July 1, 2021
Deconstructing the Digital Church
The most frequently asked question from church leaders in our annual survey was, “How should we count our online attendance?”
Articles for tag: Online Ministry
May 26, 2021
Job Prospects Strong Among Christian Churches
Despite a global pandemic that limited in-person church services for much of the past year, the job market for pastors in the Restoration Movement remains robust, say those who closely follow the trends.
May 1, 2021
An Innovative Approach to Cross-Cultural Ministry
With his college closing, Andrew wondered if he could find a job that involved some sort of cross-cultural work. He decided to try teaching English as a second language to people in other countries via the internet.
March 1, 2021
The Dilemma of Social Media and the Church
I received an email from Jonathan, a person I’d never met, last June. He explained that he’d hit a point in his life where he had questions about life, faith, his purpose, and how to respond to everything that was happening in the world. We were in the midst of a pandemic; people were losing their jobs, and there was political turmoil and racial injustice. Jonathan said he didn’t know how to process all the chaos we all were witnessing. Jonathan had found our church through Google and Instagram. Unbeknownst to me, he had been listening to our sermons and
January 1, 2021
God Didn’t Stop When the Pandemic Started
When We Decided to Teach People in Our Community How to Study the Bible, God Provided Everything We Needed When COVID-19 first hit and life ground to a halt, I didn’t know what I would do with myself. As a volunteer outreach coordinator at Copper Creek Christian Church in Maryville, Illinois, as well as a leader with several independent outreach opportunities in the community, I was devastated when all events were unexpectedly and indefinitely canceled. Suddenly my involvement in two to three outreach events per month dropped to zero. No more events. No more kids’ activities. No more social gatherings.
August 15, 2020
A New Pandemic
The Coronavirus Crisis Provided the Church with New Opportunities and Approaches . . . Will We Take Them? By Trevor DeVagewith Mark A. Taylor Ask the typical Bible study group, “How are Christians like us persecuted today?” and you usually get blank stares. Some might remember being bullied at school or ignored by the party crowd at college. Maybe one will tell about being disowned by her family when she decided to get baptized. You might even come across someone who got fired because he wouldn’t lie for his boss. But more often Christians in America apply Bible passages about
July 15, 2020
An Online Revolution of Necessity
Is online church really church? That question has bounced around church circles for years as more of American life takes place over the internet. Churches and pastors have been all over the spectrum—from all-in to logged out. The conversation persisted right up to the COVID-19 pandemic. A couple of Christian magazine covers from March 2020 help tell the story. The central theme of Christian Standard’s March print edition featured a robust discussion about the benefits of online church. The cover featured Rusty George of Real Life Church in Valencia, California, who said, “Church is engagement . . . with the
May 20, 2020
Mountain Christian’s New Podcast Accessible to All—Including Skeptics
By Chris Moon The leaders at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Md., had long thought about starting a podcast, but it took COVID-19 to spur them into action. “That was the little push we needed,” said Luke Erickson, the church’s executive pastor. Once the coronavirus hit, no in-person church services or group meetings were happening, and church staffers were looking for other ways to continue their work of disciple-making. The church launched its 6 Feet Apart video podcast—named for the familiar social distancing guideline—about a month ago. The weekly show is built around a conversation between Erickson and lead pastor
March 19, 2020
When Good Gifts Are Wrapped in Ugly Paper: How We Can Be Bright Lights in Dark Circumstances
By Jerry Harris Sometimes our greatest gifts and opportunities come wrapped in ugly paper. With our hearts and lives in distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be easy to cave in to our fears and get lost in this “lower” story. Consider Joseph in the Old Testament. He had plenty of reasons to give in to selfish emotions, but he instead chose to see his circumstances from a “higher” story point of view. This was Joseph’s attitude: “Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what
February 22, 2020
Church Tech without the Technobabble
By Michael C. Mack Most of us know the value of using modern technology for both personal and church use, but some of us—especially those of us over a certain age (and I’m uncertain what that certain age is anymore)—simply don’t have the expertise to use it well. Truth is, we’re afraid we’ll bumble the technological language well before we bumble the technology itself. I’ve experienced this while trying to talk to a 20-something wisenheimer at Best Buy. I stand there with a blank look on my face as he lays down some impressive technobabble. Just tell me which watch
February 19, 2020
If You Lead Alone, You're Doing It Wrong
A Cutting-Edge Way to Find New Ministry Partners Online . . . and in Person By Mark Kitts I’m still smarting from the recent closing of my alma mater, once known as “the Flagship College” of the independent Christian churches (ICC). Our schools, publications, and national gatherings have historically been unifying bastions of the Restoration Movement. But these institutions have been losing influence as people have voted with their feet and their wallets. Is it because Restoration ideals have lost their relevance? I don’t think so. I see these ideals being adopted as never before. Denominationalism is declining at an
March 25, 2016
If You Post It, They Will Come
By Bill Belew Jesus was so good at what he did that crowds hunted him down, ran to him, brought folks to him, and prepared for his visit. Jesus” teaching, works, and methods were so appealing that people were attracted to him. He did not need to advertise: “Come hear the sermon on the mountain by the Sea of Galilee.” “Great crowds came to him,” (Matthew 15:30, emphasis mine). The church””your church and Jesus” church””should be producing such high-quality content that people seek it out. People are looking for answers. Americans spend an estimated $16.6 billion annually looking for answers
