Articles for tag: Parkview Christian Church

July 20, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Jon Weece

JON WEECE Lead follower,  Southland Christian Church  Lexington, Kentucky The new pope is giving hope to many because he”s a Jesuit. He”s humble and cares for the poor. He”s named for St. Francis. Jon Weece gives me the same hope. He has the heart of a missionary and the humility and leadership of Moses. He comes from some of the finest stock in the Christian church and carries the Weece name proudly. Southland is innovative, but not to be chic. The church exhibited its innovation by starting a huge campus in the middle of an under-resourced area, which has enabled

March 22, 2013

Christian Standard

The Rise of the “˜Nones”

By Tim Harlow The front page of USA Today said, “Protestants lose majority status in the US” (October 9, 2012). It just happened to catch my eye as I walked past a newsstand. I thought to myself, OK, but what could have taken its place? Catholicism is dying””is this about Mormonism? The article explained that Protestant numbers are down from 53 percent in 2007 to 48 percent today. But these Protestants didn”t switch to a new religious brand. They just let go of any faith affiliation or label. According to the Pew Forum, one in five Americans now claims no religious identity.

November 26, 2012

Christian Standard

What”s Your “˜However?”

By Tim Harlow It seems one can”t attend a gathering of church leaders without hearing a sad discussion about some brother or sister who has fallen. Sometimes it almost seems like having a fulfilling and successful life in the Lord is just as much about the things you DON”T do, as the things you DO. Sure, giftedness is important, and attitude, and a good team, and vision, and all of that. But you can have all of that and blow it just once and have it all come crashing down. There is always forgiveness and grace; and none of us

August 5, 2012

Christian Standard

Hanging with Naughty Matt

By Tim Harlow Imagine the party when the tax collector got some friends together to meet Jesus. Matthew was a tax collector. The Jews hated tax collectors because they were usually swindlers and “sellouts” who worked for the Romans. You couldn”t get any lower than a tax collector. They even had their own category: there were “sinners,” and there were “tax collectors.” Jesus and the disciples came upon Matthew one day and Jesus said, “Why don”t you quit your job and follow me?” Matthew said “yes,” and the next thing you know Jesus was at a party at Matthew”s house.

June 4, 2012

Christian Standard

Beware the Second Decade

By Darrel Rowland For several years in a row, Kent Fillinger”s statistics have shown that church growth peaks when the senior minister is in his eighth to tenth year. Last year, those churches” weekend attendance increased an average of 8.3 percent””about double the figure for years 11-20 of a minister”s tenure. The 2010 contrast was even greater: 17 percent growth for years 8-10, a mere 1.4 percent for the second decade. Is now the time to mention that many senior ministers really hate these statistics””even though few quibble with the bottom-line numbers? One reason: The figures shoot down a prevalent

March 12, 2012

Christian Standard

We Know Leaders Like Those the World Is Seeking

By Mark A. Taylor “Go down with the ship? Not in this century.” So observed commentator Robert Marquand as the world learned details this January about the cruise ship disaster off the coast of Italy. The hull of the 117,000-ton Costa Concordia was torn open by rocks in shallow water Friday night, January 13. And soon the world was treated to the excuses of captain Francesco Schettino, who said he fell into a lifeboat and was unable to reboard the ship. Despite the fact that thousands of passengers were screaming and scrambling to save themselves from the chaos on the

August 9, 2011

Christian Standard

Show Me the Glory

By Tim Harlow “Show me the glory” sounds like a rip-off of a famous movie line””but it”s quite a bit older. Moses was charged with the greatest (and hardest) leadership position in human history. How do you lead people who don”t want to be led? How do you lead people God doesn”t even like anymore? After the golden calf incident, Moses pleaded with God to spare the lives of the members of his “church.” And God did, but he”d had enough of them and decided to send an angel to lead them because he was DONE. (I believe God was

April 6, 2011

Christian Standard

Counter Culture

By Mark A. Taylor “I”m an editor. I work with words.” I”ve used that excuse more than once when I”ve miscalculated or misunderstood or misapplied some list of numbers. (My wife says she hopes I don”t die before her, because it would take her a month to figure out what”s going on with our checkbook!) So if you prefer ideas and expressing them over numbers and analyzing them, I understand. But I urge you not to ignore all the facts and figures in posts we”re planning for the next few weeks. Here”s why: We serve a God who keeps track

October 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Lesson for Oct. 17, 2010: God”s Safe Refuge (Psalm 46:1-7)

This week”s treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson (for October 17) is written by Neil Norheim, senior minister with Parkview Christian Church, Findlay, Ohio. God”s Safe Refuge (Psalm 46:1-7) By Neil Norheim “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.” Think about the trust factor of these words in the hymn by Isaac Watts. Trust is the critical issue. Our temptation is to trust only in ourselves, doubt everyone else, and constantly remain suspicious. From an emotional standpoint, this defensive posture is mostly paranoia. Psalm 46 begins, “God is our refuge and strength, an

September 28, 2010

Christian Standard

Christian Churches, Large Churches, Growing Churches

Mark A. Taylor Congratulations to Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky, the fifth largest church and the 27th fastest growing church in America. Southeast was one of 17 congregations in the fellowship of Christian churches included in the two lists, published by Outreach magazine in September. The lists were based on self-reported February and March attendance weekend attendance averages in a research project involving more than 8,000 churches, according to Outreach. LifeWay Research conducted the study. Ten of the 100 largest churches in America are among the Christian churches, including two in the top 10. (The numbers here and in the

August 1, 2010

Christian Standard

I Was the Big, Dead Tree

By Tim Harlow When I was a youth pastor, one of my favorite stories to reenact at church camp was from 1 Kings 18 when Elijah and the priests of Baal had a god-duel. The trick was to have someone with a roll of toilet paper soaked in lighter fluid in a nearby tree. At the right moment, he would light the toilet paper and let it slide down a wire into the altar””it was a great effect! I”m sure the real thing was even better. I can”t imagine how great Elijah must have felt knowing he was on the

April 11, 2010

Christian Standard

Megachurches: Mega See, Mega Do

By Kent Fillinger What do “kiddie” pools, black T-shirts, towels, plastic trash bags, preaching, and prayer all have in common? Each of these items was a key part of a recent trend among 50 megachurches and emerging megachurches that resulted in 7,705 baptisms in 2009. Our churches are often referred to as the independent Christian churches, but it is also fitting to describe them as interdependent Christian churches. For years now, the megachurches and emerging megachurches have networked with one another to share resources and assist one another through various levels of growth. Many of these megachurches have also served as sounding

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

Megachurches: By the Numbers

  By Kent E. Fillinger and Ben Simms   Fastest-Growing Churches in 2008:  “¢ The Crossing, Quincy, IL, 27% “¢ Crosspointe, Cary, NC, 22% “¢ Compass Christian, Colleyville, TX, 22% “¢ Central Christian, Mesa, AZ, 22% Fastest-Growing since 2003: “¢ Parkview Christian Church, Orland Park, IL, 183%  “¢ Real Life Ministries, Post Falls, ID, 172% “¢ Crossroads Christian Church, Grand Prairie, TX, 101% Fastest-Growing since 1997:  “¢ Christ”s Church of the Valley, Peoria, AZ, 477% “¢ Northside Christian Church, New Albany, IN, 371% “¢ Central Christian Church, Henderson, NV, 307% What  is “AVERAGE”? The 54 megachurches” average size: 4,116  The

October 21, 2007

Tim Harlow

Heaven

It Does Get Better Than This!

A child’s blunt honesty about Heaven sparks a devotional reflection on why eternity can feel distant when life is good—and why hope grows stronger as we gain perspective, mature, and face suffering.

August 12, 2007

Tim Harlow

hope for Africa

Toilets and Christianity

After visiting Nairobi’s slums, Tim Harlow shares sobering realities of poverty and HIV/AIDS and urges believers to act like Jesus—supporting children, caring for the vulnerable, and trusting the church to bring lasting hope.

June 24, 2007

Tim Harlow

I AM WHO I AM

It”s All in the Name

Tim Harlow reflects on God’s name “I AM” in Exodus 3 and why it changes how we carry responsibility. If God is I AM, we are “I AM NOT”—and that’s good news for weary hearts.

March 11, 2007

Christian Standard

Losing Sheep

By Tim Harlow I don”t think I fully understood shepherding until I took my family to visit a little Dutch theme park in Holland, Michigan. It was a petting zoo\cheese-making\candle-dipping experience. On this particular day, one of the sheep in the petting zoo had executed a clever escape and was wandering through the outlet mall next door. Up to this point, he had done no harm (although he was glaring at the sweater store). His escape had been through a little pond at one end of the zoo. He must have been desperate, because, as the nice Dutch lady told

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