Articles for tag: Outreach

April 27, 2013

Christian Standard

Changing Church Culture

By Jim Powell Recently, several leaders from a local church asked to meet with me to discuss their congregation”s decline. They wanted advice on how to turn things around. When I sat down to visit with them, I noticed all of their questions were exclusively programmatic in nature. What kind of music do you play? What do you wear on Sundays? How do you present announcements? Do you serve coffee and doughnuts? There is value in asking such questions because we need to contextualize the gospel, and having relevant methods can make a difference. Yet I was concerned that they

April 26, 2013

Michael C. Mack

How Do We Get Busy People to Show Up?

By Michael C. Mack QUESTION: How do you get busy people to show up at small group meetings? ANSWER: This is one of the most frequently asked questions I hear from small group leaders and ministers. People are busy, so what can leaders do to make their small groups a priority?   Value What value does the meeting have for group members? “None of us has time for another meeting,” says Eric Bingaman, minister of discipleship at Batesville (Indiana) Christian Church. “However, I”ll make all the time in the world [for] a group of people who are helping me grow

May 16, 2012

Christian Standard

Canyon Creek: Reaching Thousands

By Kent E. Fillinger Not all megachurches are exactly alike. But after studying those on this year”s list, a church growth analyst will see several similarities. This description combines them into one hypothetical story. Managing a growing staff and an expanding ministry is an exciting and sometimes exhausting challenge for megachurch senior minister Brian Roberts. Some days, he”s not sure this is what he originally signed on to do when he came to Canyon Creek Christian Church in 1998. In the beginning, Canyon Creek was a small church with a limited vision. Several faithful families who had moved to a

May 15, 2012

Christian Standard

CreekView: Moving to an Exciting Future

By Kent Fillinger Suppose you could describe most emerging megachurches by combining their characteristics into a description of just one congregation. The story you”d tell would likely look something like the composite picture presented here. Things were going well at CreekView Christian Church. Like many large-size churches (those with an average worship attendance of 500 to 999) it had grown large enough to feel successful but remained small enough for the minister to feel comfortable. He could know most in the congregation, at least by face, if not by name. The church”s building was attractive. The church staff had grown

August 23, 2011

Christian Standard

Growth for ANY Church

By Steve Hinton It happened again. This past week I read yet another story of a dwindling congregation confronted with the harsh realities of years of negative growth. After some hard discussions, the congregation took the path of a growing number of churches in America and simply decided to close its doors, sell its property, and join with another struggling congregation. But I firmly believe things could have been very different for that congregation. I really believe any church can grow. This was impressed on me when my family moved to the northwest Houston area more than a year ago

May 5, 2011

Christian Standard

What”s Happening with Women”s Ministry?

By Darrel Rowland So what”s a big bearded guy like me know about women”s ministry anyhow? Does it help that when I was young I helped a proud member of the Dolphin Circle””that would be my mom””wash the glass Communion cups and put them on the big wooden pegboard to dry? (Rats, the Methodists and Lutherans would beat us to lunch again.) Obviously, my experience doesn”t qualify me to know what”s going on with women”s ministry in Christian churches. So I talked to some folks who”ve traveled to many of our churches, hosted workshops or conferences, consulted with congregations, maybe

November 17, 2010

Christian Standard

Skipping Dinner to Make a Difference

On Sunday, Rochester (IL) Christian Church celebrated “THANKSgiving, living, loving.” “Instead of our annual Thanksgiving dinner (which none of us needed!), we collected items to fill 200 Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, 82 duffel bags filled with toiletries and gifts for foster kids, and 42 Thanksgiving meal baskets for local families,” says Matt Bortmess, senior associate minister. On Sunday families, small groups, and friends worked together to assemble the gifts. The special outreach is part of RCC”s “DO Something” series; throughout the series the church also shared other local and global ways individuals could “do something” to make a difference.

October 5, 2010

Mark A. Taylor

Christian churches

“Nondenominational” Wins the Day!

Christian Churches and the Growth of Nondenominational Congregations This article reflects on Marshall Leggett’s comments at the Congress of Elders about the strengths of independent Christian churches. It also notes the growing number of large and fast-growing churches identifying as nondenominational, including many congregations connected with the Christian churches. Marshall Leggett described Christian churches as “radically congregationally governed.” Outreach magazine’s lists showed many large and fast-growing churches identifying as nondenominational. The article argues that Christian churches may be well positioned for growth amid declining denominational loyalty. The north entrance of Savannah (Georgia) Christian Church By Mark A. Taylor “We in

June 20, 2010

Phillip Murdock

nonchurched friends

Likeitis

Phillip Murdock reflects on how friendships with volunteer firefighters helped him escape the church bubble and rediscover the importance of real relationships with nonchurched people.

January 29, 2006

Christian Standard

church for introverts

What Introverts Say

A collection of candid online quotes from introverts describing what drains them in church—forced greetings, loud services, pressure to socialize, and limited views of outreach—along with their longing for privacy and restoration.

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