October 11, 2022
SECC’s ‘More Proactive’ Ordination Process Bearing Fruit
Three years ago, Southeast Christian Church in Kentucky added more structure to its efforts to ordain people into ministry. Since then, it has ordained 90 people.
Articles for tag: Ordination
October 19, 2020
From Whom You Learned It (Oct. 25 Lesson Application)
This “Application” column goes with the Bible Lesson for Oct. 25, 2020: You’re Next (2 Timothy 1:13-14; 2:1-2; 3:10-17) ________ By David Faust Someone said that a diploma doesn’t prove you got an education; it means you had the opportunity to get an education. It’s good to go to high school or college, but it’s better to actually learn something along the way. I have diplomas on my office wall, but my ordination certificate hangs above the diplomas, because ministry means more to me than academic achievements. The witnesses who signed my ordination certificate stir fond memories. Their signatures are
Giving Honor to an Editor and Friend
By Michael C. Mack I don”t recall what the speaker said, but I”m sure his words were well-spoken and significant. I do remember, however, who that speaker was on that Sunday evening 21 years ago: Mark Taylor, who was at that time publisher at Standard Publishing Company. Mark had already played a key role in my life. When I worked in the New Products department at Standard in the early to mid-“90s, Mark was my boss. When I left to start a web-based small group ministry in 1995, he encouraged me and gave me opportunities to do freelance work, which
January 8, 2017
I Love the Church . . . Because There”s Work to Be Done
By Miriam Y. Perkins There are reasons I ought to love the church. The church refined the families who raised me. My connection to the Christian churches stretches back three generations to my great-grandparents Esther and Howard Dillon and grandparents Miriam LaRue and Hershel Dillon and Gladys and Carl Perkins. And this circle includes my mother, Linda Perkins, who has dedicated her life to family and the education of children, and my father, Gary Perkins, who was seminary-trained, ordained, and a career military chaplain. If I love the church at all, it is because of this generational legacy. Not Easy
October 25, 2013
“˜What a Shame . . . God Didn”t Make You a Boy”
By Betty L. Aldridge I heard the words nearly 60 years ago, and I have never forgotten them. As I searched for God”s will in my life, the words triggered many questions. It has not been an easy search and, even today, I still have questions, but I give God glory for leading me and for the experiences he has given me. This is my story. I want to share how God has used me. First, I should explain the context for those words. As a high school student, I was asked to preach a sermon at an all-day regional
August 4, 2011
Inexpensive Downloads to Help Your Ministry
By Mark A. Taylor Here”s a reminder about a whole host of inexpensive, downloadable resources available for your church now. As you anticipate the after-summer ramp-up of activities and ministries, which of the following would help your ministry most? For new members and nonmembers””Our most popular “What Kind of Church Is This?” gives you 8 full-color pages that explain the unique and beautiful nondenominational position of Christian churches and churches of Christ. “Simply Christians,” which originally appeared in The Lookout, is a 12-page overview to accomplish the same purpose. One user called “Simply Christians” “the best short-form overview of the
September 1, 2010
Growing Like Jesus: No Pain, No Gain
By LeRoy Lawson (LeRoy Lawson was among eight Christian leaders asked to share what helps them mature just as Jesus did. Lawson is international consultant with Christian Missionary Fellowship International, a CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor and a member of Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee.) __________________ “No pain no gain, Dad. No pain no gain.” Our son Lane was in his teens. Both grandfathers had bequeathed good genes, and he was making the most of them. (I resent how those genes jumped right over my generation and landed in his.) He wasn”t tall but he was muscular””and eager to become even more
The Best Kind of Sermon
By Mark A. Taylor What sermons do you remember? I remember a sermon preached by Wayne Smith at a Talent Rally at Lincoln Christian College when I was just a teenager. God used that sermon to prod me toward vocational Christian service. I remember a sermon by Paul Jones preached at Cincinnati Bible College chapel that moved me and most who heard him to express appreciation to our parents. Another time in that same chapel building John Wilson preached about his daily prayer routine. And I”m still challenged to pray like he described. I”ve listened to sermons that have helped
Valuable Downloads for You and Others You Know
By Mark A. Taylor Every media outlet in the country is working to make information available to readers who want it via the Internet. Here at CHRISTIAN STANDARD we”ve been doing this for years. Our Web site, www.ChristianStandard.com, offers a wealth of new and archived material from the magazine, plus our Web-only features: blogs, weekly Sunday school lessons, extended interviews, reader comments, and more. All these are reasons thousands of Web users visit our site every week. In addition we”re creating a growing list of downloads. Each of these is inexpensive, easy to order, and valuable for teaching, preaching, or
March 4, 2009
To Keep, to Share, to Teach
By Mark A. Taylor Many readers will want to share the baptism articles in this and last week”s issue. So we”ve colllected them in a single, convenient downloadable resource to meet that need–and we’re offering it at a special introductory rate. This is just another in a series of helpful resources we”ve made available in this format. You may remember the others: A Conversation with Skeptics. Jeff Vines helps anyone who has wondered how God can allow evil, pain, and Hell. Item number 02970. 6 pages. $2.99 Ordination. Three articles help churches decide who should be ordained, why, and how churches
Available Only from Us
By Mark A. Taylor This information isn”t available anywhere else. That was the comment one reader made about the expanded Christian college issue CHRISTIAN STANDARD published March 16. The same is true for this week”s issue. Hidden on the computer hard drives of several campus ministers, the directory we publish annually tells our thousands of readers about these ministries. Keep this issue or send it to college-age students you know. Or find the directory at our Web site and bookmark it for future reference. Hundreds of Christian students on secular campuses across the country are making life-changing commitments to God
March 2, 2008
I Want to Be Like Them
LeRoy Lawson reflects on the elders who sustained his ministry. He describes the best traits of church elders—humble love, prayerful wisdom, steady encouragement, and a “grandfather” heart that leads by love.
March 2, 2008
They Never Stopped Teaching Me
C. Robert Wetzel reflects on decades of ministry shaped by faithful church elders—through ordination, encouragement, and hard-won lessons in faith, humility, and love that continued teaching him long after he left home.
Celebrating Ordination
Chuck Sackett reflects on ordination and the call to ministry, urging churches to pair careful evaluation with long-term encouragement and accountability for those they ordain.
March 21, 2007
New Resources From Us for You
Christian Standard is making select recent series available again as downloadable reprints. Choose from three reformatted resources on skeptics’ questions, ordination, and Calvinism—each download includes the right to make 10 copies.
November 5, 2006
ORDINATION (Part 3): Lifetime Ordination
Ordination is a key event in a church’s life. Tom Lawson proposes “lifetime ordination,” a mutual relationship of accountability, oversight, and crisis intervention between a congregation and the minister it sets apart.
October 22, 2006
ORDINATION (Part 1): Is It Biblical? Is It Practical?
A downloadable PDF resource explores ordination and includes a sample from J. Michael Shannon’s first article. The piece asks whether ordination is biblical, practical, or necessary, and begins with a look at New Testament patterns for ministry leadership.
May 10, 2006
What We Can Do if We Can”t Agree
Churches often disagree about women in ministry, from eldership and ordination to worship leadership and Communion. This article urges humble respect so believers who differ can still serve together in fellowship.
November 30, 2005
New Resources from CHRISTIAN STANDARD
Christian Standard offers three downloadable reprint series reformatted for easy sharing. Each download includes rights to make 10 copies, with topics covering skeptics’ questions, ordination, and a review of Calvinism’s teachings.
