January 19, 2026
David Faust recalls his relay leg in Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon and the lessons it taught him about endurance, teamwork, and finishing well. The Christian life, like a marathon, calls for perseverance with eyes fixed on Jesus.
July 19, 2023
Fern Creek Christian Church in Louisville, Ky., plans to repurpose 100 percent of their office space to ministry space for children. We contacted more than a dozen ministers and church construction experts to ask about their thoughts on "going officeless." . . .
July 30, 2021
(A classic column from David Faust in celebration of his 25th anniversary of writing weekly.) Christians certainly don’t need to condemn sports; but we do need to keep sports in their proper place.
July 1, 2021
In over 50 years in ministry, here are some things I have learned about leading a church or any other organization.
September 29, 2017
By Tom Claibourne I recently turned 60 and marked my 38th anniversary of serving with the same congregation. I am blessed, but the past five years have been the most challenging of my ministry for many reasons. As a result, I”ve had plenty of opportunities for introspection and evaluation. That”s a good thing, because every congregation or person in ministry needs both. My journey has been mostly positive, sometimes frustrating and disappointing, seldom dull, and always educational. I continue to learn valuable lessons about life and ministry. Our Story Bethlehem Church of Christ has been representing Jesus Christ between
September 19, 2017
This month we focus on the rural church and rural ministry . . . but what exactly is rural, and how are rural areas different from small towns or micropolitan communities? Before you read other stories in this issue, be sure to read “A Salute to Small Towns, Rural Areas, Micropolitan Communities: Our Attempt at a Glossary of Terms.” It takes many threads to weave a beautiful church, and I noticed four prevalent threads in many of the articles this month. And, while this issue is about rural ministry, I think these threads are important regardless of where your church,
July 5, 2015
By Michael C. Mack One of the most remarkable elements in the Tour de France this month is the peloton. Cyclists ride in tight packs to save energy by drafting””up to a 40 percent reduction in drag in a well-formed peloton””but there are many more advantages, including the encouragement from other riders and the teamwork involved. Here are seven principles for developing great teamwork that we can learn from cyclists: 1. Become a group. Before you can build teamwork, you need to know one another. A great cycling team, as in any sport, spends time together, getting to know one
May 21, 2015
By Shan Caldwell It is time for the church to begin taking part in MORE conflict””to the glory of God. Growing up, I used to listen to a song by Kenny Rogers called “The Coward of the County.” In it, a young man”s courage is called into question because of a promise he”d made as a 10-year-old to his dying father that he would always “walk away from trouble.” However, when the girl he loves is attacked, the “coward” doesn”t walk away””he stands his ground for her sake. Now, I don”t generally live my life according to the ethical codes
May 17, 2015
By Cathy Mogus When I married Allen, fishing came with the territory. Not only would I enjoy the thrill of hooking salmon off Canada”s west coast, but I would also experience “fishing for people” in ways I never expected. After a dramatic conversion to Christ in 1993, my fisherman husband had a new passion: “catching people” for Jesus. Together we discovered similar rules held true for both kinds of fishing. Here they are. Rule 1: Go Where the Fish Are Allen and his buddies fished for salmon in one area for more than 20 years. But as the fish became
January 31, 2015
By Stephen Bond A long swim was made better because we were a team. Five years ago when I first heard about the Alcatraz swim, I put it on my bucket list. It sounded like a thrilling challenge . . . swimming 1.5 miles from the former penitentiary across the San Francisco Bay to the mainland. From the movies I had seen, no one had ever “escaped from Alcatraz,” and this would be my chance! However, when I heard the water was a brisk 55 degrees, I decided to wait until the year I turned 60 years old. I wanted to show
July 24, 2014
By Marsha Relyea Miles (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) One of the best pieces of advice I ever received came from Walter Birney, longtime coordinator for the National Missionary Convention (now known as the International Conference on Missions). During the year I served as president of the NMC (2007), many people contacted me with creative suggestions about how they thought the convention should unfold. Of course, in designing such a convention, broad involvement and teamwork is a great thing. The ideas of some folks were extremely insightful, but some others, less so! Now and
By Thomas Scott Caulley Nearly 20 years ago, Mark Noll, then a professor at Wheaton College, began his book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, with a simple and provocative assertion: “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.”1 He described his work as a “cry of the heart” on behalf of the intellectual life by one “who embraces the Christian faith in an evangelical form.”2 Compared to other religious groups, Evangelicals fare poorly on the intellectual scene. One symptom of this problem, according to Noll, is they support no specifically Evangelical
July 9, 2013
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
June 29, 2013
By Michael C. Mack July is the most important month of the year for the health and development of your small group. You may think I”ve spent too much time in the sun: Some groups are not even meeting through the summer; attendance is down in other groups; weekly meetings have been bumped by trips to the beach and baseball games. I”m not as crazy as you might think, however. Over the years, I”ve noticed groups that are growing and making an impact are involved in at least five vital practices during July. Pray Research has shown the most
January 11, 2013
By Brent Storms When I started playing soccer, it was hard to find shin guards that didn”t come up past my knees. I didn”t get very good until about the time my voice changed. I played three years on the varsity team in high school (we were terrible) and four years in college (we were pretty good). I stopped playing in adult leagues a few years ago when most games ended with an injury of some kind. I”ve always been a forward, an offensive player. Of course, every forward loves to score goals, and I”m no exception. But there”s something else
October 30, 2012
The New Testament describes a kind of community we experience too seldom in the church today. Your group can take steps to correct that problem. By Michael C. Mack Did you see any of the Tour de France in July? One of the most remarkable elements in the race is the peloton, when cyclists ride in tight packs to save energy by drafting. In a well-formed peloton, there is up to a 40 percent reduction in drag. But there are many more advantages of the peloton, including the encouragement from other riders and the teamwork involved. I enjoy cycling in
August 29, 2012
By Eddie Lowen On my 30th birthday, a sweet woman from the church I served interrupted the close of the worship service. She walked up the center aisle holding a large birthday cake decorated with my name in icing. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” It was a very kind gesture and, looking back, it was a harmless moment, perhaps even helpful. At the time, however, I didn”t like it. Why? I don”t like surprises””especially during the worship service! Since that birthday surprise, I”ve learned that minimizing surprises is feasible, but eliminating surprises is impossible. When you throw hundreds (or thousands) of
November 8, 2010
By Stephen Bond I played water polo in high school. Water polo is a team sport. Each player in the pool has a distinct role, and each one depends on the other if the team is to be successful. On my high school team we had Mike Moore, a scoring machine, “in the hole” on the offensive end of the pool and Guy Antley on the defensive end as our goalie. Both men received All-American awards but both played very different roles on our team. We needed both Mike and Guy (and several more of us non-All-American players) to win. The
November 9, 2008
By Stephen Bond  Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the fourth of
November 2, 2008
By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the third of four
Sponsored
Sponsored
Sponsored
April 28, 2026
Rick Cherok
April 28, 2026
David Faust
April 28, 2026
Rick Cherok