November 5, 2025
When a Plan Comes Together
A sermon should be long enough to adequately exegete and apply the main point of the passage, but short enough to leave mature Christians willing to listen a few minutes longer.
Articles for tag: Next Generation Leaders
December 31, 2024
Healthy Churches Produce Healthy Leaders
leaders can evaluate four vital signs that speak to the health of the local church: Students, Statements, Struggles, and Statistics.
May 17, 2020
The Churches of Our Movement Were Made for This
By Michael C. Mack I believe the Restoration Movement is a strong and vibrant movement with a bright future. Here are four reasons I believe that’s true. First, our movement is in good hands. Every feature writer this month is under the age of 45, and many are in their 20s and 30s. We sought younger writers to make a point. As one young writer, Josh Ross, put it, “In the kingdom of God, the movement is before us, not behind us.” While we often look back at the rich history of our movement, it’s time to look to the
April 25, 2019
Is Your Church Ready for Generation Z?
By Kent Fillinger It might seem hard to believe, but the millennial generation is approaching middle age! The oldest millennials will turn 38 this year, which means they were entering adulthood before today’s youngest adults were born. Many researchers and demographers are now shifting their attention from millennials to generation Z to learn more about them. Researchers quibble about when the millennial generation ends and generation Z begins—the years range from 1996 to 2002—but a Pew Research Center article from January indicates people in the two age groupings aren’t all that different. Here’s the article’s headline (so judge for yourself):
June 13, 2017
What to Expect from CHRISTIAN STANDARD
By Jerry Harris Why is the survival of CHRISTIAN STANDARD so important and what does it offer that other magazines don”t? Other magazines like Relevant, Outreach, and Christianity Today offer lots of good commentary and resourcing for churches and leaders in general, but they represent no actual tribe. CHRISTIAN STANDARD is critical to the Restoration Movement because it serves a vital role unique to us. We are comprised of about 5,300 churches, all autonomous, without any denominational support to hold us together. It”s one of our greatest strengths, but without something connecting us regularly, we can lose much of the potential of
First Look Inward (Part 1: The Person)
By Gary Johnson The interior world of the outgoing leader is a key factor to transitions that succeed. While each of us knows about different kinds of journeys, I”m exploring a journey that is unique. This journey involves Christians in a local church or parachurch organization, and it is called succession. It happens when the senior leader leaves and a new leader arrives in his place. Just as every person in the plane, on the train, or in the car travel together, this journey involves everyone in the particular church or parachurch organization. Succession involves more than one minister leaving
July 9, 2013
40 Under 40: Abhijeet Lall
ABHIJEET LALL Director of the children”s ministry, Central India Christian Mission Abhijeet Lall works with Central India Christian Mission (CICM) as director of its children”s ministry. Abhijeet loves working with the youth in India. Just 23, Abhijeet has a high connectivity factor with young people. Sixty-five percent of India”s population is under 25 years old. Abhijeet”s challenge is to present the gospel in a way that communicates to India”s youth in an attractive way. Abhijeet and his wife, Katie, are currently investing all their energy in reaching the millions of unreached youth in India through the children”s ministry. Abhijeet is
April 1, 2007
Raising Up the Next Generation of Kingdom Leaders
By Matt Proctor July 1, 1898. Cuba. Spanish-American War. At the bottom of San Juan Hill, Lt. Col. Teddy Roosevelt straps on his boots and leads his Rough Riders regiment up the hill under fierce Spanish gunfire and on to victory. For his courage, he is posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2001. June 6, 1944. Normandy, France. World War II. Sitting in a troop transport ship, Brig. Gen. Teddy Roosevelt Jr. prepares to attack the most heavily fortified coast in history. Surely he is thinking of his father. President Roosevelt had instilled in his four boys a
