Articles for tag: Unity

February 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Salvation Theology & Bible

Works Without Grace Are Dead

By Todd Parmenter As the economy faltered and recession began in 2008, offerings began to shrink at the church I served. Some members lost jobs, some others relocated because their jobs moved, physical needs of people in the congregation increased, and a general malaiseÂ of uncertainty hung in the air. We cut expenses wherever possible, including some painful staff layoffs. We tightened our belts and ramped up efforts to teach the congregation good financial skills. But still we struggled to pay all the bills, and eventually we couldn”t. In September 2008, the church couldn”t pay both the mortgage and the payroll

February 9, 2012

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Eldership

Our Elders May Function Differently Than Yours

By Stephen Bond The Bible is surprisingly vague with regard to organization in the local church. It”s clear that God intends each local congregation to have a plurality of elders in leadership. We see this, for example, in Acts 14:23 as “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church” (note that elders is plural). It”s also clear that mature Christian character is what matters most for elders. The qualifications for elders mentioned in 1 Timothy and Titus deal almost exclusively with character. Beyond those two broad characteristics””more than one elder, all of mature/good character”” the Scriptures are essentially

February 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Restoration Movement History

What Are We Trying to Restore?

By Gary Weedman For the past 100 years or so, churches and Christians in our fellowship generally have professed to be part of the Restoration Movement. We have not always been clear, however, about what exactly we are working to restore. To this day, perhaps with a bit too much hubris, we say of our early leaders that Thomas Campbell restored the ancient book, Alexander Campbell the ancient order, Walter Scott the ancient gospel, and Barton Stone the ancient life. Work done. Case closed. But for much of the 20th century, many of the heirs of this historical movement thought

January 20, 2012

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

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

January 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

The First Step Toward Unity

By Mark A. Taylor Christian unity, like so many other grand doctrines of the Bible, is something none of us would repudiate. Just as all of us are for love, joy, peace, patience, and self-control””just as all of us would lift up the ideas of mercy, grace, or forgiveness””all of us, if asked, would agree we”re for unity. But deciding to discuss unity is something else. When I talk about unity, my notions of it are challenged. I must sit across the table from a fellow believer who disagrees with me and yet acknowledge that I want unity with him.

October 3, 2011

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

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

September 26, 2011

Christian Standard

NACC Diversity: “˜A Giant Leap Forward”

By Darrel Rowland Dudley Rutherford admits it”s his biggest fear: That the recent increasing diversity of the NACC will fade away. “We took a giant leap forward. We cannot afford to take a small step backward. We need to keep pressing the issue,” said Rutherford, who has led the drive to bring more minorities as speakers and to fill other key roles on the platform. Rutherford said he already has written letters to future NACC presidents urging them to continue the convention”s blend of races and ethnicities. “Usually we put one African-American on the stage and call itÂ diversity,” he said.

August 25, 2011

Christian Standard

Family & Relationships Parenting

Tutorials Help Kids Drum Up Better Grades

By Jennifer Taylor As the school year ended, Wendy Bennett“s fourth-grade daughter, Lily, began feeling nervous about her final math tests. Bennett, pastor of family life ministry and community connections at Everyday Christian Church (New York, NY), asked Chris Travis for help. “Chris is not only our lead pastor, but has also worked as a math teacher in Harlem the last two years,” Bennett says. “Lily”s best friend soon wanted to join the sessions; then more students expressed interest. Eventually we asked the school if we could organize group tutoring.” The team worked with the administration to coordinate the

July 23, 2011

Christian Standard

Christian Living

“˜Fulfill Your Word in My Life”

By John A. Hampton “Come and listen to a young man who read himself into New Testament Christianity.” That”s how I was introduced more than once when I was a 17-year-old preacher boy. I grew up attending a mainline denominational church until that time in my life. While I appreciate the teaching, love, and support that small congregation gave me, I wrestled with the layers of denominational bureaucracy that many of the church”s pastors had to deal with. I also struggled with some of the doctrines and practices that were a part of our proud denomination”s history. So with a

July 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Holy Spirit Theology & Bible

Faith, Liberty, and Love in the Holy Spirit

By Gary Holloway “In matters of faith, unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; in all things, love.” This is one of the most powerful statements in Christian history. It has been an influential statement for those of us who have a heritage in the American Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. But in my experience, we have often argued and divided over matters of opinion. One problem is that what some consider opinion, others consider a matter of faith. It must have been the same in Paul”s time. In writing to the Romans, he talks about these disputable matters in Romans 13:8″”15:7. The

July 15, 2011

Christian Standard

A Movement of Unity Starts with Me

By Chris Beard I love the Restoration Movement. It didn”t used to be that way. Don”t get me wrong; I have believed wholeheartedly in the principles of the Stone-Campbell Movement since I was a kid. As a minister, I believe the more my congregation reflects the values and principles of the New Testament church, the more effective we will be for God”s kingdom. I”ve always thought I loved the Restoration Movement, but it turns out, for the longest time, I only loved my church. And isn”t that often the case? While there is no official data to investigate, a quick

May 26, 2011

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Wherever the Table Is Spread

By J. Michael Shannon “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord”s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). The first Lord”s Supper was observed in a relatively obscure room in Jerusalem. It was a private gathering. Very few people were there. Those who were there did not understand its full significance. Jesus was making clear the meaning of his death. In the early church, Jesus” followers each Lord”s Day reenacted what happened in that room. Even though the events were fairly recent, they did not want a week to go by without remembering.

April 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Book Reviews Reviews

Trying to Keep Up with Books by “˜Us”

By LeRoy Lawson Superman on Earth: Reflections of a Fan Gary D. Robinson / Baltimore: PublishAmerica, 2010 Thoughtprints: Poems En Route Wilma Curtis Buckner / Â©Wilma Buckner, 2009 Daily Disciple: A One-Year Devotional Guide Gary Holloway / Abilene: Leafwood Publishers, 2008 Steppes of Faith: Discovering God”s Goodness in Ukraine Janice Lemke / Purpose Press, 2010 Eyes of Integrity: The Porn Pandemic and How It Affects You Craig Gross and Jason Harper / Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2010 I remember grumbling with some fellow Christian church ministers many years ago that we did not seem to be a publishing fellowship. We

February 13, 2011

Christian Standard

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

Abide in My Word

By Brandon Smith A move from the big city to the small town changed him””over time. And it taught him something about how we become more like Christ. I know a big-city kid who grew up in Denver, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Omaha. The activity and opportunity afforded by such bustling municipalities were woven into the fabric of his being. So you may understand his uneasiness at the prospect of moving to rural northwest Missouri in an answer to God”s call five years ago. But he packed his boxes and moved his family to a quaint community of 10,000. He

February 2, 2011

Christian Standard

So Long to Good-Byes

By Cal Jernigan Perhaps you heard the story of the man who was stranded alone on a deserted island for a number of years. One day a ship appeared on the horizon, noticed him, and sent some men ashore to rescue him. While helping him gather his scant belongings, the rescuers noticed three huts clustered together and asked the man about them. The man pointed to one of the huts and explained that it served as his house, and then he pointed to another and explained that it was where he went to church. The man stopped without mentioning the

January 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Restoration Movement History

Worth Discussing

By Mark A. Taylor One quote stands out among several in a news release posted some time ago on our Web site*. An impassioned member of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue reflected on the words of Christ whose prayer for unity is recorded in John 17: Apparently Christ thought the unity of his followers was the single most important evidence that he truly came from the Father, that he was divine. And this makes unity compelling””an absolutely compelling thing””not a backburner issue. Unity is at the heart of what the whole gospel is about. Unity is at the heart of the annual

January 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Family & Relationships Parenting

The Essential About Opinions

by Mark A. Taylor Any parent of young adults knows two things: First, you”ll always be a parent. Just because they”re out of the house, you don”t stop worrying about their health and their choices and their future. Just because they”re earning a living, you don”t stop wondering if they have enough money. Second, and more important, the parent of young adults must keep his opinions to himself””or at least state them in a gentle way that earns a hearing. Grown children don”t respond well to lectures from their parents, especially when they passionately disagree about the issue at hand.

December 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

Stone-Campbell Dialogue Continues Progress Toward Unity

The Stone-Campbell Dialogue met Nov. 7, 8 in Johnson City, TN, to continue discussions about unity among three “streams” of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. Twenty-three church leaders participated in the discussions. The group was composed of ministers and other leaders from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian churches and churches of Christ, and the a cappella churches of Christ. The group began its time together with a worship service Sunday evening in the chapel of Emmanuel School of Religion, the host site for the whole meeting. Discussions Monday centered on issues that have divided these three groups in past

October 22, 2010

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Church Staff

Common Ground and a Common Goal

By John Derry What would it take for 30 colleges and universities ranging in size from less than 100 to more than 1,000 students, from various regions of the country, and each with unique strengths, to collaborate on a project? The institutions would need to find common ground on which they could come together in a spirit of unity, joining forces to achieve something they could not do alone. The Matthew 9:38 Just One Challenge provides this common ground. It resonates with the leadership of all schools in our fellowship, because without exception they share a common mission of equipping

July 4, 2010

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Race

“˜Be Nice or Leave!”

By Rick Grover I met with an African-American pastor in our community who told me his church has signs throughout its building that convey one of his church”s values. The signs read:Â Be Nice or Leave! He indicated his church in the past had a significant challenge with a certain group of longtime members who would run off new people. The established group felt threatened by anybody with new or different ideas. Sound familiar? Rather than dealing with those differences in a healthy, biblical way, members of the group would say critical things and act mean-spirited until those with whom they