Articles for tag: North American Christian Convention

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

My Retirement Plan

By Mark A. Taylor Yesterday”s announcement of Jerry Harris as the new publisher for Christian Standard Media includes news of my retirement. I”d like to use my space this week to add a little background. I told Standard Publishing management about 20 months ago, in July of 2015, that I planned to retire after the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim in 2016. But when most of Standard Publishing (but not the magazines) was sold to David C. Cook in December 2015, I changed my plan. We assumed that some new owner would also eventually acquire CHRISTIAN STANDARD and The

February 26, 2017

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (20)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Bob Blanshan Bob Blanshan, his beautiful wife, Sarah, and three children live in Crowley, Louisiana, where he serves as the children and family minister at Forest Park Church of Christ. He grew up on the other end of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota, attending a church just six miles from the Canadian border. Bob is fortunate to have heard a lot of great preaching throughout his lifetime, including his father, Dale Blanshan, and his grandfather, Bob Blanshan,

February 6, 2017

Come to the (After) Party!

By Chris Moon Something new! Something free! Something fun! It’s for EVERYONE! It was like a banana split without the whipped cream. Or hot chocolate without the marshmallows. Or a Thanksgiving Day meal without the pumpkin pie. Something was missing. That was the thinking among the leadership of the North American Christian Convention following the final night of programming at the 2016 convention in Anaheim, California. Everything went so well. Bob Goff was the keynote speaker. The Christian rock band For King & Country put on a concert. The atmosphere was electric. “People were just up in the clouds””excited,” says

February 6, 2017

NACC Helps One Young Pastor to Bridge the “˜Gap”

By Chris Moon Mitch Chitwood grew up in the Restoration Movement. He spent his childhood attending independent Christian churches in Arizona and Nebraska. His father has served for decades as a Christian church pastor. And Chitwood today works as the operations and multisite pastor for StoneBridge Christian Church in Omaha, Nebraska. Needless to say, the 27-year-old is very familiar with the movement of Christian churches and churches of Christ that spans the United States. But for his first several years in ministry, Chitwood never fully felt part of that movement. “I always had that one-step barrier,” he says. Chitwood attributes

February 5, 2017

10 Reasons Why Everyone Will Love Kansas City This Summer!

By Greg Montague 10. KC Streetcar. This fun new travel option ferries people between downtown restaurants, art galleries, and shopping areas””for FREE! http://kcstreetcar.org 9. The Power & Light District. Folks can dine in style or on a budget at dozens of restaurants within three blocks of the convention center. www.powerandlightdistrict.com 8. BBQ. Kansas City is known for some of the finest barbecue in America! My personal favorite? Jack Stack Barbecue, just south of the convention center in the Freight House District. www.jackstackbbq.com 7. The College Basketball Experience and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Sports fans will LOVE this tribute

February 4, 2017

NACC 2017: This Is for Everyone

By Gene Appel I want to invite you to join me in one of America”s greatest cities for my favorite conference on the planet, the North American Christian Convention, June 27″“29 in Kansas City, Missouri. I especially want to invite you if you”ve never been to this special gathering, or if you haven”t been able to make it for a few years. After a fantastic convention in Anaheim, California, in 2016, we have great momentum building for Kansas City, and I hope you”ll jump on board. Let me share why. First, we have an urgent theme:Â “This is for EVERYONE.” God”s

January 24, 2017

Leonard Wymore””Yesterday’s Hero

By Mark A. Taylor It”s fair to say the passing of Leonard Wymore represents another marker in the end of an era. Leonard, who served as director of the North American Christian Convention from 1963 to 1986, died last Thursday, January 19. He was 95 years old. Known by many as Mr. North American, Leonard had his finger on the pulse of Christian churches and churches of Christ as perhaps no one else. He traveled widely. He heard and encouraged preachers in churches small and large across the heartland. He passionately promoted unity and church growth in a fellowship of

January 3, 2017

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Strategies for a New Year

By Mark A. Taylor Dear Reader: This is adapted from a post that first appeared five years ago. It still seems pretty current to me, mainly because I still need to follow my own advice here! So let’s read itÂ together as, once again, we recommit ourselves to faith and ministry at the beginning of a new year. Anytime can be the right time for new beginnings, but the transition to a new year seems like a natural. If you”re looking for new ways God could use you in 2017, here are some possibilities. Enhance strengths. Instead of concentrating on

December 31, 2016

Book Reviews Reviews

These Speakers Are Writers

By LeRoy Lawson Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick UpÂ Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny Christine Caine Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016 The Scent of Water:Â Grace for Every Kind of Broken Naomi Zacharias Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011 Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World Bob Goff Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012 The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters Sean B. Carroll Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016 I had the good fortune to attend the 2016 North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California. I can”t remember an NACC that was more upbeat, more focused

December 8, 2016

Christian Living

An Incomprehensible Grace: Interview with Naomi Zacharias

By Jeff Vines Her work with abused and suffering women worldwide has spread hope and helped her experience healing herself. Naomi Zacharias blew into the foyer of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) 10 minutes late. She had been caught in a typical Atlanta, Georgia, traffic snarl. With a large drink and a half-eaten sandwich in her hands, she was on the move. She greeted me and then escorted me to her office, making sure the door was left open to remove any question of impropriety. I was immediately impressed. I wondered if Naomi, the daughter of perhaps one of the

November 1, 2016

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

A Look in the Mirror?

By Mark A. Taylor A church friend wrote on Facebook this week, “Why don”t all of you QUIT posting about the election?! Hasn”t everyone already decided who they”re voting for?” Certainly a majority of Americans have decided how they”ll vote””or whether they”ll vote. This year, as in most years, millions and millions of dollars are spent to sway the undecided minority. What may be different this year (in a campaign with a long, sad list of firsts), is the way some undecided voters keep switching from one choice they don”t like to the other. In the midst of all the

October 9, 2016

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (16)

By Arron Chambers Two preachers and their preacher sons tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Scott Eynon Scott Eynon has been pastor at Community Christian Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for 22 years. Community Christian celebrates its international diversity with attendees from 85 nations! Scott loves to say, “We get to be part of a church that looks like Heaven, with people from all over the world worshipping together.” Scott has been married to his wife, Lori, for 33 years and they have two sons, Chris and Steven. Scott”s Best Sermon: The best sermon

August 27, 2016

What About Tomorrow?

By Mark A. Taylor In recognition of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s 150th birthday earlier this year, the North American Christian Convention featured a workshop led by three of the magazine”s contributing editors. We asked each of them to think about hopes and challenges they see for the future of the churches served by this magazine for a century and a half.Â The comments below are edited from the hour-long workshop. See the whole session here. Matt Proctor What will be the future of the independent Christian churches? As I considered the churches I”ve seen, I thought of three answers to that question:

August 25, 2016

Stories to Savor, Stories to Share

By Mark A. Taylor Convention President Dave Stone rallied California Christian churches and churches of Christ to join brothers and sisters from around the world at the Anaheim Convention Center in an exuberant gathering July 12-15. Here, close to the center of storytelling for much of our culture, Christians gathered to tell “A Better Story.” The spirit in each session was upbeat, energized by a crowd of Californians for whom this was their first NACC. Main session preaching centered on encounters with Jesus recorded in the Gospel of John, and each sermon offered hope and help for Christians and church

August 19, 2016

Ministries & Nonprofits Organizations & Events

Church Development Fund Announces Name Change to CDF Capital

IRVINE, CA””Church Development Fund, a ministry ofÂ Provision Ministry Group, announced this July a new name and logo. Debuting at the North American Christian Convention, in Anaheim, the new name,Â CDF Capital,Â was met with great enthusiasm. This change was made to better reflect the ministry and its long time mission: “Helping Churches Grow.” CDF Capital, originally established in 1953 as the Churches of Christ Building and Loan Fund, was founded with the express purpose of removing obstacles that hindered church growth. In 1953, the most significant obstacle was access to financial capital to purchase land and build new churches. In 1972, the

August 10, 2016

Conferences & Gatherings Organizations & Events

‘Tomorrow’ Workshop

CHRISTIAN STANDARD hosted a workshop about the future of the movement it has served for 150 years. Hear the discussion, conducted during the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim in 2016, with Matt Proctor, Jennifer Johnson, and Ben Cachiaras, hosted by editor Mark A. Taylor. Complete workshop here.

July 26, 2016

NACC””You Didn”t Have to Be ThereÂ

By Mark A. Taylor Of course, if you had attended the North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California, July 12-15, you would have experienced many good things . . . We enjoyed dry, warm days amid the beautiful palm-tree setting of the Anaheim Convention Center We shared the enthusiasm of California Christians, many of whom had never experienced an NACC before. Over half the crowd at the packed opening-night assembly were Californians. A similar number said this was their first NACC. Gene Appel, minister with Eastside Christian Church in Anaheim, praised convention President Dave Stone for the hard work he

July 26, 2016

An Interview with Brian Mavis

Are there orphans in America? Yes, indeed, according to Brian Mavis, president of America”s Kids Belong. Mavis discussed the foster care crisis in the U.S. with Editor Mark A. Taylor at the 2016 NACC in Anaheim. See this exclusive interview here.

July 25, 2016