Articles for tag: Racial Diversity

Who Are the International Churches of Christ?

Who Are the International Churches of Christ?

By Bobby Harrington  I like to think of the historical roots of Christian Churches and the Restoration Movement through the lens of three fellowships that emerged from the time of Thomas and Alexander Campbell and Barton W. Stone in the early 1800s: to our left are the Disciples of Christ and to the right are the a cappella Churches of Christ.  In reality, the picture is not that clean.  The RENEW.org Network was launched five years ago as a renewal movement within the Restoration Movement. At RENEW.org, we seek to provide clarity in our postmodern time by articulating the best

Cloud Church: Space for Diversity, Relationship, and the Kingdom

By Mel McGowan Imagine you’re rearranging your office. You move your desk to one corner, your bookshelf to another. You move the lamps around to get the light just right. You adjust the couch so you can see your guests better. At the end of the day, you look around with satisfaction that all your office furniture, equipment, and supplies are in the right places. Why is this so important to us? Because the furnishings of our offices are tools that facilitate things like ideas, hard work, and skills. It should come as no surprise, then, that your sacred space

Racial Reconciliation: Strides in the Right Direction

By Michael C. Mack Most of us can agree on a few facts about racial prejudice, division, and conflict. It’s real. It has existed in our culture and in our churches in the past. It persists today. And it will likely  continue to be an issue for some time. Thank God, it will not exist in Heaven. I think we’d all agree it’s wrong. It’s unbiblical. It’s definitely not Christlike. Most of us know the Bible verses: Matthew 28:19; Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11; 1 John 4:8-11; Revelation 7:9; and others. Many of us know something I didn’t. Most Restoration Movement

August 27, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

What About Tomorrow?

By Mark A. Taylor In recognition of CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s 150th birthday earlier this year, the North American Christian Convention featured a workshop led by three of the magazine”s contributing editors. We asked each of them to think about hopes and challenges they see for the future of the churches served by this magazine for a century and a half.  The comments below are edited from the hour-long workshop. See the whole session here. Matt Proctor What will be the future of the independent Christian churches? As I considered the churches I”ve seen, I thought of three answers to that question:

WHAT’S NEXT?: Every Nation, Tribe, People, and Language

We asked several Christian leaders, “What should churches served by CHRISTIAN STANDARD strive to be or do or look like in the next decades?” ____ By Cam Huxford During the Christmas holidays a dream came true for me. I had a conversation with a man who shared with me his son”s plan to attend Point University in the fall to begin his preparations for ministry. This young man is a great leader at school and in our student ministry. He is bright, gifted, articulate, likable, and passionate about his faith. He is also from a Hispanic family. As I visited with this father

A Conversation with Sean Palmer

  Sean Palmer talks about his church, The Vine, in Temple, Texas, and reacts to the predominantly white complexion of the North American Christian Convention. When asked about race relations in America, he answers, “The racial problem is a gospel problem.” In this exclusive interview with Mark A. Taylor, he shares his views on the major obstacle to racial reconciliation in the United States and shares his congregation”s strategy for evangelism: “Spend some time with people who are not like you.” See the interview here.

Interview with Steve Wingfield

By Paul Boatman Steve Wingfield serves as senior pastor with First Christian Church in Florissant, Missouri. With an average attendance of 1,200, this church in the largest suburb of St. Louis faces challenges endemic to churches in changing suburban communities.   Give us a brief summary of your history with First Christian. My dad, Charles Wingfield, was called to preach here in 1972 when I was 10 years old. The church was running about 150 to 170. I grew up in this church, went away to Bible college, and then ministered four years in another place. In 1987 the church

40 Under 40: Caleb Kaltenbach

CALEB KALTENBACH Dallas, Texas Caleb Kaltenbach shares attributes with many of his fine young peers from across the country: strong preaching and teaching skills, motivational leadership, focused energy, and gentle humility. As to his unique influence, I believe there are two items. First, Caleb has a distinctive and well-thought-out philosophy for biblical education and ministry preparation. He has made a strong commitment to living this out through teaching ministry courses to college students and making use of ministry interns a high priority. As a board member for Dallas Christian College, he brings a high level of constructive engagement relating to the spiritual

Innumerable! (Part 2: Jesus Is in Us and for People)

By Greg Nettle If Jesus is now in us, then it follows that, like Jesus, we must be for people. But unless people see our lives reflecting the fact that God is for them, they will continue to believe that God is against them. They”ll continue to be afraid of God. For us to restore the church to the mission of Jesus, we must communicate to people in every way possible that Jesus is for them and, therefore, that we as followers of Jesus are for them.   Letting Others Know We Are for Them How should this Christology be

February 21, 2011

Christian Standard

Interview with Dudley Rutherford

By Brad Dupray Dudley Rutherford is a third-generation minister who has attended the North American Christian Convention for more than 40 years. He is in a family that produces ministers: both brothers, both brothers-in-law, both uncles, and his cousins are also ministers. His ministry of 24 years at Shepherd of the Hills Church in suburban Los Angeles has challenged him to think creatively and diversely. The church has benefited, having grown from 300 to more than 8,000 during his tenure with an ethnic mix that goes beyond just reflecting his community. Dudley earned his undergraduate degree at Ozark Christian College,

February 19, 2011

Christian Standard

Why I Participate

By Herb Botts “If you build it, he will come!” You might remember that line from the movie Field of Dreams, a mystical presentation about a novice Midwestern farmer who loves baseball so much he builds an actual ball field in the midst of his cornstalks and watches the “greats” of the past gather and play. I believe I can honestly say the folks of the North American Christian Convention are in a similar building process, creating something wonderful and inviting all of us to come. The NACC is offering a program that mirrors God”s Holy Word, to draw “people

NACC “˜Beyond”: A Sermon Series and BEYOND

By Ethan Magness In our own congregation, the BEYOND theme has been a channel for change. When we see what has happened here, we have great hope for what God will do through our convention. All of us want to be a part of churches that are moving beyond. We want to be always following Jesus to a place we have never been before. Certainly this desire to move beyond is a central value of Mountain Christian Church, where I serve on staff and where NACC President Ben Cachiaras is senior minister. One of the reasons we are excited to be

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