Christian Standard | October 2018 by Christian Standard Media

christian standard

COVER

october 2018

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letter The 2018 North American Christian Convention was held where it started 91 years ago, in Indianapolis. This year’s president, Drew Sherman, his team, and the NACC staff pulled together an amazing experience with inspiring speakers, incredible worship, and great accommodations.

FROM THE

publisher

both load and unload display equipment, as well as helping with both parking and shuttling.

Some say attendance has declined because change is baked into the nature of our movement; others blame it on increasing A great, well-run convention costs to host the event and attend experience is incredibly it. Some say it results from other expensive to put on and opportunities available both registration fees cover only inside and outside our movement, a fraction of the total cost. such as ICOM, Exponential, Churches and individuals have Catalyst, Orange, and others. underwritten the convention’s (Leaders can invest only so much costs for years, but diminishing As usual at “the connecting time and money to attend these attendances and an everplace,” I engaged in countless gatherings.) Some say declining increasing competition that conversations with like-minded attendance is the result of comes from many specialized leaders in our tribe, something changes within the convention conferences have taken a toll. for which the NACC is known. related to sponsorship, Some of those conversations leadership, or speakers from The future of the annual were powerful to me. Leadership outside of our movement. Some gathering was a repeated Huddles were a new addition; have expressed concerns about undercurrent in conversations these ministry intensives and what they consider trends toward this year. Even with the roundtable discussions drilled denominationalism, liberalism, enthusiasm and great down into real issues leaders face or a loss of our Restoration programming, convention every day in ministry. Movement identity. Some say the attendance has seen a steady NACC’s time has come . . . and decline for many years. People Volunteers from area churches gone. speculate why this has happened. personally blessed me by helping C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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So, has the NACC become a dinosaur in our movement? Are Christian Standard and The Lookout just two additional dinosaurs in the terminal herd? How about our colleges? Are they part of a rich history that have already seen their best days? Can we say this about our movement as a whole? Are we just melting into the larger evangelical framework, losing touch with our distinctives? Can this also be said of our churches? In a new venture to develop a digital database for our tribe, Christian Standard Media and the Center for Church Leadership have discovered a 20-plus percent death rate has occurred among our churches over the past 15 years. While some folks may be predisposed toward gloom and doom with regard to our movement and its institutions, I am filled with optimism about our future—and I am not alone. While an undercurrent of questions and concerns existed this year regarding the future of the NACC and its successor gathering, along with a quiet prophetic sentiment that the latter would fail to gain traction, I also sensed a great optimism about what lies ahead. All new things, it seems, are evaluated with skepticism, and this skepticism might be fueled by the nostalgia of former glory days. But there also is a great deal of excitement for the future of this big gathering—this critical piece of what holds this grand

movement of leaders, churches, and ministries together. The North American Christian Convention, which dates to 1927, was born out of a great need. The movement had lost its footing and was becoming increasingly denominational, liberal, and ecumenical. It was apparent in the colleges, in many churches, and in the convention of that day. The NACC rose as a critical response to remind us of our identity and our need for unity, but not at the expense of truth. It was commissioned to build leaders who would lead a movement of churches into a brighter future. And it worked! Thirty-five new Bible colleges were born out of it, and they produced new crops of leaders to help churches hold on to their independence and devotion to New Testament principles. And that created something that is simply astounding . . . to this day! While other tribes are experiencing severe decline, independent Christian churches are breaking records in attendance, baptisms, missions, discipleship, and church planting. Today’s need in our movement is different than it was in 1927. There are still undercurrents of liberalism and ecumenicism, but in many ways, the wider evangelical movement has gravitated in our direction. Baptism by immersion and weekly Communion are being C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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embraced by more and more churches. Faith statements among many churches not historically part of our movement are grounded on the inerrancy of Scripture and the centrality of Jesus Christ. Many evangelical churches espouse their independence. While all of that is incredibly good and speaks well of the mark left us by the North American Christian Convention, it is not hard to recognize that it’s time for a new approach. Today, we need to celebrate our wins while also aggressively pursuing our distinctives in order that we may continue leading the way for all churches to embrace Restoration principles. That’s what this new season is all about, and that’s what Spire is all about. Spire is the new name of what has been the NACC. Spire’s stated

mission is to encourage and equip is a taste from the Spire website of leaders who inspire a movement of what will be available: healthy growing churches. When I want access to great podcasts . . . I go to SPIRE. Spire will be built on Restoration Movement ideals and principles. When I want the best leadership mentors . . . I go to SPIRE. Rick Rusaw, who is helping with Spire’s formation, said, When I want staffing resources . . . “Our churches have never been I go to SPIRE. healthier, our ideals have never When I want dynamic team been more alive, and our identity resources . . . I go to SPIRE. has never been more at risk.” I When I want new ideas that work totally agree with that statement. Spire’s vision is to seek measurable . . . I go to SPIRE. kingdom impact through practical When I want a great team-building ministry support that breathes life experience . . . I go to SPIRE. into church leaders by focusing on When I want leadership biblical authority, Christian unity, development . . . I go to SPIRE. and the Great Commission. When I want a great conference In more practical terms, Spire will . . . I go to SPIRE. be a 24/7/365 platform. No vendor To learn more about what’s or parachurch organization will coming, I suggest you check out the own or control it. It will be an online platform in which the entire new website at www.spire.network, or better yet, plan on being a tribe can participate, featuring the best of Restoration Movement part of the first Spire conference, October 8-10, 2019, at the Orlando independent Christian church World Center Marriott in Florida. resources and networking. It will focus on church leaders and their respective teams regardless of church size or ministry area. Leaders of small, large, rural, urban, or suburban churches, as well as parachurch leaders, will find the networks, resources, and Jerry Harris is publisher of connections they need at Spire’s Christian Standard Media and website. senior pastor of The Crossing, a Spire will not create or sell things . . . it will simply be a networking hub through which leaders can find whatever they require to take the ground in front of them. Here C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris /jerrydharris

// sid eba r

Thank You! Seventy-seven names. As one scans them, a history of the modern independent Christian church forms. These men strove to hold together in unity an independent movement while, at the same time, cherishing its individuality. They worked hard to inspire a movement of healthy, growing churches. They had their own ministries, but they generously gave their time, talent, and treasure to advance a tribe and cause in which they believed. All served as president of the North American Christian Convention, with one man serving three times. In the early days, two, three, or even four years could elapse between gatherings. Christian Standard Media simply wishes to say thank-you.

NACC Presidents (in chronological order from the most recent convention, 2018, clear back to the first convention in 1927 ; read from top to bottom, starting with the left column) Drew Sherman Gene Appel Dave Stone Mike Baker Tim Harlow Matt Proctor Rick Rusaw Dudley Rutherford Ben Cachiaras Jeff Stone Cam Huxford Alan Ahlgrim David Faust Howard Brammer Dick Alexander Bob Russell Barry McMurtrie Tom Ellsworth Don Wilson Wayne Shaw

Dennis Slaughter Sam E. Stone John Caldwell Marshall Hayden Wally Rendel Charles E. Cook Ken Idleman David McCord Richard D. Hogan R. Allan Dunbar David Corts Dale McCann Kenneth A. Meade Knofel Staton David L. Eubanks Floyd Strater E. LeRoy Lawson Calvin L. Phillips Dennis R. Fulton Robert C. Shannon C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Ben Merold Wayne B. Smith E. Ray Jones Russell F. Blowers Thomas W. Overton W. F. Lown E. Richard Crabtree Marshall J. Leggett William S. Boice Douglas A. Dickey Burris Butler L. Palmer Young Hugh F. Sensibaugh Russell L. Martin Leon H. Appel E. H. Chamberlain William Harold Hockley Robert O. Weaver Edwin G. Crouch Olin W. Hay - 5 -

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Reuben L. Anderson Lester H. Ford Harold W. Scott James Van Buren Francis M. Arant Harry Poll Ernest E. Laughlin Joseph H. Dampier Ard Hoven Orval Morgan William E. Sweeney Dean E. Walker T. K. Smith O. A. Trinkle J. E. Henshaw Wallace Tharp P. H. Welshimer (who served as president three times)

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

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Volume CLIII. Number 10. 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.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 KEYS to EFFECTIVE MINISTRY in a SMALL TOWN

—

by Richard M. Crabtree

I N E V E RY I S S UE 2-5 | L E TTE R F RO M THE P UB L ISH E R Jerry Harris

MISSION-DRIVEN SUCCESS

8-9 | L E TTE R F RO M THE E DITO R

by TR Robertson

Michael C. Mack

9 | THIS MONTH ON THE WEBSITE 12-14 | MOVE ME NT

Rural and Small-Church Best Practices: PASTORAL NETWORKING

by rick lowry

3 Imperatives for Healthy, Effective Rural Church Planters David Dummitt

15-17 | E 2 : E F F E C TIV E EL D ER S ‘ Fe e d My She e p’ David Roadcup

18-19 | ME TRIC S Raiders of the (ALMOST) Lost Artifacts

by Jerry harris

A Sna psho t o f Rural Ame r ic a a nd Re storation Move me nt Chur c hes Kent Fillinger

20-21 | HO RIZO N S

the PHENOMENON of DISCIPLE-MAKING MOVEMENTS

Missions and Outreach in a Rural Setting Emily Drayne

22-23 | MIN ISTRY L IF E

Ble ssing a Ba r n Quilt Benjamin Stroup

by doug lucas

24-26 | IMAG IN E

To w n Stor y, Chur ch Story Mel McGowan

NO SMALL MEASURE

70-71 | INTE RAC T

by kelly carr

72 | N O N DE NO MINATION A L I S H Caleb Kaltenbach

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letter

FROM THE

editor You do you. When managing editor Jim Nieman asked what I’ve learned over the last year and a half as Christian Standard editor, this is the first thing that came to mind.

You do you. It’s a common catchphrase in today’s culture that means “Just be yourself.” (It can also be used as a sarcastic response to someone who is doing something simply because they want to. Pastor Jeremy: “My new 10-week sermon series is titled, ‘Spiritual Lessons from Paddington 2.’” Elder Frank: “You do you, pal.” Or . . . Student: “I’m having Declaration and Address tattooed on the inside of my left forearm, so I never forget how to think and act.” Professor: “You do you, dude.”) In my case, “you do you” is what I’ve sensed God quietly telling me about my role. Let me explain. As Mark

Taylor neared retirement as publisher and editor, I talked with him on the phone one day. Jerry Harris had already been announced as the new publisher, but the new editor had not been hired. I offhandedly asked Mark about it, and he told me he thought I’d do well in the job. Within days I was talking with Jerry and soon prayerfully accepted the position. But I secretly wondered if I was the right person for the role. I thought about the 11 distinguished editors over the history of Christian Standard, especially the last two—Mark Taylor and Sam Stone—whom I had worked with at Standard Publishing. I admired both men for their faith, character, and leadership, and I wondered if I could fill their huge wingtips. It didn’t help much when a friend and former ministry colleague stopped me at the North American Christian C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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Convention last year and jokingly referred to me as the new “pope of the Restoration Movement,” a title with which Sam Stone was dubbed in jest years ago. When I repeated the story to a mutual friend of ours, he did his best Lloyd Bentsen impersonation: “I know Sam Stone. I served with Sam Stone. Mike, you’re no Sam Stone.” In other words, “You do you, pal.” He was right, of course. I’m no Sam Stone or Mark Taylor . . . or Isaac Errett. And you’re probably no Bob Russell, Dudley Rutherford, or Ben Cachiaras. I’ve learned that I don’t have to be anything other than whom God created me to be. He created me uniquely, in his image, and for his purpose. He created me and continues to re-create me with a one-of-akind combination of spiritual gifts, passions, personality, life circumstances, and calling. When I do me well, I can empty myself and allow God to fill me up with his love, wisdom, power, grace, patience, and everything else I lack. I free myself for God’s sake to be an instrument he can use in any way he wants. I can look back now and see how God was leveraging all my previous experiences and the spiritual gifts and passions he gave me for this role. To answer Jim’s question, I’ve learned—actually I’ve been reminded once again—

that God is in control and I simply need to trust him. God used his Word, especially verses like Jeremiah 1:5 and Ephesians 2:10, to tell me, “I created you as a masterpiece and I know you more than you understand; I’ve had a plan for you even before you were born and I know what I’m doing. Don’t try to do what I created others to do. You do you—the you I created and gifted and love.” One day God will call each of us home. “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth,” he said in Isaiah 43:6, 7 . . . “everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” And he might just say to us when we meet him face-toface, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You’ve been a humble steward of how I created you, with the gifts I gave you, through the people I put around you, in the circumstances I put in front of you—all for my glory. Well done. You did you.”

this month

ON THE WEBSITE

get exclusive content and extras only at christianstandard.com Creative Ways to Network with Pastors in Smaller Churches and Rural Areas In “Rural and Small-Church Best Practices: Pastoral Networking” (p. 38), Rick Lowry shows how several smaller churches as well as congregations in rural or small-town areas are overcoming isolation through intentional interaction and working together with other area ministers. The online article provides even more specific networking helps.

New Christian Standard Media Library in Quincy, Illinois Vital pieces of our Restoration Movement history have been preserved at our new archives in Quincy, Illinois. In “Raiders of the (Almost) Lost Artifacts” (p. 42), Jerry Harris tells the adventurous story of painstakingly preserving these priceless treasures, what was discovered, and what that might mean for you. Online, find more information if you plan to go to Quincy.

Taking Disciple-Making Movements to Rural Churches Could rural areas in the U.S. be the best places for rapid multiplication of disciples and churches when leaders of those churches are taught how to implement the principles of disciple-making movements? In “The Phenomenon of Disciple-Making Movements” (p. 54), Doug Lucas says he believes they are, and he provides lots of evidence and several steps rural (or any) churches can take to supercharge growth. We provide more resources and links on our website.

including this month’s... ++ Letter from the Publisher ++ Letter from the Editor ++ MinistryLife

New each day @ christianstandard.com

@michaelcmack @michaelcmack @michaelcmack /AuthorMichaelCMack

CS Blog This Week’s Bible Study This Week’s Communion Meditation News Story of the Week The Restoration Movement Archive E2: Effective Elders Blog Nondenominationalish

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move ment BY DAVID DUMMITT

3 Imperatives for Healthy, Effective Rural Church Planters

The U.S. Department of Agriculture quantifies rural areas as the 14 percent of the U.S. population that lives on 72 percent of the land. That 14 percent sounds deceptively small, but in reality it’s 46 million people . . . real people with real lives, real joys, real problems . . . and a real need for the gospel. It’s fanciful to think rural areas are saturated with picturesque, steeple-laden churches where everyone in town gathers for potlucks, prayers, and tight-knit biblical community— Mayberry, if you will. But the realities of modern, rural America are more sinister than such stereotypes.

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. /DavidDummitt

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community

More and more people are moving to urban areas, which has decreased rural populations. Rural communities are experiencing slow economic development, lagging education and health care, opioid epidemics, high suicide rates, and more; and all of those things are having devastating effects on households. Rural areas are not gospel-saturated—the need for Jesus is real. When Jesus commanded we go into all the nations, he used the word ethnos, which means “a people group joined by practicing similar customs or common culture.” Jesus wasn’t referring only to countries, but also to smaller pockets of subcultures found in unique and individual communities. So, while more and more people are moving from rural areas to cities, the church needs to double down on sending people into the rural field to plant life-giving, mission-focused, peopleloving churches. Church planting in rural areas has unique challenges and unquestionable opportunities. Here are three factors rural church planters need in order to be healthy and effective: C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

It is not good for church planters to be alone, and isolation is one of the biggest obstacles rural church planters face. The statistic at the start of this article—15 percent of the people living on 72 percent of the land—means there is a lot of wide-open space between people and places in rural America. That kind of isolation can be difficult to cope with, which is why it is critical that rural church planters build a support network of some kind. (See Rick Lowry’s article on “Pastoral Networking” starting on page 38.) Shannon O’Dell wrote in Transforming Church in Rural America, For centuries, the rural church has been isolated and insulated from the greater Body of Christ by the sheer realities of geography. Those days are gone. There’s absolutely no reason that we cannot be networking together as leaders—those who are resisting the urge to settle—by sharing resources, encouragement, wisdom, and vision. We do not have to do it alone anymore; together we can do so much more and do it so much better. Rural church planting needs to occur in community, and it’s advantageous for church planters to tackle isolation head-on. Multisite models can work well in rural settings to facilitate connection with other pastors and church leaders, provide access to resources, and be part of something that’s larger than themselves. Church-planting networks like Stadia or NewThing make use of modern technology to help church planters fend off struggles with isolation by providing encouragement, support, shared resourcing, training, and more.

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- MOVEMENT -

contextualization Calling an area “rural” casts a wide net. Ed Stetzer wrote in Christianity Today, Knowing that a place is rural does not mean you know its heart or its needs; it simply means you know its broadest classification. Stopping there would be like hearing someone’s name, then assuming you know them intimately without asking any further questions. We know the culture of San Francisco, New York, Nashville, Atlanta, and other big cities are distinct from one another. In the same way, rural communities have their own unique cultures, customs, and heritage. We can’t approach rural church planting with formulaic, one-size-fits-all methods. We must take the time to get to know the people and their history, learn their needs, and then build accordingly. Rural church planting also requires contextualizing success. A church planter in a small community isn’t going to measure success by the number of people attending, but by the number and percentage of people engaged in authentic, biblical community. A healthy rural church will look at metrics that measure influence, such as the percentage of the area’s population that goes to the church, or the return on investment of an outreach event. It’s unlikely that rural churches will be big churches. But if people are being transformed by the gospel and walking with God and applying what they’re learning at church in the community, that’s a win. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Commitment Church planting—urban, suburban, and rural—requires grit and a long-term commitment. A church planter heading to a rural community needs to have stickability. In small towns where everybody knows everybody, or at least knows of them, it takes time to be grafted in as a trusted member of the community. A successful small-town church planter has the heart of a missionary and the mental fortitude to say, “I’m staying.” Planting a healthy church in a rural community requires digging in and loving a few people for a long time. Rural America needs life-giving, missionfocused churches. The hope of the gospel in these spaces is highly relevant and deeply needed. As we strive to obey Jesus’ command to go into all the nations, let us pursue opportunities to go and send planters into these wide-open spaces. 

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e2:

effective elders

‘Feed my sheep’

It was probably one of the most impactful moments of Peter’s life. John 21 tells the story. After Jesus’ resurrection, while the disciples are fishing from a boat, Jesus appears on the beach, starts a fire, and fixes breakfast for them. After another fishproducing miracle, Jesus calls the disciples in for breakfast. After they eat, Jesus engages Peter in a powerful discussion. Three times, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Three times, Peter emphatically states that he does. Three times, Jesus exhorts Peter to fulfill a specific task. Jesus concludes round one of this exchange by telling Peter literally, “Be grazing my lambs” (Greek text). In the second exchange, Jesus says, “Be shepherding my sheep.” In round three, Jesus tells Peter, “Be grazing my sheep.” As my colleague Gary Johnson says, “In the New Testament, if it’s repeated, it’s important!” Jesus requests the same thing of Peter three times. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

BY DAVID ROADCUP

David Roadcup is cofounder and outreach director for e2. He also serves as professor of discipleship and global outreach representative with TCM International Institute. He is also on the board of directors of Christian Arabic Services. - 15 -

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The Need for Nourishment

In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller says a good shepherd was responsible not only for finding good pasture but also for working hard to create good pasture by tilling and planting. He would plant good grasses, “special grains and legumes.” Shepherds were responsible for ensuring their sheep were well-fed. Jesus was calling Peter, as a shepherd of the church, to focus on making sure the “flock” was both well-shepherded and well-fed. We can’t miss this main point Jesus was making. In today’s church, a primary responsibility of an effective elder and church staff team is to be sure there are quality teachers and adequate opportunities for believers to be taught and trained. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Are the believers in our churches being wellfed? Our sheep need nourishment through effective, frequent, and quality exposure to the Word of God. The Holy Spirit, working through the Scriptures, brings personal, spiritual transformation (Romans 12:1, 2). As Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe” (New American Standard Bible, author’s emphasis). Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson conducted extensive research on the spiritual development of the people of Willow Creek Church, South Barrington, Illinois. (The original report was published as a survey, Reveal, and subsequently as a book, Move, which every elder should read.) The research revealed exposure to the Word of God at Willow Creek was a main element in changing the lives of their people. Hawkins and Parkinson wrote, Here’s one simple yet profound fix that came from this survey. We learned that the most effective strategy for moving people forward in their journey of faith is biblical engagement. Not just getting people into the Bible when they’re in church—which we do quite well—but helping them engage the Bible on their own outside of church. The Word of God is a key to spiritual nurture and health. - 16 -

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- E2: EFFECTIVE ELDERS -

Two Key Questions

Food and Drink Believers are fed spiritually through effective exposure to Scripture. It is our food and drink. The writer of Hebrews uses the words milk (5:12, 13) and solid food (5:12) to describe the Word. Jesus, the Word, calls himself “the bread of life” (John 6:35). David the psalmist calls the Word of God “sweeter than honey” (Psalm 119:103). Hebrews 6:5 talks about tasting the Word of God. All of these food images are making this point: When believers are taught the Word of God and learn to read it for themselves, Scripture does for their spiritual lives what eating a good meal does for their physical bodies. It is the same principle. Scripture provides the spiritual nutrition needed for health and strength. It is the grand banquet table for us to enjoy! A focal issue we face today as leaders in the church is this: In many churches, people are starving spiritually due to the lack of effective, quality Bible teaching. George Barna, who has researched biblical illiteracy in America, says today’s typical Christ follower has dramatically less understanding and knowledge of Scripture than Christians of previous decades. Students, no matter their age, often do not recognize the names (or associated stories) of Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jonah, Joseph, and others. This may be partly due to eliminating delivery systems such as VBS and Bible school from our churches, but not replacing them with anything. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Elders and staff should discuss two key questions together: 1. Do our people have enough regular and frequent access to well-prepared and effectively delivered spiritual meals that will provide the nourishment they need to live fruitful and successful Christian lives? A church’s leadership team should closely examine the number of opportunities offered in a normal seven-day period for church members to attend and be fed. Many churches do a good job at offering multiple opportunities each week. In other cases, very few teaching opportunities are offered . . . . just the sermon in the Sunday morning worship service. Please understand, offering only one “meal” per week will not produce personal spiritual transformation, no matter how good the sermon. There must be additional opportunities through small groups, men’s and women’s studies, seminars, retreats, Bible-centered youth programs, and church camping ministries. 2. Do our people know how to feed themselves spiritually? It’s crucial to teach our people how to read, study, memorize, meditate upon, and apply the Word for themselves. I find that most Christians are open to learning, and are very grateful when taught, the basic principles of reading, studying, and internalizing Scripture. Convincing people to participate in Bible studies can be the bigger issue, and might even require careful strategic planning. People are extremely busy! The leadership team should ask the Lord to create a hunger and thirst for the things of God in the lives of their people. Fellow elders and staff, let us focus on the compelling request of Jesus in John 21 and feed our sheep. Lead well!  - 17 -

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met rics BY KENT FILLINGER

A Snapshot of Rural America and Restoration Movement Churches Nonmetropolitan or “rural” counties make up 72 percent of the land area in the United States and are home to 14 percent of the nation’s population. The landscape of small towns and rural America is changing in distinct ways. Using U.S. Census Bureau data, Brookings Institution researcher William H. Frey reported, “Not only has the nonmetropolitan population remained much whiter than the rest of the nation, it is also getting older faster and shrinking in size” (www.brookings.edu). Almost three-fourths of these rural counties are at least 70 percent white, according to Census Bureau data. The age gap is continuing to widen, with one-third of rural residents belonging to the 55-plus age group, compared with 27 percent in metropolitan areas. Two-thirds of rural counties lost population, according to this recent data. And in all states except Hawaii and Montana, rural areas either declined more or grew less than their metropolitan counterparts.

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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These demographic shifts, I must assume, also apply to the locations of many of our rural Restoration Movement churches. Of the 429 churches that responded to our 2017 annual church survey, 39 percent reported they were located in a small-town or rural community. These 169 small-town or rural churches were located in 35 states, the top three being Indiana (28 churches), Kentucky (18), and Illinois (17). Among very small churches that participated in our survey, 59 percent were located in a smalltown or rural community, compared with only 18 percent of emerging megachurches. Almost

With the exception of megachurches, on average, rural churches are 10 years older than their urban counterparts (average start dates of 1937 and 1947, respectively). On the other hand, rural church ministers were younger in every church size except for emerging megachurches and large churches. Overall, the average ages of lead ministers, rural and urban, were 49.1 and 50.8, respectively. Rural lead ministers, according to 2017 data, have the lengthiest tenures in every church-size category except megachurches and very small churches. The lead ministers of rural churches were a little less likely to be hired from within the church (22 percent vs. 26 percent overall). The largest percentage of rural churches used only a contemporary/modern worship style (41 percent). The second most common was blended only (31 percent). (For more about worship styles, see my article in the September issue.) Total giving in these rural churches averaged 11 percent less than average giving in all C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

half (48 percent) of the medium and small churches were located in such rural settings, and one-fourth of megachurches had at least one multisite location there. Only 12 percent of the small-town and rural churches used a multisite model. All these multisite churches were either megachurches, emerging megachurches, or large churches. Growth rates and baptism ratios for small-town and rural churches (denoted simply as “rural” moving forward) and churches in suburban and urban settings (“urban”) were mixed. Here’s a chart of the data.

churches. Average per-person giving in rural churches was less than the overall averages in every category except megachurches and large churches. Financial giving to outreach ministries varied little among rural and urban churches. The Brookings Institution article “Finding the ‘American Dream’ in Rural America” might help explain the lower level of giving in our rural churches. In it, Fred Dews noted, “Rural Americans, on average, experience lower incomes, lower levels of education, and lower life expectancy than their urban counterparts, and overall, rural communities are more likely to exhibit persistent poverty.” If poverty is a reality in your rural location, the Human Needs Index, a collaboration between the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and The Salvation Army, could be helpful to you and your church. To learn more about poverty and the physical needs in your state, visit www. humanneedsindex.org.  - 19 -

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hori zons BY EMILY DRAYNE

missions and outreach in a rural setting

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

Growing up in a small town, it was easy to look beyond the borders of my community and dream of big cities and far-off places. I never considered my town to be a mission field. Missionaries who came to talk and put up displays at our church were always from a foreign country; I never thought of reaching out to people of my hometown to talk about Christ. But, in reality, there are many outreach opportunities specifically beneficial for rural churches. Here are some ideas for how rural churches can engage in outreach.

/emilydrayne @edrayne0530 @edrayne0530 www.theicom.org

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Look Around You The first thing to do when starting a new outreach program is to look around. What can your church do in your own town and community that isn’t being done? It isn’t necessary to start big. Sometimes it takes a while for a program and ideas to develop, and then new aspects can be incorporated after the program is in motion. Kids’ programs are among the easiest to start. Think of the people you’re serving. Is your community established? Is it a lower-income area? What can be done for the kids in your town? Providing school supplies to children has become popular the last few years. My home church, Hazelwood Christian Church near Clayton, Indiana, is among the churches that do this well. The area is diverse with many families who are struggling to make ends meet. The church acted on this need. They threw a “Back to School Bash” for the kids in the community. The event provided not just school supplies like pencils, notepads, and backpacks, but also services that families may not be able to afford. Hair stylists gave free haircuts to children and nail stylists provided manicures to girls. There were even free pony rides and a meal! This type of event shows your community you care about them even if they don’t attend your church. It also helps involve local businesses, which can donate goods and money or serve as a collection point for donated items.

Think About Partnership Consider partnering with other churches in your area, especially if you have similar goals or activities. Why not work together to make the C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

events bigger and better? Are churches of other nationalities meeting near you? If so, you can probably find some ways your church families could support each other. Among churches I’ve attended, I’ve seen partnerships form to send kids to camp, sponsor dinners, host VBS, share a cultural experience, and combine youth groups for a special activity (like bowling or a go-kart night). There are opportunities for adults and children. Many people within a church have similar passions. I know of one church that ministers to the homeless; volunteers come twice a week to put together meals that teams distribute later that week. It’s a massive effort to give away food each week. In the winter, they hand out coats and blankets. And while they’re meeting physical needs, they’re also showing the light of Christ.

Find Ways to Go Global Don’t forget to think globally. What missionaries are you supporting? Try to bring some international flare to your church family. A mission trip to a foreign country is a fantastic way for your church to see how people live outside of your town. Consider adopting an unreached people group and commit to praying for that country, town, village, and people. Maybe someday you can visit the people for whom you’ve been praying. God is doing amazing things all over the world. Don’t miss out on seeing it!

Never Stop Dreaming No matter the size of your church or town, the possibilities are endless with the Lord’s help. Pray about where God may be leading your church, and be specific about opportunities that interest you, be they near or far away. And be bold with your outreach goals. Whenever I wanted to make a new goal or change something in my life, my dad always told me to pray about a plan, create the plan, and carry out the plan. That is true with missions, as well. Set priorities for your church, create a plan, and then carry it out. God will see you through if you plan according to his will.  - 21 -

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mini stry life BY BENJAMIN STROUP

blessing a barn quilt The smell of cow was new for me. I grew up in a city, and life as an adult is altogether different here in Maysville, Kentucky (population: 10,000 people, 40,000 cows). As a child, on those rare occasions when we would drive by cows, everyone in the car would throw back their heads and “mooooo.” Now cows live in the field across from my house. It’s definitely not Cincinnati! Many days, the essence of cow manure wafts across the road and regales us. It’s not the sound of cows (or humans) mooing that’s

Benjamin Stroup serves as lead pastor at Highland Christian Church in Maysville, Kentucky. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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unbearable . . . except for those occasions in the middle of the night when four or five cows start talking and won’t stop. When I moved to Maysville, I couldn’t point to a cow and name its breed. I could pick out a New York strip steak, perhaps, but I couldn’t describe a live cow much beyond its color. My first day in Maysville, during the “get to know you” Q&A at Highland Christian Church, an older lady raised her hand and told me there were lots of lost people we needed to reach. I loved her instantly. Garneda was the type who would regularly give the “Kentucky handshake”—slipping a $20 bill into my palm, just because. She would take my family out to lunch and always picked the nicer places in town. So the day this kind widow asked a favor of me, I didn’t hesitate. I would have helped her with anything. That’s when she asked me to “pray at my barn quilt blessing.” Hmmm . . . I wasn’t expecting that. I had to look up what a barn quilt was— it’s “the painting hung over a barn door.” I was lost. None of my friends or mentors knew what I was talking about, and I couldn’t find any help for this sort of thing in my Christian Minister’s Manual. Garneda, a prominent community member, said some bigwigs would probably be at this shindig. How would I bless a barn quilt and not look like a goofball? How could I come across as spiritual without turning off anyone by seeming phony? Over the years, I’ve been invited to help artificially inseminate cows and band steer (but refuse to be a part of either). I have been a judge at a 4-H food-o-rama where I unknowingly ate turtle, rabbit potpie, and deer steak. I follow tractors on the road almost daily. I have given the opening prayer for cattle auctions that draw cattlemen from all over the country. The people and things I have seen and experienced during my time in rural ministry have been like nothing I ever imagined. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Rural ministry has taught me that people—no matter their zip code, income, or acreage—are far from God and need to be reached. Within 20 miles of my church, as the crow flies (your mileage—on our curvy roads—may vary!), are 50,000 people who don’t have a committed relationship with Jesus. That includes friends, neighbors, and family of the people who go to my church. And my church is committed to connecting with them where they are and reaching them for Christ. So on that spring day, I went down the road to Garneda’s barn and did the best I could to thank God for “creativity and beauty” and bless the barn quilt. I didn’t put on airs or make it something it wasn’t. All I could do was love Garneda, and her friends, by being a presence on that day and remind them of the God who loves them and sent his Son for them. It was just another new experience in the rural ministry life I’ve embraced.  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. - 23 -

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imag ine BY MEL MCGO WAN

Town Story, Church Story

// Loving God, Loving People, and Changing Lives in Rural Illinois Central Christian Church in rural Mount Vernon, Illinois, views church as a waypoint: a place to pause, recharge, and then prepare to go back out into the world to continue sharing the gospel. The church’s wooded surroundings are picturesque and agrarian; its people are proud of being disconnected from the hustle and bustle of city life. Central’s philosophy is that church should never be a country club, a “fort,” or a place where everything stops. Because their mission is to “love God and love people” and their vision is to be a “life-changing church,” they emphasize continuous growth and motion, from their youngest members to their adult ministry.

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

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My former architectural design team led a master planning project for Central in 2012, and the church has carried their branding into the present. They wanted to implement a connection café and a children’s building, while also integrating the soil-specific story of the town into the story of communicating love at the church.

Kid Depot: A ‘Fundustrial’ Warehouse Because industry has been important to Mount Vernon’s economy over the years, Central’s leadership team wanted to weave the idea of packaging, sorting, and sending the gospel to the world into their master plan and design. For the kids’ space in particular, the church wanted to communicate the idea that they are training up and discovering “lights of the world” for the gospel. The entire concept of the Kid Depot building was designed with the idea of a “fundustrial” warehouse facility in mind. The building’s exterior resembles a shipping container, with an asymmetrical “opening” at the roofline on one side. This glass-paneled skylight, which allows natural light to filter into the facility, resembles an open container’s “lid”—like a box opening that reveals what’s inside. The building is divided into four segments: Check-in, “Receiving” (nursery-toddlers), “Sorting” (preschool), and “Warehouse” (K-5). A minimalist design sensibility was implemented throughout the building, with a color palette of oranges, grays, and whites. The design team primarily used graphic treatments with some fully fabricated decor to realize the “sorting warehouse” vision Central’s team chose for the facility. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Kid Depot’s check-in area features truss work designs that span the desk and kiosk areas, as well as galvanized gooseneck lamps suspended from the ceiling. The desks and kiosks resemble wooden shipping crates, and directional infographics lead families and children down the hallways and into their respective areas. The Receiving area for babies and toddlers conveys the metaphor of “wrapping up the message of Christ” and bringing it into the world—much like parents wrap their babies in diapers . . . and in love and affection. As Central’s young families bring their children up in the world, the children learn to wrap the gospel close to their hearts from an early age. After the young children have been wrapped, or “packed,” they move into the Sorting area for their preschool years. “We’ve packed up the gospel,” says Johnny Davis, creative director of Spatial Storytelling at PlainJoe Studios, “and now we’re sorting it as the kids enter preschool.” An iconographic input area leading toward the preschool rooms shows images of kids being sorted into their purpose in Christ. - 25 -

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“It’s designed like a simple infographic you might see in a packing warehouse to instruct employees as to how to pack and sort goods,” Davis says. The hallway design is based on the idea of a conveyor that splits off into four different directions. Each path boasts graphic displays that describe different facets of God’s truth, and all lead to an indoor/outdoor teaching area with a centrally located stage. For preschoolage kids at Central, the emphasis is sorting out their faith, their purpose, and God’s character. Entering the elementary area in the K-5 Warehouse is like walking through a portal of unshipped boxes that reemphasize the idea of sending. In the group teaching area, wall graphics depict hoists preparing to put boxes on various forms of transportation, like planes, trains, boats, and automobiles. By the time students move out of the elementary classes, they’ve been metaphorically packaged, sorted, and sent into the world with the gospel. “They’ve learned who they are, what their character is in God, what his character is, and what his purpose is for their lives. Now, they’re sending that out into the world,” Davis says. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

The Hub: A Connections Café for the Church and the Community “The Hub” is Central’s café space that connects the kids’ building to the main auditorium. It’s all about connecting with families, small groups, regular attendees, and visitors. Central’s team opted for a simple, modern, minimalist architecture with a fundustrial overlay for the Hub. This design ties the Hub back into the blue-collar, working-class feel of the Kid Depot and the local area. And even though the design of the café is clean and modern, it doesn’t feel out of place in the town. Central is an excellent example of a church that has embraced its past, fully owned its local culture and economy, and leveraged those attributes to propel it into the future. By continuing to embody regional values and emphasize continuous forward momentum, they’ll touch their community with the gospel for generations to come.  - 26 -

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BY RICHARD M. CRABTREE

3 KEYS

TO EFFECTIVE MINISTRY IN A SMALL TOWN Jesus has commissioned the church to “go into all the world” and make disciples, and all the world certainly includes small towns. According to the 2000 Census, a population of 1,000 to 10,000 constitutes a “small town.” The majority of us in Christian ministry will spend a lifetime investing in small towns, so the question is: How can we allow God to make the most of our time in small-town America? Of my 47 years of ministry, all but five have been in the small-town, rural setting. I have found the following keys most effective while doing small-town ministry:

FOCUS ON ONE THING AND DO IT WELL Ben Merold advises leaders of small-town churches to find a niche. In other words, do one thing that is unique to your church and the community in which you live, and do it well. Do one thing well. Do not do what other people are doing, only better. Do something that you do to the exclusion of others, and do it with quality and excellence. Love and commitment grab the attention of the people in your small town. Achieving this will take commitment from every leader in the church. The niche you fill must be a priority. There must be commitment to it, and an investment of resources to sustain it with excellence, not just as an outreach but as a ministry. For 30 years the Odon (Indiana) Christian Church has been known for its daycare and preschool ministry. The local school system highly recommends it. People, not only in the small town of Odon but also in the surrounding towns, speak highly of this ministry. As a result of this consistent commitment to quality in Christian education and care for preschoolers, it has become the church’s No. 1 evangelistic tool. The majority of young families and small children who find Christ through this church came first through the daycare and preschool ministry. It is the niche for this growing church in a small town of 1,200 people. People in small towns grieve over losses, celebrate births, and take pride in their communities and schools. All of these provide opportunities to minister. The town of Loogootee, Indiana, population 2,200, hosts an event called Summerfest each June. Despite high heat and humidity, many folks gather on Main Street to enjoy deep-fried food, watch their kids and grandkids participate in pageants, walk in the parade, cool off with a lemon shakeup, and—most of all—visit with neighbors and former classmates. There is a concert each evening, and it all culminates with fireworks.

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When our new church campus in Loogootee was deciding how we might get involved, a unique need came to light: cleanup. So instead of setting up a booth or entering the parade along with all the other churches, we descend on Main Street with gloves and trash bags after everything has ended. We pick up litter and empty trash barrels. It takes only a short amount of time, with lots of laughter thrown in. The festival organizers are always exhausted by this time of the night, so they greet us warmly and thank us profusely for this small act of kindness that has become our niche. They publicly thank us on social media, and we have found this opens the door for us to invite people to our campus where they can hear the gospel that propels us to such simple actions. Your church’s niche might be a Celebrate Recovery ministry, or Narcotics Anonymous, or ministering to grieving families. Determining your niche requires getting to know your town and finding what sets you apart from other churches. Always keep in mind your niche should open a door to share the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ with the people in your town. Whatever your niche is, be aware it will have a shelf life. Make sure the niche remains a means to an end and not an end within itself. When the horse is dead, dismount. When the niche appears to be losing effectiveness, find another one.

KEEP PEOPLE CLEARLY IN FOCUS Jesus loved people. If we are to be like Christ, we must continually show compassion to individuals. In the small-town setting, we can become very familiar with people and track whether they attend church. Many people in a small town see themselves as religious but never attend a Sunday-morning service. We have known these people for years and see them on a regular basis in restaurants, local businesses, and at school athletic events and concerts. In small-town America, it’s easy to see people as residents of the community but not as lost without Christ. In the few years I spent in a metropolitan area, I cared for and ministered to people with many problems and issues. But those same problems exist in the small-town setting. Churches in small towns need to be prepared to deal with today’s dysfunction and sin. Marriage problems, drug addiction, alcoholism, sexual abuse, sexual-orientation concerns, depression, suicide, terminal illness, and a host of other issues all require the ministry of the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ. Every problem I dealt with while ministering to people in a major metropolitan area I have also encountered in small-town America. It is imperative we see people as Jesus sees them . . . as people with real needs that can be met and satisfied only by Jesus Christ. The economies in small-

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town America may be declining, but not the need for Jesus. Effective ministries in small towns must be passionate about giving people a daily encounter with Jesus through words and deeds.

PRAY AND KEEP PRAYING Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). The apostles prayed, the early church prayed, and Paul exhorted us to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And in Ephesians 6:18 the church is told to “always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” To be effective in a small town, it is essential for a church to devote itself to prayer. Before Redemption Christian Church in Jasper, Indiana, launched its Loogootee campus, the elder team met for extensive prayer in the building that would house the Loogootee campus. Redemption-Loogootee’s core membership also walked through the entire town praying for God to help us in the ministry of making disciples. Bryan Sanders has been ministering with Sandborn (Indiana) First Christian Church for 16 years. This growing church in a community of 400 people is committed to making disciples. A key to their effectiveness is to keep the church engaged together in meaningful prayer. Effective ministry in a small town requires the church to continually pray, requesting God’s strength, wisdom, and an opening into the doors and lives of people who live there. Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). My wife, Ruth, and I have spent more than four decades ministering in a small town. We are thankful for our calling and have no regrets. Making disciples in a small town is kingdom work. The population and economy in small-town America may be declining, but not the need for the gospel. The need for leaders and members of small-town churches in America to dedicate themselves to effective ministry has never been greater. Small towns have always been significant to the Restoration Movement’s identity, and we mustn’t forget that. Stephen Witmer in “Ministry in Small Towns: Worth a Lifetime Investment” (accessible at www.thegospelcoalition. org) wrote, “To the extent Christians forget the small places, we fail them.” A congregation in a small town must not allow its vision for effective ministry to be determined by the population sign at the edge of town. Let’s pray that some of our best, young, enthusiastic, and visionary ministers will embrace the small town. Churches in small towns can be effective in carrying out our commission to make disciples in all the world. 

Richard M. Crabtree serves as the Loogootee campus pastor of Redemption Christian Church, which also has a campus in Jasper, Indiana. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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BY TR ROBERTSON

MISSION-DRIVEN SUCCESS Rocky Fork Fellowship in tiny Hallsville, Missouri—population 1,500—grew from 40 to more than 400 in its first 10 years while meeting in the local middle school cafeteria. On March 4, 2018—11 years after the church’s founding—Rocky Fork gathered for their first Sunday together in a new building just south of town. A combined 841 worshippers attended two services. The following week, three Easter services brought in a total attendance of 977. Not surprisingly, the founders and leaders of the congregation have grown used to fielding questions about the secret to their success. “We try to pinpoint the things that might benefit another church,” says Scott Rice, the chairman of the elders. “Ultimately it goes back to God’s working in our lives and in this community.” “We had great people that were all in, that would do whatever it takes, that were Christ-centered,” says Mark Butrum, Rocky Fork’s senior minister. “There’s no magic formula. It’s lifting Christ above everything else and being bold enough to share him, wherever you are. That’s what makes churches successful.”

MISSION-DRIVEN GROWTH “We try to pull everything through the filter of our mission,” Rice says. “The mission is to make disciples.” Demographic studies revealed a lot of people, but not a lot of young families, were going to church in Hallsville. “The kids here in this school, they and their parents were not going to church,” Butrum says. “So the founders decided to launch a church that would focus on those families.” “We started with the philosophy of pushing things off the table that don’t affect doctrine,

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but do affect a person’s feeling of comfort in a church,” Rice explains. “Most of those things involve traditions that are comfortable and familiar to people who grew up in a church environment, but not to someone who didn’t have those same experiences. We address the music, the atmosphere we’re setting, the way we greet people. All those things are meant to make that unchurched person’s experience as good as possible.” The church’s founders hired a minister who shared their commitment to the mission of discipleship. “I’ve interviewed with other churches and asked the elders, ‘Where do you want to be in five years?’” Butrum says. “They’d say, ‘Uhh, well, we want to add some more classrooms.’” “That’s not the answer I wanted,” he says. “I wanted to hear, ‘We want to be on fire for Christ! We want to push back the gates of Hell! We want to burst into people’s lives! We want to bring them to Christ!’ “That’s what Rocky Fork was offering,” Butrum says. “And that’s what sold me. We want to do things differently. We want to break from tradition.” Rice says the church began with the assumption they were going to be successful and see growth. “We’ve built our practices, whether it’s business practices or policies or how we run a service, with the idea of doing things the way we would if we had 200 people here, or 400, or 1,000.” “One of the challenges with that is staffing,” Butrum says, “You need to staff ahead. But [it’s difficult when] you’ve got a budget that’s being fed by an immature congregation of 300 trying to finance a 500-person-style church.”

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The church added Chris Collier as executive minister to focus on the administrative and organizational challenges of the congregation. “For me it’s about identifying people I can come alongside,” Coller explains,“people I can interact with and not just ask, but challenge them to take that next step. I can’t do it all by myself, but if I get 10 people to do it with me, if we can all have that mentality of bringing more people into that process, it can work.” The church’s welcoming family atmosphere is unique. “People are quickly brought into that fold,” Collier says. “As we get bigger, that becomes more challenging, but I don’t think it becomes impossible. We may be able to recognize everyone’s name at 200 or 400, but will that continue at 600? That group of people who are able to recognize names needs to grow, as do other things, like small groups and ministries that can be ways of plugging people in.”

MISSIONDRIVEN EXPANSION After reaching an average attendance in the mid-400s about two years ago, the limitations of meeting in the school cafeteria effectively stalled the growth. “We’d hit a peak and then drop off, then hit a peak and drop off again,” says Butrum, describing a widely-known church-growth phenomenon. “We were exceeding the 80 percent capacity, after which we’d drop off.” “We just couldn’t stay in the school any longer,” Rice says. “Our effectiveness in that building was done. We had to move forward.”

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The cafeteria also lacked flexibility with regard to scheduling ministry activities. “That’s the big picture,” Butrum says. “We’re not about making buildings, we’re about making disciples.” “You can talk about [constructing a new] building, and the audience gets very excited,” Collier says “We try to always finish those conversations with a reminder that [the building] is a ministry tool.” If the church were in a larger city, an abandoned Walmart or other locations could have served as a transitional option while the church continued to grow. But in a rural town, no such places exist. Rocky Fork considered moving closer to Columbia, the nearby city of more than 120,000, but discovered the costs of building there would be higher. Besides, the church’s leaders say, a big-city setting didn’t suit Rocky Fork. “We’ve found that niche where young folk who are in the county or outside the city . . . can feel comfortable and get close to God,” Butrum says. “We’re a rustic, down-to-earth group, much different than what you find in the city.” “One thing people might take for granted,” says Rice, “is all the different components that have to come together to have a successful building project. It takes somebody—or the finances to hire somebody—with the ability to focus on these things. It can’t be just a volunteer who thinks about it casually.” Collier took on that role for Rocky Fork.

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“I didn’t have experience in a project like this,” Collier admits. “ I’ve managed small projects, but nothing on this scale. Nothing in the bigger construction world, nothing in commercial construction. “You’d think it would be simple to select your site and your size and pick out the [person and/ or company] to put it up,” Collier says. “But there’s so much to look into for meeting building codes in the county and getting all the design work done.” “I might not be here if we hadn’t hired someone else to do this,” Butrum says. “The old saying is, if you want to get rid of your minister, start a building program. Most ministers don’t survive it without real help.” “Chris was able to put the raw data in one place and say, this is what it might look like if we did it this way,” Butrum says. “That was really helpful for us. We were able to right-size the building to match the budget, keeping all those comparisons in focus. How much we need versus how much we could afford.” “It’s about creating an opportunity that doesn’t financially burden the church beyond what is necessary,” Collier says, “but gets us into a place that provides us room to grow.”

MISSION-DRIVEN VISION With a congregation made up largely of new Christians, maturing them to the point of giving money to a building project was another part of the mission. “Everything is about moving them from outside the church—pre-churched, pre-Christian— to being Christ-centered, where everything revolves around him,” Butrum says. Discipleship leads to attendance, involvement, evangelism, and giving, and to all those other key components many churches take for granted. “Rocky Fork exists to bring people to Christ and to transform them into believers,” Butrum says. “[The building is] not the main thing.”

The congregation purchased 28 acres just south of Hallsville in 2016. Early in 2017 they signed on with a local contractor. On June 4, 2017, about 250 people lined up along the staked-out footprint of the new building, armed with shovels. First they turned their backs to the building site and looked out in all directions to the county and towns around them and prayed for the people who could be reached by the growth of this church. Then they turned toward their future church building and began digging. Men, women, teens, and small children all set to work turning over the soil. Work began on the project immediately thereafter. Just before Easter this year, the church’s new tool for disciple making was ready. “This is a milestone, not the finish line,” Butrum told an enthusiastic crowd at a building dedication service two days before the first Sunday in the new building. “In our eleven years, we had the amazing opportunity to bring more than 260 people to Christ and to be baptized. Our goal is not to build buildings, but to make Jesus the most important relationship in our lives. This building will be an important tool in accomplishing that mission.” Over the first two months following that grand opening and the colossasl Easter audience, attendance averaged 518 for the Sunday services. The average in the months prior to completion of the building had been 420. The sudden jump in crowd size brings new challenges each week. They’ve found, though, that all those years of creatively adapting to the challenges of meeting in the school prepared them well. “Many of the same people who arrived early and stayed late at the school are still doing that in our new building, willing to chip in wherever needed,” Collier says. “The beautiful thing is to see that continued fellowship among our family.” 

TR Robertson is a freelance writer living in Columbia, Missouri.

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BY RICK LOWRY

RURAL AND SMALL-CHURCH BEST PRACTICES:

PASTORAL NETWORKING How several smaller churches and congregations in rural or small-town areas are overcoming isolation through intentional interaction and working together with other area ministers Pastors who minister in rural areas or smaller towns can sometimes feel isolated. Most have good friends who are members of their church, but it often takes a pastor to understand a pastor. Interaction with other ministers can be a source of encouragement, a place to discuss problems, and a great way to hear new ideas. Many pastors of smaller churches have found creative ways to get together with one another for support and networking. Pastors often fellowship with one another in traditional settings like a ministerial alliance, while others use modern tools and technology to network.

RURAL NETWORKING Tom Claibourne has been preaching minister with Bethlehem Church of Christ in Adams County, Ohio, for 39 years. Tom and six other pastors in the county get together monthly for breakfast or lunch. They are also part of a larger gathering called the Fi-County Ministerial Association. The pastors take turns hosting, under the direction of an annually elected chairman. There is usually a guest speaker; recently David Roadcup spoke about pastor-elder relationships. Roundtable discussions always follow the speaker’s presentation. The Adams County pastors’ gatherings and the larger regional ministerial association both use email to exchange ideas and communicate between meetings. Claibourne and others share articles that are helpful to church leaders. In the early years of Claibourne’s ministry at BCC, pastoral networking was along traditional lines, like a Sunday-night preacher exchange or youth rallies sponsored by the combined churches in the county. Those eventually evolved into what has become one big annual event, “The Sights and Sounds of Christmas.” At this gathering, each church provides a portion of the music and everyone brings snacks and desserts for fellowship afterward. The Adams County churches also combine to sponsor a tent at the county fair for folks to shelter from the heat. It’s been a great way for pastors and their churches to fellowship and meet new people.

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Jim Bush, senior minister with Hillsboro (Ohio) Church of Christ, enjoys attending monthly gatherings of Hillsboro-area ministers who meet September through May. Forty pastors are on the mailing list, with 15 to 25 attending any given meeting. The typical format is: (1) breakfast; (2) information and event sharing; (3) guest message or teaching time; (4) shared prayer. Philip Davis, associate pastor of Lebanon (Indiana) Christian Church but formerly associate pastor of Stroh Church of Christ, Hudson, Indiana, recalls how he and a couple of other Stroh-area ministers hosted “FWAMM”—the Fort Wayne Area Ministers’ Meeting. It was a gathering of 30 to 75 pastors for leadership development, worship, prayer, and food. Speakers were invited to address topics like conflict, worship, or youth ministry. Churches rotated as hosts. Davis says in a rural setting, connecting every month for communication and encouragement is essential so that no one feels alone in ministry. MailChimp, a free email marketing service, was used to keep the FWAMM attendees in touch between meetings. While at Stroh, Davis developed deep relationships with a group of area youth pastors who would meet each month to plan camp, support each other, go over best practices, and create events for their youth groups. Jonathan Willmore is discipleship minister with New Lisbon (Indiana) Christian Church, a congregation of 200 in a community with 500 homes. Willmore uses technology to help connect with others, most commonly by using Google Hangouts, which is free and userfriendly. He initiates the call and sends an invitation to the other pastors with whom he networks. He also creates community using a free Zoom account with unlimited usage. Even though Willmore has found great ways to connect from a distance online, he still enjoys personal interaction. He regularly meets with two minister friends from nearby small towns at a local library or restaurant.

LARGER CHURCHES IN SMALLER TOWNS Zach Hacker is discipleship coordinator at Better Life Church in Morehead, Kentucky; it’s a large church located in a smaller town. Hacker has found value in networking with smallgroup pastors all over the nation. He has become part of a national community of smallgroup pastors called Small Group Network (smallgroupnetwork.com) and has reached out to small-group pastors in other large churches in smaller towns. The online connection has been great, but the site also encourages face-to-face interaction in “huddles.” When Hacker discovered there were no huddles in his area, he decided to start one. We tend to think of rural churches as small, but that isn’t the case with the La Grange (Kentucky) Campus of Louisville’s Southeast Christian Church, one of the largest churches in the country. The La Grange campus averages 1,400 for Sunday worship, but it’s located in the relatively rural setting of Oldham County. Mike Berry, La Grange’s campus community pastor, is a member of the Oldham County Ministers Association; he attends their monthly meetings, and friendships have sprouted from that group. His church financially supports the OCMA “Good Samaritan Fund.”

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Berry sets up one-on-one lunches with as many OCMA pastors as possible. These friendships have relieved the fear smaller churches sometimes have about “the big church coming to town and taking their members.” In a spirit of unity, he and his Oldham County pastor friends have been able to live out the motto, “We know who the enemy is . . . and it is not each other.”

NETWORKING CHALLENGES Connection between pastors of rural and smaller churches has challenges. Doctrinal differences or differences in ministry philosophies can get in the way. Some ministers are skeptical or cautious when it comes to networking. Others are just not committed to the idea, so attempts at getting everyone together may last two or three meetings, but then the gatherings lose momentum. Nathaniel Kern, pastor of Salisbury (Illinois) Christian Church, has had trouble finding enough ministers within driving distance willing to create a group. His cell phone and Facebook have been a godsend. Kern offers these tips for networking in a rural setting: 1. Commit to connecting with other pastors, despite the challenges. 2. Try to make it local if possible. No one knows the unique challenges of rural ministry in your location better than other rural ministers from your area. 3. If the closest fellow pastor isn’t within driving distance, use technology to shorten that distance. Use Facebook, FaceTime, Skype, and other applications to connect with a fellow rural minister even though they’re hundreds of miles away. 4. Reach out to the closest seminary. They are bound to have students or alumni in rural settings who are hungry for ministerial support. 5. Know that there are other rural pastors who are rooting for you and praying for you. We know your frustrations, but we also know the importance of serving and sharing Jesus in these close-knit communities. Remember, almost half of all churches in the United States average 100 or fewer each weekend, and included among those are thousands of rural congregations . . . with thousands of rural pastors. Satan would love to keep pastors isolated, but God places us in loving community (Psalm 68:6; 1 Corinthians 12:18, 27) where we can support, encourage, accept, instruct, serve, and even admonish one another. We will accomplish more for God’s kingdom together than any of us can do alone!  Rick Lowry serves as spiritual growth pastor with First Church of Burlington, Kentucky.

online Extra: Visit ChristianStandard.com for web-only extras by Rick Lowry, including several more practical resources to help rural, small-town, or small-church pastors network.

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BY JERRY HARRIS

RAIDERS OF THE (ALMOST) LOST ARTIFACTS History preserved at new Christian Standard Media Library in Quincy, Illinois

I lacked only a fedora and bullwhip as I channeled Indiana Jones during the excavation of a deep, dark storage-facility locker in a suburb of Cincinnati. Three others joined this expedition: Mike Mack, Shawn McMullen, and Jim Nieman. And no, we didn’t discover the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail that day. In fact, upon first glance, the room seemed filled only with stacks of boxes on pallets, along with totes and other various objects, some wrapped in paper. But we soon began to understand the value and importance of what we were rummaging through. As the new publisher and editors of Christian Standard Media, we explored the unit’s contents and separated the wheat from the chaff . . . the priceless historical material from office supplies and outdated marketing displays and promotional items. The “good stuff” included items of artistic, literary, and historical value from the original library of Standard Publishing. These items were painstakingly preserved and shipped to their new home. What specifically did we find? We recovered every copy of Christian Standard dating back to 1866, along with every copy of The Lookout, Young People’s Standard, Pure Words, Junior Life, Jet Cadet, and every other printed magazine, all beautifully bound and preserved. It was a comprehensive and exhaustive history of our movement in tens of thousands of pages and millions of words.

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The boxes also contained the book library of Standard Publishing, including many first editions. There were large oil-on-canvas portraits of Isaac Errett, first editor of Christian Standard, and his son, Russell, wrapped in paper; original hand-painted artwork for covers of Christian Standard and other Standard Publishing products; and iconic pictures of the founders of this movement. Also part of the cache was the original handwritten ledger of the minutes of Standard Publishing signed by Isaac Errett, Russell Errett, and R. W. Carroll. For us, the discoveries were priceless!

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What would have become of this history had the Wicks Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the previous owners of the magazines and, before that, all of Standard Publishingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;decided to let them pass away? That will never be known because these magazines and other treasures are back safely in the hands of those who are part of our movement and care about its history. These relics are waiting to be remembered, reviewed, and reread.

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We thank those who had custody of these items and kept them safe for us and generations to come. They stand as a testimony of the passion and ministry zeal of those who have gone before us and their commitment to restore the first-century church in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, and beyond. Researchers are welcome to use the library— located at 909 Maine Street, Suite 2, in Quincy, Illinois—from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. We hope to also provide materials online, as time allows. If you have expertise and interest in helping with this process, we would love to talk to you. Contact us for details. 

online Extra: This article is also at ChristianStandard.com, along with web-only extras including contact information and other details about planning a trip.

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BY DOUG LUCAS

THE PHENOMENON OF

DISCIPLE-MAKING MOVEMENTS Rural areas in the U.S. may be the best places for rapid multiplication of disciples and churches! Over the past two decades, God has been working mightily through an approach commonly referred to as disciple-making movements (or DMMs. Some use the term CPM, short for church-planting movements, while others use T4T, meaning Training for Trainers. These three acronyms are, in many ways, synonymous, with only slight differences between them.) David Garrison was the first to write a book about this phenomenon, and his definition has become somewhat of the standard. In Church Planting Movements (2004), he defined that term as “a rapid multiplication of indigenous churches planting churches that sweeps through a people group or population segment” (p. 21). So, imagine a disciple-maker (like Paul) sharing his faith with a new disciple (like Timothy). Paul would then immediately train Timothy to share his faith with another individual. Timothy would proceed to train this new disciple to share his testimony with another, and so on. If this sounds a lot like 2 Timothy 2:2, you’ve captured it: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” When these “generations” happen in fairly rapid succession, perhaps within a couple of years, it can go viral, resulting in amazingly rapid growth—say, 1,000 or more baptisms within a year or two. And just as nuclear scientists try to create a process that will reach critical mass in a nuclear energy plant,

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church multiplication trainers are constantly searching for the “secret sauce” to reach the tipping point in fostering a disciple-making movement. Most movements seem to begin with some kind of training from outside. During this training, participants learn specific biblical paths for growth, discipleship processes that help new believers flourish along these biblical paths, and a posture of reliance on the Spirit of God to empower the process. (For more on this, see p. 2 of Steve Smith’s new book Spirit Walk.) Exactly how these movements take root is still somewhat of a mystery. Researchers have noted that few movements, if any, get off the ground without extraordinary prayer and abundant sowing of the gospel. But even when those two factors are in place, there are no guarantees. God alone, it seems, brings about a true movement. One might even refer to these movements as miracles. They appear to be acts of God’s divine will. As recently as 10 years ago, researchers were reporting about 100 such movements around the globe. But over the past few years, these movements have multiplied. Today, some researchers are reporting up to 600 or more worldwide. But how might such movements take place in decentralized rural churches in America? To this day, there appear to be few, if any, scholarly studies addressing that question. (Attention grad students: Here’s a possible topic for your thesis or dissertation.) But we can postulate some theories based on what we’re seeing globally.

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THE IMPACT Since movements of this type tend to travel along relational lines, and since many such relational networks tend to be broken in urban environments, some have theorized that DMMs are less likely to occur in cities than in rural areas. David Garrison has studied movements around the world, written about them in his aforementioned book, and conducted training sessions at the organization I oversee (Team Expansion). Garrison said he studied one worker in Ethiopia who had managed to start 4 churches in 30 years. Then, after receiving training in DMM, he saw 65 churches form in just 9 months. In Latin America, one stream of churches went from an active membership of 5,800 to 14,000 in one decade. At last count, attendance was running 38,000. In another region, not far away, a group of churches went from 129 congregations to 1,918 in just 10 years. Membership went from 7,000 to nearly 16,000. In a movement in Asia, the church grew from 85 believers in 1991 to 55,000 believers in 1998, with the number of congregations increasing from a handful to more than 550. In roughly the same time period, in India, a stream of churches grew from 28 congregations to 2,000. During those 7 years, 55,000 local people came to Christ. And that same decade, a stream of churches among the Khmer of Cambodia grew from 600 to more than 60,000. Virtually all of these examples happened in rural areas, where well-established kinship lines form strong conduits for the flow of the gospel. Garrison studied one movement in Southeast Asia that started with 3 churches and 85 believers among a population of 7 million. Four years later, God had established a movement with more than 550 churches and nearly 55,000 believers. Again, these were largely rural areas. Garrison documented a case in North Africa in which an Arab Muslim cleric complained that more than 10,000 Muslims living in the surrounding mountains had left Islam and C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

become Christians. And in a city in China, Garrison found that more than 20,000 people had come to faith in Christ over a four-year period (1993-97), resulting in more than 500 new churches. Latin America was no exception: A movement there grew from 235 churches in 1990 to more than 3,200 in 1998. And again in Central Asia, believers in one area grew from 200 to 15,000 in just one year. Garrison continues to track these movements—20,000 conversions in just 4 years in a region of China, church launches doubling inside of 6 months in a Western European country, and 383 churches starting in just one state in Brazil. Again, in probably 90 percent of these cases, incredible growth is occurring in rural areas, not cities. A friend told me about leading a one-month training session in Asia in 2000. Afterward, he said, a training participant launched 20 small groups in just a few weeks. My friend trained him some more, and 7 months later, the movement had grown to 327 new groups that were becoming “simple churches” that included some 4,000 baptized believers. My friend provided more training. By the end of the first year, there were 908 new house churches with more than 12,000 newly baptized members. And the following year, after still more training, there were 3,535 new churches with more than 50,000 baptisms. At that point, researchers came to study the network and found that some of the new churches had reproduced themselves as many as 17 times in just 18 months. The astounding thing is that, by the end of that year, the movement had grown by another 104,000 baptisms and more than 9,000 new churches. Despite persecution, disease, a difficult political situation, and many spiritual attacks, the movement has continued its remarkable growth. By 2008, researchers found that nearly 2 million baptisms had been added to the kingdom through this one movement—all in less than a decade—and more than 80,000 new churches had been established. This growth happened largely in rural areas. - 56 -

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RURAL VS. URBAN: SOME THEORIES

TRYING THIS APPROACH IN YOUR TOWN

In addition to the idea that kinship lines are a key to unlocking DMMs, people have other theories for this remarkable growth. But keep in mind that these are theories and that little, if any, scholarly work has sought answers to these questions. We know, for example, that values can vary widely across the urban/rural spectrum. Consider, for example, the Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation survey of nearly 1,700 Americans that found nearly 7 in 10 rural residents say their values differ from those of people who live in big cities. (Read more at https:// kaiserf.am/2L3Ax9f.) If these respondents are correct, maybe traditional rural values come alive when empowered by DMM training. In the United States, at least, poverty is higher in rural areas (see “The Conversation” website charts at https://bit.ly/2ivze2h). Maybe these individuals experience greater struggles and are therefore searching for spiritual answers more so than their more-satisfied counterparts in cities. Surprisingly, the same report indicated there seem to be more entrepreneurs in rural areas than in cities. If this is true, maybe residents in rural regions are more accustomed to launching new models and processes, perhaps partly because they’ve had to learn to do so just to survive. A 2013 study by a University of Kentucky professor found that both trust and social interaction can be substantially higher in rural areas than in cities. (Learn more at https://bit.ly/2uJjoH2.) Perhaps this social “presence” provides a better network for gospel growth.

The first step in implementing a disciplemaking movement outreach in your town is to pray—and recruit others to join you in doing so. Ask God to knock down obstacles and prepare the way for disciple-making for you and your entire church. Second, read some background material on disciple-making movements. Team Expansion is in the process of preparing a very practical guidebook, but in the meantime, you can read: • “Discovering the Fruitful Practices of Movements,” Mission Frontiers, November-December 2017; the edition was titled, “Movements Make All the Difference in the World” (accessible online at https://bit.ly/2L91c4N). • Contagious Disciple-Making by David Watson and Paul D. Watson (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2014). And for more information about a “live” training in DMM, go to https://teamexpansion. org/dmm/. Third, begin implementing disciple-making processes in your own life. Don’t think of these as a program or formula for the church to follow. Think of them as personal life principles and practices. As you implement them, we hope and trust others will be inspired to follow. A live training event is the ideal way to start (contact Team Expansion or another agency that conducts such training), or use a free, online approach pioneered by Zume (go to https://zumeproject.com). May God bless the implementation in your rural or urban area! 

Doug Lucas is founder and president of Team Expansion, which seeks to multiply disciples and churches among the unreached. Learn more at www.TeamExpansion.org. Contact Doug to learn more about his efforts to launch disciple-making movements at DLucas@TeamExpansion.org.

online Extra: Visit ChristianStandard.com for web-only extras, including a list of sources referenced in this article. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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BY KELLY CARR

NO SMALL MEASURE The statistics from four small-town churches stood out in our 2017 Christian Standard survey. But numbers never tell the whole story. What were the real reasons for their growth in baptisms, attendance, and giving?

“Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes—how do you measure, measure a year?” These are lyrics from “Seasons of Love,” a song from the Broadway show Rent. Church leaders may find themselves asking the same question when they reflect back on a year of ministry at their church: How do you measure a year or season of ministry? You often measure ministry in numbers. And those numbers could give leaders a pat on the back or a burden to bear. As all good church leaders know, every number represents a life, whether you live in thriving metropolises or small towns, whether a church is small or large. So, leaders care about numbers. But when numbers go up or numbers go down, that swaying identity can offer the temptation toward unnecessary pride or unnecessary strife in the hearts of church staff, elders, and other leaders. What is the true measure of a ministry? Look behind the numbers: How did God move in the church and in the community in a year? How did people grow in their relationships with Jesus and with one another in a year? Behind each statistic is a story. When the number measured is an abundance of baptisms in a year, the story behind it expresses both the culmination of God working on hearts and the beginning of a new season of discipleship. The following four small-town churches have such stories to share:

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RISKY CHURCH BUSINESS FIRST CAPITAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN CORYDON, INDIANA RANDY KIRK, SENIOR MINISTER

Randy Kirk was excited not only about the number of people who were baptized at First Capital Christian Church during 2017, but the number of people who did the baptizing. Kirk explained the church’s discipleship mentality: “If you bring them in, you baptize them, and then they’re yours to come alongside and help.” At First Capital, 61 different people baptized others last year. Kirk and his team are thrilled to see that their perspective on discipleship is taking root. While learning about the Bible is an important part of teaching others about Christ, “We don’t believe it’s about how much you know,” Kirk said. “It’s about asking, ‘Are you willing to take risks to meet God?’” In 2017, Kirk and First Capital examined faith catalysts. “A faith catalyst is when God meets you outside of your comfort zone—you have opportunity where there is a risk, and in taking that risk you have to rely upon God. And he meets you there,” he said. As people in Corydon experienced faith catalysts in their personal lives, they had mature believers walking beside them, guiding them toward Christ. Thus, each baptism was a beautiful visual of discipleship—one person taking a risk to share Jesus with someone they care about, and the other person taking a risk on a new life of faith. This year, First Capital leaders have their own faith catalyst, and it’s a journey they didn’t see coming—developing their online campus. The church put their worship services online about a year and a half ago, and since then, “It’s exploded,” Kirk said. As with any new endeavor, some people were hesitant. When it came to an online worship experience, “I was the first one to be negative about it,” Kirk admitted. “I didn’t want people to have an excuse to stay home in their pajamas instead of coming to church.” But then he began to hear the stories: • A family showed up and said they had been watching for six weeks at home to try out First Capital before coming in person. More and more people have been visiting first online. • A member of the First Capital worship team has a sister in California who tuned in to watch her sibling sing. She enjoyed it so much, she now gathers friends each week on the West Coast, and they watch the Indiana service together. • A group of men from the church take the online service into the local men’s prison, and a group of women do the same for a women’s prison. Everyone watches together, and then they break into small groups to discuss, pray, and answer questions. • Other church members use the weekly online service to minister in nursing homes, after-school programs, and among those experiencing homelessness. First Capital has staff and volunteers who are available to answer questions from people who are participating in the service remotely. When people ask

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about baptism, the online ministers work to connect those folks to a Christian church in their area where they can get locally involved and be baptized in their community. Kirk is thankful creative arts minister Tyler Sansom had vision and know-how for pastoring online. Sansom believed that even a church in rural Indiana could minister to needs beyond their zip code—and God is bringing fruit to that effort.

#FORSILOAM COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP IN SILOAM SPRINGS, ARKANSAS PAT CALLAHAN, SENIOR PASTOR

“We continue to ask people, ‘Are you more like Jesus today?’” said Pat Callahan. “Discipleship is walking in footsteps of our Savior, abiding in him,” he tells the church body. This challenge is at the heart of Community Christian’s mission. Callahan and his team spent 2017 focusing on next steps—what is the next step you need to take to live for Jesus? This manifested itself in two beautiful stories: Community Christian had the most baptisms in church history last year, and the church had their highest giving to missions in history. But baptism and offering weren’t the center of conversation every week. The message was about committing to Jesus and living generously. Callahan loves using sports metaphors: “Salvation is joining the team, and baptism is putting on the jersey.” As the year progressed, the church leaders realized that a lot of people were stepping forward to put on the jersey—the number of baptisms was slowly adding up. “We simply talk about the things we value,” he said. “It’s a God thing.” Community Christian also demonstrates generosity and expresses gratitude when their members give. They began with basic things: thanking people each week for being generous, sending handwritten letters to first-time givers, letting the congregation know that their money goes to true kingdom purposes. “Our church began to give like crazy,” Callahan said. “I just say thank you a lot.” Community Christian’s next-steps emphasis this year has focused on Journey groups, designed to help people “become self-feeders in the Word and understand what it means to abide in Christ as the highest priority in life,” Callahan explained. “When you get there, you come to a point of total surrender and absolute trust in Jesus. These groups have been a powerful thing for our church.” Also this year, Community Christian has expanded its giving to meet more local needs. Last year, in addition to regular offerings, the church gave $100,000 toward missions around the world. But Callahan and another staff member both felt a burden to reach out to their own community of Siloam Springs in a fresh way. In their #ForSiloam initiative, each month the church chooses a different segment of their community to thank. During the school year, they lift up teachers; during tax season, they offer food and encouragement to tax workers; in December, they will bake cookies and drop them off all over town. Many college students attend Community Christian during the school year, and they are

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itching to serve locally—#ForSiloam offers them a chance to get more involved in both the church and the neighborhood. “This is not a strategy to grow the church,” Callahan said. “We’re part of our community, and we’re supposed to be in our community. We’re doing it because it’s the call of God.”

THE BEST BAPTISMS I DIDN’T DO JOURNEY CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN APOPKA, FLORIDA JOHN HAMPTON, LEAD PASTOR

“People have romantic ideas that they’d like to live in Florida,” said John Hampton. “With the heat, we see quickly if people will make it or not—you either like it or you don’t.” That describes in a nutshell the challenges Hampton and his team face at Journey Christian Church. People are always coming and going. Two-thirds of Florida residents aren’t Florida natives. It makes for a different type of ministry environment. In Apopka you’ll find a lot of young families who are dechurched—they used to be in church but aren’t connected anymore. Others are cultural Catholics—their family background is Catholic, but they never actively practice. This is Journey’s mission field. So when the church celebrated an anniversary and 130 people came to be baptized, it was a joyous weekend. While the church is now almost 50 years old, in 2002 the congregation relocated and changed its name from Lakeview Christian Church to Journey Christian Church. Last year the church celebrated its 15th anniversary as Journey. In the weeks leading up to the anniversary weekend, Hampton said he preached a series of messages from Colossians called “All In.” Hampton and his team repeatedly explained baptism throughout this series, pointing the church toward the final week’s focal point: “All In by Going All Under in Christ.” Hampton said it was the most memorable baptismal service in which he has participated. But it began with a troubling feeling he couldn’t shake. The worship area was set up with different ministers standing by the baptistery and the three portable pools that had been brought in. People came forward and chose a baptismal space and a person to do the baptizing. Saturday night was slow. Not many people came forward, and those who did all went to Hampton to baptize them. “That bothered me,” Hampton said. “So I decided not to baptize anyone Sunday. At the end of Sunday’s message, I said, ‘Come up, and I’m going to pray, worship, and cheer you on.’ Other pastors did the baptizing. I was the chief cheerleader—I went to each pool and cheered people on. I prayed with people. It was the most fun I’ve had at a baptism weekend, and I didn’t baptize anyone that Sunday!” The joy of that weekend flowed over into 2018. With so many people new to the faith, it was fitting God had already guided Journey’s fall 2018 plans to be centered on discipleship. Journey’s staff, elders, and key volunteers went through “Rooted” earlier this year, and now the entire church is joining in. “We’re excited to ground people in the big themes of what it means to follow Jesus,” Hampton said.

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LIFE AT THE BEACH OAK PARK CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN GROVER BEACH, CALIFORNIA MIKE GUNDERSON, LEAD PASTOR

Last year was hopeful for Oak Park Christian Church. After four years of little growth, even decline, Oak Park saw 18 people baptized and added 32 active and excited members who are ready to serve. That brought encouragement to Mike Gunderson, as he has experienced two distinct seasons in this ministry: several years of growth and then several years of decline. Halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Grover Beach is “a hidden gem,” Gunderson said, “high in tourism, agriculture, and early retirees.” While living anywhere on the West Coast is pricey, he said, “Real estate is ridiculously expensive here. Yesterday gas was $3.77, and that was a good deal!” Between 2008 and 2012 there was a steady influx of people to Grover Beach, and the church grew along with it. But while the town was first insulated from the nation’s economic downturn, a two-year lag hit in 2013. During that period, Oak Park lost 130 church members due to singles, young families, and seniors moving away—they could no longer afford to live in the area. But by the end of 2016 and into 2017, new people at various stages of faith began to arrive. Gunderson said he has an amazing group of elders who are true shepherds; they call on people and counsel people and are involved in the lives of families at the church, including the new arrivals at Oak Park. Gunderson noted that six or seven of the baptisms last year resulted from a recovery ministry that one of the elders oversees. This year has brought a search for a children’s/family life pastor. With the expensive cost of living, finding staff can be a challenge, Gunderson said. The expense also affects the neighborhood, as they watch people in town become homeless or turn to substance abuse to cope with the pressure. Another challenge comes from the culture surrounding the area, where people get politics confused with faith and erect unnecessary barriers. “It’s getting harder and harder to communicate to people that God can heal, God can give you hope . . . come to Jesus,” Gunderson said. While some people might view such challenges with dread, Gunderson sees a mission field: “Research says we have the third-highest percentage of neverchurched people in the U.S. It’s a great opportunity if we can get inroads.” And he is certainly aware that their church has plenty for which to be thankful. “We live at the beach—life is pretty nice!”  How is your 2018 ministry looking thus far? Take time to share with us the stories behind your statistics. Email them to cs@christianstandardmedia.com. Kelly Carr, former editor of The Lookout, enjoys sharing and shaping people’s stories as a writing and editing consultant in Cincinnati, Ohio (EditorOfLife.com).

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interact MORE CHURCHES!

FIVE-GENERATION CHURCH

Well, either a lot of churches have fallen off the map or they didn’t participate in this survey [“The 2017 Charts: Small Churches and Very Small Churches,” p. 26, July 2018]. I waited for the last one to come out [the listing of small and very small churches] and there are almost no churches from Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, or North Dakota on the list; . . . I know there are churches [in those states]. Also, I know of a few churches in Rockford, Illinois, and none are shown. It is a great list, I am just disappointed more churches chose not to participate. I came up with a list of more than a dozen churches that I know of that [should be on] the list—some are newer but some are long-established. I can’t wait to see the updated Christian Church Today site to see who makes the list.

When I went forward in a tiny, rural church to accept Christ as my Savior, I was 14. The preacher was 93. It was a weekend revival. I encourage older folks never to give up in reaching people regardless of the age difference [“Five Things You Need to Know about the FiveGeneration Church,” by Haydn Shaw, p. 32, June 2018]. My husband, Gary, and I grew up in southern Illinois and now attend Crossroads Christian Church in Shawnee, Kansas.

Steve Lowman via website Editor’s Note: We agree! Because this was the first year we included small and very small churches, we think we’ll reach more next year and in the years to come. I hope readers like you will encourage churches they know to participate. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Audrey Roberts via mail

‘GOOD NEWS FOR THE RESTORATION MOVEMENT’ Thanks for this informative article on the rescue of the Christian Standard and The Lookout [“A Brief History of Restoration Movement Media and Christian Standard Media,” by Shawn McMullen, p. 44, July 2018]. This, indeed, is good news for the Restoration Movement. Jerry [Harris] has done an excellent job presenting our movement’s history and reasons for existence in his recent “From the Publisher” columns. James L. McMillan via website - 70 -

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DISCIPLES PASTORS AT THE NACC I wish my late brother, Michael D. Thiel, DMin, had lived to see this day when he could readily be in touch with other Disciples pastors who share the same view of “essentials” [Christian Standard Interview: Back at the NACC,” by Michael C. Mack, p. 52, July 2018]. He was a Disciples “lifer,” despite opposition from some “regional pastors.” Both of us were baptized the same day at First Christian Church in Ames, Iowa, and later graduated from the same Bible college (Minnesota), but graduated from different seminaries in Tennessee (Vanderbilt and Emmanuel School of Religion).

Brian Thiel Grace Christian Church, LeRoy, Minnesota via website

Thank you, Nathan [Loewen], for standing up and speaking out for the infallibility of God’s Word! Also, many thanks for speaking up regarding problems within the Disciples churches as they move toward seeking worldwide unity with all religions (ecumenism). We don’t need a generic gospel from those who pick and choose a mundane sermon to satisfy an audience who hungers to hear the full complement of the gospel! It’s no wonder church membership is waning. We’re hungry for God’s Word, and we’re being fed zilch . . . just a few “goodfeeling” cookies! Stay strong and keep on keeping on! Loyce Greer via website

Ugh . . . What is most telling is that he [Nathan Loewen] and his church will be Disciples until we kick them out . . . we don’t do that. They’ll take advantage of the denominational structure while calling it unbiblical. But we’re the ones who struggle with unity? We’re the ones who aren’t living out our beliefs? If we’re so opposed to the gospel, as this interview suggests, why would he still take advantage of our denominational structures? And if he could hear Jose Morales or Terri Hord Owens preach at General Assembly as not preaching the gospel . . . we’re not talking about Christian unity. We’re talking around the external influence of political divisions. And that’s certainly not the gospel. Rev. Travis Smith McKee via website C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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Ryan A. Weaver @ryanaweaver

Our churches and ministries still seem to want to ignore the problem of substance abuse and addiction instead of addressing it. @ChrStandard #tension #restoration

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.” O CT O B E R 2 0 1 8

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‘CANE RIDGE REVIVAL VBS’ DRAWS PRAISES Headlines For Christians Who Don’t Take Themselves Too Seriously

BY CALEB KALTENBACH CANE RIDGE, KY—Several Restoration Movement churches tried out the first “Cane Ridge Revival VBS” this past summer. “There’s really nothing else like it,” said Tim North, who created the program. “The idea is to help children not only encounter Jesus, but also to experience what it was like to attend this August 1801 revival!” “I’ve never seen a VBS like ‘Cane Ridge,’” said Frank Stone, minister with Ebenezer Christian Church. “There were no fancy decorations, take-home trinkets, crafts, or anything. They wanted these kids to have a true Cane Ridge experience,

so they didn’t even need microphones.” “That’s right,” North confirmed. “You don’t even need air conditioning, so you can save on the electricity bill this summer, and you can let the kids feel what it was like to have an outdoors August revival like in in 1801. We even gave churches the option of meeting for six or seven days solid, like the original revival, but they all decided to send the kids home each night, and most churches met for five nights or less.” “We followed the VBS instructions as closely as we could,” Stone said. “We brought in wooden wagons and scattered

online Extra: Watch for a new “Nondenominationalish” story on Saturdays at ChristianStandard.com. C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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some tree stumps in the field behind the church, and then let volunteers just start preaching whatever they wanted to. The kids went from wagon to wagon to hear different sermons. “When I picked up my child, he was hot, sweaty, and asleep,” reported Idela Swan of Ebenezer Christian. “The way I see it, ‘The Cane Ridge Revival VBS’ was a huge win. It took VBS to the next level!” North reports he’s putting the finishing touches on next year’s VBS experience: “The Raccoon John Smith Roundup.”  Caleb Kaltenbach is just kidding.