Articles for tag: Servant Leadership

September 26, 2013

Christian Standard

Five “˜Must-Read” Books for Ministry

By LeRoy Lawson Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth Richard J. Foster New York: HarperOne, originally published in 1978 In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership Henri J. M. Nouwen New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1989 Communicating for a Change Andy Stanley and Lane Jones Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2006 Deep and Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend Andy Stanley Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012 Simple Church: Returning to God”s Process for Making Disciples Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2006   Recently Milligan College and Christian Standard asked

July 9, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Greg Lee

GREG LEE Lead pastor,  Suncrest Christian,  St. John, Indiana Having been privileged to know and serve side-by-side with Greg from his senior year at Lincoln Christian University through 2005, I feel I know this leading servant, and I certainly value highly his many contributions to the kingdom of God. A Christian leader and lover of his family””exemplary. A son and father who invests generously in his family and keeps his priorities balanced and guardrails in place””yes. A man of consistent, godly character””solid as a rock. A pastor characterized by patience and incarnated compassion””totally. A colleague who respects his leaders and

July 7, 2013

Christian Standard

40 Under 40: Kyle Idleman

KYLE IDLEMAN Teaching pastor,  Southeast Christian Church,  Louisville, Kentucky Kyle Idleman is a young man with some amazing talents. His influence is widespread both within and outside our fellowship of Christian churches. I am blessed to get to share the preaching responsibilities at Southeast Christian with Kyle. His preaching feeds and inspires. His first book, Not a Fan, became a best seller and his new release, Gods at War, is encouraging thousands of readers. Although his preaching ability along with his writing and video teachings are what most people note about Kyle, I am even more appreciative of his unswerving

November 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Biblical Qualities of an Elder (Part 2)

By James Riley Estep Jr. With blamelessness, the center piece of our puzzle, in place, what other pieces fill out the portrait of a spiritual leader? After reviewing the lists in parallel, the other four major pieces come to light: Being “blameless” before God, others, family, and self.   Blameless Before God How would you assess your relationship with God? This piece is best reflected in several qualities of an elder. Peter expresses this when he describes that an elder (shepherd) must be capable of being affirmed by the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). An elder must have theological blamelessness

July 15, 2012

Christian Standard

Milligan to Begin Offering Political Science Major

By Jennifer Taylor This fall, Milligan College in Tennessee will begin offering a political science major to prepare students to study law, work in government service, research, or teach in a school setting. Both a general track and an international politics track will be available. The general track is designed for students who desire a broad foundation in all areas of politics within the United States, while the international politics track prepares students to engage political realities within the context of global studies. The curriculum in the political science major provides a broad foundation in the study of American political

May 7, 2012

Christian Standard

Chicken Sandwiches and Glorifying God

By Mark A. Taylor “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Paul”s teaching to the Corinthians (10:31) has become the motto of Christians in all the centuries since then. But when we see a successful business guided by that value, we can”t help but notice. And Chick-fil-A, the country”s second-largest quick service chicken restaurant, deserves notice. Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy tells would-be entrepreneurs, “Invite God to be involved in every decision.” In his book How Did You Do It, Truett? he writes, “We honor God with our success.” Dee Ann Turner, vice president of talent at

January 16, 2012

Christian Standard

What Makes a Culture Good?

By Steve Hayner Cultures that work, and that ultimately help people accomplish a community”s mission, are ones in which people flourish. In healthy cultures, people become more of what God intended for them to be. They grow in being more like Jesus in character. And their gifts and abilities are intentionally developed, mobilized, and honored. One of the best ways to discover what healthy cultures look and feel like is to ask people about their own experiences. Almost anyone who has thought about what helps him or her to flourish as one of God”s beloved is able to point to

June 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Questions After a Dinner

By Mark A. Taylor Why attend a retirement dinner? To honor the retiree, of course. He (or she) is the focus when speakers describe accomplishments, tell a few funny stories to show his human side, and present a gift from admirers who have gathered to congratulate him. All that happened at the last retirement dinner I attended. But since then I”ve decided the greatest benefit of a retirement dinner may not come to the person or couple retiring, but to everyone else at the party. We hear the accolades and wonder, What will people say about me when I get

March 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Youth Bring the Blessings

This past Sunday churchgoers received some great food and a special blessing. After the worship service, the youth group at River Hill Church of Christ (Monongahela, PA) surprised the congregation with a pancake breakfast. “As we took our seats, the youth asked us to sit quietly and remember Jesus” example of service when he washed the disciples” feet,” the church shares. “Then they made their way around the room and washed our hands and prayed for each of us individually. . . . They had [also] written a personal letter to every person at the breakfast, thanking us for our

November 3, 2010

Christian Standard

From the Served to the Servant

By Chuck Booher Recently, God called a very popular pastor from our staff to start a new church. When it was announced, our people responded with excitement and cheers. I was sure his departure would cause our attendance to plunge, but it didn”t. I think I know the reason why, and that”s what I want to tell you in this article. Basic Training As I came to the office today, I walked by 10 young adults on our campus picking up trash, pulling weeds, and trimming trees. I could not help but smile because they exuded joy in the midst

August 11, 2010

Christian Standard

The Pastoral Call of Corporate Leaders

BY J. ANDREW KEITH (WITH CHRIS KEITH) Tertullian once famously asked, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” By this, the early church father (ca. 160″“ca. 225 ad) was implying the church had no need for Greek philosophy. In these perilous economic times, it may be pertinent to ask, “What has Wall Street””or better, Main Street””to do with Jerusalem?” Unlike Tertullian, the implied answer of this question is much. Several recent situations in corporate America””some of which are unprecedented””have demonstrated the need and/or opportunity awaiting Christian leaders in this arena of service: “¢ Wall Street”s fall and the subprime mortgage

May 9, 2010

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Will You Lead? Will You Serve?

By LeRoy Lawson Jeff Jarvis, What Would Google Do? (New York: HarperCollins, 2009). Gary Hamel with Bill Breen, The Future of Management (Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing, 2007). Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2008). Does WWGD? look familiar, like maybe WWJD? If so, then Jeff Jarvis has made his point. As Christians ask what Jesus would do, Jarvis argues that organizations wanting to prosper in today”s brave new world need to ask what super-Internet-searcher Google would do, because Google does it right. No company in history has grown like it. Jarvis has “reverse engineered”

October 25, 2009

Christian Standard

We Lead by Serving: Called to Be Shepherds, Not Cowboys

  by Ronald G. Cook In this article, Ronald G. Cook, an elder with First Christian Church, Greeneville, Illinois, discusses his ministry. Read the companion article written by Darryl Bolen, senior minister with the church.     Remember watching those old westerns when you were a kid? Now think, how did those cowboys move cattle from point A to point B? They had a cattle drive! Cowboys rode behind and to the side of the herd, hollering and shooting their guns in the air, anything to get the cattle headed in the right direction. Granted, at night when the drive had reached

April 19, 2009

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Personal Faith and Church Function

By LeRoy Lawson David J. Wolpe, Why Faith Matters (New York: HarperOne, 2008). Kevin G. Ford, Transforming Church: Bringing Out the Good to Get to the Great (Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2007). While armies duke it out in the Middle East and intellectuals debate it out on college campuses and ordinary blokes like you and me duck for cover and wonder whom to believe, the calm, understated reassurance Rabbi David Wolpe offers is like the balm in Gilead we used to sing about in church. The noted leader of the conservative Sinai Temple in Los Angeles has earned a respectful

March 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Christian College: High Value

    These days everyone is thinking about value received for money spent. In keeping with the times, we asked each of the Christian colleges in our annual survey to write a few paragraphs on this theme: “The High Value of Your Education at Our School.” Their reports follow.     Alberta Bible College Empowered to dream! Equipped to serve! Students join Alberta Bible College at different points on their faith journeys, but each is greeted with the same challenging question, “Where does your deep gladness meet the world”s deep need?”But students who are uncertain about attending ABC should ask

November 16, 2008

Christian Standard

Elders & Ministers: Speaking the Same Language

By Darrel Rowland Does this sound like where your church is today? “I”ve never felt hindered by any of the elder teams I”ve served with.““”Greg Marksberry, 24-year veteran of the ministry now with his third church, Heritage Christian in suburban Atlanta “There is peace, joy, and happiness in the (elders) meetings and in the church.”“”Robin Hart, minister for almost 25 years with Northside Christian near Akron, Ohio “Just as children with two mutually supportive parents gain an extra measure of confidence and security, a church with mutually supportive elders and ministers has a sense of well-being that cannot be fostered

October 5, 2008

Christian Standard

Raising Up the Next Generation of Genuine Leaders

By John Derry   Sociologists have identified certain characteristics associated with contemporary generations, differences church leaders will find helpful as they seek to resolve conflict and bring generations together to achieve common goals. One generation is not better or worse than another. They are just different, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.   DIFFERENT GENERATIONS The Silent Generation or “Tradition-alists” (born between 1925 and 1946) lived through the Great Depression and World War II and experienced the postwar boom in America. They are known for loyalty, a strong work ethic, respect for authority, and resistance to change. They are

August 3, 2008

Christian Standard

Questions for Servant-Leaders

By Mark Wesner Editor”s note: The following questions were distributed as a self-examination exercise at an elders and staff retreat sponsored by First Christian Church, Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. We believe they”re good for servant-leaders everywhere to consider. Spiritual Growth. In what way(s) are you more like Jesus today than you were one year ago? “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness,

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