Christian Standard | August 2018

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christian standard

COVER

august 2018


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letter FROM THE

publisher Jerry Harris Publisher | Christian Standard Media

i remember

sanctuary—the numbers corresponded to hymnbook the way youth ministry used selections—while other to be. (Yes, I’m one of those additional instructions guys.) It was a time when and news were printed in a adults wanted to create a bulletin. Two elders would space for young people so take their place on either they wouldn’t be bored in side of the ornately carved the adult service. table for a devotion and prayer before Communion; Back then, church services at offering time, they would didn’t connect to students. The deacons, wearing suits return to that table as the congregation sang the and ties, marched in and doxology. Sound familiar? sat in the front row while the preacher took his Meanwhile, student place behind the pulpit. ministry flourished in a The organ would drone an separate environment instrumental call to worship where songs were until the song leader contemporary, guitars and instructed the congregation drums were used, crowd to stand, then he would beat interaction was essential, out 3/4 or 4/4 time with his and the worship space was hand. more about function than form. Crowd involvement That day’s hymn numbers consisted of icebreakers appeared on a wooden and games from Youth board at the front of the C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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Specialties “Ideas” books and throwbacks from summer camps and Christ in Youth events . . . and did it ever work! Public schools avoided scheduling events on Sundays and Wednesday evenings, in deference to church, and even supermarkets were closed on Sunday. Youth ministers were welcome in the school and to many students, it felt like culture was your friend and church was the enemy. That was then. A massive swing has occurred in both church culture and social culture since then. Those students grew up and graduated into “adult” church. Worship wars ensued. First came overhead projectors, and then video projectors


and stage lighting; small ensembles transitioned into full contemporary bands. Formal attire gave way to casual, even grungy clothing. Pulpit furniture went into storage. Bulletins listing the order of worship disappeared. Pews gave way to stackable chairs. Hymnals eventually went up for sale on eBay. Worship services basically became a grown-up version of what the now young adults had experienced in their student environments. Young people were invited to lead—and often it seemed like “the younger, the better.” Buildings and architecture reflected the change, as sanctuaries gave way to big boxes. While adult ministries were evolving in this way, student ministry began losing steam in many churches. Student ministry programming, it seems, was losing its distinctiveness from adult programming; the budget spent on youth worship was far less than was spent on adults. Alternative student programming declined as more students were mainstreamed into the larger worship setting. Small groups began replacing large ones. While this was happening, social culture was also undergoing massive change. Anything with a hint of a Christian connection was banned from public schools, including Christmas and Easter programs, ministerial access, and prayer. School

programming disregarded church times; at times it seemed like events were deliberately scheduled for calendar slots that formerly were avoided. Social culture became the enemy and church culture became the friend to students.

Public schools avoided scheduling events on Sundays and Wednesday evenings, in deference to church, and even supermarkets were closed on Sunday. Youth ministers were welcome in the school and to many students, it felt like culture was your friend and church was the enemy. That was then. Churches compensated for these cultural changes by offering services at times when parents wouldn’t be forced to choose between church and school. Churches that dug in their heels to keep their traditions intact didn’t fare well—many faced closure as church members grew older and died off. Some old-school folks confused the newer methods of some churches with an abandonment or watering down of the timeless message of the gospel. This C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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all probably sounds familiar too. So what are we to say to all of this? How do we respond? As Haydn Shaw has written, we are living in an unprecedented time with five generations sharing church space all at the same time. What is the future of youth, children, family, and adult ministry? It’s been a perpetual question our tribe has sought to understand and answer. As an example, our sister magazine, The Lookout, was originally called The Young People’s Standard when it began in 1888—part of an effort to capitalize on a youth movement called Christian Endeavor. (The name was changed to The Lookout in 1894.) The quest to appeal to rising generations hasn’t changed much in the past 130 years. We must figure out a way to entrust sound doctrine and passion to upcoming generations, even as we change means and methods to convey the timeless message.

Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris /jerrydharris


CHRISTIAN STANDARD —

FOUNDED 1866 BY ISAAC ERRETT Devoted to the restoration of New Testament Christianity, its doctrine, its ordinances, and its fruits.

The Staff Jerry Harris, Publisher Michael C. Mack, Editor Jim Nieman, Managing Editor Shawn McMullen, Contributing Editor Megan Kempf, Designer Abby Wittler, Designer Renee Little, Operations

Subscription Information To order Christian Standard for yourself, your church, or your group, visit christianstandard.com or contact Customer Service. Bulk pricing is available.

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800.543.1353 info@christianstandardmedia.com

Volume CLIII. Number 8. Christian Standard (ISSN 0009-5656) is published monthly by Christian Standard Media at 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Periodicals postage paid at Parker, CO, and additional offices. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Christian Standard Media, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Phone: 1-800543-1353. SUBSCRIBERS: Send address changes to Christian Standard, 16965 Pine Lane, Suite 202, Parker, CO 80134. Send old and new addresses, complete with zip codes, at least six weeks before delivery date.

Christian Standard is published by Christian Standard Media, www.christianstandardmedia.com.

Copyright ©2018 by Christian Standard Media Email: cs@christianstandardmedia.com Website: www.christianstandard.com Printed in USA


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: Why Orange Matters

by amy fenton

I N E V E RY I S S UE 2-3 | L E TTE R F RO M THE P UB L ISH E R

34 42

Jerry Harris

FEA T U R E YOUTH MINISTRY: What 50 Years of Youth Ministry Have Taught Me

6-7 | L E TTE R F RO M THE E DITO R

by les christie

10-12 | MOVE ME NT

Michael C. Mack

A Fall Kickoff to Keep People Coming Back David Dummitt

YOUTH MINISTRY: 7 Tri ed-and-True Strategies that Made Our Youth Ministry (and Students) Flourish

13-16 | ME TRIC S

Know ing Whe r e You’re Go ing Pay s Off Kent Fillinger

17-19 | IMAG IN E

by matt cameron

Stone Br idge Chr istian Chur c h Mel McGowan

20-22 | E 2 : E F F E C TIV E EL D ER S

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YOUTH MINISTRY: A Massive Movement of Kindom Workers

Ba c k to Sc hool Gary L. Johnson

23-25 | HO RIZO N S RISE Emily Drayne

by Andy Hansen

26-27 | MIN ISTRY L IF E

Wha te ve r It Ta ke s L. Mackenzie

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34-41 | F E ATURE ART I CL E

YOUTH MINISTRY: The Changing Face of Youth Ministry

Wha t 5 0 Ye a r s o f Youth Ministr y Ha ve Ta ug ht Me Les Christie

by nick tomeo

62-65 | HE ADL INE S Chris Moon

66-67 | N O N DE NO MINA T I ON A L I S H Caleb Kaltenbach

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The Lookout’s N EW Scope and Sequence

by Shawn McMullen

68-70 | INTE RAC T 72 | C O MMUNIO N ME D I TA T I ON

Ev e r y d ay Ob j e ct s —Etern al Tr u t h s Joe Harvey C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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letter editor FROM THE

Michael c. Mack

Editor | Christian Standard

The Standard Publishing Company that I worked for many years ago had an obvious commitment to children’s and youth ministry. We produced top-selling VBS materials, children’s and youth Sunday school curriculum, takehome papers for middle and high school students, and more. We trained teachers and leaders in our TeacherLeader Conferences (known as TLCs) across the country. Today, Christian Standard Media has that same DNA, that same commitment to and passion for children and youth, though it may not seem so obvious at first glance.

The Lookout and Christian Standard work in tandem to play a vital role in developing and resourcing all types of godly leaders in the church. The Lookout, wrote editor Shawn McMullen last year, is a “valuable tool for your personal spiritual development and your growth as a disciple of Christ.” That of course is the foundation for all spiritual leadership. (See Shawn’s article on The Lookout’s new scope and sequence starting on page 56 in this issue.) Christian Standard exists to equip and encourage all leaders—including children’s and youth

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ministry leaders, small group leaders, and teachers. We seek to provide biblical leadership principles that will help you lead well in whatever role God is using you. Discipleship—of adults, teens, and kids—happens in the environment of healthy relationships. Curriculum and other resources can be great tools that leaders and teachers use, but disciples are produced through other disciples, not through curriculum. You’ve probably heard the old adage, “More is caught than taught.” This theme of discipling kids and teens through


relationship surfaces over and over in this issue. Youth minister Matt Cameron said, “In a culture that capitalizes on virtual, inauthentic relationships, it’s more important than ever for youth ministries to provide a safe space for students to be authentic, vulnerable, and real with each other.” Les Christie, who has been involved in youth ministry for 50 years, wrote about the value he found in taking students camping. “Living with students for a week helps you get beyond surfacelevel conversations,” he said. “Many lifelong decisions were made there.” Christ in Youth president Andy Hansen said it this way: “Ongoing mentoring relationships are a must to move forward in spiritual depth and cement ‘flag in the sand’ decisions that are made in such an environment. Therefore, CIY provides leaders with age-intentional, interactive small-group activities.” Amy Fenton, who serves with Orange, said it most simply: “Life change happens through relationship.” The strategy is brilliantly uncomplicated: “We believe for kids to know God, they need to know people who know God.”

Interact with us. Let us know what we can do to better serve all the leaders of the church. Write for us. Our best articles are those written by leaders for leaders. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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If you subscribe to Christian Standard, I’d like to encourage you as a leader to use it as a resource to help equip and encourage other leaders at your church. Invest in them—it will bear fruit! Encourage fellow leaders to subscribe or, better yet, purchase a bulk subscription for all your leaders. (Go to www. christianstandard.com and click on “Subscribe Now!”) As you plan your budget for 2019, be sure “leadership development” is a category, and Christian Standard is a line item. Interact with us. Let us know what we can do to better serve all the leaders of the church. Write for us. Our best articles are those written by leaders for leaders. We’re better together than any of us can be alone. That applies to discipleship and leadership . . . and Christian Standard and The Lookout. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /AuthorMichaelCMack


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move ment BY DAVID DUMMITT

a fall kickoff to keep people coming back David Dummitt is the lead pastor and planter of 2|42 Community Church in Michigan, one of the largest and fastestgrowing churches in the country. He is also on the lead team of NewThing, a catalyst for reproducing churches worldwide.

Back-to-school season is a natural time for people to create new routines and rhythms, which makes fall a strategic time to not only attract new people to your church, but also to encourage them to come back week after week. As we plan for fall, we should consider how to maximize our opportunity to connect with people in relevant ways that make them want to call our churches their churches.

/DavidDummitt

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Tailgate Weekend

Although there’s no formula for introducing people to the church and weaving them into community, we can create enticing environments that meet felt needs, provide opportunities that people want to return to, and impact the community through radical generosity. In my experience, people come back to church for two big reasons: relationships and impact. People want to know that they will be missed and that their presence matters. That’s why at 2|42 our fall planning has two overriding goals: getting people into groups and connecting them into serving teams. Connected people dig deep roots into the fabric of the church community. If we’re going to play to win, we must plan the beginning of a new ministry season with a winning strategy built around the goals of getting people connected and having people join serving teams that will impact the church internally and the community externally. Here are a few of the ways 2|42 plans to launch this fall season: C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

Tailgate Weekend is something of a tradition at 2|42, and the name gives an accurate idea of the event: tents, camping chairs, food, music, games, and lots of people hanging out before and after weekend services. Small groups set up their tailgate “real estate” on site at our four campuses in order to get to know new people and invite them to check out a small group in their neighborhood. The entire church community has the opportunity to interact with small groups in fun and compelling ways. People who are not already in a group have an easy on-ramp to connect with others by simply meandering through the rows of tents and enjoying the tailgate experience. We have had tremendous success getting new people into small groups through this fun event, thus tying relational strings tighter and making our big church small for individuals.

Teaching a Felt Needs Message or Series For our Fall Kickoff at 2|42, we try to gauge the expressed and evident need of our community, and then teach toward that need. We target our marketing exclusively toward that message or series to get people to walk in the doors. The last three years, our kickoff series have included: • “Who Do You Think You Are?” a series focused on identity • “Your But’s Too Big,” which focused on the excuses that hold us back from following God • “Finding Your Way Back to God,” a series about taking first and next steps with God - 11 -

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- MOVEMENT -

Blessing Students and Educators We will kick off the new school year by blessing kids, students, educators, and administrators during our services by praying publicly for them as a church community. This is a great way to commission them into a new school year.

Community Impact The church is the hope of the world, so to take gospel hope to the places that need it most, we must do more than just invite people to join us at our campuses. Our churches should be known for loving our communities well. It should be our aim to be the types of organizations that would be missed if we closed our doors. I am excited about 2|42’s opportunity to display radical generosity to local schools, students, and teachers this year. We will do that in a few ways: • We will collect backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged kids. • Small groups will help clean up and set up classrooms during the weeks leading up to the first day of school. • We will bless teachers with first-day-ofschool “swag boxes” filled with gifts and treats, along with an invitation to join us for the upcoming weekend. • We will set up coffee carts in teacher lounges and treat teachers to a doughnut giveaway (exactly what it sounds like—lots of fried goodness dipped in liquid sugar). C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

Our ultimate goal through our Fall Kickoff efforts is to see more people experience the transformative life change that happens by following Jesus and connecting with his people. Strategy, planning, and follow through are the keys to making Fall Kickoff a great opportunity to get people to come back again and again, and ultimately call our church their home.  - 12 -

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met rics

knowing where you’re going pays off

I love quotes and short sayings. A favorite of mine is, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there,” from Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger adapted it slightly as, “If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” But the best mutation of the saying comes from baseball icon (and celebrated linguist) Yogi Berra: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

BY KENT FILLINGER

Kent E. Fillinger serves as president of 3:STRANDS Consulting and director of partnerships with CMF International, Indianapolis, Indiana. /3strandsconsulting www.3strandsconsulting.com

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Regardless of which version you prefer, here’s the point: It’s important to know where you want to go in life and in your church. Since this month’s issue focuses on gearing up for a new season of ministry, I thought it would be helpful to share research related to mission or purpose, strategic planning, and futurecasting. Our annual church survey included three first-time questions that touched on each of these points. Each question was in the form of a statement asking the churches to select one of seven possible choices.

would characterize my church’s 1“Imission/purpose as . . .”

The spectrum of options to choose from ranged from “very focused” to “very broad.” In general, the responses showed that the larger the church, the more it focused on its mission or purpose. The largest percentage of megachurches (average weekly worship attendance of 2,000 or more), emerging megachurches (1,000 to 1,999 weekly), large churches (500 to 999), and medium churches (250 to 499) reported that their mission/purpose was “focused.” But the largest percentage of small (100 to 249) and very small churches (99 or fewer) said their mission/purpose was “somewhat focused.”

You might be wondering what difference it makes for a church’s mission/purpose to be “very” focused” compared with “focused.” Based on some limited research, the more focused the mission/purpose, the better the church’s growth rates and baptism ratios. For example, megachurches with a “very focused” mission/purpose grew 8 percent last year and had a baptism ratio of 8.7 baptisms per 100 people in average attendance. Megachurches with a “focused” mission/purpose grew only 4.9 percent and had a baptism ratio of 6.4. This same trend was also evident among emerging megachurches. The churches with a “very focused” mission/purpose grew 8.5 percent and had a baptism ratio of 7.4, whereas those that reported their mission/purpose as “focused” grew at 4 percent and had a baptism ratio of 5.5. The emerging megachurches that had a “somewhat focused” mission/purpose grew only 2.6 percent last year.

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church has a strategic plan that 2“Our guides our actions and decisions.”

churches (48 percent) had no discernable plan. Once again, a clear connection existed between having and using a strategic plan and having better growth rates and baptism ratios. For example, megachurches that “strongly agreed” to having a strategic plan had the best baptism ratios—8.1 baptisms per 100 people in attendance. Megachurches that “agreed” to having a strategic plan had a baptism ratio of 6.2, and the megachurches that only “somewhat agreed” to having a strategic plan had a baptism ratio of 4.8. The emerging megachurches that “strongly agreed” to having a strategic plan grew 9 percent last year, while the emerging megachurches that “agreed” to having a strategic plan grew only 2.3 percent, and those that “somewhat agreed” declined slightly in attendance.

Response options ranged from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Once again, the larger the church, the more likely they were to have a strategic plan and use it. For example, more than half of megachurches reported they “strongly agreed,” while only 6 percent of very small churches “strongly agreed” to having and using a strategic plan. No megachurch was operating without a strategic plan, and only 5 percent of emerging megachurches were without one. On the other end of the spectrum, 24 percent of small churches reported not having a strategic plan to guide their ministry decisions and almost half of the very small 60 % 50 % 40 % 30 % 20 % 10 % 0%

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A GREE

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“Our church is thinking about the next chapter of our overall story and how that will change the way we do ministry.” I’m sure all will agree that we live in rapidly changing times. But this serves as a reminder we always need to try to identify changing trends, look farther down the road, and try to prepare for what’s coming next. We need to

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always be thinking about and planning for what our “second act” will look like. I was encouraged by the number of churches that are thinking about their next chapter. Most of the churches, regardless of size, said they either “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that they are considering what’s next. Many of you have probably seen some variation of Everett Rogers’s classic Bell curve model of Diffusion of Innovations. Rogers identified five distinct phases of how people respond to change: from innovators to early adopters to middle adopters to late adopters, and finally, to the laggards. In the January-February 2018 Harvard Business Review article “Finding Your Company’s Second Act,” Larry Downes and Paul Nunes said that Rogers’s five distinct market segments have now been reduced to two: trial users (who help develop the product) and everybody else. They said the Bell curve now looks more like a shark fin.

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This means church leaders need to put an end to some apparently fruitful ministries or church events before they completely run out of steam. Too many churches today are like Blockbuster video stores trying to rent people old VHS tapes when the rest of your community has already moved on to Netflix. We can never forget that “methods are many, principles are few; methods should always change, but principles never do.” Sadly, many churches tend to confuse ministry methods with biblical principles. As a result, they get stuck in the past and are unable to change the methods needed to effectively move forward to minister to people in today’s culture. As you prepare for another season of ministry, I encourage you to do three things: • Evaluate your existing ministries and programs by asking these three questions: 1. Does this ministry fulfill our mission? (And if you don’t have a focused or defined mission/purpose, then back up and figure that out first.) 2. Would we start this ministry right now if it didn’t currently exist? 3. Is this ministry sufficiently resourced? • Examine what other churches in your area are doing that are working for them. What can you learn from them? • Experiment and try to start a new ministry or event that helps you further the mission of your church. 

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STR O N G LY AGREE

AGREE

MEGACHURCHES

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N E IT H E R A G R E E S O M E W H AT N O R D IS A G R E E D IS A G R E E

EMERGING MEGACHURCHES

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imag ine

stonebridge christian church

BY MEL MCGO WAN

// Building Bridges to God and the Omaha Community StoneBridge Christian Church in Omaha, Nebraska, strives to serve as a metaphorical bridge to God, one another, and the community. Omaha is a vibrant, thriving community situated between prairies and mountains. StoneBridge’s visionary leadership team wanted to capture Omaha’s uniqueness as part of their story and reflect that energy through their facilities.

Mel McGowan is cofounder and chief creative principal of PlainJoe Studios. He is a leading master planner and designer of churches in America.

StoneBridge’s team is dedicated to social compassion, relevance, authenticity, friendliness, and approachability; they desired to bring their facilities into alignment with their philosophy. They wanted to create a space that was inviting, comfortable, and fun. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

@visioneer /visioneer

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The Commons: A Signature Community Feature

StoneBridge transformed the church’s facade with a new front-porch lobby in the area they call “The Commons.” The unique area makes everyone feel welcome. The glass entrance includes a rotunda and a glass silo that serves as an indoor playground. My journey with StoneBridge began in 2009 while I was serving with a different The design both welcomes and disarms visitors architectural firm; StoneBridge’s identity from the community, which was the goal. It has and story have remained consistent proven to be both compelling and effective. all during that time. My current “We’re literally known as ‘the silo church’ to the architectural design team is pleased community,” Mitch says. for the opportunity to collaborate with The design communicates that children and StoneBridge as the church continues efforts to tell their unique story through young families are a top priority at StoneBridge by offering an outdoor play space complete architectural design. with play rocks, rubber flooring, and benches for parents to connect with one another. Leading in Omaha as a Father-Son Team The Commons also marked the expansion of Multisite and outreach pastor Mitch Chitwood StoneBridge into a multivenue campus. This and his father, Mark, the senior pastor, work particular building was designed to serve as together to serve the church’s growing body. a video venue for overflow from the regular Mark started with the church in 1996, when service—“a campus within a campus,” Mitch it had 100 members, and has helped lead it says. to a multisite vision that now impacts people Upon entering, visitors become engaged with throughout Omaha. StoneBridge’s average the church’s story. Environmental graphics, weekly worship attendance now exceeds 2,000 theming, and interior design communicate at its three campuses. StoneBridge’s passion for people and also the When I began working with StoneBridge, city of Omaha. Mitch was still part of the church’s student “We wanted to help StoneBridge solidify that ministry. Now, he’s running our current idea of strong connection, friendship, passion, master-planning project as a leader on the and community in a visceral and visual way StoneBridge team. that you can see on the walls,” says Johnny Together, Mitch and Mark have overseen Davis, Spatial Storytelling creative director at significant church growth. Their unique PlainJoe Studios. relationship has developed into a long-term, To create that spiritual and emotional bridge father-son partnership in ministry. to newcomers, designers used warm tones, “There’s a lot of joy and trust in [our photography depicting bridges, and a typeface partnership],” Mitch says. “It has been a fun that communicates a down-to-earth, at-home journey, and we’re excited to continue.” feeling. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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Design Intervention: StoneBridge’s Multisite Strategy

StoneBridge wants to convey their DNA as they expand to offer additional sites throughout the surrounding area. They rolled out a new identity and brand that expresses a cohesive message across all venues and sites. This included retrofitting historic church buildings to help the established architecture “play well” with their shared church story. That was evident at the most recently added campus in Fremont. The campus building—a classic, brick church building—needed to reflect StoneBridge’s identity and be prepped for modern worship, while retaining its historic beauty and character. “Mel’s team did some design intervention at Fremont and turned it into StoneBridge to bring our culture to that old building,” Mitch says. “We married the history of the building with the way StoneBridge needed to look and feel for our families.”

StoneBridge Hollow: An Immersive Kids’ Experience

StoneBridge also rebranded their separate kids’ ministry area. Dubbed “StoneBridge Hollow,” it’s an elaborate environment for children from birth through fifth grade that ties into the master plan and celebrates the outdoors in a whimsical way. “Before parents drop their kids off at their classrooms, they can already tell how much we care about kids,” Mitch says. “It makes it feel safer to know they’re walking into a space that looks and feels fun and inviting.” StoneBridge Hollow is open during all services at every campus. With each campus plant, the church has transferred that same look and feel for a consistent experience across all locations.

In It for the Long Haul

“We’re looking at continuing the StoneBridge story with PlainJoe Studios,” Mitch says. “We love story. Mel and PlainJoe have both been a big part of that, and we’re excited to continue working with them—whether that’s launching campuses, continuing the StoneBridge Hollow theme, or continuing to master plan at our current campuses.” I’m excited that our studio is able to continue serving StoneBridge through their next phases of master planning and architectural design in support of their vision to serve Omaha and its surrounding communities into the future.  C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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e 2:

ef f ec tive elde rs BY GARY L. JOHNSON

back to school

Dr. Gary Johnson serves as an elder/senior minister at Indian Creek Christian Church (The Creek) in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a cofounder of e2: effective elders. Gary offers resources and coaching as he works with elders to lead with greater focus and confidence.

It’s a busy time of year when tens of millions of students return to classrooms. The cycle of learning ramps up in the late summer every year. Student recruitment, by contrast, is one practice in higher education that never seems to slow. Universities invest time, money, and effort to recruit students who exhibit tremendous potential as scholars, artists, and athletes. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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Competition for outstanding students is fierce among universities; all schools want to fill their dormitories and classrooms. It’s never ending. Recruit. Vet. Educate. In the church, elders need to recognize that a similar focus on recruiting leaders is also necessary. We need to think: recruit, vet, and equip. I was touring an oil terminal in Valdez, Alaska, when a company official told me that the TransAlaska Pipeline is running dangerously low of oil. When the pipeline opened in 1977, it ran at capacity and the oil took an average of four days to travel 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope to Valdez, where it is pumped into oil tankers. Much has changed over the years; now it takes as many as 14 days for oil to flow that distance. Why? There is far less oil in the pipe. Similarly, the leadership pipeline in our churches is running dangerously low. We do not have elder candidates standing in line just waiting to be selected. Many congregations are not only understaffed, they are underserved with far too few elders. The Center for Church Leadership (centerforchurchleadership.org) recently conducted a survey of several hundred elders serving in Restoration Movement churches. More than half of those who responded range in age from 60 to 79. We must make every effort to refill the leadership pipeline with next-generation leaders who are prepared to serve the church. To do so, we must recruit, vet, and equip. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

Recruiting

Universities spend significant resources of time and money to recruit high-potential students. After developing profiles of the types of students to seek, the schools begin looking for them. In much the same way, a church’s leadership needs to know what it is seeking in high-capacity leaders, and then begin looking for elder candidates. This is essential. The CCL Elder Survey revealed that 61 percent of those who responded indicated their congregations did not have a formal onboarding process for elders. As we look for potential elders, three essentials should capture our attention. First, these individuals must possess character. Consistent integrity should be obvious in the individual’s life, as he strives to be increasingly like Jesus. Second, the candidate should be capable of leading the local church. An elder candidate should possess skills such as in teaching, relating to people, leading, managing, and more. Third, an elder candidate should have a sense of calling. Selecting elders has nothing to do with being nominated and voted into office; instead, it has everything to do with being called by the Lord to serve. Character, capability, and a sense of calling will turn heads of those looking to recruit the next generation of elders. - 21 -

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- E2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS -

Vetting

After a candidate is recruited, he must be assessed. Acts 6:1-7 describes a potential crisis within the Jerusalem church. The Greekspeaking widows were being overlooked in the benevolent, daily distribution of food; they were going to bed hungry night after night. The apostles instructed the disciples to find men known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to handle this ministry responsibility. Similarly, we must make every effort to know the spiritual formation of each elder candidate, the health of his relationships, his spiritual gifting (and how he has used those gifts in years past), his reputation within both the church and community, and more. We urge you to ask essential questions in the vetting process, and even create a written record of those responses. For a template of an elder candidate questionnaire, visit www. e2elders.org (go to the “Resources” drop-down and click “Free”; download the “Church Polity” resource and see Appendix B). Remember, careful selection is essential if we are to refill the leadership pipeline with high-capacity leaders.

Equipping

Each student arrives on campus to begin a journey with a desired destination. Each one has in mind a preferred future called graduation. In much the same way, the church needs to take elder candidates on a journey that ends with a type of graduation. A new generation of elders needs to follow a strategic training plan that equips them to lead the local church. Far too often, untrained men begin serving as elders. The CCL Elder Survey shed light on this need; one-half of the elders who responded indicated they received “little or no training at all.” University students move sequentially through their academic program, beginning as freshmen and finishing with their senior year. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

This logical, practical journey continually equips them in their field of study. The same can—and should—happen with elder teams. Elders can embark on a strategic journey of becoming better equipped so that the team leads more effectively. To that end, e2: effective elders has produced a step-by-step curriculum for elders that addresses specific leadership skills and issues. It is available in print form and in a digital video format. Visit www. e2elders.org for a wide array of elder training material. Increasing numbers of elder teams have created strategic, yearlong training plans to work toward improvement. More and more elders desire increased leadership effectiveness, and to achieve that objective, they are determined to become lifelong learners who realize to LEARN they must develop these five fundamental truths: • Longing. Elders must desire to learn and grow as leaders. • Effort. Elders must make a concerted effort to become better equipped. • Admission. Elders who admit more training is needed grow spiritually. • Realization. Elders must realize they can lead only as far as they have grown. • Nurturing. Elders must nurture each successive generation of elders. It’s that “back-to-school” time of year again. Not only is it time to recruit, vet, and equip the next generation of elders, it’s time for us to enjoy some continuing education, as well.  - 22 -

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hori zons BY EMILY DRAYNE

rise // How You Can Engage Refugee and International Students in Your Community

Emily Drayne lives in North Carolina and has served with the International Conference on Missions since 2011.

Did you know there are more than 1 million foreign students on the campuses of American colleges? These students come from more than 200 countries around the world. The five countries that send the most students to the United States are China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. Many times, these international guests don’t even see the inside of an American home during their time here. It’s estimated about half the world’s future leaders will study on American campuses. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

/emilydrayne @edrayne0530 @edrayne0530 www.theicom.org

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Simple, Practical Steps

Did you also know that more than 65 million people worldwide live as refugees or displaced persons? In 2016, more than half of the world’s refugees came from three countries: Syria, South Sudan, and Afghanistan. Allow the names of those countries to sink in. Think about the cultures, religions, and practices that take place in those countries. Imagine how spending time in the United States, and how a Christian influence, could forever impact their lives. We have a unique opportunity to reach these people in ways we may never have considered. We need to think of what we can do as the body of Christ to welcome people of all nations into our churches and homes. What is being done to reach these groups? In 2016, the International Conference On Missions started the RISE Project. RISE stands for “Refugee and International Student Engagement.” The RISE Project serves as a practical resource for churches and campus ministries to help reach out to people who are in our communities and on our campuses. Generous and passionate churches and individuals donated more than $110,000 to start this grant fund. Since 2016, about $62,000 has been given to more than 10 programs across the country that are reaching out to America’s international guests. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

An outreach “program” doesn’t have to be elaborate or inventive to qualify for a grant. Inviting a person from another country to your house for a holiday meal or to watch a weekly sporting event goes much further than you might think. My aunt and uncle hosted Thanksgiving at their house when I was growing up, and they would invite someone from another country to come and eat with our family each year. As a 12-year-old, I didn’t understand why we had nonfamily members at our holiday dinners . . . but after our family talked it over and it was explained to me, it was fun to see who would be at our next dinner! We would talk to our guests about what we did for a living or what was happening in school, and they would tell us about their holiday traditions and their home. It was a great learning experience for our family. There are so many creative ways to begin outreach programs in your community. An example of a practical outreach to international students occurs at Campus Students for Christ at Western Illinois University in Macomb. CSC used grant money to buy bicycles to loan out to international students who didn’t have a way to get across campus or around town. In countries such as China and India, many people rely on bikes to get to work and the grocery store. To arrive in America to study but have no way to get around can be a hard adjustment. Loaning a bicycle is a practical way of meeting a need that stops short of being charity or making someone your “project.” From Arizona to Missouri to Pennsylvania, groups have started several types of ministries in hopes of sharing the love of Christ. Recall that in the Bible, Jesus often would meet someone’s physical needs before broaching the topic of their spiritual needs. - 24 -

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- HORIZONS -

Where to Start

Has your church or campus ministry group considered starting a ministry to international students or refugees, but hasn’t figured out where to start? The options are nearly endless. Loaning out space in your church building can be an effortless way to start a relationship with an international group that is looking for a place to meet. One group applied for a RISE Project grant to start a thrift store. Many times, people arrive in the U.S. with little more than the clothes on their backs. They don’t have furniture—nothing to fill a dorm room or apartment. Offering discounted home items can meet a great need. And when that need is met by a Christian organization that wants to pursue relationships, it’s all the better. I encourage you to investigate the RISE Project. Training videos, blog pieces, small group studies, sermons, and online resources are available to help your group start an effective ministry in your area. The process for submitting a proposal is simple. The details are listed at www.theriseproject.com. The grant committee serving RISE is made up of men and women who are committed to seeing these funds used for maximum impact in each community. Another resource to investigate is Crossroads International Student Ministry, led by Greg Swinney. Greg has more than 25 years in campus ministry and international student work. Even if you’re just starting to research the type of ministry to start, contact Greg and his team via www.crossroadsinternational.net and they will be happy to help you. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

The Key: Hospitality

Look around your city, town, community. What nationalities are represented? Research that country to learn the history and background of the people, the cultural dos and don’ts to know. Small steps taken to understand someone’s background will go a long way to introducing them to Christ. The RISE Project was founded on a key verse: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). The love of Christ compels us to welcome those who do not know him so that we can share his Word with the world. The impact you have on just one student may have a lasting effect we can’t fathom. The power of his Word is beyond anything we could hope to achieve on our own.  - 25 -

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mini stry life BY L. MACKENZ IE

whatever it takes I gawked at the preacher, raised my eyebrows, and asked, “You want a what onstage for the sermon?” He calmly looked at me, fingers interlaced, and replied, “A scapegoat. Oh, and a Passover lamb before Easter. See what you can find.” What was I to do at T-minus-four weeks? What rancher would be willing to lend us valuable and tame animals for a live broadcast in front of 10,000 people? So many things could go terribly wrong: the goat could dive into the crowd, the lamb might pee on power cords; things could explode. Do we have insurance for farm animals? Would we be liable?

Leigh Mackenzie serves as ministry assistant at The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest, and is a writer who blogs at The Church Girl Writes: Jesus in Everything (leighmackenzie.com). C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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My military-trained mind came to attention. “Yes, Sir!” I replied and set straight to work. Mission impossible? No way. In that sanctuary 10 years earlier, I offered up our newly adopted Ethiopian baby, swaddled in pink, during a sermon about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, a treasury official in the court of Queen Candace. True, she was a baby girl (and not a grown man), but her features— dark curly hair, pronounced eyebrows, expressive eyes, and honey-chocolate colored skin—served to connect people with the story, and helped them envision the man who studied Isaiah’s text from his chariot. From the stage, I observed people in the crowd smiling as they oohed and aahed. Sermon engagement skyrocketed. The congregation gave themselves irresistibly to God’s story because my baby helped them envision a person from long ago. They became putty in the pastor’s hands. This was my origin moment. It would be 10 years before I joined the staff. “You look a little tired tonight, Boss,” I observed as I rolled a lint brush across that same minister’s outfit prior to an evening sermon. “We’ll brighten your eyes so you look wideawake!” My role is much more than an animal gatherer and illustration provider. I somehow worked my way into being a pastor stylist, too. (Believe me, it’s not easy sourcing clothing and creating outfits for two preaching powerhouses who look more like NFL linebackers than preachers; my team stylishly dresses them whenever they speak publicly.) The minutes leading up to a service are filled with wild clouds of hairspray, HD powder, and flying brushes. The smell of ironed starch hangs heavy in the air. Our goal? Eliminate visual distractions. People ask, “Why do you do this?” (Many of them know I hate ironing with a passion and haven’t put makeup on a dude since my husband’s black-eyeliner-Gothic-phase in the late ’80s.) C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

I tell them, “I want to use the gifts God has given me, and I have so much respect and love for our church leaders.” It’s more than that, though. I love being part of the behind-the-scenes team that plays a role in bringing people to Jesus. I must admit, at times I struggle to be like the apostle Paul, to be all things to all people in order to bring many to Christ. Sometimes my selfish side wins, but when I consider all that my Savior has done for me, how can I hold anything back from serving his gospel ministers? Did I find my scapegoat and Passover lamb? I sure did! On my quest of discovery, I first delved into Leviticus and Exodus to gather the specs. Then I queried people in our church and all over town and found a kind rancher who would allow us to handle his animals. Before that first service, as I was side-stepping poop nuggets on the sanctuary carpet, I heard a massive rush of liquid as the 200-pound ram peed backstage. We quickly decided on a new rule: Adult diapers are mandatory between services—at least on animals! When I finally brought “Little Jerry,” the 50-pound Easter Passover lamb, onto the stage, he bleated and cried for his momma, and I heard those familiar crowd sounds from long ago: “Aah! . . . Ooh! . . .” As I escorted my little lamb offstage, he “Baaa-baaad” and cast “sheepish” looks at the people . . . and they smiled and laughed . . . and they became putty in the hands of the preacher once again.  Submit your own 500- to 700-word essay telling of an experience through which you learned a vital ministry principle by emailing it to cs@christianstandardmedia.com with “MinistryLife” in the subject line. See more information at www.christianstandard.com/contact-us/submit-articles. - 27 -

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AD C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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BY AMY FENTON

When you work for a company whose name is a color, you get questions (and occasionally weird looks). Sometimes people think I work for the fitness place with a similar name . . . nope. Sometimes people think my boss, Reggie Joiner, likes that color. He does like it, but that is not why we are called Orange. For us, Orange is the company name because it reflects our strategy. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

We recently celebrated our 11th year of the Orange Conference, and as I stood in the back of the room on our last day, I thought about a question that had been posed to me: How has Orange changed the face of children’s ministry and curriculum? What a perfect place to begin to think on that: standing in the back of an arena watching 8,000 people— individuals who believe in this strategy for kids and families in their churches—worship together and learn from each other! I was inspired. Our team members at Orange like to wrestle with, talk about, and cast vision for five big-picture ideas to change the face of kid’s ministry as we meet with leaders around the country and the world. - 30 -

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2. Life Change Happens Through 1. Partnering with Relationships about your own relationship with Jesus and Parents Is Key Think how you came to know him personally. I imagine

Parents will have 5,000 waking hours this year with their children. We, the church, on average will have around 40. If we want to be a key influencer in the life of a child, who best to partner with? The parents. We say it this way: Red represents the heart, the family, and yellow represents Jesus. Scripture tells us Jesus is the light of the world. When you combine red and yellow, what do you get? Orange. That is how we got the name. With this realization, we began to create resources that not only provide a great experience for kids on Sunday, but also encourage kids and parents to keep the momentum going all week long. My kids love our GodTime cards. It provides them with four short devotions to do during the week. And I love the Parent Cue that I bring home. It dispenses with the “What did you talk about today?� question in our car. I already know the answer from my cue and I can speak into what they learned to keep the conversations going at home. We want to set up the parents to win!

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some names and faces come to mind. We believe for kids to know God, they need to know people who know God. Before a kid will listen to what you say, they need to know you care about who they are. For that reason, we create curriculum that is designed for small groups. This most likely is a change from church when you and I were little. We want kids broken into smaller groups than a class grade. We want to see kids assigned a permanent adult leader and a small group of 8 to 10 kids. Our hope is that the adult small group leader will become the shepherd of their little group. If every kid in every church in the United States were divided into small groups of 8 to 10, guess what would happen. Every kid would be known! We want every kid to feel known, loved, and cared for in a personal way, which happens only in small groups. In fact, we want that for their entire family. We believe life change will happen in that kid and in their family when they are in relationship with others in the church.

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3. We Teach for Application, Not Just Information We love telling kids the stories of the Bible! They are the amazing, inspired words of God. But we want kids to do more than just learn the stories. We want kids to see that trusting in Jesus leads to total life transformation. We want to help kids understand how these truths found in God’s Word matter in their lives. We want kids to see how relevant Jesus was and is and will be in their future. We want to raise a generation that has obtained more than just biblical knowledge, but one that is living out a faith that shows just how relatable Jesus is. Jesus summed it up well: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39). Love God and love people. It seems so simple, doesn’t it? If you look at the context of that Scripture, the religious leaders of the day were trying to trick Jesus by asking him what mattered most. They knew the Bible, worked hard to keep the rules, showed up at the temple with great frequency, and prayed longer and harder than anyone. I dare say, it’s possible no one knew Scripture as they did. But I think Jesus was pointing out to them something they lacked. Their lives were missing the “Love your neighbor as yourself.” They missed the life application! We want to set up the church to share God’s Word with kids in a way that shows them how to live it out.

We create resources that not only provide a great experience for kids on Sunday Sunday, but also encourage kids and parents to keep the momentum going all week long.


5. The Gospel Is Best Received When Presented by a Caring Adult

4. Everyone Doesn’t Need to Know Everything I’m often asked why our curriculum doesn’t match up from birth to college. It’s a great question! Whenever you add up the actual amount of time you have to influence the spiritual direction of a kid’s life, it could make your task seem daunting and even impossible. In most “best-case” scenarios, you will have only about 40 hours in a year to share with kids everything they need to know about God, Jesus, faith, forgiveness, grace, love, life, and eternity. At Orange, we believe you should design your ministry strategy to make the most of the limited time you will have at every phase of a child’s life. You don’t want a child to miss that the foundation of their faith is a relationship—not information. That is why we have organized our content to reinforce their relationship with God. And we have done it with great intentionality—prioritizing content around how kids learn and what we believe will reinforce this principle in each phase of life. And for each phase, that looks different. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

The message of the gospel can be taught through a great lesson, but it has the biggest impact when an adult who has a relationship with a child and their family lovingly shares it. This ties in with my earlier point. Life change happens through relationship. In his book Everybody Always, Bob Goff said two things that relate to this: “We grow where we are loved” and “The best way to show people that God is everything we say He is—is for us to be everything He says we are.” I’m often asked why we don’t present the traditional gospel every week in our curriculum. In response, I invite people to dive a little deeper into the Orange strategy with me. In our small group material and our training for small group leaders, over and over we ask those leaders to be living and loving like Jesus. We ask them to be ready at any moment. We help them think about their own Jesus story and how to sense when to share it with kids and their families. The Holy Spirit speaks so loud in those moments, doesn’t he? We encourage small group leaders to make it very personal. I don’t know anything more personal than choosing to give your life to Jesus forever. That is always our goal—to see kids and families changed for eternity! Do we write the plan of salvation into our curriculum—absolutely! But we also know someone can start following Christ while hanging out, watching the Dukes of Hazzard. (OK, yes, that is my story. It was the best commercial break ever!) Here’s my point: When the Holy Spirit was telling me it was time to give my life to Jesus, I knew it was time and nothing could stop me. I hope and pray we teach leaders and parents to be that sensitive to what God is doing in the lives of their children.  Amy Fenton serves as an Orange specialist, coaching and consulting with Orange churches, helping them implement the Orange Strategy. Amy is also the executive director of Orange VBS. She has been in kid’s ministry for more than 20 years. - 33 -

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- FEATURE -

50

What Y ears of Youth M inistry Have Taught Me BY LES CHRISTIE

Who would have thought 50 years would pass by so quickly? I was born in Liverpool, England, and came to West Los Angeles, California, with my parents and sister by ship and train when I was 5 years old. I did not grow up in the church, I’m sorry to say. I started attending the small Cardiff Avenue Christian Church in West Los Angeles during my junior year of high school. My friend Buckley Simmons invited me. Jim Irby was the part-time youth minister— he was terrific. Harry Bucalstein, the pastor, suggested I go to Pacific Christian College (which became Hope International University).

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I got a job at McDonald’s, and when Jim left, I worked part-time with the church youth group. I then went to Compton Christian Church (closer to my college) and then Garden Grove Christian Church. To my surprise, each of the youth groups grew from about a dozen to several dozen students. When I graduated from college in 1971, Ben Merold hired me as a part-time youth minister at Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, then averaging about 200 people. After a year, I became full-time youth minister. I would spend the next 22 years there. The youth group went from 11 students at our first meeting to more than 500. The largest attendance for our midweek Bible study was 619 (I wasn’t even there that day—I was speaking out of town—and Roger Worsham ran the meeting; a guest speaker talked about rock music). Dozens of those students went into some type of Christian work. I have spent the last 24 years teaching youth ministry to students at William Jessup University in Rocklin, California, and around the world. Over my years involved in youth ministry, I’ve learned many valuable lessons. Here are five that stand out most to me today.

Leadership Lessons

I learned early on that I could not do youth ministry alone, especially as a youth group was growing. I involved dozens of volunteer youth workers (college students, parents of kids, adults in the church, and senior citizens). College students, of course, bring youthfulness. Parents have a vested interest in what is happening. Adults are looking for purpose in life. Senior citizens have gained wisdom through a lifetime of experiences. Working with youth, I

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learned, is a matter of attitude and not age. A person cannot do everything, I came to understand, so one must concentrate on one’s area of giftedness and allow others to lead in other areas. I learned the value of having a leadership team of well-respected adults in the church who had different skill sets from mine. This leadership team never met formally as a group, nor were they directly involved in the youth group. I thought of them as my bionic committee—each person had their own strengths and giftedness. I would bounce ideas off of them in their homes or over a meal. They all were highly respected leaders in the church. They were able to usher things through the church board. We asked each other lots of questions. I learned to give our students leadership positions in the youth group to help them discover their giftedness. It also served to convince them it was their youth group and not mine. I learned to teach the students to read the Bible on their own. Many of them learned skills they later used in their careers. I went back to Eastside to honor Ben Merold one Saturday last year. One of the attendees was a terrific kid from my early youth group. He is now chairman of the board of elders at Eastside! You never know where God will take these students, so my motto has always been to treat all students with the greatest respect. I learned the value of having a great senior pastor who allowed me to try new and unconventional ideas in a youth group. Looking back, he must have gotten a lot of questions from concerned churchgoers, but he stood by me. I’m sure he wasn’t a fan of the loud music coming out of the youth room. He probably wasn’t happy to hear that a student once got into a large dryer at a laundromat (on my watch, but not on

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- FEATURE -

my recommendation). He still talks about the time he bailed me out of jail (though my version of the story is quite different).

Organizational Lessons

Over the years, I’ve learned valuable lessons from three service-oriented companies, two that originated in Southern California. The first lesson—and my favorite—involves Disneyland, which Walt Disney first envisioned in 1953 and that opened in July 1955. When I was a child, my family lived only 30 minutes from Disneyland, and my parents took us that first year. We had so much fun. I’ll focus on just two qualities I see in Disney. First, Disney had a vision. Similarly, great youth ministries are built by people who have a vision from God that enables them to look beyond what is and see what can be. I always tried to envision what students could become not in the distant future but in the now. I have a huge heart for teens and try to see the giftedness God has given each one. The second lesson is a quality readily apparent at all Disney properties: the workers view everyone as a guest (you know the song, “Be Our Guest”). Customer service is extremely important at all Disney properties, and it should be that way within church youth groups. It’s so important for youth ministry workers to be there to meet and greet students and parents when they arrive and when they leave. (Read more about the guidelines Disney gives every new cast member during their training; go to disneyatwork.com and search “Disney’s Four Keys to a Great Guest Experience.”) The other two companies I’ve learned lessons from are In-N-Out Burger and Chick-fil-A. Two lessons that stand out at InN-Out Burger involve that restaurant chain’s

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h Great yout ministries y are built b people who on have a visi hat from God t m enables the nd to look beyo see d n a s i t a wh e. what can b


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simple menu and quality ingredients: (1) Keep it simple and (2) offer customers the best! Chick-fil-A, meanwhile, is best-known for its hospitality; if you say, “thank you,” their employees always say, “my pleasure.” Youth groups should be hospitable.

The messages that are best remembered, I’ve learned, are those that are brief, with one main point, from one passage of Scripture, with at least one story. Some examples of brief messages from history that changed the world include:

Communication Lessons

• Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (269 words; four minutes to deliver) • Susan B. Anthony’s strongest speech on women’s rights (five minutes long) • Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech at Yankee Stadium (two minutes) • Nelson Mandela’s speech upon being released from a South African prison after serving 27 years for civil disobedience (a five-minute speech that marked the end of apartheid) • Winston Churchill’s “Never Give In” speech, credited with saving Britain from defeat in World War II (six minutes) Why do you think TED talks are so popular? They are brief! I have heard some pastors and youth ministers speak for what seems like forever. Yikes!

I have spoken in a dozen countries and in every state but Alaska. Most people don’t know that I’m an introvert. My dad and granddad worked in the movie industry. When I was 7, I interviewed for a role in a TV series. I entered a darkened room and bright lights shined down on me. I didn’t say a single word. Needless to say, I did not get the job. I am happy to say my public speaking skills improved. In college, and later in life, I learned to practice my messages in front of trusted friends before delivering them to my students. The suggestions were invaluable. With time, speaking became fun. I remember my parents almost fell off their chairs the first time they heard me preach.

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Student - Relationship Lessons

I learned the value of taking students camping. Angeles Crest Christian Camp was one of my favorite places to get in touch with God’s creation and in tune with nature. It was also small enough that the campers could get to know each other. Living with students for a week helps you get beyond surface-level conversations. Many lifelong decisions were made there. I learned to involve students in service projects in our community. We quite often would learn of a need and come alongside it and meet it. We also enjoyed mission trips, such as building homes in Tijuana through Amor Ministries.

Life Lessons

I learned to keep physically fit. I was involved in wrestling and gymnastics in high school. I’ve had a gym membership for as long as I can remember. I never liked running when I was young. When I did run, it was not a pretty sight. But, I started working out in the gym of William Jessup University and the track team was there each morning before classes began. Two of the athletes were youth ministry majors. They encouraged me to run. It took a few months, but I got better! In my first competitive race through downtown Sacramento—with 20,000 other runners—I finished in the middle of my age group. I was so thrilled. I could do this! I am still running (just 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer races), and occasionally I finish in the top three in my age division (there aren’t many runners in my age bracket). I learned to invest in my own family. When I write an article or a book, I keep pen and paper next to the bed. Last night I awoke

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briefly and wrote “fame is addictive.” In the morning, I looked at the pad and couldn’t remember what I’d been thinking. But as I looked at those words, I realized it was true: traveling and speaking all over the United States and in several foreign countries had become addictive. I had a good relationship with my two sons when they were young, and I took them with me on a few speaking engagements as they grew older. Now they are both grown and married, and I am very proud of both of them and their families. But, looking back, I wish I had not missed so many of my boys’ soccer, baseball, and football games. But we did have a blast driving a gasoline-powered Pepsi-Cola go-cart originally given to the youth department. (The church gave it to my family when we learned the church’s insurance policy didn’t cover it. Yahoo!) I learned to love my wife, Gretchen. I married a person who had been in my youth group. We had some rocky years early on, but things improved later in life. When I was gone traveling, she held the family together . . . and for a time became the assistant coach of the boys’ soccer team. For another period of time, I stopped speaking and traveling to spend more time with her and the boys. She’s a therapist and does a terrific job at it. I am so proud of her. Finally and most important, I learned to rely on God, recognizing that this was always his youth ministry, not mine. My job was simply to hold on tightly to the coattails of God as he held onto me. It has been quite an adventure, and even though I “semiretired” in 2017, the ride is not finished yet! 

Les and Gretchen Christie are living in Pismo Beach, California.

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EN

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THAT MADE OUR YOUTH MINISTRY FLOURISH

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BY MATT CAMERON

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In the summer and fall of 2006 our church lost all three of our full-time youth staff members within six months. The ministry was suffering, and we couldn’t find the right person for the job. I was on staff as preaching associate. That October one of my good friends from high school with whom I grew up in church passed away, and I began to reevaluate my own life and ministry. For months during these tough times, the thought kept coming back to me: Is God prompting me to step back into youth ministry? And not just any youth ministry, but the youth ministry in which I grew up? Exactly one month after my friend died, I was on a plane, travelling to speak in Littleton, Colorado, when I started to read Chazown by Craig Groeschel. This book grabbed me in a way few books ever have. I couldn’t put it down. And right there in front of me were three questions God used to speak to me: What do you absolutely love to do? What do you do that has significant impact on others? What do you secretly believe you can do but never tried? God seemed to speak directly to me in one short passage of the book: “If you think you could make a difference, maybe God is trying to tell you something. Give it a try. What are you waiting for?” My hand trembled as I drew an arrow toward that statement. After fasting and praying, I talked to my wife about what I’d been wrestling with for the last six months. Then, after talking with other mentors and our elders, I transitioned into youth ministry on December 13, 2006. I wish I could tell you I’ve been completely happy ever since. In reality, it’s been a war. In the first year alone I dealt with betrayal of some of my closest ministry friends, immoral

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activity of former youth ministry leaders, and many things I don’t have the time or energy to write about in this setting. Looking back, I’m not sure how I made it through that first year! Youth ministry has changed a lot in the last 15 years, and it looks different depending on the context where you minister. At my first weekend youth ministry in Kansas, we held 5th Quarters every Friday and packed out our Family Life Center with more than 200 students at a church that averaged only 75 on Sunday mornings. It was so successful there, we tried to bring 5th Quarters to Crossroads in 2010. Our best attendance brought in a record 40 students! I was so convinced it would succeed, we continued it for two consecutive football seasons trying to prove it would work. I would be the first one to say I’ve made a lot of mistakes in youth ministry through the years, but I’ve also learned some things that work. Here are seven strategies we’ve adopted that have helped our youth ministry get to where it is today:

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1. PARTNER WITH PARENTS

I didn’t fully understand the importance of partnering with parents until I had kids of my own. In too many instances, youth ministers intentionally or unintentionally marginalize the role of parents in their ministry. Our job is to partner with parents, not replace them. When you realize a student’s family has much more influence in their lives than you do, you’ll begin to see the importance of being on the same team. That some students have less-than-ideal home lives shouldn’t be an excuse to diminishing the parents’ role. The majority of students in Crossroads’ youth ministry don’t live with both of their biological parents, and many are from single-parent households. We see that as a reason to invite parents to partner with us even more. Parents of students in your youth ministry need to know you are locking arms with them in raising their kids in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). I’ve also learned to express gratitude to parents for trusting me with their kids. Parents who allow you to take their kids to camp, Christ in Youth events, conferences, and on mission trips are showing an incredible trust in your leadership. Don’t take that lightly. Thank parents for their faith in you and partnership with you as often as you can. It’ll pay huge dividends for your ministry.

2. EMPOWER YOUR ADULT VOLUNTEERS

You can’t do it all. You need to recruit, train, empower, and release qualified adults to help you in ministry. If you have little help, the impact of your ministry will be smaller in the long run. We do our best to ensure adult volunteers always have a role to fulfill and receive value from what we ask them to do. No one wants to show up for a meaningless task. Give your leaders something valuable to do. A volunteer who feels empowered

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will rise above. A volunteer who feels undervalued is more likely to quit. The more authority, leadership, and decision-making you can give to volunteers, the more they’ll want to work with you and stay connected. Our youth ministry underwent a seismic shift in 2013. We changed from a big Wednesdaynight service to small groups in homes that meet throughout the week. The change was toughest on me. I loved the rush of our Wednesday nights. I loved the opportunity to preach. I loved having everyone tell me how much they enjoyed my message. But we weren’t seeing life change in students. We had numbers, but discipleship was lacking. So we recruited, trained, empowered, and released adult volunteers to lead these small groups. And I can tell you, five years later, it is the best decision we’ve made.

3. RAISE UP LEADERS

When I took over our youth ministry, we had a fulltime youth worship leader. And then our youth worship guy left, and we put a student in charge of worship by default—we didn’t have any other choice! It happened unintentionally, but the result was overwhelmingly positive. For more than a decade we’ve had exclusively student-led worship for both our junior high and high school ministries. Students in your ministry can and should lead. This generation longs for a place that won’t just welcome them but will also involve them. We try to use students for every possible task. Our students transition quite naturally from leading in youth ministry to leading in other areas of the church, school, community, and more. A hallmark of our ministry is raising up more kingdom workers (Matthew 9:38). We have former students serving in ministry and mission work around the world due in large part to us challenging them to lead when they were students.

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4. PREACH TO CONNECT

Don’t treat Sunday school like it’s school on Sunday. We have an unbelievable weekly opportunity to share the greatest story ever told. Spend time making the timeless truth of God’s Word engaging and applicable to whatever age you’re teaching. We distribute sermon note cards every Sunday for students to fill out while listening to the sermon. We do our best to make every sermon answer two questions: why? and so what? Sermons and lessons should be more than just a momentary distraction on Sunday, but something they will carry with them all week. Spend time giving students real application points that they’ll be able to use and apply to their daily lives.

5. MINIMIZE YOUR CALENDAR SO YOU CAN MAXIMIZE EVENTS

We used to fill our calendar with so many events. We printed cheesy looking calendars that took hours to make . . . and students would throw them away. Busyness does not equal effectiveness. I think most youth ministries do too much and, as a result, don’t do anything well. When we switched our programming in 2013, we also cleared our calendar. We don’t let anything compete with connect groups (our small groups). As a result, we can plan much more engaging and purposeful events. When we get together as a big group, the students don’t want to miss it. In this day and age of FOMO (fear of missing out), this is essential. Don’t let your events become so mundane that no one wants to come. Reduce the number and maximize the impact of your events!

6. PRIORITIZE RELATIONSHIPS

In a culture that capitalizes on virtual, inauthentic relationships, it’s more important than ever for youth ministries to provide a safe space for students to be authentic, vulnerable, and real with each other. This is why we do connect groups. We put a high price on “real friendship” in our connect groups. We have students who connect with some C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

of our adult volunteers who would never naturally connect with staff members. With our old midweek program, we connected well with a small minority of our students. Now we have groups meeting all over the area, every night of the week, reaching students in “real” ways at a rate we could never replicate in a large-group setting.

7. KEEP SHOWING UP

My dad summarizes his longevity and success in ministry with this simple instruction to preachers: “Keep showing up.” There will be temptations to quit. Opposition will seem to be around every corner when ministering to youth. One of my greatest memories to this point is getting to do a week of camp with some of my students. I was the camp speaker and the band was comprised of my former students. At the end of a powerful and emotional Thursday night, we all stood together outside of the chapel. We could still hear God moving in the youth group times all around us, and every one of us stood there in awe, overwhelmed at how we had just witnessed God move. I told them: “What happened tonight was powerful, but do you know what is more meaningful to me? That I get to do this with all of you.” I’ve had quite a few incredible opportunities so far in ministry—like speaking on big stages and traveling the world—but what means more to me than anything else is seeing students fall in love with Jesus and continue to reproduce that in their own lives. I never thought I’d be in youth ministry for as long as I have, but I have always been committed to staying for the long haul. Most life change doesn’t happen overnight, and ministry cannot happen in a microwave. Stay committed. Keep showing up! Do the hard job of reaching youth in this generation and watch how God grows your youth ministry.  Matt Cameron serves as youth minister at Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas (crossroadschristian.org).

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A MASSIVE MOVEMENT OF KINGDOM WORKERS BY ANDY HANSEN

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The shockwave of the mass shooting that killed 14 and injured 17 in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, rippled through every high school in the United States. Not even small-town Linton, Indiana, was spared from the emotional and psychological trauma. Students felt the effects of the attack and rumors of a walkout circulated. However, a small group of young people who attend a Bible study group during the lunch period at Linton-Stockton High School prayed over and discussed this devastating situation . . . and came up with a unique and very different action plan. They decided to personally connect with every high school student and teacher (numbering more than 500). How could they personally circulate and make contact with everyone? How could they make sure they didn’t miss anyone? The solution was to write a personal letter to every student and teacher, specifically telling each one the unique qualities they have and letting them know that every person has value. Letters also invited each recipient to come to the Bible study for conversations, encouragement, and prayer. You can imagine the incredible effort and time it took to send a personalized, specific note to every student and teacher in the high school, but the results were incredible. So many students responded to the opportunity that multiple prayer groups were begun over all three lunch periods. The core students of the Bible study also developed fund-raisers to help pay for new registrations to this summer’s Christ in Youth high school Move event so that every student who wanted to could attend. The key catalyzer for this movement is a high school sophomore. Carson attended Christ in Youth’s Move event as a freshman last summer and came home with a passion to do more for the kingdom. Carson even changed his Instagram post to the name, “Kingdom Worker.” Carson’s youth minister lauded the efforts: “A huge shout-out to the Holy Spirit for prompting these students as kingdom workers to make an impact in the biggest mission field in the world—their school. I cannot effectively create change in school . . . but they are!” CIY receives literally hundreds of stories like Carson’s about students who are actively living out their faith as kingdom workers. I can’t tell all the stories in this article, but here are a handful of examples. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

KIARA: GOD-SIZED ACTION STEPS At last summer’s CIY Move event, Kiara received a Kingdom Worker card. These cards present significant challenges that call students to take big action steps and drive them to depend upon God. Kiara’s card challenged her to raise $2,500 and bring 10 students who don’t know Jesus to Move in the summer of 2018. How is a 16-year-old with no job going to accomplish that? Kiara more than met the financial challenge with the support of her family, friends, and church . . . and several garage sales! Kiara prayed about who to bring to Move. She recalled her mission trip to a Native American reservation the year before and visualized the desperate needs of the teens in that setting. After a few phone calls with missionaries on the reservation, 10 sharp and spiritually open students were planning to travel from Arizona to California for a CIY Move experience this summer! Imagine what will happen that week. Please pray that these students will have responsive hearts. MOVE: CHANGING LIVES It was a joy to walk into the youth room at Crossroads Christian Church in Anthem, Arizona, and chat with several students. During that discussion I asked if any of them had gone to a CIY high school Move week in the summer. Their faces lit up. They shared how Move had been a spiritually motivating experience, a highlight of their year, and how much they were looking forward to going again this summer. Two of the young men introduced me to a couple of new students who were planning to go to their first CIY Move event this summer. I caught up with their youth minister, Josh Wyatt, who was enthusiastic about the church, the youth ministry, and their significant partnership with Christ in Youth. Josh hadn’t planned to go into the ministry, though he always had a heart for students and sharing Christ with them. Wyatt said he was volunteering in a new church plant when, at the last minute, he decided to take a group of students to a CIY Move. While serving as a sponsor at the event, he clearly received a call to give Jesus all his gifts and decided to go into youth ministry so he could spend a majority of his time proclaiming the truth of God’s Word to students. - 47 -

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SUPERSTART: CREATIVELY CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH CHRIST At CIY’s SuperStart preteen event, literally thousands of fourth- through sixth-graders receive the call to kingdom work in a way that they can practically apply to their lives. This year, CIY’s stage team shared with the students a simple method of how they can explain the gospel story using three different colors of Legos with the words Jesus, God, and Us written on the sides. As the students tell the gospel story, they connect, disconnect, and reconnect the Legos in a different order. The students practiced this with their leaders in small groups until they were comfortable telling the story without an instruction card. (Instruction cards may be purchased via CIY’s website.) A group of preteens from Keithville, Louisiana, attended the CIY SuperStart in Dallas. These young people were enthusiastic about this simple gospel presentation. They went home, practiced some more, and then shared the gospel story at their church on family night in front of parents and other preteens. These kingdom workers then challenged these preteens to share the gospel with their friends. The response was so enthusiastic the students set their sights on an even bigger stage. A plan was hatched to share the gospel story (using Legos) with more than 300 students who attend an elementary Fellowship of Christian Athletes gathering at the local school. Preparations were made. At the next FCA meeting, several students used Legos to present the gospel message, and then passed out packets of “gospel” Legos to all 300 in attendance. Everyone practiced as a group, and then the preteens were told to turn toward each other and share the message. A wave of excitement and enthusiasm erupted as the youngsters gained confidence through repetition. The whole group then prayed for the courage and ability to share this presentation with family and friends.

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FUN FACT: CIY IS REACHING MORE THAN 80,000 PEOPLE A YEAR!

DELANEY: RACING TO BRING REVIVAL IN INDIA Delaney had never run track or competed in any major race. Yet after attending a CIY Move week where she watched the CIY feature film Love Costs Everything (the present-day story of persecution of the church and Christians in six different parts of the world), Delaney committed to helping raise $2,000 to send out national missionaries in India to plant a church in an area where Christians have been persecuted. Delaney’s idea: Create a road race. “I had never run a 5K and I knew nothing about it. But I went and talked to my D-group and they loved the idea. We organized the ‘Ignite India’ 5K run with the hope of igniting the love of Christ and revival in India.” The first Ignite India race was so successful Delaney reached the fund-raising goal and was able to go to India with a CIY Engage trip that next summer. - 48 -

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KINGDOM WORKERS: RESPONDING TO THE CALL These young people, and many more not mentioned here, are not just the leaders of tomorrow— they are the vibrant, Spirit-led kingdom movement of today! (For more stories of students whose lives are being transformed into kingdom workers, go to kw-hub. com/stories; to learn more about CIY events and trips, visit www.ciy.com.) Last summer more than 3,000 students made decisions to accept Christ at a CIY Move or Mix event, approximately 2,500 decided to enter vocational ministry, and nearly 22,000 stood to say they would accept the call to be kingdom workers. Whether it is at CIY’s preteen SuperStart weekend event, a junior high Believe weekend event, a fullweek Move event for high schoolers, a Mix summer event for junior high students, an Engage mission experience, a digital YouTube message viewed on a cell phone, or the visualization of a CIY AEffect film . . . young people consistently hear the challenge to respond to the call to become kingdom workers . . . to give the best of their gifts and abilities to God and to be willing to be mobile . . . to move to wherever God is calling them to serve. Worship, the Word, and community are very important at these events—especially specific programmed opportunities for small group leaders from the church to interact with their students. Ongoing mentoring relationships are a must to move forward in spiritual depth and cement “flag in the sand” decisions that are made in such an environment. Therefore, CIY provides leaders with age-intentional, interactive small-group activities, and also videos and interactive games that students can view on their phones. Key Scripture passages are explored and applied to the young person’s current life experiences. Christ in Youth is reaching more than 80,000 youth and youth workers a year! And with an aggressive expansion of several CIY programs in the United States and the projected launch of Move in Ireland in 2019 (with a launch soon to follow in Canada), CIY anticipates it will partner with the local church to minister to more than 100,000 young people a year by 2020. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

This means in the coming decade, at least 1 million students will receive and respond to the call of becoming kingdom workers! The goal is eventually to have weekly, if not daily, digital interactions with CIY kingdom workers via their cell phones: messages from youth workers and influential leaders, Bible studies, Scripture memorization, inspirational stories of kingdom work, and more. The goal is for this viral and active movement to ripple out well beyond the ministry of Christ in Youth. 

FUN FACT: AT LEAST 1 MILLION STUDENTS WILL BECOME KINGDOM WORKERS

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In 1975, a month after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in ministry, my wife and I filled our Chevy Nova and a U-Haul truck (driven by my brother-inlaw) and drove through the mountains of West Virginia to begin our first fulltime youth ministry at the First Christian Church of Covington, Virginia.

THE CHANGING FACE OF YOUTH MINISTRY

I was armed with a new Bible college degree, two “Ideas” books from Youth Specialties, experience working for Christ in Youth, a background of serving on outreach teams for the college, memories of growing up in an amazing youth group, and the ability to play a mean guitar. Little did I realize this was the beginning of a very long and satisfying life focused on working with children and teens. To say things have changed over the last four decades is an understatement. Sure, some things have stayed the same—kids still hunger for God’s Word, a relationship with the creator through Jesus, and good relationships with peers and adults who make them feel important—but I want to focus on four basic changes that have occurred.

BY NICK TOMEO

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1. Technology Has Changed The good: Technology makes youth ministry easier. During my early days in the field, things were more primitive. I served a couple of churches that had media/IT groups that developed sight and sound productions using multiple screens, a soundtrack, slide projectors, and dissolve units. Each three-minute production could take a month to put together. We took photos with an SLR camera that used . . . gasp . . . film, which took time to develop. Today the same type of production could be completed in a few hours using digital equipment and computers. A great number of youth ministry resources are now available in the cyber world: curriculum publishing sites, youth ministry blogs, youth ministry streaming videos, and, of course, YouTube. And we now have many more ways to communicate with youth. Early on we had only “snail mail,” posters, telephones (with wires and dials), church bulletins, and verbal announcements. Today we have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, texting, and many others. A person still needs to see something advertised four to seven times before getting the message, but the new technology provides multiple methods of communicating.

with the theme and leader (perhaps by using a game-based platform quiz site like Kahoot!).

The bad: The digital world can also be harmful. Cell phones can distract teens during Bible studies. On youth group trips, teens sometimes ignore their fellow travelers and use their phones to communicate with others back home. For many youth and adults, the urge to use their cell phones seems uncontrollable. Many psychiatrists predict “cell phone addiction” will soon be recognized as a diagnosable mental health disease. Other digital problems include a new form of bullying that has developed and easily accessible pornography. This digital technology has affected the core beliefs of students. Many students today believe: • All messages are equal—there are no absolutes; the causes with the loudest voices must be right. • True multitasking works—a person can concentrate on two things simultaneously (like checking social media while listening to a professor’s lecture); studies at MIT and Stanford University have proven this false.

Consider the importance of cell phones, such as when a church vehicle breaks down, directions are needed, and to communicate with parents during emergencies. Students can even use their phones for Bible study and to interact

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• Few things are worth the wait—students will wait only a few seconds for a website to download before moving on, and this impatience carries over to the rest of their lives.

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2. Our Understanding of Teen Decision-Making Has Changed The brain matures at age 25, experts believe. The last brain region to mature is the prefrontal cortex, which is the home for sound and wise judgment, and the region that supervises, regulates, and directs the other regions of the brain (including the rewards and emotional centers). That means in the typical adolescent, an immature brain region is trying to communicate with other brain regions through immature connections (inconsistent wiring). That explains why a teen can solemnly commit to a higher calling one day, and seem to forget their decision and do something immature, harmful, or sinful the next. As one youth minister said, “So that’s why kids can be so squirrely.” Student ministers, keep this in mind when you get frustrated to the point of giving up on a teen.

3. Our Belief about Age Segregation Has Changed We once believed the goal was to build the largest youth group. “We will do what we need to do to reach kids. Who cares about the rest of the church?” We call this the youth ministry ghetto approach. We built our little world and made sure there was no interaction between the students and the rest of the church. We had our youth Bible studies, youth mission trips, youth worship services, and youth socials. We kept kids away from the church’s “uncool” adults. So, we had the kids until they graduated from high school, and then many of those formerly active students dropped out of church. It was almost as if we forgot the church in an effort to build “our” youth ministry. The only adults our teens had relationships with were the student/ youth minister and the adults who volunteered to work with the middle school and high school students. After all, we youth workers were cool, C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

our music was cool, our activities were cool, and the rest of the church adults were . . . boring. Still, we (youth ministers) were glad to be connected to a church since it provided the money to buy a new sound system or rent inflatables for the next party. Then, in 2011, came a revolutionary book called Sticky Faith based on a research project that followed more than 500 students for six years, through high school and into college. The research showed that 40 to 50 percent of students active in youth groups dropped out of church upon graduating from high school. Sticky Faith also provided a solution to the problem: Encourage students to interact with the various generations of the church through worship, fellowship, and service opportunities. The authors of Sticky Faith—Kara Powell and Chap Clark—also reported things like, “High school and college students who experience more intergenerational worship tend to have higher faith maturity.” It turned out, separating youth from the rest of the church might lead to short-term growth in numbers but could also result in spiritual immaturity. The book challenged leaders to find ways to put the generations of the church back together.

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The Emergence of the Youth Ministry Movement I wonder if Robert Raikes knew he was creating a movement when he began teaching children how to read by using the Bible on Sunday mornings in 1780 in Gloucester, England. From Raikes’s actions, the Sunday school/youth ministry movement was born; it made its way into churches in the United States, thanks to William Elliott, a Methodist layman, in 1785. The idea of reaching out specifically to children and youth with the gospel continued from there. In the mid1800s, the YMCA became a major force for evangelism of teens. From 1857 to 1859, the YMCA reported winning more than 1 million teens to Christ.

4. Time Constraints Have Changed Teens were once willing to devote three to four hours per week to attending youth ministry programming. But that is no longer true in most American churches. Many student ministers work with students who are willing to commit only one hour per week to some sort of church attendance. Adolescents are busy with sports leagues, academics, jobs, and extracurricular school activities. But teens need more than one hour of worship per week. Adolescents also need developmentally appropriate Bible studies, socials, activities, and “youth groups.”

In the late 1800s, the church intensified its efforts to reach teenagers after the U.S. government raised the legal age of marriage to 18 and began using tax monies to build schools for 12- to 18-year-olds. Along came the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor (1881), Young Life (1941), Youth for Christ rallies featuring Billy Graham (1940s), and Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Cru, 1951). Churches started to apply principles garnered from these organizations and began having “youth groups”— weekly meetings for Bible study, games, and fun events led by adults who loved youth.

Think about it: If a child attends church only one hour per week for 18 years, that amounts to a mere 946 hours in a formal Christian educational experience. By contrast, children spend 1,080 hours each year in public school classrooms, or about 13,000 hours (not counting preschool and kindergarten) through high school graduation. Is a churchgoing 18-year-old who has the equivalent

Publishing houses such as Standard Publishing (1866), David C Cook (1875), Youth Specialties (1968), and Group Publishing (1974) created curriculum for teaching children and youth. From such a foundation grew today’s youth ministry movement—built to reach a changing culture. —N.T.

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of a first-grade Christian education adequately trained to make adult decisions of a spiritual nature? So how can we get commitment for more than one hour? Here are four suggestions: • All ministerial staff, especially the senior minister, must work with the student minister to communicate to parents that what goes on in church is vital to their child’s spiritual growth. (My youth minister son Eric said, “Getting the parents to understand how crucial youth ministry is to their child’s relationship to Christ is a priority!”) Parents, direct your child to drop one nonchurch activity to spend more time building their relationship with God and other Christians. • Program creatively. Get to know your students and then plan studies and service opportunities that connect with their interests and talents. In Choice Theory (1999), William Glasser noted that teens have six needs: survival, love, power, fun, belonging, and freedom. If these elements are provided within student ministry, some adolescents will notice and attend. • Advertise. Advertise. Advertise. You have the tools. Use them to reach out. • Don’t quit. Not every student will come, especially during your first year. Pray and stay.

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Youth Ministry’s Future I believe we will see more focus on reaching and including parents in the ministry to adolescents. Parents need to know what is going on, and why, and see the church as a helpful resource for raising kids. Youth ministers will broaden their thinking and advocate ways to get the generations of the church to mix through social activities, worship, and service opportunities. Youth leaders will program based on the talents, gifts, and needs of their young people . . . and not simply base their plans on what other churches are doing. I also see more student ministers receiving advanced degrees in order to better engage new generations. At least one group of people in the Old Testament would have made great youth workers— the men of Issachar: “Men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). May every youth worker be a person who understands the changing times and knows what to do with the changes.  After serving in a number of churches as a youth/student minister, Nick Tomeo presently teaches youth ministry and psychology at Cincinnati Christian University. He also works in the field of drug and alcohol addiction treatment.

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AD C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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BY SHAWN MCMULLEN

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work� (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

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Paul wrote these words to his protégé Timothy after warning him to be on guard against false teachers who had “departed from the truth” and who “destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:18), who were infiltrating people’s homes and taking advantage of the gullible (see 3:6). In light of this problem, Paul counseled Timothy to continue in what he learned as a child, faithfully holding up the inspired Word of God as the source of divine truth. As you can see, even the early church faced danger from false teachers and false doctrine. That danger is no less real today. As long as truth is being taught, people will appear on the scene to oppose it and distort it for their own gain. So how can local churches today protect their members from misguided teaching and encourage them to remain faithful to God’s truth revealed in Scripture? And beyond that, how can those same members be encouraged to pursue the mission of Christ as they emulate the character of Christ in their daily lives? The answer lies in teaching and equipping individual members of the body of Christ to be faithful students of God’s Word. The teaching that comes from the church’s leaders is also vital to this purpose, but the real strength of any congregation is the capacity of its individual members to study, apply, and share biblical truth. One way the local church can achieve this goal is to provide its

members with a plan and a system of support—an orderly approach to studying the Word of God in its entirety. This is what The Lookout has been redesigned to achieve. We want The Lookout to become a tool any congregation can use to help its members grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and apply its principles to life. For these reasons and others, we have created our own scope and sequence for Bible study. The term scope and sequence is used in curriculum development to describe the depth and breadth of the content being taught and the order in which the content is presented. In regard to The Lookout, scope and sequence refers to the Scripture passages we provide each week for Bible study, the order in which the passages are presented, and the process that allows students to study through the entire Bible over a period of years. For many years The Lookout has built its weekly Bible study material on a scope and sequence created by the Committee on the Uniform Series, operating under the governance and stewardship of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. The committee has been selecting, organizing, and developing its Uniform International Sunday School Lessons since 1872. While this material has served The Lookout and its readers well for generations, we believe the time has come for a change. Now that The Lookout and Christian

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Standard have come under the umbrella of Christian Standard Media, a not-for-profit ministry among independent Christian churches and churches of Christ, we have elected to create our own scope and sequence as we direct our readers into a careful and thorough study of the Bible. Beginning Sunday, August 19, The Lookout’s weekly Bible study will be based on our own unique scope and sequence, reflecting our commitment to the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God as we guide students through a six-year plan that will allow them to study the whole of Scripture systematically. This will be a smooth transition for those who have been following The Lookout’s weekly Bible study plan. Mark Scott will continue to provide his excellent and in-depth commentary on Scripture for class, small group, and individual study. David Faust will continue to provide his insightful application of the weekly Scripture text. Jim Eichenberger will continue to help students grow in their understanding of Scripture by

providing questions for study and discussion. In addition, we’ll continue to publish our daily devotions based on The Lookout’s Annual Bible Reading Plan and provide articles to challenge and encourage Bible students as they pursue Christ’s mission and emulate Christ’s character. Jon Underwood leads The Lookout’s new scope and sequence team and comes to the task highly qualified. He served for 33 years as an editor at Standard Publishing. During his last 20 years with the company, Jon served as senior editor of adult curriculum, producing the Standard Lesson Commentary as well as an entire line of quarterly materials. He led the development of the NIV Standard Lesson Commentary and the subsequent line of NIV quarterly curriculum as well as the digital editions of the Standard Lesson Commentary. Jon also served 11 years with the Committee on the Uniform Series and chaired the Scope and Sequence Committee for two years.

Jon had this to say about The Lookout’s new scope and sequence: I’m excited about this new scope and sequence for several reasons. First, it is wholly owned by The Lookout. It’s not a plan that has to be licensed from another group. This will provide maximum flexibility in the way The Lookout plans to use it. The second reason I like this plan is that it lets the Bible speak for itself. This plan is Bible driven rather than theme driven. Instead of starting with a theme and then finding Scriptures to support the theme, this plan is being designed with the intention of providing students with large sections of the Scripture and allowing the “themes” that will be explored to come from that. Using large sections of Scripture helps keep each text in its literary context. Ancillary Scriptures are provided to give an even larger scriptural context. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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As long as truth is being taught, people will appear on the scene to oppose it and distort it for their own gain. So how can churches today protect their members and encourage them to remain faithful to God's truth? by teaching and equipping individual members of the body of Christ to be faithful students of God's Word.

There are other reasons to like this plan. They are not necessarily unique to it, but they are valuable. One of these is the consistent focus on the Gospels—the life of Christ. Every calendar year will find the student spending several weeks exploring Gospel texts. Another is the chronological arrangement of the historical sections of the Old Testament. With the excellent textual exposition, life application, and study questions provided each week in The Lookout, this outline for studying the Bible will provide Sunday school classes, adult Bible fellowships, and small groups a great resource for discipling their members. Our hope is that more and more churches will put copies of The Lookout, along with its new scope and sequence, into the hands of all their adult members to encourage them in their personal growth, group study, and disciple making.

We’re delighted to offer this new study plan to our readers and we pray that God will use it to help all of us correctly handle the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15) so that we might “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). 

Shawn McMullen is editor of The Lookout and contributing editor of Christian Standard.

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HEADLINES BY CHRIS MOON

ticker //tape Richard Knopp, professor and program director of philosophy and Christian apologetics at Lincoln Christian University, was a keynote speaker at the 2018 Stone-Campbell Journal Conference at Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan College. He gave a lecture titled, “Understanding and Engaging the ‘Nones.’” Other keynote speakers were Ellen Charry of Princeton Theological Seminary and Evertt Huffard of Harding School of Theology. Eastpointe Christian Church in Blacklick, Ohio, is working to meet a need in its community by offering a weekly adult English class. Church volunteers provide English instruction so students can practice their English skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. First Christian Church in New Philadelphia, Ohio, spent a month collecting peanut butter to send to Haiti. Peanut butter is rich in vitamins and protein. The church asked its members to drop off 16- to 18-ounce jars of peanut butter with a quarter taped to the top of each jar to offset shipping expenses.


Central Christian Church in Portales, N.M., partnered with a local elementary school to help with its annual “Play Day.” Church volunteers helped grill food and collected everything from sidewalk chalk to water blasters for the day’s games. Cincinnati Christian University hosted a celebration in honor of Professor Dan Dyke’s retirement. Dyke served as a full-time faculty member at CCU for 30 years. Manhattan (Kan.) Christian College has partnered with Donate Your Change to help raise money for the college. Individuals can choose to “round up” their purchases and donate the change to MCC. Indian Creek Christian Church in Indianapolis hosted the “Made Known” event that supports families who have suffered from infertility, adoption loss, pregnancy loss, and infant loss. Individuals had the chance to talk with others who had experienced the same kind of loss. Lincoln Heights Christian Church in Phoenix hosted a

A U GU S T 2018

NEW CITY PLANTS NEW CAMPUS New City Church of Los Angeles has launched a second campus. The 10-year-old church located in downtown Los Angeles opened a new location in the lower San Fernando Valley. The new church—called New City Church of San Fernando Valley—is led by pastor David Guyer. The church plant is part of New City Church’s vision to open three to five new locations across Los Angeles during the next five years. “This is an ambitious vision,” lead pastor Kevin Haah said in a video introduction about the church plant. “God doesn’t call us to what’s easy but to where there’s need.” Haah, a former lawyer, launched New City Church of Los Angeles in 2008 within the Stadia churchplanting network. Since then, it has grown to an attendance of 290, according to Christian Standard ’s 2017 annual church growth report. “In 2008, God called us to plant a diverse and inclusive church right here in downtown Los Angeles,” Haah said. “But the vision he gave us was always bigger than that. It is to reach the entire city of Los Angeles.” The church targeted the Sherman Oaks area of the city because of its demographics and need for new churches. It has a population of about 200,000, Haah said, and is becoming increasingly diverse ethnically, socioeconomically, and generationally. Haah said very few churches have been planted in the area during the past 40 years. “What would it look like if more people in the area were connected with God and their lives were transformed by the power of the gospel?” he asked. Haah and Guyer will both be preaching at the new church.

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Ogilville Christian Church in Columbus, Ind., is making a commitment to Operation Christmas Child by collecting individual items throughout the year. In April and May, the church collected small toys for the shoeboxes, which will be filled at the end of the year.


“Community Kickball” event this spring. The day featured kickball and a pie-baking (and eating) contest.

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A U GU S T 2018

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Ozark Christian College of Joplin, Mo., announced that Rick Cherok will teach church history and U.S. history at OCC beginning this fall. Cherok most recently served as professor of church history at Cincinnati Christian University.

SERVING ICE CREAM TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY Momentum Christian Church in Georgia has found that ice cream is a good way to reach the community. The church takes its ice cream truck into the community to serve various events and found it’s an easy way to meet and serve its neighbors. “It is a fun way for us to serve our community,” the church’s website says. “It is a great way for children to participate in transforming our families as well.” In March, the ice cream truck was on site at a local Easter egg hunt that served special-needs children and their families. The church has also built relationships with the Parks and Recreation Department in their city and has taken the truck to summertime movies in the park. The church has also taken it to daycares, preschools, and other venues for free ice cream giveaways. Momentum Christian Church has campuses is McDonough and Stockbridge, Ga.

Vernal (Utah) Christian Church has a thriving Outdoor Fellowship Ministry which promotes Christian fellowship through outdoor activities. The ministry hosts cookouts, campouts, ice-fishing excursions, and wild game dinners for everyone from casual outdoor enthusiasts to those who like to rough it in the backcountry. Members of Reunion Christian Church in Boston are drinking coffee for a cause. The church has partnered with Collide Coffee—a fair trade coffee company—and uses proceeds from coffee sales to feed children at GO Ministries’ nutrition clinics in the Dominican Republic. One bag of coffee sold can provide six meals for a child. Kentucky Christian University hosted its first “Spring Fling” this year—a day dedicated to fun and serving the community. Activities included games, service projects, and a worship night in the campus chapel.


Johnson University, Knoxville, Tenn., is marking its 125th anniversary this year. The school opened in 1893 and was originally known as the School of the Evangelists. It was renamed Johnson Bible College in 1909, and Johnson University in 2011. Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Mo., recently honored two professors who have served the college in various capacities for 60 years: Gareth L. Reese, emeritus professor of New Testament, and Lloyd M. Pelfrey, chancellor and emeritus professor of Old Testament (he also served as president 1972-98). 

/ChristianStandardMagazine @ChrStandard @christianstandardmagazine Cs@ChristianStandardMedia.com

A U GU S T 2018

MEMBERS USE HOMES FOR ONE-ANOTHER MINISTRY After studying the book of Acts, members of East Win Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., were challenged to put what they learned into action. The church hosted a campaign to encourage church members to use their homes in the same manner as the earliest Christians—for meeting together, eating together, and encouraging one another. As a means of measuring progress, the church placed a container in its lobby and asked members to drop a seashell into it for every person they invited into their homes. This was to symbolize that church members had “broken out of their shells” and applied God’s Word to their daily lives.

CHURCH HOSTS 18 DIFFERENT CAMPS FOR KIDS Summer has been a little more fun this year in Independence, Ky. Nicholson Christian Church is hosting 18 different children’s camps throughout the summer for kids in the community. The camps are dedicated to such things as volleyball, engineering, woodworking, scrapbooking, basic first aid, tae kwon do, “Whodunnit,” food decorating, basketball, archery, Legos, dance, music, and soccer. The church also hosted a weeklong theater camp in late June for kids of all ages that culminated in a production of the Broadway musical Mary Poppins. 

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Steve Scheibner was guest speaker at Northfield Church of Christ in Fort Dodge, Iowa, recently. Scheibner, a pilot, originally was scheduled to fly American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001, before a last-minute substitution put another pilot in his seat. The plane was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center. Scheibner is a retired commander with the U.S. Navy and also a retired pastor.


NONDENOMINATIONALISH Headlines For Christians Who Don’t Take Themselves Too Seriously

BY CALEB KALTENBACH

SEARCH FIRM CREATES FAKE CANDIDATES TO SCARE LEAD PASTOR SACRAMENTO, CA—In an effort to increase effectiveness of lead pastors who have grown too comfortable, a search firm has been created for the purpose of scaring them into working harder. “Basically, when an elder board hires us, we make it look like they’re considering candidates to replace the lead pastor,” said Ben Campbell, president of The Faux Search Group. “The anxiety and stress naturally scares their lead pastor into giving more effort and working longer hours.”

“I guess I’m candidating for the job I have,” said pastor Chris Hayden of First Christian Church in Silmore, Kentucky. “One Sunday, this guy named Ben Campbell shows up asking me about my job description. Next thing I know, my elders are in the corner of the lobby, huddled together, looking at me, and talking.” “Yeah, we were huddled together,” said Paul Brown, elder chairman at First Christian. “Honestly, we were talking about football, but we made it look like we were talking about Chris.” Brown explained one tactic

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that’s being employed. “Campbell gives me fake candidate profiles and I plant them around the church campus so Chris will find them. It’s worked amazingly well. Now Chris calls me three times a week, reports everything, and greets everyone in the church lobby—twice.” Brown concedes there have been some negatives. “Chris says he isn’t sleeping well and his blood pressure is rising. But it’s OK, we’ve . . . wait a second.” Brown had to step away because Hayden was calling to report on what he had eaten for lunch.


WEEKLY OFFERINGS INCREASE AFTER PASTOR THREATENS DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION OF LEVITICUS UNLESS ALL MEMBERS TITHE LAWSON, OK—“It worked,” said Gene Moody, pastor of Diamond River Christian Church. “The approach took a little refining, but we got there.” After two weeks of preaching on generosity, the weekly offerings of Diamond River Christian Church still hadn’t changed. Members seemed unwilling to increase their giving. “I had enough,” Moody said. “So, last Sunday, I announced that unless they started giving more to the church, I would begin a verse-by-verse dramatic interpretation of Leviticus!” Several church members gasped when Moody announced this. “My husband and I were frantic,” reported Beth Gilmore, longtime member of Diamond River. I whispered, “Herb, we ain’t gonna make it to Hawaii this year. Get out the checkbook and stop this travesty from occurring.” “I immediately grabbed my cell phone and started texting as much money as I could,” said member Ed Filtter. “All I kept thinking was, We can’t let him

do this. I mean, have you read some of those chapters in Leviticus? Wow!” From the stage that morning, Moody said the sights and sounds were amazing. “People were furiously grabbing for their cell phones, opening checkbooks, ripping out checks, dropping them in the offering buckets, and spurring on one another to give more. It was like the early church. Everyone pitched in.” “I’m just nervous about next week,” said Beth Gilmore. “Rumor has it that he’s got four horses, seven seals, and some trumpets for a dramatic interpretation of Revelation.”

EASTER SERVICE PROMOTED AS ‘UNLIKE ANY OTHER’ WAS ACTUALLY JUST LIKE ANY OTHER KANSAS CITY, MO—Easter experiences are still being reported to various Christian magazines and outlets and a common theme is emerging: Some pastors pledged an Easter service like no other, but it turns out these were empty promises. Stan Hanson, pastor of the newly planted Crossways Christian Church, told his congregation: “Don’t miss Easter! Arrive early, bring a friend, and get ready for an experience unlike any other.”

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Crossways member Tom Harlow offered this critique of the service: “Let’s see. They had a creative opener, more lights, good singing, and a sermon on the resurrection. Pastor Stan also dressed up. So it was like any other Easter.” We reached out to Hanson, who insisted, “It was unlike any Easter service I’ve been to. I talked about how the resurrection promises new life. And we had a special singer.” After a pause, Hanson continued: “We also had a real live bunny petting zoo and a high schooler in a bunny outfit. It was . . . unlike . . . any other.” The Lopez family attended Crossways on Easter. “One of the bunnies in the petting zoo hissed at me,” said little Cecile Lopez, 9. “I didn’t even know rabbits could hiss.” Cecile’s mother, Alicia Lopez, said the teen in the bunny outfit gave her the creeps. “The bunny just walked around the lobby, didn’t greet anyone, and stared a lot.” This Sunday, Hanson is expected to announce plans for a Christmas Eve service like no other. (Rumor has it there might be a live nativity.)  Caleb Kaltenbach is just kidding.


interact DISTURBING TRUTH

STATE OF OUR CHURCHES Great article [“The State of Our Christian Churches Today,” by Ken Idleman, p. 32, May 2018]! I agree with many of these observations and am both encouraged and challenged by them. After a decade of serving in our brotherhood, I am convinced that our future will be even better than our past—and we have a great past! Aaron McClary via website

Yes! Thank you for sharing this [“Letter from the Editor,” p. 6, June 2018] and for advocating for next gen church leaders. Jacob Spielbauer via Facebook We desperately need more qualified Pauls to train Timothys. We’re losing two generations at a rapid pace. By and large, I’m not seeing that development happening, even in the megachurch, where it should be taking place. Too many “itchy ears” these days. Brian A. Smith via Facebook

NACC: WHAT’S NEXT . . . AND WHERE? Thanks for the great article [“The North American Christian Convention: What’s Next?” by Jerry Harris, p. 61, June 2018]! I would like to make one minor correction. According to the NACC website, the 2019 convention will be in Orlando, Florida, not Nashville, Tennessee. Earl Winfrey via website Editor’s Note: Good catch, Earl! Thanks for the correction.


SPOTLIGHT CHURCHES Real Life! Great article, Kelly Carr [“Spotlight: Real Life Church, Sheridan, Wyoming,” p. 49, May 2018]; you have a gift for storytelling and in a way that always shines the light on Jesus! Renee Little via Facebook Awesome! I love my church, CCV [“Spotlight: Christ’s Church of the Valley, Phoenix, Arizona,” by Natalee Jones, p. 50]. We never looked back since first attending July 11, 2004. Ken LeBlanc via website

This transition was remarkable to witness, seemingly flawless [“Spotlight: Northeast Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky”, by Andy Rector, p. 57]! Awesome article and a celebration of what Jesus can do! Yea God! Chris Taylor via Facebook Austin Gohn @austingohn

I haven’t looked at Christian Standard in years. Very impressed by the redesign and article quality under the leadership of @_JerryHarris. I’ll start paying attention, now.

I can’t understand why no mention was made about sponsoring 11,011 children in Colombia, South America. That’s momentous [“Spotlight: Christ’s Church of the Valley, Phoenix, Arizona”]. Vern Moore via website Editor’s Note: Mr. Moore is correct— CCV’s child sponsorships are, indeed, worthy of reporting. It wasn’t mentioned in this article because the focus of this piece was on the transition from one minister to the next. We reported on the child sponsorships in our December 6, 2017, Christian Standard Newsletter. I LOVE my church! Great story and GREAT comments above. The [sponsorship of the] Colombian children was a powerful display of love for God’s people. Jill Hall via website

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Matt Larimer @mattlarimer

I love David Dummitt’s concept of “Family of Churches” but it’s only necessary because the elders of our churches are no longer in communion! . . . We have 8 Restoration Movement churches in my city and we never meet together.

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REPORTING ATTENDANCE FIGURES

FAMILY OF CHURCHES

As a new senior pastor of an independent Christian church, I greatly appreciated this month’s “Letter from the Publisher” [by Jerry Harris, p. 2, May 2018] about reporting church attendance numbers. It was insightful and helpful in explaining why churches should report average worship attendance so all churches can celebrate with one another.

I’ve been hoping to see this strategy implemented by more churches [“The ‘Family of Churches’ Model of Church Planting,” by David Dummitt, p. 8, May 2018]. It’s a great way to draw on the strengths of established congregations while not bottlenecking leadership development. Thanks for the thoughtful article! Todd via website

Another possible reason some pastors may not report is they have no idea how to report. As I said, I am a new senior pastor; I would love to share what God has done in our church in the past year, but I don’t know the process one goes through to report numbers. With that said, I understand some pastors no longer report because of the competition that reporting numbers inherently fosters. This issue showcases growth only with emerging megachurches and megachurches. I celebrate with the kingdom of God that lives are being changed and the global church is moving forward, but smaller churches see that the only way to be recognized for their growth is be a church of more than 1,000. If we want to move beyond comparison, competition, and pride, there needs to be space to celebrate the incredible things God is doing in all churches, including those that are not 1,000-plus in weekly attendance. Justin Carpenter via website Editor’s Note: We hear you, Justin! Our June issue features large churches (averaging 500 to 999 attenders weekly) and medium churches (250–499). Our July issue features small (100 to 249) and very small churches (99 and fewer). Also, we would love to have your church, and other churches of all sizes, participate in next year’s survey. Send us a note at CS@christianstandardmedia.com telling us you would like to be included next year, and we will forward your contact information to Kent Fillinger, who has overseen our coverage for more than a decade; Kent will contact you later this year or in early 2019. C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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NONDENOMINATIONALISH Love the new column [“Nondenominationalish,” by Caleb Kaltenbach, p. 66, May 2018]. We need some humor every day. Mark via website

Give us your

feedback! /ChristianStandardMagazine @ChrStandard @christianstandardmagazine Cs@ChristianStandardMedia.com For space, length, readability, relevance, and civility, comments sent to Interact may remain unpublished or be edited. We do read them all and prayerfully take them to heart. If we publish your comment, we will try to honestly reproduce your thoughts with those considerations in mind. Where we disagree, let’s continue to keep P.H. Welshimer’s words in mind to “disagree without being disagreeable.” AUG UST 2 0 1 8


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- COMMUNIONMEDITATION -

EVERYDAY OBJECTS— ETERNAL TRUTHS Have you ever noticed the way Jesus took the most ordinary objects and attached extraordinary meaning to them? He talked about good seed and bad soil and the next thing we know, he challenges the receptivity of our hearts to the message of God. He talked about weeds to confront our priorities and treatment of others. He talked about catching fish, and he ended up calling his disciples to preach and teach the good news of God’s Messiah come. Over and over again, Jesus used everyday objects to teach eternal truths.

BY JOE HARVEY Joe Harvey is an adjunct professor at Johnson University and the road manager for singer and songwriter Mandy Harvey. Joe and his wife Valerie live in St. Cloud, Florida.

Joe Harvey has written three more Communion Meditations specifically for use in August. See a new one posted each Tuesday at ChristianStandard.com.

When significance is added to the ordinary, normal living becomes a bit more sacred. If I had never heard Jesus’ words, I’d merely feel the wind blowing through the trees. When I listen to him speak through Scripture, I cannot help but contemplate the movement of God’s Spirit. Why? Because Jesus told me that God’s Spirit is like the wind—visibly producing results that are mysterious in their origins and progressions. Jesus did the same for us when he assigned new meaning to the bread and the cup of Communion. Both were part of the Jewish feast C H RIS TIAN STA N DAR D

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that Jesus was celebrating with his disciples. And they were normal, everyday components of daily living. Beginning on the night of the Last Supper, however, their significance for Christians forever changed. Jesus broke the bread and said, “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26). Then he took the cup and said, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (vv. 27, 28). His disciples may not have fully grasped Jesus’ teaching, but they soon would. It was the night of Jesus’ betrayal. A few hours later, he was beaten, crucified, and buried. He bled and died for them. Later, when the disciples met together to remember Jesus’ loving sacrifice and to give thanks, the bread and the wine represented Jesus’ body and blood. Acts 2:42 says “the breaking of the bread” became one of the common and distinctive practices of the early church. Though we know Jesus now as our resurrected Lord and Savior, we Christians today still follow his instructions. And just like that, a bit of bread and a small cup of juice are transformed from tidbits into symbols of Jesus’ courageous love for us. 

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