December 25, 2023
Today, in the final of six Christmas memories that Christian leaders so generously shared with us this season, Christian writer and speaker Seana Scott describes how her family tried to make the best of a nightmare situation. Merry Christmas to all!
September 18, 2023
"I Can," a movie about Katelyn Pavey, a one-armed athlete who became an All-American softball player at Kentucky Christian University, will premiere in theaters nationwide on Friday. Katelyn’s home church, First Capital Christian Church in Corydon, Ind., produced the film. . . .
November 7, 2022
Do you ever try to one-up someone and make yourself feel superior? Have you ever engaged in a competitive conversation where, instead of listening well, everyone tried to outdo each other by telling more impressive stories of their own?
April 1, 2021
Shampa sat next to her husband, Mukul, in their apartment in Calcutta, India. Their neighbor sat across from them, nervously describing how the company he had worked for as a day laborer had closed due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Money was scarce before the lockdowns, but now survival would be nearly impossible. This man was a member of the house church Shampa and Mukul had started, and here he was, struggling right in front of them. Shampa glanced at Mukul. She looked back at their neighbor. “As long as the lockdown continues, you and your family can come and have
September 27, 2019
By Michael C. Mack In his October Metrics column on small and very small churches, Kent Fillinger noted that “only 4 percent of very small churches relied on small groups as their primary form of discipleship.” That’s not surprising. Some might say very small churches are small groups. Well, that depends on how we define small groups, purely by size or by how they function. Tom Claibourne made this point in a 2012 Christian Standard article: “I have actually observed deeper interpersonal relationships, confession, and openness in the lives of Christians involved in small groups in large churches than I’ve
May 22, 2019
Christian Standard’s sister publication The Lookout offers a daily Bible reading plan to walk you through the entire Bible in one year. The Daily Reading Plan can be found for free at lookoutmag.com/resources, or you can connect to the plan using the You Version Bible App. In the app, simply go to Plans and search for “The Lookout.” The plan provides a selection of Scripture reading for 6 days per week. Subscribers to The Lookout will find the Bible Reading Plan in the print magazine, with a small accompanying daily devotional. These can also be found in the free digital
October 6, 2017
By Justin Horey Imagine you live a half hour from the nearest pizza place, and no one delivers. That”s not the premise for a new reality television show. It”s how Dr. Barney Wells, graduate academic dean and associate professor of Bible and ministry at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University, playfully defines “rural communities” for his undergraduate students. Although millions of Americans live in rural communities, small-town people are often overlooked and misunderstood by sociologists and economists more focused on serving larger population centers. Likewise, few have studied or analyzed what it takes to succeed and thrive as a ministry in a
August 17, 2017
Six church human-resource leaders share their best practices for successfully lifting the lids that limit the capacity of staff members Leaders and employees have one thing in common when it comes to performance reviews. Both cringe at the thought of them! How do you view staff evaluations? Are they an annual chore filled with official forms and uncomfortable face-to-face meetings? Have you ever said, “Write your own review, and I”ll sign it”? Would you prefer the “no news is good news” approach? As a new ministry season begins and as the end of the year approaches, effective churches understand the
November 4, 2016
By Jennifer Johnson Jeff Vines, lead pastor at Christ”s Church of the Valley (CCV) in San Dimas, California, was a missionary in New Zealand for 10 years. In the first four years of his ministry at Shore Community Christian Church in Auckland, he grew the congregation from 350 people to more than 1,000 by challenging people to connect with “one life.” Today the same strategies are bringing growth to CCV as a whole and to many of its members. “New Zealand is a post-Christian nation,” Vines says. “I quickly learned that the best way to evangelize in that culture is
July 24, 2016
Jeff Vines explains to Kelly Carr, editor of The Lookout, why church leaders must focus more on apologetics and why he believes all evangelism must be one-on-one. See this interview, from the 2016 NACC in Anaheim, here.
June 17, 2014
By Mark A. Taylor Joe Boyd says the Bible came alive to him when he was just 8 years old. The Sunday school lesson of the day was about Jacob and Esau and how Esau, famished from a day in “the open country,” gave up his birthright for a bowl of Jacob”s stew (Genesis 25:29-34). “Our teacher told us that story,” Boyd remembers, “and then she pulled out a thermos, unscrewed the cap, and poured each of us a serving of lentil stew in a paper cup. “I”d never tasked lentil stew before, and it was good! It dawned on
January 29, 2013
By Kent E. Fillinger Quality leaders and effective leadership can make the difference in whether a local church or any organization succeeds or fails. So we asked a few dozen leaders from churches of all sizes to tell us how they develop leaders where they serve. (The 43 congregations surveyed have average attendances from 275 to 8,500.) Most of those surveyed (77 percent) said every staff member is responsible to train leaders and volunteers within each of their ministries. Four of the megachurches surveyed have a staff person focused solely on leadership development, yet these churches still rely on a
May 9, 2012
Elder governance can free elders to focus on their unique responsibilities while equipping others for ministry, helping congregations unleash the gifts and potential of every church member.
November 13, 2011
William Jessup University's Give:24 campaign used social media and a one-day giving push to raise more than $38,000 for student scholarships, university departments, and external missions.
November 2, 2011
Forefront Church in New York hosts its next “Conversation That Matters,” creating space for religious and nonreligious people to listen graciously, share stories, and learn from one another’s perspectives.
January 31, 2011
The Leadership Institute at Christ's Church of the Valley offers college-level courses through Hope International University, along with one- and two-year internship options for ministry training.
December 1, 2010
Members of Journey's Crossing Christian Church served early Black Friday shoppers with coffee, hot chocolate, and breakfast treats at one of their area’s busiest shopping centers.
October 28, 2010
Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, launched Iglesia Cristiana Casa de Luz, a new Spanish-speaking congregation led by Edwin Ojedis.
June 17, 2007
After “A Day in the Park,” a small group listens to a Somali family’s story, then takes practical steps to help them find a safer home—discovering deeper friendship and lessons about God’s love along the way.
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October 6, 2026
Rick Cherok
October 6, 2026
Landon Shuman
October 6, 2026
Doug Redford
