Articles for tag: North American Christian Convention

March 28, 2019

Christian Standard

Let the Church Be the Church

I recently came upon this “Reflections” column by Floyd Strater from our December 12, 1982, issue. For many decades, as I recall, the editor of Christian Standard would ask a group of 12 or 13 people—a new group annually—to contribute four essays during the year. The topics were not assigned. Sam E. Stone told me he would strive for a variety of writers each year: men, women, preachers, professors, missionaries, and others from a broad geographical area. Floyd Strater was serving as minister with Knott Avenue Christian Church in Anaheim, California, at the time he wrote this. He preached there

March 14, 2019

Christian Standard

Revisiting Two ‘Epistles from Thistle’

For 45 years, Christian Standard regularly published a feature called “An Epistle from Thistle.” Editor Burris Butler introduced the feature with a brief editorial on page 4 of the May 3, 1952, issue. Beneath the headline, “Do You Like Thistle?” Butler wrote: “Let us introduce you to Thistle (page 14), our lighthearted and lightheaded friend. In his breezy way he corresponds with his unweighty friend, Down, on both light and heavy subjects, generally dealing directly or indirectly with religion. We hope you like him. If you do, we may be able to induce him to share more of his gems

February 21, 2019

Christian Standard

Let’s Help the Disabled

On Jan. 29, 1984, Sam E. Stone provided an answer to a question he had asked readers more than two years earlier: “Just what is the church doing to meet some of the enormous needs disabled people are facing?” The answer came in the form of a front-page story in Christian Standard entitled, “Ministry to the Handicapped Begins.” That article—as you’ll read—details the start of the Christian Foundation for the Handicapped, which continues to thrive, but under a new name, Ability Ministry. (Read more about Ability Ministry—including an important part of its origin story that Sam doesn’t share here—in an

January 29, 2019

Christian Standard

My Life Story . . . from Gang Member to Church Planter

By Gonzalo Venegas as told to Christian Standard   I was sitting in a prison cell, serving time for crimes I had committed as the leader of a street gang, when God spoke to me: “My children, my children—take care of my children.” I sensed his radical love. It is the only time I have ever heard from God in such an amazing way, and I cried because I knew exactly what he meant. God wasn’t talking only about young children, but all of his children. He was calling me to be a pastor.   My Life on the Streets

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

The Past, Present, and Future of the Restoration Movement (Part 1 of 3)

(Part one of a three-part series) By Steve Carr Let me start with the story of two movements. By virtue of reading this magazine, I’m sure you can guess the first one, so I’ll introduce you to the other. About four decades after the inception of the Restoration Movement, American innovation led to the creation of a game that would quickly become the national pastime: baseball. Abner Doubleday is often credited with creating the game, but historians have virtually refuted this. Regardless of who started it, the history of baseball is robust. It continued to spread rapidly across the United

January 1, 2019

Mark A. Taylor

Good Strategies for a New Year

Former editor Mark A. Taylor offered these thoughts two years ago under the headline, “Strategies for a New Year.” At the time, Taylor confessed to sharing similar thoughts a few years earlier. He wrote on Jan. 1, 2017: “. . . I still need to follow my own advice here! So let’s read it together as, once again, we recommit ourselves to faith and ministry at the beginning of a new year.” _ _ _ By Mark A. Taylor Anytime can be the right time for new beginnings, but the transition to a new year seems like a natural. If you’re

November 15, 2018

Christian Standard

Early Reporting on the Missionary Convention

The International Conference On Missions met for its annual gathering Nov. 15 to 18 in Cincinnati. According to ICOM’s website: In March of 1948, J. Russell Morse was in the home of John T. Chase for dinner, and asked, ‘Why isn’t there a gathering for missionaries?’ He went on to express the need for a time where missionaries can talk shop, fellowship and encourage each other. So in 1948, the day prior to the NACC started, a few dozen missionaries got together. That practice continued for several years growing to a few hundred people. Then in 1954, the National Missionary

November 12, 2018

Christian Standard

Seven Insider Facts About ICOM

By Emily Drayne The strategic focus of the International Conference On Missions is no secret—it’s apparent in the name—but there’s much more that goes on beneath the surface. Do you know these seven insider facts about ICOM? See if you’re an ICOM expert! 1. The idea for a missions conference came from an unexpected place. The idea for the missions conference was born in Los Angeles. J. Russell Morse and John T. Chase had the idea for a “missions emphasis day” before the North American Christian Convention, and the first such meeting occurred in 1948 in Springfield, Illinois. Attendance grew

November 10, 2018

Christian Standard

More Nondenominationalish News Briefs

Rumors have been flying that Dave Stone and Rick Rusaw are not actually retiring from their senior pastor positions at Southeast Christian Church and LifeBridge Christian Church, respectively, but that they have declared themselves free agents and are making their services available to the highest-bidding churches at no less than 5-year, no-cut contracts with guaranteed money up-front. (Of course, these are just rumors.) _ _ _ Former senior minister Dean Smithy of Austin, Texas, is looking for a new church to serve after elders at Yellow Rose Christian Church told him he can no longer serve at theirs. Smithy and

November 8, 2018

Christian Standard

1964: When the NMC Traveled to NYC

– October 31, 1964 – The International Conference on Missions is taking place in Cincinnati next week, November 15-18. It’s the sixth time the gathering has come to the Queen City, and the first time it’s been there under its “new” name, ICOM. Cincinnati last served as host in 2007; the conference was known as the National Missionary Convention until 2011. As is the case with the North American Christian Convention—now known as Spire—the best-attended gatherings among our fellowship of churches traditionally take place in the heartland. And so, that’s where most of the ICOM/NMC gatherings have taken place during its

October 24, 2018

Christian Standard

Mason Worship Center to Be Named for Sam and Gwen Stone

By Jim Nieman A new worship center being planned at the Christian Village at Mason (CVM) in Ohio will be named for former Christian Standard editor Sam E. Stone and his late wife, Gwen. The Stone Worship Center and Auditorium is necessary, in part, because of increasing attendance at CVM worship services under senior chaplain Tom Moll, who has served four-plus years at the 85-acre senior living community in Mason, located north of Cincinnati. “I don’t know that anyone thought it was possible to have a vibrant church (in a retirement community),” said Larry D. Monroe, president and CEO of

October 11, 2018

Christian Standard

Big Preaching

The Oct. 13, 1928, Christian Standard featured a printed version of the keynote address of George Taubman, serving that year as president of the second North American Christian Convention, then taking place in Kansas City, Mo. Taubman served as minister with First Christian Church, Long Beach, Calif., where his men’s Bible class exceeded 2,000 in attendance each Sunday. We will focus on an editorial from that week’s issue, but not anything related to Taubman or the NACC. “Big Preaching” most likely was written by then-editor Willard Lee Mohorter. _ _ _ Big Preaching When Abraham Lincoln was candidate for the

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 30, 2018

Jerry Harris

The NACC: Celebrating Our Wins . . . and Starting an Inspiring New Season

By Jerry Harris The 2018 North American Christian Convention was held where it started 91 years ago, in Indianapolis. This year’s president, Drew Sherman, his team, and the NACC staff pulled together an amazing experience with inspiring speakers, incredible worship, and great accommodations. As usual at “the connecting place,” I engaged in countless conversations with like-minded leaders in our tribe, something for which the NACC is known. Some of those conversations were powerful to me. Leadership Huddles were a new addition; these ministry intensives and roundtable discussions drilled down into real issues leaders face every day in ministry. Volunteers from

September 30, 2018

Jerry Harris

Thank-You!

(This is a sidebar to Jerry Harris’s October 2018 Letter from the Publisher: “The NACC: Celebrating Our Wins . . . and Starting an Inspiring New Season”)   By Jerry Harris Seventy-seven names. As one scans them, a history of the modern independent Christian church forms. These men strove to hold together in unity an independent movement while, at the same time, cherishing its individuality. They worked hard to inspire a movement of healthy, growing churches. They had their own ministries, but they generously gave their time, talent, and treasure to advance a tribe and cause in which they believed.

September 19, 2018

Christian Standard

Stone Announces Retirement from Southeast

(Updated Sept. 24) Dave Stone, senior pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., has announced he will retire sometime in the next six to nine months. Teaching pastor Kyle Idleman will replace Stone in the lead role at the church. “This is a process that has been in the works for a number of years,” Stone said in a story published on the Southeast Christian Church website. “My wife, Beth, and I decided on this timing about five years ago. We felt that 2019 would be the wisest time for the transition to take place.” Stone made the announcement

September 13, 2018

Christian Standard

Rusaw Announces Plans to Step Down from LifeBridge

Rick Rusaw has announced plans to step down as lead pastor of LifeBridge Christian Church, Longmont, Colo., by September 2019, and transition to serving with the Spire network, formerly known as the North American Christian Convention. Rusaw and his wife, Diane, have served in Longmont for 28 years. LifeBridge averaged 3,264 in weekly worship attendance last year. “We knew there would be a time when we would pass the leadership privilege to someone new,” Rusaw wrote in a letter to the church posted at lbcc.org. “Now, as I look to the future of our church’s opportunities and needs, it has

August 16, 2018

Christian Standard

The Restoration Movement: Its Vitality, Quirks, and Needs in the 21st Century

Editor’s Note: Starting today, every Thursday we will post an article about the Restoration Movement from our Christian Standard archives. While some will be more recent stories, many others will be excerpts from older issues, going back to 1866, that are currently not available on the web. It’s “Throwback Thursday” . . . Christian Standard-style!   Today we go back to December 2006 to an article by LeRoy Lawson, which started as a presentation in the Publishing Committee’s 50th annual meeting in October that year. The Publishing Committee provided editorial oversight to Standard Publishing (the longtime owners of Christian Standard)

July 18, 2018

Christian Standard

NACC Attendance Exceeds 6,000 (Plus News Briefs)

North American Christian Convention managing director Larry Collins provided various statistics about the recent gathering in Indianapolis June 26-28. “The NACC 2018 was a wonderful event and combined the best of all the programming tweaks that have been made over the last five years,” Collins said. Total attendance for the event was 6,032. Of that total, 4,826 people registered and an estimated 1,206 people—or about 25 percent—did not register. Among those who registered, 233 were students and 442 were children. In addition, Compassion Experience prearranged with the NACC to have a large number of folks visit their display during the

July 4, 2018

Mark A. Taylor

A Brief History of Restoration Movement Media and Christian Standard Media

Compiled by Shawn McMullen   Christian Standard and The Lookout have a rich history within the Restoration Movement. Christian Standard was first published in 1866; The Lookout was first published as the Young People’s Standard in 1888 and changed to its current name in 1894. Under the umbrella of Standard Publishing, the magazines served Christian churches and churches of Christ across the United States and around the world for a century and a half. Ownership and leadership have changed through the years, but the purpose of the publications has remained the same—to strengthen churches and their leaders through biblical teaching and the promotion of the Restoration

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