Articles for tag: Noninstrumental Churches of Christ

What I’ve Learned in Switching to an A Cappella Church of Christ

In the fall of 2020, as COVID restrictions were being eased, my wife and I were church “free agents.” I suggested we try an a cappella congregation I knew in Louisville, Ky. We jumped in, and two years later I joined the staff as involvement minister—a lifelong Christian Church guy now teaching, discipling, and worshipping in four-part harmony. Here are five observations from my experiences serving in an a cappella church. . . .  

Allies

Allies

By Renee Little with Marshall Mead and Daryl Reed   I sit through long meetings to review and approve loans twice each month. We review financials, discuss property location and value, and debate ratios of risk in order to decide whether to approve funding. As a lending institution, due diligence is required, but as lovers of Jesus, we have an even larger responsibility to review and discuss doctrine, leadership, and church direction. We are more than a lender; we are, in fact, a ministry partner. Our mission is to honor God, and the best way to honor him is not just

September 1, 2021

Erik Tryggestad

The State of Noninstrumental Churches of Christ . . . Before and After the Pandemic

“I don’t want things to go back like they were. I want things to be better.” Oklahoma minister Randy Roper’s words are echoed by people in Churches of Christ across the nation as they emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic. Roper preaches for the Edmond Church of Christ in the suburbs of Oklahoma City. The congregation, which was averaging about 1,250 for weekly worship prior to the pandemic, is one of about 12,000 autonomous congregations in the U.S. that seek to share Jesus through the practice of simple, New Testament Christianity without manmade creeds. Churches of Christ share roots with

Waran People Celebrate Bible Dedication (Plus News Briefs)

Compiled by Jim Nieman and Chris Moon Mac Silvey recently posted a YouTube video showing the Waran people of Papua New Guinea celebrating the dedication of the New Testament translated for them by Pioneer Bible Translators. The translation was a labor of love for PBT’s William and Robin Butler, as detailed in Greg Pruett’s article “To the Least and the Last” in our November issue. The celebration took place, but due to “issues and setbacks” at the printing plant, Silvey said, the actual printed Bibles didn’t arrive for another few weeks. _ _ _ Other News Briefs A Dallas Christian

Disciples See Deep Drop in Attendance

If its current rate of decline continues, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination could lose half its membership over the next 10 years, according to an Institute on Religion and Democracy blog post by Jeffrey Walton. Numbers provided by the DOC’s Office of General Minister and President show that total membership declined 7 percent from 2017 to 2018, from about 411,000 to around 382,248. Likewise, average worship attendance declined 11 percent, from 140,000 to 124,000, Walton wrote on IRD’s blog, Juicy Ecumenism. Also, baptisms dropped from 4,344 to 3,782, down 13 percent, while other additions (including transfers in) declined

Daryl Reed: Building Bridges for the Next Generation

By Melissa Wuske “I’m the grandson of a preacher,” says Daryl Reed, “so I always had it in my mind that it’d be cool one day to be a preacher.” When it came time for college, however, “I really didn’t want to go to any preaching school or seminary, because . . . I thought I was still too cool for that,” he laughs. This isn’t a story about youthful overconfidence, though; Reed was following the example of earlier generations of his family, and now he’s helping subsequent generations of young people live it. “My grandfather was a reluctant preacher,”

Youth Advance Evolving

By Jennifer Johnson Youth Advance began as a way to build student leaders and recruit them for Christian college. In 1982, representatives from Northeastern Christian Junior College in Villanova, PA, developed the event””with speakers, workshops, worship, and more””as a way to identify and encourage promising high school students in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. “It wasn”t a youth rally,” says Bill McGee, the vice president. “The idea wasn”t to send your entire youth group. It was for church leaders to handpick a few kids with potential and for the church to pay their way.” Northeastern eventually merged with another college and

Responses to Lawson and Alexander’s Articles

By Our Readers These letters are in reaction to two articles that appear in the June 13, 2010, issue of CHRISTIAN STANDARD: “Two Views About the Future of the Restoration Movement: Let”s Keep Moving!” by LeRoy Lawson “Two Views About the Future of the Restoration Movement: Dissolve or Thrive?” by Dick Alexander Of Principles and Principals The principles of the Restoration Movement have remained firm and strong, but many of the principals of the Restoration Movement have not. A quote from Carl Ketcherside of some 30 years ago: “The Restoration Movement has become the Restoration Monument.” Why was/is that? We have pursued the leadings

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