May 1, 2024
A Church-Planting Church: The Legacy and Impact of East 91st Street Christian Church
E91’s church-planting impact and legacy have added mightily to the Restoration Movement’s tremendous growth. . . .
Articles for tag: Rick Grover
October 26, 2018
Elders Chart the Path Forward
E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Rick Grover Over the past six years, our congregation has gone through more than its fair share of change, disappointment, loss, and now renewal. And through it all, our elders have remained united. We
September 25, 2015
The Best Sermon I’ve Ever Heard (3)
By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Interestingly, this month”s submissions include two sermons delivered at the same church but by different speakers, and two sermons by fathers of the contributors. Enjoy! Jennifer Farber Jennifer is executive director of the KORE Foundation. She works with the Small Holder Poultry Project in Haiti and oversees stateside operations. Jennifer”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on reaching, serving, and helping people to live better lives by Dennis Bratton (Jennifer”s father). This sermon was delivered at Journey Christian Church
July 16, 2015
Rick Grover’s Thought Leaders
We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Rick Grover, senior pastor of East 91st Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. ________ Wayne Smith, retired minister from Lexington, Kentucky: Wayne is a lifelong friend who taught me that our commission to love and serve people always trumps my own agenda or strategic plan. Leonard Wymore, retired NACC executive director, Johnson City, Tennessee: Leonard and my grandfather were best friends,
December 11, 2014
50 Ways Your Church Can Fight Poverty
By Jennifer Johnson Most Christians want to do something to address the problems of poverty. But many of us just don”t know where to start. Here are 50 ideas, shared by 15 Christian leaders from around the world, to help you show the love of Jesus to those who are poor. Almost any of us could try at least one of these strategies. Get Practical 1. Create a community garden. Each year ours produces thousands of pounds of healthy food that is distributed to hundreds of families in our community who live below the poverty line. They are invited to
March 25, 2014
Just Enough Scaffolding
By Mark A. Taylor “We all seemed to be on the same page,” Bob Russell wrote me after last week”s Beyond the Standard BlogTalkRadio program. “Maybe that made for boring listening, but it makes for a stronger brotherhood!” His comment sowed a new thought for me. Should I be looking for opposing points of view among the guests who appear on these monthly programs? For this episode, could I have found Christian leaders to disagree with “We”re not the only Christians, but we are Christians only”? Maybe. At least one comment about CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s March issue, devoted to that centuries-old
March 15, 2014
Collaboration Without Compromise
By Rick Grover The congregation I serve has a long tradition of cooperation in our city. We intend to continue on this path without compromising what we hold dear. John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:39, 40)1. Sectarianism is as
April 25, 2012
Missional and Attractional
By Rick Grover Versus is such a compelling word. It immediately communicates conflict, and it ushers concerned parties to set up camp on which side of vs. they believe to be correct. With a basic understanding of missional as to go and be the church and attractional as to come and see the church1, I”ve been on both sides of the vs. I prefer to see it as faith development. When my family and I moved to New Orleans to plant a church, we did so with great clarity on what kind of church we believed God was calling us
December 6, 2010
Leading Beyond Your Ability
By Rick Grover I recently told our staff, “We are now at a place where I have never been. I have no experience in leading beyond where we currently are. We have surpassed where I believe my education, skills, abilities, and experience can take us. So where do we go from here? How are we going to get to the next level in our ministry and go where God wants us to go?” I paused, not for dramatic effect, but because I wasn”t sure what to say next! So much for leaders having all the right words to say at
March 21, 2010
When You Feel Like Giving Up, Giving In, or Getting Out
By Rick Grover I probably shouldn”t be writing this on a Monday. But deadlines are deadlines, and ministry, as you know, isn”t all about how we feel . . . even (and perhaps especially) when we feel like giving up, giving in, or getting out. I didn”t always feel this way, and I don”t always feel this way now. But it is Monday. And I, like so many other preachers, look back on Sunday with those “woulda, coulda, shoulda” thoughts that drag us downward. Maybe I”m sounding a bit overdramatic, but I don”t think so. Ministers don”t always like to
September 24, 2006
Why the U.S. Will Never Win the World Cup (and Why This Matters to the Church)
Using the World Cup as a mirror, Rick Grover challenges the church to move beyond preferences and short-term thinking toward a lived, sacrificial faith that shapes disciples and reaches the unchurched.
Cease and Desist
Busyness in ministry can quietly drain a leader’s spirit. Rick Grover points to Jesus’ pattern of solitude and prayer and offers practical applications for rest, accountability, and returning to ministry with a healthier rhythm.
March 26, 2006
A Church Replant in an Urban Setting
Facing decline and a changing neighborhood, West Side Christian Church chose a bold replant that became The Pearl. This story traces the costly transition, urban ministry realities, and renewed commitment to future church planting in Denver.
February 26, 2006
First Things First
Using Hurricane Katrina rebuilding as a picture, Rick Grover challenges church planters and leaders to put first things first, take the long view, and grow deep roots in spiritual health and patient ministry.
December 28, 2005
Thought-Provoking Columns Ahead!
Christian Standard introduces the 2006 “Reflections” writers—leaders from churches, seminaries, and ministries across the continent. Meet the 12 contributors and look ahead to a year of thoughtful, timely columns.
October 26, 2005
The Giving We Dare Not Forget
After Hurricane Katrina, churches gave generously to relief and rebuilding. This article celebrates that response and urges believers to keep supporting missionaries, church plants, colleges, camps, and ministries that depend on steady giving.
