August 3, 2022
How does your church show love to area schools, teachers, and students? For the last eight years, Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, Ky.—known as the Love the ‘Ville church—has done so with thousands of bags of mulch and hundreds of volunteers. . . .
May 1, 2021
Delivering Groceries and Joy At Crossroads Christian Church in Macon, Missouri, the biggest wins of 2020 came in the form of spontaneous acts of service. In a year filled with unexpected challenges and unexpected ministry opportunities, Crossroads found two simple but significant ways to bless their neighbors. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the owners of the local grocery store asked the church to assist with deliveries. For years, the store had delivered groceries to elderly residents in the community each week, but when the first stay-at-home orders were issued, it was impossible to keep up with the
May 17, 2020
By Laura McKillip Wood Revo’s family had nothing when they arrived in the United States. They pinned their hopes on a new life in the West after fleeing dangerous political unrest in Southeast Asia. After a long and difficult process, they settled in Omaha, Nebraska,. Their apartment had only the bare minimum Revo, his wife, and their children needed for survival. Not only did they have few furnishings, their children had no beds. An organization named Sleep in Heavenly Peace heard about their situation—and the situation of many of their refugee neighbors—and sprang into action. Reaching Out Sleep in Heavenly
June 8, 2018
By Rick Lowry It’s easy to focus programming on younger adults. After all, they represent the long-term future of the church. That’s why many churches place a priority on worship music preferred by the younger crowd and the children’s programs that are important to their families. I’m a discipleship pastor, and I acknowledge that our church gears most of our discipleship efforts toward those on the front end of family and life. But I have also observed that, as a result, many mature Christians struggle to find a place in their local church where they can continue to grow. As
April 14, 2017
By Jennifer Johnson Laura Setters“s brother has been an addict since he was 12 years old. When he finally celebrated a year of sobriety, she decided to mark the achievement””and ended up creating a new ministry. “By the time Michael got sober in 2014, our family had been dealing with his addiction for 26 years,” Setters says. “My mom, Beth, passed away the year before, and she had been the only one who never lost hope in him. I wanted to do something to honor her life as well as Michael”s one-year sobriety anniversary, so I donated to a recovery
November 25, 2016
By James C. Jones These believers are working together to make a difference in their community. Many houses where I live in Illinois are old. The house where I live, for example, was built in 1900. Since the population of many small towns in central Illinois has stayed roughly the same or decreased over the years, few homes are being built. Consequently, many people live in relatively old houses. Because so many houses are old and require continual maintenance, many people struggle to keep up with all that needs to be done. Many houses in our small town have fallen
September 1, 2015
By Michael C. Mack In July, we asked you why you initially got involved in ministry. We defined ministry as any type of service (paid or volunteer) you engage in through your church, a parachurch organization, a civic organization, or individually. We also posted the question on our Facebook page, BestMinistryPractices, and on Twitter, @CSBestPractices. Here are the results: 35% “” Someone asked or influenced me 32.5% “” A direct calling from God (like Moses in Exodus 3) 20% “” I sensed a need to use my particular spiritual gifts and/or talents 10% “” I responded to a specific need (the need was the call)
By Jennifer Taylor Since February, Crossroads Christian Church (Newburgh, Indiana) has worked with Habitat for Humanity and local organizations to pilot an energy conservation project for urban housing. The “mission” included weatherizing dozens of homes to reduce energy costs for low-income families. Volunteers caulked and foamed cracks, replaced furnace filters, added attic insulation, and more. CCC coordinated serving days from February through May and provided training for all participants. www.crossroadschristian.com ________________ Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard’s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at www.christianstandard.com. Do you know of a church breaking new ground or leading innovative
January 27, 2010
By Mark A. Taylor Usually he”s talking to us about us. He”s asking us about our health or commenting on our children”s good looks. He”s thanking us for our solo or help with the food drive or leadership of VBS. Or he”s telling us why we”d be perfect for the job he has in mind. Sometimes he”s listening to our latest complaint about volume, color, people, or policies. But seldom does the minister talk to us about himself. His job is to serve us, after all, and we”re usually glad to just let him. Either we don”t know him well
June 17, 2007
By Stefanie Cassetto It was the second weekend of November last year, and the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, was getting a taste of what a local church in action looks and feels like. Manchester Christian Church was stretching its serving muscles in a new and big way, and an ordinary weekend was turning into something extraordinary. A teaching series on Sunday mornings and in our small groups had been taking a close look at the purpose of the community of believers. We were being challenged to look beyond ourselves and consider what it means to authentically live out that
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