Articles for tag: Up

March 15, 2020

Ryan Rasmussen

Guards at the Tomb: A Tale of Two Soldiers

By Ryan Rasmussen “What am I supposed to do with this money?” the soldier asked as he jiggled a bag of coins on the table. “It feels . . . tainted.” “Just enjoy it, man,” offered the second soldier. “How often does an opportunity like this come along for us? All we have to do is tell a little lie. No big deal.” But it felt like a big deal. A weight hung in the air as a strong wind pushed through the partially covered window of the dimly lit room. Two Roman soldiers sat counting their hush money. It

November 10, 2018

Christian Standard

More Nondenominationalish News Briefs

Rumors have been flying that Dave Stone and Rick Rusaw are not actually retiring from their senior pastor positions at Southeast Christian Church and LifeBridge Christian Church, respectively, but that they have declared themselves free agents and are making their services available to the highest-bidding churches at no less than 5-year, no-cut contracts with guaranteed money up-front. (Of course, these are just rumors.) _ _ _ Former senior minister Dean Smithy of Austin, Texas, is looking for a new church to serve after elders at Yellow Rose Christian Church told him he can no longer serve at theirs. Smithy and

September 7, 2018

Christian Standard

Do the Right Thing

E2: Effective Elders Blog Editor’s Note: Each Friday we publish a new blog post from our partners in ministry, E2: Effective Elders. We publish it here simultaneous to E2’s posting on their site. The leaders of E2 write an article for our print and online magazine every month as well. Those articles are full of wisdom and practical help for elders. Please check them out! _____ By Dick Alexander Elder work can be hard work, involving gut-wrenching decisions. On the one hand there is great joy in seeing lives changed and God honored. It’s an undeserved privilege to be used by

March 23, 2018

Christian Standard

How to Maximize High-Attendance Weekends (and Minimize ‘One-Hit Wonders’)

By David Dummitt Easter is the best-attended weekend of church services, with Christmas being a close second. How can we strategically maximize our opportunity to connect with people during these weekends in ways that make first-time guests want to come back? The old adage says you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. But you can create environments and opportunities that sweeten the water. When planning big-attendance weekends, we must think critically and creatively about how we can create exceptional environments and opportunities to which people will want to return.   ‘Surprise and Delight’ For

December 1, 2016

Michael C. Mack

Christmas Best Practices

By Michael C. Mack Pre-invite: Christmas Movie Celebration Host a Christmas film fest, featuring family-friendly Christmas movies, at the church building or another community gathering place. Serve seasonal foods and refreshments, and encourage church attendees to invite their friends. This may be a great way to “pre-invite” people and help them get to know others before your Christmas services. Invite Friends to Christmas Services. According to a recent LifeWay Research study, 61 percent of Americans attend church services at Christmastime. Which means, of course, that 4 out of 10 people do not attend. Yet, among those who don”t attend church

March 3, 2016

Michael C. Mack

March Ministry Ideas

By Michael C. Mack Ideas for your church, group, class, or team: Spruce Up the Community. Contact a local parks department, senior living centers, or cemeteries, for instance, or ask members to provide names of neighbors who could use yard help this spring. Ask how your volunteers can do a postwinter spruce-up. Gather all the volunteers and gear you can and love your community through these acts of service. March Forth and Do Something. March 4 is “March Forth and Do Something Day.” Try planning a day of service in your community, perhaps in conjunction with the first idea. Let

December 13, 2015

Christian Standard

Working Together

By Jennifer Johnson We all need a community of some kind””a place to be accepted and loved for who we are and challenged to grow into who we might be. Churches at their best have always been a place for people to find these connections by serving, worshipping, and studying together. Forefront Church in New York City encourages all of these expressions of community life, but the church is also developing new opportunities to support, nurture, and encourage artists and entrepreneurs through a program called “Creative Guilds.” The concept of a guild developed hundreds of years ago to encourage artisans

April 21, 2015

Michael C. Mack

The Incredible Opportunity of “I Don”t Know”

By Michael C. Mack It”s been said that teachers and facilitators should get comfortable with the words “I don”t know.” When someone asks a question in a small group or class, it”s one of the best discipleship opportunities you will ever have! Rather than saying, “I don”t know, but I”ll find out,” try saying, “I don”t know, but let”s all research that before our next meeting. Here are some places you might find the answer. . . .” Suggest Bible passages to look up, sound biblical websites to explore, or a minister (or other leader or professor who is known

November 3, 2014

Christian Standard

Are We Encouraging, or Discouraging Them?

By Larry Monroe How we respond to an applicant for our job can help or hinder his or her future in Christian service. Nowhere is this more important than with how we handle résumés and written job applications. It happens all too often””a résumé is sent in response to a posted position at a church or parachurch organization. The candidate eagerly awaits a reply, wondering what may lie in store for him in some exciting new ministry opportunity. The candidate waits, and waits, and waits. Soon he sends a follow-up note, and then he waits some more.  Too often no

July 4, 2011

Christian Standard

Pantano Christian Battles Poverty with Microloans

By Jennifer Taylor In May, Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, AZ) gave away $25,000″”and asked the recipients to give the same. The money, which the church received as a grant, was offered to members of the PCC community to involve them in a microloan program with Kiva, a nonprofit organization that helps donors provide small loans ($25 or more) to help entrepreneurs around the world escape poverty by starting small businesses. PCC members could participate in the program by committing a small amount of their own money and receiving matching funds from the church. A $12.50 donation would result in $25″”the

April 22, 2011

Christian Standard

Christmas or Easter?

By Kent E. Fillinger Why do churches pay more attention to Christmas than to Easter? If you surveyed a group of church leaders, the common response probably would be, “Evangelism””we want to create welcoming environments for people to bring guests, and Christmas is an optimal opportunity to do so.” Really? Businesses measure “return on investment”””whether a product or venture yields a return that warrants the investment required to offer it. From the standpoint of a return on investment, Easter consistently dominates Christmas in attendance. For example, the average megachurch experienced a 74 percent increase in attendance on Easter, compared with

October 21, 2007

Christian Standard

Welcome Back! How Some Churches Work to See Visitors Return

By Krista Petty The outreach strategy is working. Your church has an abundance of first-time guests, or maybe a nice, steady stream of curious new people from week to week. Now what? What does it take to get them back for a second look at all your church family has to offer? And just as important, what gifts and strengths does that new person or family have that the kingdom of God may miss without their involvement? Without planned and purposeful follow-up, visitors may come and go through a revolving door without setting down roots or feeling involved. Several growing

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