August 8, 2022
Long ago the prophet Ezekiel identified several danger signs of moral failure. How can we tell if our leaders are losing their bearings? Ezekiel 22 identifies five leadership pitfalls—ways the “princes of Israel” were veering off course.
July 1, 2022
How to Break the Chains and Build a Tech-Wise Life for You and Your Children By Tyler McKenzie I believe history will remember 2007 as a defining year. Why? In 2007, a nuclear-sized tech explosion occurred. Facebook transitioned from a college to global phenomenon. Twitter went global. “The cloud” took off. Hadoop began expanding the ability of any company to store and analyze enormous amounts of unstructured data (which enabled big data and cloud computing). Amazon released its first Kindle. Google introduced Android. And (drumroll please) Steve Jobs introduced the first-generation iPhone. As I mentioned in my May/June Engage column
You may notice changes in our 2021_Church_Report. We’ll blame COVID-19—at least partially. It’s the fashionable thing to do these days . . . and the pandemic has had a huge impact. Before 2020 and coronavirus, online streaming of worship services was the exception rather than the rule for many churches. A 2019 Lifeway Research study showed that 22 percent of churches were streaming their services at that time. But within months of the start of the pandemic in early 2020, 97 percent of churches were providing some form of online services. The exception became the rule and vice versa. Before
A Florida church helped the Tavriski Christian Institute in Ukraine purchase a bus that enabled many to flee advancing Russing troops. Also, briefs about an upcoming leadership summit, a women's retreat, and more.
October 18, 2021
David Faust writes, "Today we face a dizzying array of cultural changes—with shifts occurring not only in technology and style, but in substantive matters like worldviews, ethics, and how to understand the Bible . . ."
February 1, 2021
By Randy Ballinger Striving for immortality sometimes results in strange ideas. As an example, “transhumanism” is a philosophical movement that advocates using technology to modify and enhance the human condition, expand human capacities, and extend human life. To its proponents, the desired end is immortality, potentially outside the human body, as one’s intellect is transferred from the biological brain to a computer. Immortality is possible, but not by means of artificial engineering or far-fetched faith in technology based on human ego. Instead, it is all about Jesus dying in our place so that we may live forever. The Lord’s table
November 22, 2020
I’m not a doomsayer. I do not believe social media is inherently evil. Instead, I believe it’s morally neutral. Like most technology, its capacity for good or evil lies in the hands of those who wield it. However, to pretend that you and I are the hands that truly wield it is naïve at best and irresponsible at worst. You may have good intentions when you sign in, but once you tap on that app you are entering a space that lauds your ability to shape the world by what you share, but in actuality, social media tends to shape
October 28, 2020
By Jim Nieman Mark Scott, longtime professor of preaching and New Testament with Ozark Christian College, has announced he will conclude his full-time service with the school on May 31, 2021, so he can focus on ministry with Park Plaza Christian Church in Joplin, Mo. In a memo to Ozark faculty and staff, Scott wrote, “I cannot put in words or quantify what it has meant for us to serve at OCC. When you cut us, we bleed OCC blue. How can I thank you for the privilege of serving with you for these 35 years? Thank you, OCC, for giving
April 4, 2020
A Step-by-Step Guide for Leading a Discovery Bible Study (or Any Group or Class) While Social Distancing By Rick Lowry In this season of social distancing, getting your small group or class together for an online or “virtual” meeting is a great alternative. If you are a computer novice, this can sound intimidating. But many simple tools are available to assist even those among us with little Internet experience. Since technology is the greatest concern for those who haven’t yet tried virtual meetings, we’ll discuss the technical details first. After that, we’ll look at some ways virtual groups are different
February 26, 2020
How We Developed, Launched, and Continue to Improve Our Mobile Application In the fall of 2018, the Midwestern church I serve, The Crossing, started a new website design process and began to overhaul our web presence analytics. In doing so, we learned 54 percent of the traffic to our main website originated from mobile devices that is, cell phones. (Tablets accounted for only about 6 percent of traffic, while desktop/laptop devices made up the remaining 40 percent.) It wasn’t all that surprising. In 2017, media measurement and analytics company Comscore reported, Mobile apps account for 57 percent of all digital
February 22, 2020
By Chris Jefferson Nehemiah’s transition from king’s cupbearer to rebuilder of Jerusalem provides valuable lessons for how modern churches can set goals, define objectives, strategize methods, and incorporate tactics to help them move beyond self-preservation and begin to lead movements in their congregations and communities. At the start of the Old Testament book, Nehemiah asked his brothers from Judah about his homeland. He specifically asked for information about two things: the people and the city. He gathered intelligence from trusted, knowledgeable sources. Upon learning that the remnant was in “great trouble and disgrace” and that the wall of Jerusalem was
February 22, 2020
A Cutting-Edge Way to Find New Ministry Partners Online . . . and in Person By Mark Kitts I’m still smarting from the recent closing of my alma mater, once known as “the Flagship College” of the independent Christian churches (ICC). Our schools, publications, and national gatherings have historically been unifying bastions of the Restoration Movement. But these institutions have been losing influence as people have voted with their feet and their wallets. Is it because Restoration ideals have lost their relevance? I don’t think so. I see these ideals being adopted as never before. Denominationalism is declining at an
February 22, 2020
By Michael C. Mack Most of us know the value of using modern technology for both personal and church use, but some of us—especially those of us over a certain age (and I’m uncertain what that certain age is anymore)—simply don’t have the expertise to use it well. Truth is, we’re afraid we’ll bumble the technological language well before we bumble the technology itself. I’ve experienced this while trying to talk to a 20-something wisenheimer at Best Buy. I stand there with a blank look on my face as he lays down some impressive technobabble. Just tell me which watch
February 22, 2020
By Jon Weatherly Would the apostle Paul use today’s social media? After all, it is filled with triviality, gossip, cruelty, divisiveness, indecency, blasphemy, and “fake news.” When videos of cats wearing shark suits and riding Roombas may be the least evil thing on social media, how can we imagine Christ’s apostle engaging in such an environment? When a person uses social media for what they consider a noble purpose, still it can backfire. Consider the case of Adam Smith in 2012 in Tucson, Arizona. One particular day, Smith filmed his interaction with a fast-food employee. Smith wanted to make a
February 22, 2020
By Tina Wilson If your church isn’t using social media—and using it well—you’re likely missing a great opportunity. Social media is the widest form of advertising available—and it costs little to nothing. Early on, social media may have been used mostly by younger people, but these platforms have expanded so much that most people across generations now get their information from them. The reach of social media is broad with regard to age and target audience. Social media speaks to church members and seekers alike, while most communication from the church—bulletins, email blasts, billboards—target one or the other. Beyond the
February 22, 2020
Laura McKillip Wood Terry pounded the steering wheel and cried. It took her last ounce of restraint not to throw open the car door and march right back into the boarding school to collect her son’s things and take him home. Who cared if the mission organization she and her husband, Kevin, worked with required them to send their child to boarding school? Was it even worth it? “Please, God, just give me my son back!” she cried. In the stillness that followed, the assurance that God was working through them in their ministry settled her heart. “I loved Jesus,
February 22, 2020
By David Dummitt IBM created the first smartphone in the early 1990s, but it was Apple’s release of the first iPhone in 2007 that effectively changed the world at large. Fast-forward to today and approximately 81 percent of people in America own a smartphone. The world has literally moved into the palms of people’s hands. The advent of smartphones over the past quarter century has revolutionized the way people prefer to learn, shop, and, yes, give. While many churches are embracing financial technology in new ways and are experiencing the positive impact on congregational generosity, many churches in America continue
February 22, 2020
By Jim Estep I recall Dave Stone once saying something like, “You can’t reach an MP4 generation with 8-track methods. The problem is that half of you are asking, “What’s an MP4?” and the others are asking, “What’s an 8-track?'” It is not just that technological innovation continues at an unprecedented rateI actually think Dave said, “MP3 generation”or that its presence within our culture and our lives grows more pervasive daily, but that technology has changed how we perceive our lives, society, and especially the church. The simple lesson is this: We either will learn to leverage technology in our
February 22, 2020
By Rusty George “Church online isn’t church.” Yep, that’s what I used to say. Of course, I also thought texting would never last and Facebook was a fad. But hey, what do I know? I guess you might call me a late adopter. Needless to say, starting an online campus wasn’t at the top of my list. But six years ago we decided to add an online option at our church, and I’ve changed my mind about its importance. The First Question: Why Mess with It? It sounds like a lot of work when a simple website with service times
February 22, 2020
By Jerry Harris Modern technology is an incredible thing, and it’s especially impressive to someone my age. When I was a child, I used to wonder at the people I knew who were around before airplanes, mass-production of cars, and the discovery of antibiotics. With technology developing at light speed, I have become one of those people today that young people look at quizzically. I grew up when cars had painted steel dashboards, pointy control knobs, and a shelf beneath the back window for kids to sleep on during drives. The only “airbag” in our car was my mother’s arm
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