritual formation pastor””is enough to tell you that Ethan Magness of Mountain Christian Church near Baltimore, Maryland, does not hold a typical ministerial position. He is a leader in Mountain”s wide-ranging effort to make disciples and the primary author of The Walk, a 226-page book to help Christians grow. Here he talks about some of the barriers and opportunities to making disciples in the 21st-century church, including the contention of some critics that too many churches are entertaining attendees instead of teaching them to follow Jesus. Is the “entertaining rather than teaching” problem new? I

July 13, 2008

Christian Standard

INTRO: Does the Restoration Movement Matter?

By Staff Who cares about the Restoration Movement? We”ve been asking that question with different groups in different ways, and this week we”ll share what we”ve been hearing. For starters, follow the links below to see how certain individuals answered. (Note from webmaster: We will try to relink these after the archiving process is completed.) We wrote one set of questions and sent them to six leaders in our fellowship. (One of them passed the list on to her son for an additional perspective.) They sent us their answers without consulting with each other, and we”re sharing most of what

July 13, 2008

Christian Standard

Restoration Movement Q&A 5

Answers from Ethan Magness Does the Restoration Movement Matter? Answers from EthanMagness. Ethan Magness is spiritual formation pastor at Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland. Do you feel as strongly about being a part of the Restoration Movement today as you did fifteen years ago?  What, if anything, has changed? My interest in and commitment to the Restoration movement has steadily grown.  Fifteen years ago I definitely took the Restoration movement for granted.  Having been raised inside the movement, I saw its flaws more clearly than its strengths.  I have come to be more and more committed that the Restoration movement is

June 15, 2008

Christian Standard

I Can Still Hear His “˜Hallelujah!”

By Ben Cachiaras I recently heard a man explaining the origin of the word hallelujah, and it instantly triggered a powerful memory of my Grandpa Cachiaras. Hallelujah! That was his word. When I was little I thought he made it up. I thought he owned it. He would say it, shout it, and sing it all the time. He was a character. Anyone who passed through the halls of Minnesota Bible College between the years of 1919 and 1983 will tell you that. They heard him sing “Hallelujah” out loud, frequently””in the halls, in class, across the campus. He was

July 10, 2005

Ben Cachiaras

what is truth

What Is Truth?

Is truth personal preference or something real and knowable? Ben Cachiaras contrasts cultural relativism with Jesus as the standard of truth, urging believers to hold to Scripture and embody truth with conviction and grace.

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