December 9, 2025
Restore & Renew: Preserving the Legacy of Alexander Campbell
A major new initiative is underway to preserve one of the most significant collections in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement: The Alexander Campbell Papers.
Articles for tag: Steve Reeves
December 25, 2024
Christian Standard’s ‘Christmas Memories’ for 2024
Stories of Christmas Memories by 8 Christian leaders from across the country and around the world.
December 24, 2024
Shifting into High Gear at Christmas
Steve Reeves, the minister of Spring Hill Church of Christ in Middletown, Ohio, recalls the Christmas gift of a motorcycle and how learning to ride it can reflect upon one's spiritual development.
May 19, 2019
What Are You Doing Now?
Compiled by Mark A. Taylor _ _ _ Alan Ahlgrim Retired: Founding pastor with Rocky Mountain Christian Church, Niwot, Colorado, March 2013 What are you doing now? Continues to encourage and mentor church leaders. Director of Covenant Groups with the Center for Church Leadership. Thoughts on retirement: âThe best is yet to be for every kingdom leader. I jokingly say if I had known this season would be so fulfilling, I would have started with this first and stuck with it! Iâ™ve traded unrelenting responsibility for a soul-enriching opportunity.â _ _ _ Dick Alexander Retired: Senior minister, LifeSpring Christian Church,
April 27, 2018
Hope for Hurting Ministers
By Steve Reeves A survey of Christian church/church of Christ ministers from September 2016 found that 43 percent of the 500 responders were seriously considering leaving the ministry. In addition, Tim Wallingford with the Center for Church Leadership (CCL) says attrition among ministers in our churches might be as high as 70 percent. Here are some additional findings Wallingford shared with me when I began volunteering with the CCL: 74 percent of ministers have debt. The school debt among many couples, upon their graduation, is as high as $75,000. 54 percent of churches offer no retirement benefits; 47 percent offer
January 1, 2018
Hope for Hurting Ministers
By Steve Reeves A survey of Christian church/church of Christ ministers from September 2016 found that 43 percent of the 500 responders were seriously considering leaving the ministry. In addition, Tim Wallingford with the Center for Church Leadership (CCL) says attrition among ministers in our churches might be as high as 70 percent. Here are some additional findings Wallingford shared with me when I began volunteering with the CCL: 74 percent of ministers have debt. The school debt among many couples, upon their graduation, is as high as $75,000. 54 percent of churches offer no retirement benefits; 47 percent offer
We Have a Plan
By Steve Reeves For the two weeks leading up to this year”s Super Bowl, the most asked question where I live was, “Will this be Peyton Manning”s last rodeo?” (Will he retire after the Super Bowl?) Truth is, that kind of question is being asked someplace almost every week, whether it concerns the long-tenured coach, college professor, or corporate executive. It”s also a relevant issue for well-known musicians and politicians: “Will this be their last concert, election, or board meeting?” Frankly, I don”t know how long the issue of ministerial retirement and succession has been such a major topic of conversation,
August 24, 2015
Yes, We Hire Members of the Same Family to Serve on Our Church Staff
By Steve Reeves A megachurch minister with decades of experience explains why and how staff members” spouses and children””including his own son””serve together with him. I have been lead pastor at Connection Pointe Christian Church, Brownsburg, Indiana, for almost 29 years. When my wife and our three preschoolers moved here in July 1986, there was a paid youth minister and a church secretary. It proved to be a wonderful place to minister and an encouraging environment in which to raise our family. Life, church work, and family matters were much simpler when we arrived, although my wife probably wouldn”t use
July 26, 2014
Against the Current
By Steve Reeves (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) I have been very fortunate to have Max Hickerson as my mentor in ministry. He has given me much practical advice over the years. While in seminary, he gave these “Notes to Help You Immerse Others into Christ: If you are ever called on to baptize in a creek or river, always have the candidate lie back in the water against the current. Let the current help raise the candidate from the water. Always go into the water of rivers, creeks, or lakes by yourself first
June 6, 2012
My Top 10 Reasons for Staying Put
By Steve Reeves As I reflect upon my 26 years at the congregation I serve, I am so grateful God and the church have allowed me to stay for 2.5 decades. I understand we each have unique callings to ministry, but I would appeal to local preachers that staying put in one congregation for a long period of time is the best course, if possible. Here are my top 10 reasons why. 10. Personal Family Stability Our children were 5, 3, and 2 when we began, and as my son, who is now on our staff, told me today,
Love “em into the Lord”s Work!
By Steve Reeves In my opinion, a young preacher”s first ministry experience lays the groundwork for either a long, healthy ministry career or a short-lived series of job hops that leaves churches and families in a serious state of dysfunction. I”ve heard that the average tenure of a minister is three to four years. It was seven years only a decade ago. What seems to be the problem? While I”m sure there are immature “church-hopping” ministers, I guess there are at least as many “minister-chasing” churches. Most young ministers have school-age children, and I doubt many of them want to
January 20, 2012
The Multigenerational Church
By Steve Reeves There is much discussion among church leaders regarding whom we are trying to reach. Should the church develop worship services, music programs, and buildings that meet the needs of lifelong members? Should we give priority to children and students? Should we focus on young adults and newly marrieds? These questions have kept many preachers and elders up at night, and I confess this has been a struggle for me throughout ministry. In my opinion, the answer cannot be “either/or,” it must be “both/and.” After all, the Scriptures say, return to the “ancient paths” (Jeremiah 6:16); “Have confidence
October 3, 2011
Fellow Elder
By Steve Reeves My wife and I spent Cinco de Mayo in a Midwestern city watching a wide variety of Americans dancing and celebrating. The event commemorates the Mexican army”s defeat of the French on May 5, 1862. I noticed that, generally, it took two to tango, but there were a few who tried to do the tango by themselves. So, understanding that there are two sides to every story, and it usually takes two to tango, I want to discuss a disturbing pattern among churches of all sizes. Here”s how it works . . . A preacher goes on
