August 11, 2026
Churches need high-integrity leaders and a stronger ordination process that recognizes God’s call, affirms character and doctrine, and maintains ongoing accountability after elders lay hands on ministers.
October 11, 2022
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.
October 19, 2020
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
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
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
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
Explore downloadable resources for new members, church leaders, and everyday believers covering the Restoration Movement, hiring ministers, baptism, Communion, Calvinism, skeptics, and practical Christian living.
September 1, 2010
LeRoy Lawson reflects on how grief, loss, and suffering have shaped his spiritual growth, offering a candid testimony that pain often teaches what success cannot.
June 2, 2010
How Memorable Sermons Shape Our Lives Mark A. Taylor reflects on sermons and preachers that influenced his life, from his calling to Christian service to lessons about prayer and gratitude. He considers how a preacher’s character strengthens the message and how believers can influence others through their everyday example. Memorable sermons can inspire lasting decisions, spiritual growth, and meaningful action. A preacher’s humility, integrity, and personal example can strengthen the impact of a message. Christians can influence others through their daily lives, even without preaching publicly. Remembering Sermons That Shape Us Understanding the Impact of Memorable Sermons The influence of
Christian Standard highlights a growing list of downloadable resources for teaching, preaching, personal study, church leadership, and local church distribution through ChristianStandard.com.
Christian Standard announces a downloadable baptism resource collecting recent articles and interviews on baptism for churches to use in teaching, outreach, and discussion.
April 23, 2008
Christian Standard highlights its annual campus ministry directory and distinctive resources on apologetics, ordination, Calvinism, and the Restoration ideal, including material originally published in the magazine.
March 2, 2008
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
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.
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
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 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 29, 2006
Paige Matthews explains why churches should carefully assess ministry candidates before ordination, highlighting the long-term responsibility congregations carry when recognizing and credentialing people for vocational ministry.
October 22, 2006
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
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.
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October 6, 2026
Rick Cherok
October 6, 2026
Landon Shuman
October 6, 2026
Doug Redford