December 21, 2025
The Time a Family Bought Me a Christmas Tree
Bryan Sands recalls the joy he experienced when a Christmas tree was given to him and how it reminds him of God's great compassion.
Articles for tag: Pastoral Ministry
November 5, 2025
When a Plan Comes Together
A sermon should be long enough to adequately exegete and apply the main point of the passage, but short enough to leave mature Christians willing to listen a few minutes longer.
CIY Adding Sites, Equipment, and Staff to Extend Growth
Christ in Youth is expecting its busiest summer ever. The Joplin, Mo.-based youth ministry will host 56 middle and high school conferences this summer. It expects 53,000 students to attend—a record for the organization. About 2,000 students remain on waiting lists. . . .
February 7, 2023
MACU and Rwanda Challenge Partner to Educate Pastors
Mid-Atlantic Christian University and Rwanda Challenge began partnering to help educate pastors in Rwanda after a law was passed requiring that pastors there have an associate degree in Bible or theology.
August 22, 2022
UKRAINE: Ministry in War Zone Separates Family
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, Vika and Sergey made a hard decision. She took their girls and moved to Bulgaria, where they were safe from Russian attacks. With this year's invasion of Ukraine, Sergey is no longer able to travel back and forth to Bulgaria . . .
January 11, 2022
In Farewell Sermon at Plainfield, Steve White Shares ‘Why I Love the Church’
Steve White preached his farewell sermon Sunday after serving with Plainfield (Ind.) Christian Church for 34 years. In that sermon, he shared the reasons he loves the church, and specifically, why he loves Plainfield Christian.
September 3, 2021
A Loving Sacrifice: Pastor Donates Kidney to Church Member
Pastor Jack Coultas, of Park Grove Christian Church in Deepwater, Mo., encourages people to “love dangerously”—just as Jesus did. It’s a self-sacrificing message Coultas can preach boldly because he was able to live it out. Early last year, Coultas donated one of his kidneys to a church member.
September 1, 2021
The High Call of Preaching
I’m sure every preacher can think of a time when they were convinced God had given them a life-changing, church-altering message. I’m talking about a message born out of significant time alone with God and his Word. I’m referring to a message that grew inside of the preacher’s heart for some time as the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, led them into all truth. I remember a weekend like that at the church I serve. I was convinced my message that week had a special anointing from God. I believed it was a message that could change lives as
Welshimer’s Advice to a Bible College Student (Circa 1931)
"Plan your work, then work your plan. Go according to schedule so far as possible. Most people are as lazy as the circumstances will permit. If you will lay out a given amount of work to do each day, you will whip yourself into line to do it."
April 1, 2021
A Life-Changing Truth from Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
Who we are becoming is more important than what we are doing. This statement has been part of my spiritual formation for the last five years, and yet it is antithetical to the values of the culture and country in which I live. An aspect of the American dream is to pull yourself up from nothing to make something of yourself. Unfortunately, that noble rags-to-riches quest has become a stamp of identity. For many of us, our identity is found in what we can do, provide, give, and improve. Who are we if not a successful businessperson, parent, grandparent, or
April 1, 2021
What Judas Can Teach Us About Jesus
By Ryan Rasmussen You might be surprised that the name Judas means “let God be praised.” I find it incredibly ironic that the man who betrayed Jesus would carry a name of such reverence. Sometimes, though, things aren’t what they seem. For example, the fact that Judas Iscariot was a disciple at all must have baffled those who spent time with Jesus. While Jesus welcomed misfits and the marginalized into his friend group, Judas must have seemed “next level” in this regard. The Gospels documented that Judas, the band’s treasurer, would regularly skim money from the group’s funds (John 12:6).
August 19, 2020
Professor Seeks to Provide ‘Ministry to Ministers’
By Jim Nieman Jody Owens says senior ministers are feeling “under the gun” because of the stress of leading during the coronavirus pandemic. The ministers are working hard to conduct ministry in a form and fashion for which they were not trained and are not accustomed, says Owens, professor of Bible and pastoral ministries with Johnson University. These ministers are making hard decisions and are dealing with other stressors, and—due to circumstances—they are “not getting the feedback and the positive comments they are used to receiving.” INTENSIVE LEARNING RETREATSOwens gleaned some of this information from ministers and church leaders—about 20
November 27, 2019
Bycroft Serving Oklahoma Church after Long Ministry in Kansas
By Chris Moon Retirement didn’t last long for David Bycroft. “That’s a little bit of a joke,” he told Christian Standard. Bycroft retired from Tyro (Kan.) Christian Church in September 2017 after a long ministry—47 years in all—that saw the church grow in average weekly attendance from 40 people to 950. And that was in a town of just 250 residents. The church attracted people from towns all around the area. Not long after preaching his last sermon in Tyro, Bycroft was contacted by the leadership at East Bartlesville Christian Church, located in Bartlesville, Okla., about 30 miles south
August 22, 2019
A Little Boy’s Prayer
By Micah Stephen Bedtime is one of my favorite times of the day. Not because of my kids going to sleep, but because I get to wrap up the day with them. On one particular evening, however, as I walked across that squeaky old floor toward the kids’ bedroom, I was hoping bedtime would be easy. The routine includes a story, a quick prayer, kisses goodnight, and saying “I love you” to one another. At bedtime, I can forget my daily stress. No bills. No problem-solving. But, for whatever reason, on this night I just wanted “me” time. Little did
October 2, 2018
Blessing a Barn Quilt
By Benjamin Stroup The smell of cow was new for me. I grew up in a city, and life is altogether different here in Maysville, Kentucky (population: 10,000 people, 40,000 cows). As a child, on those rare occasions when we would drive by cows, everyone in the car would throw back their heads and “mooooo.” Now cows live in the field across from my house. It’s definitely not Cincinnati! Many days, the essence of cow manure wafts across the road and regales us. It’s not the sound of cows (or humans) mooing that’s unbearable . . . except for those
April 18, 2017
All the Potential in an Open Book
By Mark A. Taylor Several years ago I was helping host a retreat for emerging leaders among the Christian churches and churches of Christ. One session began with the question, “What are you reading?” and every one in the circle of 25 had something different to report. These men and women were reading widely””not only books about the Bible and church leadership, but also an assortment of biography, classic literature, and fiction. It was one of several times I”ve realized the future of our movement is strong because so many young leaders in our movement are strong. This happened around
January 22, 2017
How Social Media Is Hurting Your Ministry
By Michael C. Mack “Are we willing to quit social media (and other distractions) if the temptations are too strong . . . to overcome?” Brian Jones asks this question on Senior Pastor Central (www.seniorpastorcentral.com). Jones says for years he was convinced that switching from the study of God”s Word and sermon preparation to distractions such as checking social media, text, or e-mails didn”t hurt him at all. After reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, however, he says he better understands the costs. Newport warns about what he calls “attention residue,” the lingering effects from switching back and forth between
January 22, 2017
6 Secrets Leaders Share
By Alan Ahlgrim Every person can relate to being at the end of his or her rope””especially leaders! But realizing that secrets like these are common to many can lead to solutions and calm. Secrets””everyone has them. I”ve been close to a group of business entrepreneurs for years. We used to gather every week for lunch, now we connect every few months and it”s always a grand reunion. Recently, as we finished our sandwiches in a business conference room, I interrupted the chatter by reading a passage from Matthew 5. When I asked what stood out the most in this teaching
July 15, 2016
An Interview with Melissa Sandel and Rob Kastens
Melissa Sandel and Rob Kastens, two megachurch executive pastors, talk about the unique challenges of the role and what they wish someone had told them before they took it on. Exclusive interview from the 2016 North American Christian Convention with CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editor Jennifer Johnson, here.
March 13, 2016
The Peculiar Duty of Pastoring
By Patrick Mitchell When I entered a conversation with a dear friend that morning at Milligan College”s exercise facility, I never would have thought that within a few months I would be pastor of a 125-year-old church in a town that boasts a population of approximately 1,000. While still chugging along on the elliptical machine, Phyllis asked if I would consider helping fill the pulpit of a rural church in our area while it searched for a pastor. You should know that at that point in my life (I was then 30 years old), I was done with church ministry.
