Articles for tag: Standard Publishing

September 16, 2009

Christian Standard

Put on Your Shoes

By Mark A. Taylor Claudia Cain ran into the house to moan about the latest crisis in her young teen life. Her dad, Doyle Cain, minister at the local Christian church, took her into his arms to let her cry and give her comfort. And then he said something that at first seemed strange. “Oh, Claudia, just put on your shoes.” He soon reminded her of the story in Acts 12 that tells how the angel miraculously released Peter from prison. “That angel was powerful enough to break through that cell and tear off those chains, but he still told

September 13, 2009

Christian Standard

Don”t Just Change, Upgrade

  by Mark Atteberry Bob Gibson was one of the greatest pitchers ever to lace up a pair of spikes. In the 1967 World Series he won all three of his starts, pitched three complete games, compiled an earned run average of 1.00, struck out 26 batters in 27 innings, and even hit a home run for good measure. And the next season, just when it seemed he couldn”t get any better, he took his game to a whole new level. His ERA for the 1968 season was 1.12, which still stands as an all-time record and probably will never

July 5, 2009

Christian Standard

A History of Open Forum

  By John Mills  How does a brotherhood of some 5,000 autonomous congregations set goals and plan strategies for growth? Each congregation strives to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28, but are there ways to work together to accomplish this divine commission? For 26 years the Open Forum has worked to achieve this goal. Although several successes can be noted and great steps forward have been taken, Open Forum as an entity has decided to “fold its tent.” As it does so, it is appropriate to share what this unique effort has accomplished.   ENGAGING IN DIALOGUE At the

June 17, 2009

Christian Standard

Congratulations Compass Christian Church!

By Mark A. Taylor The votes are in, each round of balloting has finished, and the winner in our first-ever Church Branding Competition has been named. Congratulations to Compass Christian Church whose logo rose to the top and garnered the most votes in each of four face-offs. The competition began the week of April 19 with 16 church logos (see list below). Eight were eliminated the first week, and four more the second week, leaving the top four vote-getters. The third round of voting determined the final match-up: Parkway Christian Church (Surprise, Arizona; see below) vs. Compass Christian (a multisite

June 14, 2009

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Learning to Communicate, Examining History

By LeRoy Lawson Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson, Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior (Orlando: Harvest, 2005). Temple Grandin is autistic and a shatterer of stereotypes. She”s not retarded; she holds a PhD in animal science. She”s not dependent on others to take care of her. She lives alone, is one of the country”s leading consultants in animal behavior, and she”s an amazingly productive author of hundreds of articles, many books, and dozens of lectures a year. So much for stereotypes. AHA! MOMENTS I wish I could have read her Animals in Translation years

May 20, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with Tony Jeary

By Brad Dupray “Mr. Presentation” Tony Jeary has spent 25 years perfecting the art of the presentation. He has coached CEOs in a variety of industries, including leaders of Wal-Mart, Qualcomm, Samsung, and New York Life, to name a few. Having coached people the world around to develop their presentation effectiveness, Tony takes a strategic approach that works not only for “captains of industry,” but also for average Christians who want to communicate their message to a small group or one-on-one. Standard Publishing has published Tony”s 38th book, Purpose-Filled Presentations, designed to help any Christian communicate more effectively in and

April 15, 2009

Christian Standard

Preview/Order “What Kind of Church Is This?”

                What Kind of Church Is This? This 8-page brochure for visitors and new members has sold hundreds of thousands of copies! Updated now with current information and a fresh, new look, it is the perfect addition to welcome packets, new member folders, or other outreach products. Explains history and philosophy of Restoration Movement churches in a winsome, colorful way. CLICK HERE TO ORDER PRINTED COPIES (sold in lots of 100; $30 per 100) CLICK HERE TO ORDER A DOWNLOADABLE PDF (post on your Web site; print unlimited copies for $9.99) READ LEROY

March 29, 2009

Christian Standard

What Is the Glue?

  By David Faust In a 1910 lecture at Yale, Charles E. Jefferson described the difference between a church and an audience, It is to be regretted that we have come to . . . judge preachers by the number of persons who listen to their sermons. A superficial man is consequently tempted to work, not for a church, but for an audience. An audience, however, is not worth working for. An audience is a group of unrelated people drawn together by a short-lived attraction. . . . It is a fortuitous concourse of human atoms, scattering as soon as

March 4, 2009

Christian Standard

To Keep, to Share, to Teach

By Mark A. Taylor Many readers will want to share the baptism articles in this and last week”s issue. So we”ve colllected them in a single, convenient downloadable resource to meet that need–and we’re offering it at a special introductory rate. This is just another in a series of helpful resources we”ve made available in this format. You  may remember the others: A Conversation with Skeptics. Jeff Vines helps anyone who has wondered how God can allow evil, pain, and Hell. Item number 02970. 6 pages. $2.99 Ordination. Three articles help churches decide who should be ordained, why, and how churches

February 12, 2009

Christian Standard

NACC Women”s Conference Returns for a Second Year

by Jennifer Taylor Last year, Judy Russell led a team that planned a new event at the 2008 NACC””a “conference within a conference” just for women. This first NACC Women”s Conference included special events, a “Gathering Place” for conversation and connection, and special promotion. From the workshops to the tea just for minister”s wives, the 2008 team did a great job creating something new for ladies at the North American. Because of the positive response to this programming, the women”s conference will continue at this year”s convention! We”re keeping the best from 2008, adding a few new touches, and planning

January 11, 2009

Christian Standard

A New Opportunity to Reach Kids with VBS

By Joni Baker   It could have happened to you last summer. You may have been stampeded by a thundering horde of children. There were lots of “em””some 13.3 million, in fact, according to a recent study.1 Where? At your church””at Vacation Bible School. It boggles the mind, but an estimate based on the three-quarters of American churches that held VBS last summer shows some 13.3 million kids attended. These churches conducted 3.3 million hours per week of learning about the Bible or 380 years of Sundays, all in one summer. What an opportunity! Who are these kids and what

January 11, 2009

Christian Standard

VBS: Testing the Best

By Diane Stortz   When you”ve already got the best VBS on the market, what do you do to stay ahead of the rest? You test. So the children”s ministry staff and volunteers and the children of LifeSpring Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, got a unique sneak peek at Standard Publishing”s 2009 VBS course, “Studio GO! Game Show,” as they used and tested it as their 2008 VBS. “Standard Publishing has always included focus groups and surveys as part of our VBS theme research,” says Ruth Frederick, director of children”s product. “We”ve tried to increase the amount of customer engagement

January 11, 2009

Christian Standard

AKA: Daniel Read

By Diane Stortz Combine the good looks and energy of American Idol host Ryan Seacrest with the lovable charm of Bob Barker, retired host of The Price Is Right, and what do you get? Why, Daniel Read, of course. Read, a Cincinnati Christian University senior, plays Wade Winalot, host of “Studio GO! Game Show,” Standard Publishing”s 2009 Vacation Bible School. From his taped appearances on the planning CD and theme song music video to live appearances in seven states and 11 venues in 2008″“09, Read plays Winalot with a wallop of friendliness, enthusiasm, and grace. He plays real life with

December 14, 2008

Christian Standard

Disability Ministry in the Christian Church

By Jim Pierson For 25 years, the Christian Church Foundation for the Handicapped has influenced the disability ministry world. While CCFH”s influence has spanned faith groups, I wanted to determine its impact on Christian churches.  Established in 1983, the ministry”s board developed two goals: to provide residential care to adults and to develop disability ministry materials for churches to meet the spiritual needs of people with disabilities. I will discuss the influence of the disability ministry materials. In the 1960s while directing the East Tennessee Children”s Rehabilitation Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, I researched what churches were doing to minister to

December 7, 2008

Christian Standard

Serving the Senders: Encouraging Parents of Missionaries

By Diane Stortz and Cheryl Savageau   When Your Child Becomes a Missionary . . .     Cheryl Savageau and Diane Stortz have written an important new book to help often overlooked partners in the missionary enterprise. Parents of missionaries may struggle to adjust and sacrifice as much as their sons and daughters who serve overseas. This book looks at the problems””and the possibilities””for these families. It is a practical resource that will encourage parents of missionaries and lend valuable insight to everyone who knows one. (Some material in the articles on these pages is adapted from this book.)

December 3, 2008

Christian Standard

Big Ideas for Smaller Churches

By Mark A. Taylor Barney Wells summarized the Energizing Smaller Churches Network challenge at an October ESCN conference. “Being where God wants you is more important than being where it looks good,” he told the crowd gathered for the event at Cincinnati Christian University. “You can”t get in a place so small that God can”t work there.” All of us who heard him left eager to seek God”s direction, even if it leads away from big cities, well-known congregations, or obvious opportunities. “Small” does not need to equal “unimportant” or “inconsequential,” especially where God is guiding. That”s the message of

September 24, 2008

Christian Standard

Interview with Mike Kilgallin

By Brad Dupray As the newly appointed president of Crossroads College in Rochester, Minnesota, Mike Kilgallin is crafting a vision for what Crossroads College can do for the churches of Minnesota and beyond. Mike brings a broad base of experience to his new role, having served as the senior pastor of churches in Minnesota and Illinois, as the head of the Business Department and as staff development officer at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College, as a regional vice president with Church Development Fund, and most recently, as the vice president of church and faith-based services with Fifth Third Bank. Mike and

September 21, 2008

Christian Standard

Outstanding Christian Leaders Honored at NACC

By Staff Standard Publishing and Milligan College partnered to honor eight outstanding Christian leaders in two separate recognitions at this year”s North American Christian Convention. The Leaders in Christian Service award went to five individuals who have demonstrated servant leadership in their congregations, careers, and communities: Steve and Teresa Bachman, business leaders, members of Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY. Jack Coffee, retired UPS executive, member of Southeast Christian Church, Louisville, KY. David Hamilton, vice president with Elkins Constructors, member of Christ”s Church in Jacksonville, FL. John Wiggins, Havens Insurance Agency, member of Plainfield (IN) Christian Church. The Student Leader in

September 14, 2008

Christian Standard

FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Five by Oliver Sacks, MD

By LeRoy Lawson Awakenings (New York: Vintage Books, 1990 [originally published in 1973]). The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (New York: Touchstone, 1998). Seeing Voices (New York: Vintage Books, 2000). An Anthropologist on Mars (New York: Vintage Books, 1996). Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007). I first met Dr. Oliver Sacks in his book of essays, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Who could resist such a title? Especially a lover of Dr. Seuss”s The Cat in the Hat. You don”t turn to Dr. Sacks to learn

September 10, 2008

Christian Standard

New Name, Consistent Service

By Mark A. Taylor You may notice a new name on our masthead. Or if you”ve contacted our office, you may have seen that name on the e-mail or heard a new voice over the phone. They all belong to Diane Jones, who began her service with CHRISTIAN STANDARD this summer. Hers was a gradual transition from her previous duties at Standard Publishing to this new role. She”s here full-time now, and we couldn”t be happier. Diane is sitting at the desk formerly occupied by Jennifer Holder, whose name has stayed on our masthead even though she departed for maternity

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