Christian Standard | February 2018

christian standard

He baptized an estimated 47,000 people and established more than 350 congregations . . .

February 2018

read more on page 28

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letter FROM THE publisher Jerry Harris Publisher | Christian Standard Media

elected president of the Alabama State Bar. He was depicted by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the 2014 film Selma. In all of that, Gray, now 87, has stayed grounded in his relationship to Jesus Christ, his family, and the church of Christ, often preaching as an elder in his home church. He was instrumental in merging black and white churches of Christ into one church in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Last year at the North American Christian Convention, David Johnson of Harvest Point Church in North Charleston, South Carolina, stopped by the Christian Standard Media booth to talk. When I mentioned that I had been reading about Marshall Keeble, David just lit up. He began to share things he’d learned about Keeble’s methods of establishing churches and raising up leaders for them. He mentioned names of some other folks and asked if I’d heard or read about them. It was my favorite part of the convention, and it energized me for writing the article about Keeble in this issue (see page 28).

Marshall Keeble (1878–1968), an AfricanAmerican preacher in the churches of Christ, invested in several young men, one of whom was Fred Gray. Gray studied for the ministry but shifted his focus to law and the battle over civil rights. He represented Dr. Martin Luther King, Claudette Colvin, and Rosa Parks, among others; he fought tirelessly in the courtroom and won battles to help end racial segregation. His accomplishments for the civil rights movement are astonishing. Gray was nominated to serve on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama by President Carter in 1980 (Gray later asked that his nomination be withdrawn), served as president of the National Bar Association in 1985, and in 2001 was the first African-American C H RIS TIA N STA N DAR D

The mission of Christian Standard Media is “to leverage the power that comes from our unity,” and that begins in the household of faith. These important figures and their stories inspire all of us to greater things, but if we don’t know about them, how can we embrace them? When I learned about these two men, I became a better believer and a better leader. As publisher, I had the opportunity to read this issue’s articles in advance, and both Victor Knowles and Alan Stein’s essays are crucial to our ability to honor the Lord.

What could happen if these streams—the independent Christian church, the churches of Christ, and the African-American churches of Christ—flowed together into a single river?

It would be deep enough for baptisms (like the Jordan), wide enough to hold the blessings God has prepared for all of his people, and powerful enough to capture untold more for a heavenly eternity in its overpowering flow.

Jerry Harris is publisher of Christian Standard Media and senior pastor of The Crossing, a multisite church located in three states across the Midwest. @_jerryharris - 4 -

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/jerrydharris

CHRISTIAN STANDARD —

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

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

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

UN IFORM ITY

—

by alan stein

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

feature: MARSHALL KEEBLE and WHAT HE TAUGHT ME

Jerry Harris

6 | L E TTE R F ROM THE E DITO R

by jerry harris

Michael C. Mack

34

7-9 | MOVE ME N T

Finding Joy in Ma r r ia ge a nd Ministr y David & Rachel Dummitt

living TOGETHER in sweet UNITY

by victor knowles

10-13 | ME TRIC S

38 44 48

Wha t Ar e Your Chur c h’s Push and Pull Fa c to r s?

Kent Fillinger

Denzil Holness & RACIAL RECONCILIATION

by jacqueline holness

14-16 | E 2 : E F F ECT I V E E L DE RS

BEAUTY out of the STO R M

Yo ung Ministry Sta ff a nd Elders– Co nne c ting Tog ether David Roadcup

by tim liston

17-19 | IMAG IN E

a night for KINGS and QUEENS to shine

20-21 | H O RIZON S

Vibra nt Church Re bra nds a nd Re builds Mel McGowan Love a nd Marriag e a nd Missio ns Emily Drayne

by justin horey

28-33 | F E ATUR E A R T I CL E

55

Ma r sha ll Keeble and Wha t He Ta ug ht Me Jerry Harris

LIFELONG MINISTRY: 3 stories of couples dedicated to se rving together

68-71 | H E ADL I N ES

DENNIS & LINDA MESSIMER: 50 years

72-73 | IN TE RA CT

WAYNE & GRETA MEECE: 59 years BEN & PAT MEROLD: 68 years

74 | C O MMUN ION ME DITATIO N

by tr robertson, wendie gabbard, and kelly carr

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N ay s ay e r s a t th e Cross Ron Davis F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 8

letter editor FROM THE

Michael c. Mack Editor | Christian Standard

“If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.”

Dr. Martin Luther King wrote these words in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963. Now, nearly 55 years later, his words seem prophetic.

King’s letter was in response to eight white Alabama clergy members who wrote a letter asking the “outsiders” who had come to Birmingham (a thinly veiled reference to King) to stop directing “some of our Negro citizens” in the “unwise and untimely” demonstrations for integration. They preferred to let the issue of racial segregation play out in the courts and to patiently wait for the social changes to happen over time. They said the outsiders’ resistance to racism, “however peaceful those actions may be,” were “extreme measures” not justified in Birmingham.

“I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction in being considered an extremist,” King wrote. “Was not Jesus an extremist in love? . . . Was not Amos an extremist for justice? . . . Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ? . . . So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be.

Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists C H RIS TIA N STA N DAR D

for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?”

This is not purely a racial issue, although that was the context of King’s letter. It is, as King pointed out, a church leadership issue. King said that with notable exceptions, he had become disappointed with the church he loved.

The source of King’s disappointment was that its leaders “have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows.” King’s call in 1963 to restore the self-sacrificial spirit of the New Testament church is our call today.

In this month’s issue, we share stories of churches and individuals whom I would describe as more courageous than cautious. We learn about a black pastor who baptized more than 47,000 people and established more than 350 congregations, yet many of us, including myself, had never heard of him; we probe our opportunities for reunification; and we consider stories of racial reconciliation in the church.

As an advocate for our Restoration Movement, I am convicted by Martin Luther King’s words: There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period that the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was the thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being “disturbers of the peace” and “outside agitators.” But they went on with the conviction that they were “a colony of heaven” and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be “astronomically intimidated.” They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest.

Do these words describe the contemporary Christian church? Do they describe your church? Are we extremists for love, justice, and the gospel? I echo King: “I hope the church as a whole will meet the challenge of this decisive hour.”

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@michaelcmack

@michaelcmack

@michaelcmack

/AuthorMichaelCMack

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- MOVEMENT -

finding joy in marriage & ministry

BY DAVID

and

RACHEL DUMMITT

For the last 22 years, my wife, Rachel, has been my partner, best friend, and comrade-in-arms. When I was asked to write about experiencing lasting joy in marriage and ministry, I immediately thought of her and how she has helped to build both our home and our church with strength, grace, and joy. So for this issue, I asked Rachel to share her insights and wisdom.

W

hen Dave and I married, neither of us could have imagined the journey God had in store for us. While both of us had grown up in the church, we were eager to step into the shared dream of ministry together. We have experienced the goodness and bigness of God along the way, and we have also experienced pain, discomfort, and challenges. Through it all, we have learned a few things that have helped us fight for joy in our marriage.

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set boundaries on your outlook, attitude, and words One of the major ways Dave and I have fought for joy in our marriage has been by setting boundaries on our outlook, attitude, and words.

We have established boundaries we don’t cross in terms of the way we talk about things. At some point we decided to not “go there” as far as losing hope or becoming devoid of faith during the hard times, even—especially—when we feel big emotions. We have had to dig in and commit over and over again to have faith that no matter how a moment or season of life feels, we will have faith that God is in it. He has seen us through enough seemingly hopeless times that we choose to hold onto hope that he will carry us through the future problems too.

We also set boundaries with the way we talk to each other. As challenging as it can be, we fight to filter the words we release from our lips. We work hard not to just “let it fly.” We have to remind ourselves that just because we feel a certain way doesn’t mean our perspective is necessarily correct, and that feeling big emotions doesn’t mean we need to use big statements. The catchphrase “don’t think big thoughts” has protected us from responding rashly and creating even bigger problems.

protect sacred space We live in a culture that idolizes ambition and sees achievement as a trophy. Many couples are running on empty simply because they are pursuing too many things. Dave and I have learned we must fight to protect sacred space in our home.

To experience lasting joy in our marriage and ministry, we need to carve out time, space, and breathing room. This will look different for everyone, but for us it has meant fighting to keep Mondays as rest days. We relax. We take naps. We don’t try to be super creative or demand a lot of time together (e.g., doing projects). We just delight in the day together.

During some seasons of life we need more than one day off to restore health. Guarding sacred space also means spending more extended time away together, whether that’s a beach vacation or a weekend getaway.

have shared dreams Marriage means becoming one with another human. Having a shared vision, a shared dream, keeps you on the same trajectory and fighting for the same mission. Leading and growing 2|42 has been a shared dream for us, and we have prayed, worked, and leaned into that mission together.

In our experience, when ministry couples coexist with vastly different big dreams, it is easy for a husband or wife, or both, to become disillusioned and bitter. One person is going full force in one direction, and pretty soon that dream feels more like a competitor to the spouse.

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. . . but don’t overestimate what fulfilling dreams is going to do for you As I already mentioned, today’s culture heralds anybody pursuing and succeeding at anything. But just because we can be good and successful at something doesn’t make it a God-given dream or the highest-value activity or accomplishment. We must prayerfully discern the dreams that are from God and the ones that are merely selfish ambition; we do this to maintain margin in our lives, focus on what matters most, and remain united as a family. God will never call you to something that will cause you to sacrifice your marriage.

develop grit Ministry life can be tough on a family. It involves odd hours, loving hurting people, and working harder during holidays when most people are on vacation. Ministry families need to develop grit to handle the demands and schedule.

Early on in our marriage, I had to grieve on some level; I had to let go of what most people would consider a “normal” life to embrace the adventure of ministry. But I am convinced God called us to this, so while I grieved a little, Dave and I stepped forward to receive the blessing of getting to watch God at work. Life is different, and socially it can be odd; we have weird schedules compared to our neighbors. But ministry is a privilege and a gift.

One of the things I have had to learn is that ministry life can be intense, and some seasons demand that we lean in, toughen up, and not freak out. We have had to learn that the crazy seasons will end, and we will be refreshed eventually.

These lessons aren’t meant to be anecdotal; marriage and ministry are complex. But I am convinced that ministry life can be a joyful family adventure if we learn to embrace the uniqueness of the mission, establish boundaries, protect margin, and trust God, who called us into this journey. 

David Dummitt is the lead pastor and planter of 2|42 Community Church. His wife, Rachel, who wrote this article, helped to start and continues to help lead 2|42, one of the largest and fastest-growing churches in the country. Rachel is an accomplished musician who helped start The School for the Arts at 2|42. The Dummitts live in Howell, Michigan, with their three children. /DavidDummitt

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- METRICS -

BY KENT FILLINGER

My three daughters and I went to New York City for the first time last October. Our visit to Ellis Island was a definite highlight! I was amazed to learn what more than 12 million people encountered at Ellis Island.

One part of the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration had the history of migration and the peopling of America. I found one display titled “Push and Pull Factors.” The sign said, “Historians talk about the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors that influence migration.

‘Push’ refers to the reasons people leave one place to go to another. ‘Pull’ looks at why they go to a particular place rather than other possible destinations. These factors come into play whether people are moving from one part of a country to another or halfway around the world.”

As I read this, it occurred to me these same push and pull factors also apply to how people “migrate” from one church or one religion to the next. I wondered, What factors or situations cause someone to be pushed out of a church or a religion? And what conditions pull someone into one church or into a faith over another?

Then, I recalled recent research that addressed some of these push and pull factors. I’ll start with some foundational facts to help set the stage. Then, I’ll address some push factors in this article. Next month, I’ll conclude with some pull factors.

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Foundational Facts The migration of people from one religion or church to the next is sometimes referred to as “religious switching.” Thirty-four percent of American adults have a religious identity different from the faith of their childhood.

Former Christians represent 19.2 percent of all U.S. adults.

Catholicism has been the hardest hit by religious switching. There are now more than six former Catholics for every new convert to Catholicism. Contrast this with evangelicals, the only group that has gained more people than they’ve lost. And nondenominational Protestants have gained five new people through religious switching for every one person they’ve lost. Evangelicals who identify with nondenominational churches grew from 13 to 19 percent from 2007 to 2014.

Understanding the patterns of religious switching is central to making sense of the trends observed in American religion. The reason the “nones” have grown rapidly in recent decades is because they’re the single biggest destination of movement across religious boundaries. For example, 18 percent of adults who were raised in a religious faith are now unaffiliated (they check “none” on surveys of religious affiliation). By comparison, only 4 percent of adults who were not raised with any religion now belong to a religious faith. That works out to a 1-to-4.5 ratio (in the wrong direction).

Whites are more likely to identify as religiously unaffiliated than blacks or Hispanics. In 2014, 24 percent of whites said they had no religion.

Religious groups that are growing tend to be younger—and are continuing to get younger— while religious groups that are shrinking tend to be relatively older and are getting older.

Unfortunately, no generation has become more religiously affiliated as it ages.

The median age of Christian adults in 2014 was 49—up from 46 in 2007. And 21 percent of

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Christians, compared with only 9 percent of those who were unaffiliated, were over the age of 65. The median age of the religiously unaffiliated in 2014 was 36—down from 38 in 2007.

A 2016 research study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) noted that religiously unaffiliated Americans are not all the same.

Their research identified three types of unaffiliated: • Rejectionists (58 percent) claim religion is not personally important in their lives and believe religion as a whole does more harm than good in society.

• Apatheists (22 percent) claim religion is not personally important to them, but believe it generally is more socially helpful than harmful.

• Unattached believers (18 percent) have no religious community but say religion is important to society as well as to them personally.

“Few are actively looking to find a religious community,” noted David P. King, “but they also do not seem to be replacing religious institutions with their own individual spirituality” (from “Does Religion Still Matter in Public Life,” Insights newsletter, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University— Purdue University Indianapolis, September 20, 2016). Only 3 to 4 percent of apatheists and rejectionists are likely to say they are looking to join a religious community or congregation compared with 22 percent of unattached believers.

The PRRI research also found that “young adults today are nearly four times as likely as young adults a generation ago to identify as religiously unaffiliated. Today, 39 percent of young adults (ages 18-29) are religiously unaffiliated” (from “Exodus: Why Americans Are Leaving Religion— and Why They’re Unlikely to Come Back,” by Betsy Cooper, et al., 2016; accessed at prri.org).

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Common Push Factors In its Fall 2016 issue, Facts & Trends published a LifeWay Research online survey of 2,000 “unchurched” Americans (those who have not attended a worship service in the last six months, outside of a holiday or special occasion) which found the top three reasons people reported leaving the church were: • only attended because my parents made me (25 percent) • lost interest (23 percent) • turned off by the church’s moral stances (21 percent) The LifeWay study also found that 56 percent of the unchurched identify as Christians, and of this group, 25 percent reported having a strong faith. Almost half said they were willing to freely engage in conversations about their religious beliefs if someone asked. But two-thirds of these unchurched folks don’t intend to return to church in the future.

The PRRI study showed that most Americans who leave their childhood religious identity to become unaffiliated generally do so before age 18. They found a variety of reasons Americans leave their childhood religion, but the most commonly cited reason (60 percent) for disaffiliation was a “lack of belief in the teaching of the religion.” Other push factors included: • Their family was never that religious when they were growing up (32 percent).

• They experienced negative religious teachings about or treatment of gay and lesbian people (29 percent).

Two additional push factors noted in the PRRI research included divorce and living in

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religiously mixed households. Americans who were raised by divorced parents are more likely to be religiously unaffiliated than children whose parents were married during most of their formative years (35 percent vs. 23 percent, respectively). And Americans raised in mixed religious households are more likely to identify as unaffiliated than those raised in households where parents shared the same faith (31 percent vs. 22 percent, respectively).

The 2016 Religious Landscape Study by Pew Research asked people to explain in their own words why they no longer identify with a religious group. This resulted in hundreds of different responses (detailed by Michael Lipka in “Why America’s ‘nones’ left religion behind,” August 24, 2016, accessible at the Pew Research Center website, pewresearch.org). These four common themes emerged: • don’t believe/disenchanted (49 percent) • dislike organized religion (20 percent) • religiously unsure/undecided (18 percent) • inactive believer (10 percent) A couple of years ago, I attended a lecture presented by Alan Cooperman, director of religious research at Pew Research. He noted several deeper theories behind the growth of the nones.

First, he cited politics, noting that the unaffiliated are more likely to be Democrats.

(Among Democrats, 61 percent are unaffiliated, compared with 25 percent who are affiliated.)

The Barna Group added some interesting research on Americans it described in the March 2017 article “Meet Those Who ‘Love Jesus, but

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Not the Church” (accessible at barna.com). Barna said this group makes up 10 percent of the U.S. population and is growing. The article said, “The fact that they are just as likely to identify as Democrat (30%) than Republican (25%) is interesting. . . . It’s possible that left-leaning people of faith are encountering some level of political discord with their church, which may have prompted an exit.”

Cooperman’s second theory behind the rise of the nones was because (1) there are fewer marriages and (2) of the couples who are married, more are religiously unaffiliated. The group of “never married” increased from 15 to 28 percent from 1960 to 2010. Fifty-four percent of unaffiliated Americans who are married today report that their spouse is also unaffiliated. A generation ago, unaffiliated Americans were much more likely to be married to a religious spouse.

A third theory he noted was affluence. Wealthier nations tend to be less religious, but the U.S. is a prominent exception.

Cooperman’s research showed that most Americans feel religion’s influence on society is declining, and most feel this is a bad thing. He concluded by saying millennials are engaging in nonreligious activities like CrossFit that are providing them with sources of meaning, purpose, and a common cause in addition to community, support, and strong accountability.

These are things that people in the past have sought and found in a church.

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

In March, I’ll discuss the most common pull factors that bring people to church. 

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www.3strandsconsulting.com

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Young Ministry Staff & Elders— Connecting Together

The summer of 1966 was a watershed time for me. I was 19 years old and going into my sophomore year at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College. I had accepted my first summer youth ministry in a rural church in central Illinois. I remember my first day. I knew I had been called to this, my life’s work, but that first day was daunting. Where do I start? How is this going to go? Who are these people in my new church family? Will I be liked? Will they work with me?

It was a challenging and impactful opportunity.

When younger ministers step into the harness of ministry, it can be a genuine blessing to the church and mark the beginning of a fruitful career. Yet, for those young ministers, the prospect of starting that first job can be unnerving. Prospective young leaders want to succeed and not fail, but they must learn the ropes, serve in the trenches, and earn their wings.

We all must start somewhere. When a young minister steps into the work, we, as their elders, leaders, and coaches, need to offer support, encouragement, love, and direction so they can achieve the greatest level of success attainable for Christ.

Today’s younger leaders, those of the late generation X and the millennial groups, are enthusiastic and driven. They love service.

They are creative and talented. They may see things differently than the senior elder or other leaders, but their ideas and views need to be heard and considered. They begin their ministries with fervor and idealism, as did most of us in leadership ministry. These young leaders are the future of our churches in terms of filling key leadership positions.

As elders and lead ministers of churches, we need to connect with this important group.

We can disciple, mentor, and love them as they grow to their fullest potential in Christian leadership.

BY DAVID ROADCUP

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Dr. Daniel Overdorf, professor of homiletics at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee, polled young pastors serving in churches and collected comments that are important for elders and senior staff to consider and discuss. The responses—listed in no particular order—are to Overdorf’s question: “What do you wish your elders knew about you?” · I am a unique individual, not a generational profile. · People trust you more than they trust me—your verbal support makes a difference. · “Inexperienced” does not equal “ineffective.” · It builds my confidence when you ask for my opinion. · When you let me try my new idea, you saved my ministry. · Finances are tight. · When you invited me into your home, it made me feel like family. · I need your public support and private constructive criticism. · Being single doesn’t make me less of a minister. · I appreciate when you care about me as a person. · I’ve given everything to serve the kingdom. · We’re on the same team. · I am scared and need your encouragement more than I let on. · I need your help to grow as a leader, a Christian, and a person. · I pour my heart (and several hours of prep) into my sermons. · I have unique gifts and I need your help to develop them. · It hurts when people say, “You’re going to be a good minister someday.” · Being female doesn’t make me less of a minister. · I need your trust. · I’m grateful that you took a chance on me. · I support you more than you think and I want you to succeed. · If you appreciate my teaching and preaching (and say so), others will too. · I am not the minister who came before me. · I proposed a change because I love the church and our mission. · I can serve best when your expectations are clear. · The gift for Pastor Appreciation Month meant the world to me. · I value our heritage and want to carry the baton to the next generation. · I felt supported when you helped pay for my master’s degree. · Sometimes I need to be alone with my family. · I feel appreciated when you treat me like a team member.

What do these comments tell us as elders and senior leaders?

Namely this: Younger leaders want to be a part of the team. They want their opinions and ideas to be considered. As with all of us, they want to be respected, accepted, and encouraged. The support of the elder team and senior staff means a great deal to them as friends and coworkers.

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When a younger staff member has a “victory” in their work, it’s a good time to offer words of encouragement and support. When they hit a “pothole” in the road with some program or ministry, it is an open door for coaching, mentoring, and providing direction.

Since hospitality is one of the qualifications for an elder and his wife, it would be great to reach out to younger staff members and their families. Why not invite them over for dinner, fellowship, and conversation? Strong relationships and trust are built and strengthened when believers share meals together in each other’s homes. There is power in “table fellowship.” An occasional phone call, compliment, word of encouragement, or card (via snail mail and not email) would be well received.

Relate to Each Other as Family When Scripture discusses relationships between believers, it uses “family” terms. First Timothy 5:1, 2 says, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” Paul says to relate to each other as family.

A step in the right direction would be for all elders and senior staff to see younger leaders as brothers and sisters, full of potential and future service, and for younger staff to see elders and senior staff as older brothers, fathers, and uncles. Younger staff consider these men and women to be seasoned veterans of ministry service who have valuable lessons to share. As elders, we should ask ourselves, “If I had a son or daughter serving on a church staff five states away, how would I want the elders/senior staff team there to treat them in their ministry?”

More than anything else, genuine love and compassion must guide our team relationships as younger staff and elder team/senior staff.

We should love each other as Jesus loves us and obey his teaching.

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34, 35).

As fellow soldiers in the work of the kingdom, let us serve and support one another to make each other as productive as possible.

In doing so, we will be more effective in our ultimate goal of fulfilling our Savior’s mission.  David Roadcup is cofounder and outreach director for e2.

He 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.

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- IMAGINE -

vibrant church REBRANDS AND REBUILDS

BY MEL MCGOWAN

IMAGINE if a small church in the

rolling hills of central Pennsylvania could pick up the torch from William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” through the development of a postmodern village green. Vibrant Church, previously known as Capital Area Christian Church, has offered its surrounding community a simple, relationship-centric approach to Christianity for 35 years. Vibrant serves the Susquehanna Valley, Mechanicsburg, and Harrisburg areas, where they generously and relentlessly pursue close connection with church members and the community alike.

Vibrant’s mission is to be a gift to and destination for the surrounding community. In addition to an allin-one, multifunctional building for worship and classes, the church campus boasts a state-of-the-art Adventure Park and Playground open to the community from sunrise to sunset, complete with a handicapaccessible playground, fitness area, hiking trail, volleyball courts, soccer field, and nine-hole disc golf course.

Vibrant strives to demonstrate God’s love to people inside and outside their church, doing whatever it takes to help neighbors experience Jesus and live for a greater purpose.

Vibrant is a church in the business of transformation—but to reach a larger community, the first transformation had to be their brand.

RENAMING CAPITAL AREA CHRISTIAN CHURCH

Vibrant’s senior pastor, Don Hamilton, approached my team at PlainJoe Studios in early 2017 for help with rebranding and master planning. At the time, they were still using the name Capital CH R I ST I AN STA N DAR D

Area Christian Church. As their leadership team moved forward with plans to open a second campus, they realized the name limited them to the Harrisburg area.

“The church is highly collaborative with their community and city,” said Shawn Stewart, director of strategy at PlainJoe Studios. “Our team felt that, as they were investing in the original campus to extend their park and bless the community, their name and brand should better reflect their philosophy of ministry.”

Because the church’s philosophy is to choose relationship over religion, our team wanted to help them convey their fun and welcoming personality to the surrounding communities. Our teams landed on the name Vibrant, a word that means “full of energy and enthusiasm.”

Once the new name was in place, we moved to overhaul their brand.

REDEFINING VIBRANT'S BRAND

Our team started the rebranding process by traveling to Mechanicsburg to meet with the church leadership team to learn about who they are, their place in their community, and how they function and interact in their area.

“Every church is like a different human being—they’re all completely different,” said Matt Molsberry, principal architect at PlainJoe Studios Architecture. “Each church has its own personality and DNA. When we start out with a church, we try to find out who they are as a personality.”

We take that knowledge and then apply our signature threedimensional approach to storytelling (Spatial Storytelling, strategic storytelling, and digital storytelling).

Through environments and - 19 -

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- IMAGINE architecture (spatial), rebranding and design (strategic), and a fresh, new website (digital), Vibrant would begin to better convey their story to church members and the surrounding community.

Next, our team took a first pass at capturing the essence of the church’s personality and brand—a “screen check” or “hearing test.” We brainstormed with Vibrant’s leadership team to determine the necessary adjustments, and then revised until we reached a consensus on what the church needed their new brand to communicate.

During the discovery phase we conducted with their leadership team, we identified these core words to describe Vibrant’s brand personality: generous, caring, inspiring, fun, and authentic.

We used those attributes to inform every subsequent branding, planning, and design decision.

INFUSING BRAND PERSONALITY INTO VIBRANT'S NEW LOGO

ministries a slightly different twist by using their primary brand as a launch point.

Vibrant stayed true to their brand while differentiating their campuses and ministries by naming them “Vibrant [Campus Name]” and “Vibrant [Ministry Name].”

We approached the youth and kids’ ministries a little differently, giving each a distinct identity within the construct of Vibrant’s overall brand strategy.

“Each ministry leverages the basic V icon, logo, and primary brand font that’s connected with the church’s official logo,” Stewart said. “But we added additional personality to each that reflects the life stage each ministry’s members are in.”

For example, the V icon for Vibrant’s youth ministry, The Vibe, resembles a neon sign and communicates fun, energy, and a cool hangout.

For Vibrant Kids, the V icon appears to have been sketched with crayons and conveys creativity, learning, and fun.

Vibrant’s new logo, like its mission—“Love God, Love God’s People, and Love God’s World”—is arranged in a triangular shape and comprised of three different triangular parts. The church regularly incorporates each of these actions in their interactions and activities with one another and the outside community, so it was important to clearly convey these actions through their logo.

The resulting icon is timeless, recognizable, and symbolizes the teamwork Vibrant strives to encourage and model. The abstract “V” is reminiscent of a reflective prism, which conveys a sense of energy and light . . . of vibrancy.

This vibrancy is further communicated through the bright, harmonious colors we selected for the color palettes. Vibrant’s primary colors are blue, teal, lime, navy, and gray, while the supporting colors are orange, red, magenta, and purple.

HOW PENNSYLVANIA'S BACKSTORY INFORMED OUR MASTER PLAN

DIFFERENTIATING VIBRANT'S MINISTRIES

USING THE MASTER PLAN TO REINFORCE VIBRANT'S VISION AND BRAND

Instead of creating multiple identities for each of Vibrant’s ministries, we opted to maintain their brand identity while identifying each specific area for ease of navigation. We gave their C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Our team’s Spatial Storytelling approach to Vibrant’s master plan began with careful study of the history of Pennsylvania—specifically, William Penn’s concept of the Pennsylvania colony as a “Holy Experiment.”

In 1682, Pennsylvania was founded as a utopian society by a group of Quakers, including Penn, who believed that government by the Golden Rule was possible. We let Penn’s legacy and the spiritual history of the early settlement inform our team’s planning process for Vibrant’s future campus expansion. The master plan our team created for Vibrant is based on re-creating the idea of a New England village green. And it’s also the basis of Penn’s personal master plan for Philadelphia, which he coined a “greene country towne.”

The big idea we followed as we planned Vibrant’s future campus became the Vibrant Green—a triangular village green around which we’re - 20 -

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reorienting the church’s campus. Rather than a “town square,” the triangle shape mirrors Vibrant’s new brand icon.

As a concept, the village green is a place for the town to gather, share, and experience life. It’s a place that brings fun, life, light, and color to the community—and a place to care for one another.

Vibrant’s brand personality embodies all these qualities.

During the master-planning phase, we created plans for two more buildings: a worship building and a building that can serve as a space for a cafe, offices, and youth ministry. The worship center can be used for large-group worship and activities. And as Vibrant expands its campus, their current all-in-one building may be converted into a space dedicated to children’s ministries.

The streets that run through the campus form the shape of a cross; those streets may be left open to interconnect during the week or closed during Sunday services. We also designed a courtyard space that’s ideal for church or community gatherings.

South of the courtyard, we’ve created plans for a small chapel the church can use for events like weddings and funerals that don’t require the larger worship center. It can also be used as an alternate venue for concurrent services; for example, if Vibrant opts to offer simultaneous contemporary and traditional services, they can divide the two services between the two buildings.

MOVING FORWARD

As Vibrant Church moves into its next phase of growth, its leadership team is well-equipped with the tools they need to make decisions informed by their mission, vision, and brand personality. As a community with a heart for their surrounding region, the master plan they’ll follow for expansion will open more doors to the outside community, drawing in more people and, ultimately, creating new opportunities to share God’s love.  Mel McGowan is cofounder and chief creative principal of PlainJoe Studios. He is a leading master planner and designer of churches in America.

CH R I ST I A N STAN DA R D

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lloovvee ++ m maarrrriiaaggee ++ ssiioonnss m miiss

- HORIZONS -

BY EMILY DRAYNE

ome aspects of marriage are hard. It’s not easy S joining together two lives, two families, two personalities, and two upbringings under one roof.

Success in marriage takes work and desire. With divorce rates at about 50 percent in America and even higher in parts of Europe, I’ve often wondered how missionaries are affected by this epidemic.

Not only are missionary couples working and maintaining their marriages, but they might also be serving in a cross-cultural setting. Some are also raising children. Missionaries might be learning a new language, working with extreme social or political concerns, or even living in a place where outsiders are not readily welcomed. All of these challenges are potential obstacles Satan can use to derail missionary couples from staying true to one another and to their walk with Jesus.

Just because people are serving as missionaries does not mean they are immune to the follies of this world. I spoke with four missionary couples to gain a better understanding of how their marriages affect their mission work, and vice versa.

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I contacted Nick and Amanda Dunn, full-time missionaries serving with Holistic Transformation in Ethiopia; Scott and Gayla Congdon, who serve part-time in the United States and part-time in Mexico with Amor Ministries; Mark and Holly Trump, who serve full-time in New Zealand with South Pacific Christian Fellowship; and Greg and Abhineeta Matney, who serve part-time in India and part-time in the U.S. with Aatma Vikas. These couples have been married anywhere from 5 to 35 years and their years of service range from 2 to 30 years. Each couple said marriage is one of the most important aspects of their ministry.

Serving in the Spotlight

Missionaries are in the spotlight, whether serving at home or abroad. Eyes are always watching them, even if they don’t know it. People around missionaries are waiting to see and hear how they respond to high-stress situations. How do they treat one another when they disagree? What do they say when they stub their toe or hit their finger with a hammer?

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In Ethiopia, the Dunns serve in a culture with strict gender roles within marriage.

“Our marriage does affect those we work with in Ethiopia, but in an indirect way,” says Amanda. “The roles here for husband and wife are very defined and the woman is at a great disadvantage. The ways that [Nick] serves me by helping with the children or literally getting up and helping me serve a dinner when we have guests is very counterintuitive to them.”

The Dunns are then able to point to Scripture to show why their marriage may be different from others in their community, thus sharing the Word in a very relational way while not being condescending or judgmental about how the roles vary across the world.

Opening Doors

Relationship dynamics can help open doors for people to ask how and why the missionaries live the way they do.

The Trumps say that in their particular setting in New Zealand, people mostly just observe their relationship, rather than asking direct questions.

“We work with children and youth and have hosted a lot of youth events in our home,” says Holly. “[Other people] are around us as we parent our children, cook meals, and relate with one another doing life. We know that many of the students who come over are from broken homes. So while they may not be asking us about our relationship, we believe it is important to show them a loving, healthy married couple and family dynamic with our children.”

Leading by Example

People, especially children, value those who lead by example and let their actions match their words.

They notice even more when a leader’s actions don’t match their words.

I asked every couple how a strong marriage can positively or negatively impact their life of serving. The answers varied, but all had the same underlying principle: As missionaries, their

marriages are part of their leadership role. How they relate to one another in their marriages influences their effectiveness in showing God’s love to people and discipling them.

The Congdons highlighted the impact they have on others. “[A strong marriage relationship] creates a sense of stability for your staff and people you’re ministering to,” says Gayla. “God expects much of you because he’s put you in this role of leadership and you affect so many people’s lives. People depend on us and look to us, and we take that seriously.”

Nurturing the Marriage

Missionaries are accountable not only to those they serve, but also to those who support their organization through donations. Supporters expect much of missionaries as leaders of an organization and ambassadors for Christ.

Missionaries need to be united in the face of trials.

Nurturing and growing their marriage is essential if it is to thrive. That is especially true for a couple serving in a foreign country or culture.

“There is nothing more fulfilling than doing ministry with your spouse,” says Greg Matney, “but you have to be very aware of and responsible for . . . valuing and caring for your marriage. As we continue to grow in our marriage, we see how God’s strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. There is great joy maintaining that vantage point.”

As Christians, we rely on God’s strength in times of hardship. We turn to his everlasting grace and mercy when we mess up. We are surrounded by his unconditional love.

Christ will come for his bride one day, and we want to have as much of this world ready to greet him as possible.

Remember to pray for those who serve in crosscultural missions and in leadership roles. Pray for our missionaries’ marriages to be strengthened in times of trial and for doors to be opened for them to talk about how Christ views a healthy marriage. 

Emily Drayne lives in North Carolina and has served with the International Conference on Missions for six years.

C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

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UNIFORM

BY ALAN STEIN In the movie Hidden Figures, Kevin Costner plays Al Harrison, a mission director of NASA in April 1961 when the Soviets launched the first man into Earth’s orbit. Harrison (a composite character) had a single-minded mission: successfully launch an American into orbit and safely return him to Earth.

NASA was just beginning to transition into the computer age, and so they had some uncertainty about the trajectory calculations provided by the agency’s IBM computer. Astronaut John Glenn, preparing for the Friendship 7 launch that would send him into orbit in February 1962, asked for mathematical genius Katherine Johnson to verify the computer’s numbers before the mission.

In the 2016 movie, Taraji Henson plays Johnson, who worked for NASA. Like me, Johnson is African-American.

In that era and place—Hampton, Virginia—Johnson had to walk, and sometimes run, across the NASA campus

to use a segregated bathroom. When Harrison realized why she left her post for long spells, he tore down the “colored” sign outside the restroom in the hallway. After hitting the sign with a sledgehammer, he said, “No more colored restrooms, no more white restrooms, just toilets. Here at NASA, we all pee the same color.”

The Church’s Role in Healing Look at that story through the lens of leadership. I hear people refer to the black church, the white church, and the Hispanic church, but I’ve never found a verse about such things in the Bible.

I hear commentators say in the midst of crises, regardless of differences, we can come together. I think the church is specifically designed to facilitate that.

Christian minister and author Tony Evans addressed this a few days before the October 1, 2017, concert shootings in Las Vegas, Nevada, that killed 58 and injured more than 500.

F E BRU A RY 2018

We have become the divided states of America rather than the United States of America.

And one of the reasons for this division is the failure of Christians and the church to show the comprehensive rule of God in both the moral arena and the social arena. This divide in the church has facilitated division in the culture. Psalm 89:14 makes it clear [that] from God’s kingdom throne comes righteousness and justice. He has a moral standard for life and for the definition of marriage. But he also has a social standard and that social standard includes justice and equitable treatment under the law across racial and cultural boundaries, and we must not allow the divisions of men to overrule both aspects that have come from the kingdom of God. And that means that the church must address the whole counsel of God and stop picking and choosing which issues they’re comfortable with and which issues they’re uncomfortable with as though our God is divided when he speaks to both clearly.

We should be known to take a strong stand for the moral principles of Scripture, but we must equally and simultaneously be known to take a strong stand against any kind of injustice, wherever it is found, when it is based on illegitimate criteria that is against the standards of almighty God and how his kingdom is designed to operate. God is not going to skip the church house to fix the White House. He is going to check with the church, and based on what he sees happening with us, address the society at large.

So if you want to see America healed . . . if you want to see the wounds salved with the goodness, mercy, grace, and justice of God, it’s got to start [at] 11 o’clock on Sunday morning with the church adopting a kingdom agenda, not a cultural agenda, demonstrating to the world what God looks like when he addresses both the social and the moral issues in society through his people based on his Word.”

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MITY

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The church I serve is widely considered to be one of the most diverse in the Restoration Movement. Frankly, until recently, I didn’t know our church was in the Restoration Movement or what that movement was. It was just the place where I was saved and God started working in my life. It used to be called Arlington Christian Church, and 20 years ago it was an almost completely Anglo church.

It became my church because its location was on my wife’s shortcut to Walmart. I was Catholic because my father’s best friend was Catholic with 15 kids; since I had only a sister, I would hang out with that family and would go to their church. I went through the catechism with my parents’ approval.

When I was 27, I married a Catholic girl and we attended church in New Orleans. We had the best choir anywhere because Aaron, Cyril, and Art Neville were in it . . . we were jammin’ it up in Catholic church! I liked the Catholic church because I’m a fisherman: I could find a convenient Mass to attend and leave plenty of time for my favorite pastime.

When our jobs took us to Dallas, we couldn’t find a similar church, so we quit going.

My wife was drawn to the Christian church she would drive by on her way to Walmart and started talking about going, but I wasn’t interested. One Sunday morning, she got dressed, dressed our 18-month-old son, and said she wanted everyone to go to church together. While I was trying to think of an

excuse, she made this offer, “If you’ll go to church with us, I won’t talk to you while the Cowboys are on.” I was up, dressed, and ready to go before they were!

When we arrived, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me. My second week there, it seemed like the pastor wasn’t preaching to any of the white people, he was preaching to me. He said, “If you were killed in a car wreck on the way out of here, do you know for sure you would go to Heaven?” That was problematic for me because I thought I would go to Heaven . . . I believed I would . . . but I was a corporate guy and I had to know.

I listened to him preach the next 14 Sundays in a row. The Holy Spirit wore me down, and I told my wife that I needed to go forward and give my life to Christ. After I made it to the front, the pastor whispered, “I’ve been waiting for you, and I’m going to put you to work.”

My wife and I started in kitchen ministry, moved into hosting the new believers class, and were surrounded by people who loved us and taught us the Word of God. After a while, I was approached to teach a Sunday school class—the one that most of the church leaders attended. I wanted no part of that, but people kept encouraging me to do it, saying they were praying for me. Finally, I lifted up a prayer. I said, “God, I’m a moron.

You know it and I know it. I would like you to keep that circle of knowledge just as small as possible!” That is still my deal with God.

I hear commentators say in the midst of crises, regardless of differences, we can come together.

I think the church is specifically designed to facilitate that.

F E BRU A RY 2018

The goal is unity, not uniformity.

We’re never going to solve the race issue in our world—Jesus alone can do that—but the Lord equips us and positions us to do his work toward that end. Saying we’re colorblind is naive, immature, and ignores the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

A friend in my small group approached me one day to ask a question. He said two African-American coworkers told him that on January 1 they celebrated the new year by eating chitlins, and he wanted to know what they were. When I explained it, he wondered why anyone would want to eat that! He’s on the right track. We have to talk to each other and learn about each other; that is the beginning of solving this problem God’s way.

We don’t need to ignore our past or try to bury our racial history, but neither should we live there or punish people for the sins of others.

Tony Evans says, “If you drive down the highway looking in the rearview mirror, you’re going to run into something. You drive down the highway looking through the windshield, and every now and then, you glance at the rearview mirror just to keep your perspective.” We, as a church, need to focus on the future.

We need to help those who haven’t been given opportunities, and we must realize some people will waste those opportunities.

That’s just the nature of human beings. I was taught this acronym for RACE: R: Reach out to others who don’t look like you.

A: Accept everyone for whom God made them to be.

C: Commit to love your neighbor as yourself.

E: Every day, do something to help solve the problem.

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The Church’s Choice: The Right Thing or the Easy Thing The racial tone of our church began to change before my arrival there. On his first week, senior pastor Barry Cameron walked in on a discussion about whether or not a lady could teach a women’s Bible study, since her husband was not a believer.

Cameron asked if anyone had shared the gospel with the woman’s husband. The answer was no, so Cameron called him up and asked if he could. The husband accepted the Lord and was baptized that Sunday. The applause for his decision was unusually light. You see, he was black and his wife was white. Cameron told the congregation that if the man’s decision was a problem for them, they should find another church. That was the catalyst God used to set the church on a new path, and it was based on a choice between doing the right thing or the easy thing.

We all have an opportunity and responsibility to go out to a lost and hurting world, and God doesn’t care what color we are. We must recognize we are all part of the human race and the church of Jesus Christ.

So how do we accomplish that?

Diversity doesn’t need to be the goal; the goal is to be like Jesus.

At our church, we don’t hire people on the basis of their skin color or nationality, but on the basis of their Christlikeness, character, and competence. Our church and staff should reflect the community we live in.

When people walk into our church and see people who look like them, they are more comfortable and more capable of hearing from God. When we love people like Jesus does, we’ll attract everyone, especially lost people.

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There is an ugly part to my story, but I only glance in the rearview mirror, because God has a plan for my life and that plan is not back there, it’s in front of me.

My last name is Stein and I’m African-American. My grandfather told me that his grandfather was owned by a Jewish man just outside of Memphis, Tennessee. When Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, the Jewish man, being righteous, gave his slaves their freedom. He gave my great-great-grandfather $10 and his last name, Stein. My greatgreat-grandfather then walked to Texas where he met a white man, a Christian man, who treated black people like human beings. He purchased from that white, Christian man 10 acres of land for 10 cents an acre, and he used the other $9 to buy seed and a plow, and he started farming.

When I was 7 years old, my grandfather told me that his grandfather said to him, “Now that we are free, no matter what happens in our life, we can no longer blame the white man. As long as we keep God first and work hard, God is gonna take care of us.” That has been our family’s motto for more than 100 years.

I never would have dreamed that just by walking through the door of a church, I would become a Sunday school teacher, a deacon, an elder, chairman of the elders, and the executive pastor of that church. There is an ugly part to my story, but I only glance in the rearview mirror, because God has a plan for my life and that plan is not back there, it’s in front of me.  Alan Stein serves as executive pastor with Crossroads Christian Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. Formerly, he served in leadership with a major airline.

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Marshall Keeble and What He Taught Me I, like so many independent Christian church preachers, had the opportunity to study the history of the Restoration Movement in Bible college. My experience was a droning professor in a 7 a.m. class. My goal then was simply to survive it, achieve the best grade possible, and then move on to more interesting things. Biographical sketches of our movement’s pioneers held little interest for me at the time, and for the most part, it stayed that way for many years. It wasn’t until our church launched a multisite location in Hannibal, Missouri, that an interest in our movement’s roots came to life in me.

I learned that Barton W. Stone, a founder of our movement, died in Hannibal. I discovered I had passed Stone’s farm in Jacksonville, Illinois, countless times while traveling on Interstate 72. When I found that Stone’s wife of 33 years was buried in Hannibal, I C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

Ma Ke an Wh Ta

BY JERRY HARRIS

wrote my first article for Christian Standard: “Rediscovering the Sacred Stones.” These things piqued my interest about other pioneers, their stories, their milestones, and their legacy.

I read and researched our history, but it was a long time before I heard about a man one might argue is the greatest evangelist in the history of the Restoration Movement. Why would his incredible life and ministry be absent from classroom lectures and reference books? There was no shortage of information about Stone, Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, Raccoon John Smith, John T. Johnson, and Samuel Rogers. Plenty of material can be found about Isaac Errett, P.H. Welshimer, David Lipscomb, J.W. McGarvey, and others.

But through it all, I had never heard about Marshall Keeble.

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Th e Life a n d M in is t ry o f M a rs h a l l Kee bl e Keeble was born in 1878, the son of former slaves. His education ended in the seventh grade. He began preaching in 1897 and set aside business interests to become a full-time evangelist in 1914. In 1930, Keeble reported to The Gospel Advocate that he had baptized 15,000 people. By 1967, estimates of that number had grown to 47,000!

In his lifetime, Keeble established more than 350 congregations and conducted evangelistic services all over America as well as Nigeria, Ethiopia, India, Singapore, and Korea. In Nigeria, a tribe made him an honorary chief. He helped found the Nigerian Christian Secondary School in Ukpom and the Nigerian Christian Hospital. He helped found Nashville Christian Institute and served as its first president. Harding University presented him with an honorary Doctor of Law degree.

He was a successful debater; it was said no opponent ever sought to debate him a second time. He was instrumental in the founding of Southwestern Christian College in Texas. He preached in brush arbors, tents, barns, and church buildings.

A man shot at him in Florence, Alabama, and yet Keeble continued preaching, and even tried to prevent the man’s arrest.

He was beaten with brass knuckles on another occasion, but turned the other cheek as the man was quietly removed.

He was no stranger to personal pain, as all five of his children and his first wife preceded him in death . . . some tragically.

Tennessee’s governor presented him with the state’s highest honor. When he died in 1968 at age 89, 3,000 people attended his funeral. In his lifetime, he

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worked to overcome many obstacles for African-Americans. He broke many of the cultural barriers that separated black and white people. Keeble was one of the most influential preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the 20th century.

Lesso ns Learned fro m Marshall Kee ble's Life I can’t help but believe that my ignorance of Keeble and his accomplishments was born out of two circumstances—that he was a noninstrumental church of Christ preacher and that he was black. I have asked numerous independent Christian church preachers if they had heard of him but they were as oblivious as I had been. I have also spoken to some church of Christ brothers who are very familiar with his life and ministry. This, to me, clearly illustrates what happens when sectarianism and/or racism exists. We become less than we were intended to be or were equipped to be.

Lately, as a board member of The Solomon Foundation, I’ve had the great opportunity of meeting some of our brothers in the African-American churches of Christ.

Solomon has been blessed to partner with 19 of these churches, providing loans of approximately $70 million. If not for those relationships, I wouldn’t have started the research that has been so edifying to me.

I’m concerned I am guilty of unintentional racism and sectarianism. It might sound like I’m blaming my teachers, but the truth is that the information was always there . . . I just remained ignorant of it.

A particularly powerful part of Keeble’s life and ministry was his partnership with A. M. Burton, a man of humble origins.

Burton attended school for only 20 months and worked as a youth in tobacco fields for 50 cents a day. As he grew, he

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"

Keeble was one of the most influential

preachers of

the gospel of

Jesus Christ in

the 20th century.

Why would the incredible life

and ministry of

this man be absent from classroom lectures and reference books?

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"

By 1967, Keeble had baptized an estimated 47,000!

In his lifetime, he established more than 350 congregations.

became a day laborer, earning a dollar a day, until he was able to secure a job selling insurance. When his employer went out of business, he took what little he had and started his own insurance company. The little business, established in 1903, became the Life and Casualty Insurance Company of Tennessee, and Burton became wealthy.

As a philanthropist, Burton gave more to David Lipscomb College than any other Tennessean had given to anything.

Burton funded churches and ministries in downtown Nashville, he had the Bible

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translated into Braille for the blind, and he funded the work of evangelist Marshall Keeble. This part of Keeble’s story is especially inspiring to me because Keeble was able to do things that Burton could never do and Burton could do things that Keeble could never do. Only by working together did all these great things happen.

The Legacy o f Marshall Kee ble Preacher, educator, and historian J. E. Choate said of Keeble: “His parables were built out of the logic of stubborn facts.”

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Keeble described himself this way: “I don’t know how to use deceit. I have grown on facts. No man with any sense will deny a stubborn fact.” Keeble often said, “The Bible is right. You can go home and fuss all night. The Bible is right. You can walk the streets and call Keeble a fool; the Bible is right. You can go home and have spasms; the Bible is right.” “[Keeble’s] teaching was done in the midst of humble circumstances,” said minister and educator Willie Cato. “Often during his life of service, he suffered shame and blame. When Marshall Keeble ‘set his hands to the plow,’ there were no public accommodations for him. There were few public services of any kind from which he could receive assistance and encouragement. He bore this life gladly.

Even as he reflected upon many of these ‘unpleasant’ experiences, there was never a note of bitterness. Often he has told me that these circumstances brought him closer to God and made him rely more entirely upon God. “Once I asked brother Keeble how he had come to have such great faith and how he had learned to rely upon God so much. I distinctly remember that he stated, ‘I have had to rely upon God, he is the only one I had. The white man didn’t like me because of the color of my skin. The colored man didn’t like me because of my religion. Now son, who else did I have?’ May all teachers have the same faith of this great teacher.”

“His students loved and respected him, not for what he was, but for what they were when they were with him,” said Mrs. Lambert Campbell, who taught at Nashville Christian Institute. “They loved him for overlooking the selfish and petty traits which were in them. They loved him for closing his eyes to the discord among

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them and for using these inadequacies to bring out the possibilities that he could see within each of them. Perhaps this is what being a teacher really means.”

“Brother Keeble was never disturbed,” said Percy Ricks, who helped establish many churches of Christ in the South.

“In the presence of man’s anger he grew calm; in confusion, he registered peace.

All these things I say of him without any exaggeration or sense of worship. His personal habits were simple, orderly, and meticulous, without being fastidious. So, no one was ever ill-at-ease in his presence.

No one’s shortcomings were food for his conversations; but he was a faithful counselor of people in their needs, using the Bible as his reference, or authority.”

Marshall Keeble belongs to the same heritage of the Restoration Movement as me. While bearing fruit on different branches, we all are part of the same tree that ministers to millions worldwide. He is just one of so many who preached the same Christ, trusted fully in the same absolute truth of the New Testament, immersed the repentant in the same soul-cleansing water, and broke bread in the same weekly Communion as me.

Different times, skin colors, and worship styles don’t have to rob us of the rich relationships God has provided, and I pray that almighty God would bind us back together with cords that cannot be broken as we prepare for eternity.  Some of Keeble’s profound and powerful sermons can be heard on YouTube.

Quotes and facts are taken from therestorationmovement.com and from Biography and Sermons of Marshall Keeble, Evangelist, edited by B.C. Goodpasture (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1959).

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Living Together in Sweet Unity

BY VICTOR KNOWLES

The year 1906 is memorable to me for a number of reasons—even though I wasn’t born until 1945. It was the year of the great San Francisco earthquake; the year one of my heroes, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was born; and a year the Chicago Cubs went to the World Series (and lost). Finally, 1906 is the year a division occurred in the American Restoration Movement.

“Conventional wisdom” today is that David Lipscomb, editor of the Gospel Advocate, acting unilaterally for some churches that opposed instrumental music (as well as the American Christian Missionary Society), sought and received a separate listing for churches of Christ in the Census of Religious Bodies published by the U.S. Department of the Census. Not everyone agreed with this decision.

T. B. Larimore refused to take sides, saying he preferred to “sit on the issues and stand on Jesus Christ.” James B. North, author of Union in Truth: An Interpretive History of the Restoration Movement (Standard Publishing, 1994), believes that issues like instrumental music and the missionary society were only symptoms of the real issue: biblical authority and how it is applied. Some saw the silence of the Scriptures as prohibitive where others viewed silence as permissive. I personally believe silence is passive. How is it possible to interpret silence? We have spoken where the Scriptures are silent and the result has been confusion and division.

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Efforts At Rapproachment

In his pamphlet The Greatest Tragedy in 1,000 Years, Walter Stram wrote, “Division in the church is treason against Christ.” That is a strong statement, but it is true because Jesus fervently prayed for the unity of his church (John 17:20, 21). By the 1930s, several efforts at rapprochement (“the restoration of cordial relations”) had begun by interested brothers and sisters on both sides of the keyboard. (See “Don’t Know Much About History: Reviewing 70 Years of Rapprochement Between A Cappella Churches of Christ and Conservative Christian Churches,” a paper I presented at Pepperdine University in 2006; it can be downloaded at www.poeministries.org—click on “Lectures.”)

A new national unity effort called the Restoration Forum began in 1984.

“Like the flash of a weaver’s shuttle, 34 years have passed since that first meeting in Joplin,” recalls Ken Idleman, former president at Ozark Christian College. “My frequent reflections on that historic meeting are always accompanied by an emotional rush. Those pioneers who were a part of it will identify with me. There was an atmosphere that can only be described

as a foretaste of glory divine. Highlights of the 1984 meeting would be the loving confrontation of Reuel Lemmons and the emotional reconciliation of veteran missionary Max Ward Randall (Christian churches) and his preacher-nephew Dennis Randall (churches of Christ). The closing prayer time on our knees was the closest I have ever been to the spirit of Pentecost.”

Twenty-five Restoration Forums were held between 1984 and 2007, drawing thousands of concerned church leaders and members from across the United States, Canada, and several foreign nations. Calvin Warpula, a co-planner and frequent speaker at the forums, made six observations about the two fellowships.

He said they were learning much about each other, encouraging joint participation in good works, emphasizing unity and love as Jesus commanded, coming out of isolation, researching and refining their positions (and maybe even abandoning them as they studied Scripture together), and realizing unity can exist in arguments on essentials while allowing diversity on other matters.

“We’re Going To Do Better Right Now!” At the 2006 Abilene Christian University Lectureship, Royce Money declared, “For those of us in the Restoration Movement heritage, I doubt that many have looked at us in the last 100 years and said, ‘Behold, how they love one another.’ But we’re going to do better in the next 100 years; we’re going to do better right now! Unity for the sake of mission is essential if we are to successfully carry the light of Jesus into a dark world.” Indeed, unity for sweet unity’s sake is not enough. Jesus prayed, “That they all may be one . . . that the world may

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believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21, New King James Version). Christian unity is for the sake of world evangelism.

At the 2006 Pepperdine Bible Lectures, I delivered a speech (“Restoring Family Ties: How Churches of Christ and Christian Churches Are Serving God Together in the 21st Century”) in which I listed 101 activities and actions the two fellowships were doing together in Jesus’ name and for his sake. I quoted Rick Atchley’s remarks at the 2003 North American Christian Convention: “For

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a hundred years we have served God apart . . . only God knows what we can do the next hundred years serving him together.” Some of the 101 activities I mentioned include churches participating in 24-hour prayer vigils for their cities, prayer breakfasts on a monthly basis, local pulpit exchanges, worshipping together on Sunday evenings or fifth Sunday services, hosting seminars for elders, hosting luncheons for preachers, taking trips together to Restoration sites (like Cane Ridge and

Bethany), conducting joint Vacation Bible Schools, joint observance of the Lord’s Supper with elders from both churches presiding, working together in a crisis pregnancy center, teaming up to take a stand against moral and social evils, cooperating in feeding the hungry, joining together in disaster relief aid, merging and becoming “one body,” planting new churches together, going on short-term mission trips together, doing field research and Bible translation together, and much more.

“God Knows We Are Better Together!”

A missionary serving in Kenya said, “My mother remembered when her church in West Virginia split over the instrument.

Both groups continued to share the same building and the same coal shed, but divided the coal. The youth group of which she was a part wrote on the coal shed: ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism, and two coal piles!’” The missionary concluded: “I’m just so happy that I had the privilege to work in the atmosphere of one coal pile, and rejoice that my generation of church leaders is wiping off the graffiti on the coal shed!”

God knows we are better together. A new generation has no desire to fight the battles of the past. Here in Joplin, Missouri, we are enjoying a spirit of brotherly love and cooperation. In 2007, after the final Restoration Forum, which drew more than 1,000 people, my wife and I placed fellowship with a local a cappella congregation, the Mount Hope Church of Christ. They gave us a standing ovation the first time we visited. Gary Morrison, the former minister at Mount Hope, had been a key driver of unity efforts since 1984. I became a member of the preaching team. Karl Wendt,

worship leader at Mount Hope, is on staff at Ozark Christian College. Curtis Prunty, who heads the preaching team, is a graduate of Ozark Christian College and also teaches a class at OCC. Naomi Hunter, a member at Christ’s Church of Oronogo, serves with Mount Hope’s Christian Counseling Center. A good number of OCC students attend or have placed fellowship with Mount Hope and are active in teaching, youth activities, and giving Communion mediations.

Many guests from instrumental churches have spoken at Mount Hope, including the late Garland Bare, Boyce Mouton, OCC President Matt Procter, and OCC faculty members Woody Wilkinson, Terry Bowland, Gary Zustiak, and Kevin Morrow. The text is true: “How truly wonderful and delightful to see brothers and sisters living together in sweet unity!”

Don DeWelt (1919–91) and I started One Body magazine in 1984, the same year as the first Restoration Forum. Our journal has always featured writers from both sides of the keyboard. The late Thomas Langford, an elder with Quaker Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas, wrote 55 columns for us before he died.

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He was replaced by Gene Shelburne, a minister with the Anna Street Church of Christ in Amarillo, Texas (and also a syndicated columnist for the Amarillo Globe News). One Body has published more than 1,100 articles and essays from Restoration writers, about half of them from the churches of Christ. Writers have included the late W. Carl Ketcherside, Leroy Garrett, Marvin Phillips, Douglas A. Foster, and Rick Atchley. Jimmy Hurd, an African-American minister serving with

What Can We Do?

Paul admonished the believers in Ephesus and all “the faithful in Christ Jesus” to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:3-6). We must make every effort for unity! We dare not make secondary what Jesus made primary— “That they all may be one . . . that the world may believe.” Years ago I wrote these words in my Bible: “The unity of all believers is essential to the conversion of the world.”

W. Carl Ketcherside (1908–89), former editor of Mission Messenger, may have said it best: “I have steadfastly set my face in the direction of the unity of all believers in Christ Jesus my Lord.

I shall pray for it, plead for it, and proclaim it.

I shall never be deterred. I shall never become discouraged. I will never be satisfied until all of us regard one another as God regards all of us. And when the time comes that the pen drops from my nerveless fingers, and my tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth, I shall rest content, if on the gray marble above my head can be chiseled the words, ‘He preached peace to them that are afar off and to them that are nigh!’”

the Holgate Church of Christ in Seattle, Washington, is one of six columnists.

“Today, we are seeing churches of Christ and independent Christian churches cooperating for new church work!” says Canadian Jim Tune, director of Impact Ministries Group and associate editor of One Body. “God knows we are better together!” Other journals, like Christian Standard and The Lookout, have also been keen to emphasize Christian unity for the sake of world evangelism.

The Prince of Peace declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9). So, what can you and I do to promote peace, unity, and harmony in the church for which Christ died?

For starters, get acquainted with each other.

Start on a friendship level. Friendship will beget fellowship. Invite a fellow believer to lunch. Few people will bite the hand that picks up the tab.

Then find common ground. That which unites us is far greater than that which divides us.

Gather your people and paint a widow’s house.

Neighbors will notice and God will be glorified.

Find creative ways to meet together and worship together. Love will find a way for “love never fails.” Have a picnic in the park. Churches that picnic with each other will not nitpick with each other! The early Christians were constantly “breaking bread together.” It’s much better than breaking heads!

We are all going to stand before God some day and give an account for whether or not we “made every effort” for Christian unity. I want to be able to say, “Father, I did my best to answer your Son’s dying prayer—‘That they all may be one . . . that the world may believe.’”

We can’t do everything, but we can do something! God knows we are better together! 

Victor Knowles is founder and president of POEM (Peace on Earth Ministries), Joplin, Missouri. Since 1984 he has served as editor of One Body magazine. He is the author of 23 books, including Stand and Deliver (POEM Publications, 2017).

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to a with t

Denzil Holness & Racial Reconciliation

BY JACQUELINE HOLNESS

a visible unity in accordan the Lord’s prayer in John 1 Had Denzil D. Holness been hired as a pastor in Coward, South Carolina, or Peculiar, Missouri, or any other out-of-the-way American town or city, he may not have been led to take on racial reconciliation in the Christian church. However, since Holness was hired as the first black pastor at Central Christian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, “The City Too Busy to Hate,” it would seem tackling racial reconciliation was God’s plan for him all along.

Committed to Christian Church Principles Holness became CCC’s pastor in September 1979 and in December 2017, he retired from ministry after 38 years serving that church. Holness began his journey with the Christian church when he was a teenager in his homeland of Jamaica, which boasts the motto, “Out of Many, One People.” Originally a member of the Anglican church, Holness was persuaded by a friend to join the Christian church because of its principles.

“The more I learned about the Christian church, the more I became committed,” Holness said. “For example, we believe that all Christians should be one. We don’t use denominational labels or names. If the world is to be won to Christ, then believers should bear witness to a visible unity in accordance with the Lord’s prayer in John 17.”

Just before Holness graduated from high school, Fred Kratt, a missionary from the United States, visited Jamaica one summer and was instrumental in arranging for the young man to receive a full scholarship to attend Minnesota Bible College, Kratt’s alma mater.

“Prior to receiving that scholarship, I had been under the conviction that the Lord was calling me to the ministry,” Holness said.

Although he received a catalog about the school before he started there, he did not realize Minnesota was much colder than sunny Jamaica. “That first winter, it was so cold, I almost cried,” Holness said with a smile.

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Fast forward from the 1960s to April 1979. By then, Holness was married to fellow Jamaican Alice May Holness, and they had a daughter, me, and a son, Delvall. They were living in Miami, Florida, where Holness worked as a psychiatric aide. He returned to Jamaica to attend an Easter weekend retreat hosted by his brother-in-law Lloyd Morris. After the retreat, Morris asked Holness to write his reflections about the retreat for a newsletter.

In his article, Holness asked readers to “pray that God may open a door for me to devote myself to full-time Christian ministry.” CCC pastor Denver Sizemore, who was looking for a new pastor to lead Central, read the article and contacted Holness. Months later, Holness became Central’s pastor.

Dealing with Racial Conflicts at Central When Holness began his pastorate, the church, as well as the surrounding neighborhood, was multiracial (it formerly had been all white). Holness was welcomed by the church and community. “After a while, people cease to see color once you establish a relationship,” he said. Still, white members slowly trickled away until the church became all black. Holness doesn’t know why they left, but noted that external pressure may have led to at least one white member leaving. “[Her] mother was always asking her, ‘When are you going to leave that church?’ she told me.”

Since Holness had served as the first black pastor at Mandeville Church of Christ, his home church in Jamaica (which had been founded and led by white missionaries), he expected the experience at Central to be similar. Cultural rather than racial differences, however, were a challenge.

Although black, Holness realized his view of America as an outsider was different from the view of his black American congregants. “To me, America has always been the promised land, unlike for my black brothers and sisters here. I also realized that West Indian blacks are more readily accepted than local

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blacks,” said Holness, whose Jamaican heritage drew other Jamaicans in metro Atlanta to Central over time.

In fact, at one point, a conflict arose between Jamaican and black American members, which led to a communication breakdown. Holness held several meetings and managed to restore better communication. Black American and Jamaican members grew to love and appreciate their differences, particularly when it came to food, and traveled together to the World Convention of Churches of Christ held in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1984.

Today, other Caribbean islands and Africa are also represented in Central’s membership.

These different viewpoints, however, also affected the worship experience.

If the world is to be won to “Christ, then believers should bear witness to a visible unity in accordance with the Lord’s prayer in John 17.

“

“I sensed that something was missing,” Holness said. “The people were not responding as I felt they should. I learned that those black members who came in under white leadership were feeling alienated from their black religious roots.”

While black members were attracted to the teaching of the Bible emphasized in the Christian church and the length of the worship service (“The worship service did not go over three hours,” Holness said with a laugh), they were feeling repressed otherwise.

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“In a typical black American church, you have the call-and-response, such as ‘Amen’ and ‘Praise the Lord,’ or you wave your hand and stand up,” Holness said. “But people did not feel free to be themselves. Some members came to me and said, ‘We don’t feel the Spirit,’ or ‘We’re too organized. We need to leave room for the Spirit.’”

Holness decided he needed to learn more about the black American religious heritage, so he enrolled in Atlanta’s Interdenominational Theological Center, where he received his doctorate in ministry in 1991.

“The outcome of that education was the renewal of our worship at Central,” Holness said. “We changed the worship service in a radical way.” A longer order of worship was created, which included more AfricanAmerican hymns and spirituals and time set aside for public testimonies. Women began to play a prominent role in the worship service through presiding or reading Scriptures, and Holness began to play a key role in the Communion service. “The worship service affirms the African-American religious heritage.”

Facing “White Flight” from Inner Cities Another issue, however, warranted attention after cultural concerns were addressed.

“When I saw white church after white church fleeing from racially changing communities, I began reflecting on what was happening,” Holness said. “We’ve had several churches in the area close down or sell their buildings or flee.” Observing at least 10 Christian churches in the metro Atlanta area fleeing over a 17year period provided the impetus for Holness to pen The Jonah Syndrome: White Churches Running from the Inner City, which was published by College Press in 1998. Holness likened the white flight of churches to Jonah’s fleeing to Tarshish rather than preaching in Nineveh, as God commanded.

At the beginning of his book, Holness outlined five conclusions based on his

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observations, including these two: churches saw “blacks as problems, not prospects,” and “while professing an openness to all ethnic groups, [the white churches] were essentially unwilling to meet the demands of becoming multiculturally appealing and inclusive.” While Central ultimately became an all-black church, Holness credits his predecessor for seeking leadership that appealed to a multicultural church as the church and surrounding neighborhood became multiracial. “Dr. Sizemore felt that the Christian church should have a presence in the black community, and therefore he decided to shepherd the church through the transition and to prepare for a black minister.”

In the book’s conclusion, Holness wrote that these retreating churches “justified their decision to flee the changing community” based on theories such as these: church growth theory, comfort theory, individual freedom theory, congregational freedom theory, pilgrim theory, and community decline theory. Whatever theory or theories were chosen by a church, the end result was the same: “A flight from our Movement’s witness.”

“It is the unanimous testimony of our historians,” he wrote, “that the Restoration Movement was and is a unity movement.”

Holness dissected Christian unity, which includes spiritual unity, inclusive unity, scriptural unity, and visible unity. He noted that Restoration Movement founder Thomas Campbell used the phrase “visible unity” several times in his “Declaration and Address.” Holness wrote, “The purpose of the visible unity of Christians is to convince the world that our Savior’s claims are true and to convert the world to this divine Savior.”

Prescribing a Cure in the Christian Church After Holness outlined “the Jonah Syndrome,” he also advanced “the cure,” which included the roles of churches, Christian Standard and Standard Publishing, educational institutions, historians, and the North American Christian Convention. He also - 43 -

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’s claims are true convert the world to ivine Savior. mentioned strategies of inclusion such as pulpit exchanges, joint Lord’s Supper services, joint prayer meetings, and more.

The response to his book was generally positive, but Holness felt the need to do something more. In 2003 he created A Voice in the Wilderness, a quarterly paper that was circulated throughout the Christian church.

“My book had not received a wide circulation, so I felt I had to address the ongoing issue and reach as many people as I could.”

In his first paper, he wrote an article entitled “My Discovery at Columbus,” about his experience at the North American Christian Convention in Columbus, Ohio. “Throughout that convention, I struggled with feelings of sadness, disappointment and alienation.

Sadness because so few of my black sisters and brothers were present at that rich feast. Disappointment because of our exclusion from playing any visible role there.

Alienation because I did not feel at home there at times.” Holness published his paper until 2013.

In 2007, Holness created an annual Racial Reconciliation Service at Central in conjunction with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. White ministers from other Christian churches were invited to speak at Central.

“So few of our white ministers have ever had the experience of being in a black church, so that was the intention,” Holness said. “I remember one who came to Central on one occasion. It was like he was lost. He had never been to a black church.”

In the 20 years since the release of The Jonah Syndrome, Holness has reaped a harvest of results.

“The North American Convention now has a black speaker as one of the main speakers on a consistent basis. The Christian Standard has changed dramatically. It’s not all white as it used to be. They do feature some blacks.

They try to be intentional in projecting an inclusive, multiracial image. Our colleges have also become much more aware of racial reconciliation.”

purpose of the visible unity “The of Christians is to convince the world that our Savior’s claims are true and to convert the world to this divine Savior.

Through it all, Holness has relied on the support of his wife, to whom he has been married for 46 years.

“She has been my right hand,” he said.

“Having been a minister’s daughter, she has been extremely helpful and has served over the years sacrificially.” His support system also includes his now adult children, another son, David, born in Atlanta in 1981, and two grandchildren.

As Central Christian Church searches for a new pastor, Holness revealed the secret of his longevity at the church. “I have tried to love my people.”  While this article is about my father, I have attempted to be objective in describing his life and ministry so that other ministers might glean inspiration.

Jacqueline J. Holness, a member of Central Christian Church in Atlanta, is a correspondent for Courthouse News Service. Read more on her website (afterthealtarcall.com).

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“

"

Almost 50 inches of rain fell in just a few days.

It was a worst-case scenario–a nightmare in slow motion from which we could not wake.

Beauty Out of the Storm

BY TIM LISTON

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Hurricane Harvey, the first Category 4 storm to hit the United States since 2004, made landfall south of us on August 26, 2017. That put Houston on the “dirty” or rainy side of the storm. To make matters worse, Harvey stayed on top of Houston for days, pulling water from the Gulf of Mexico and dropping it on the region. Water rose in the streets, with every highway in Houston impassable because of flooding.

At one point, nearly 10 inches of rain fell on my town in only 90 minutes. Almost 50 inches of rain fell in just a few days. It was a worst-case scenario—a nightmare in slow motion from which we could not wake. The result: Your home either flooded or you feared it might flood. There was no inbetween. It was a traumatic time in our city.

It’s estimated more than 100,000 homes were damaged by Harvey’s floodwaters, and 80 percent of those homes did not have flood insurance. They didn’t need it. They weren’t in a flood zone.

An Act of God Before the storm, our church had been praying about how to get into people’s homes in our community. The weekend Harvey hit was supposed to be our backto-school kickoff event. We had planned to have bouncy houses for the kids, games, and lots of food to welcome people back to church from the long Texas summer.

We were expecting a crowd, but because of Harvey, no one attended. We would come to find out, however, that God still answered our prayers.

The day after the water receded enough to make it to our church’s main campus, about 50 of us met in our darkened building— there was no electrical power—to chart a plan. Minutes later, we put it into action: People with pickup trucks immediately went to home-improvement stores and

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bought wheelbarrows, wet-dry vacuums, shovels, brooms, gloves, masks, pry bars, hammers, trash bags, bleach, and other supplies. Others went to stores and bought $100 gift cards.

(That first day we bought $43,000 worth of $100 gift cards.) Then I sent an email to our church family and asked, “Did your house flood?” We immediately received more than 120 replies from people who said, “Yes! We flooded!”

I asked church family members who wanted to help to meet me on Friday morning to start gutting homes. Hundreds of volunteers showed up. We ventured into neighborhoods, sometimes passing National Guard checkpoints, and into homes still soaked with floodwater and began the process of clearing them out.

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We would target a single home, but then would accept requests for help from neighbors and family members.

One of our teams was finishing work at a home when a worker saw a neighbor who was weeping. The elderly man was carrying items from his home to the curb.

Our worker struck up a conversation with him and learned the man and his wife were struggling to gut their home themselves.

Our team of volunteers jumped at the opportunity to help. And for the next two days, our team cleared and cleaned the couple’s home. Similar scenarios repeated again and again as our teams fanned out across our area.

Over the next few weeks (before mold set in and made it too dangerous for our volunteers), our church family gutted 173 homes. At an average savings of $13,500 per home, that means church volunteers saved homeowners more than $2.3 million.

We’ve also passed out nearly $50,000 in gift cards to people with immediate needs and packaged about 60,000 meals. Our food pantry has seen a constant flow of people in need. The Lord provided a warehouse nearby at which we accept new furniture and appliances and then distribute to those in need. I could go on, but you get the idea: We’ve been busy. And honestly, we were getting tired. But, thankfully, the “big C” Church stepped up.

neighborhoods,

sometimes passing National Guard checkpoints, and into homes still soaked with floodwater and began the process of clearing them out.

big c to the rescue More than 30 churches (and hundreds of individuals from around the country) gave money to help us in our relief efforts.

Churches from Dallas, Las Vegas, Ohio, California, Colorado, Kansas, and elsewhere sent teams of amazing people to help.

Most of their work has been in the form of gutting homes. But that work has recently shifted to prepping homes for new drywall and flooring. This has been a monumental shift. When I got the call that trucks were

Tim Liston serves as senior pastor of New Hope Church, a multisite megachurch with campuses south of Houston, Texas.

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"

We ventured into

unloading drywall at our warehouse, and that the first homes to be rebuilt were on the schedule, I almost cried. It was a sign of hope in a situation that once felt hopeless.

Our volunteers and visiting teams now go out and get homes ready for reconstruction: we clean them, spray anti-mold solution on the studs, install insulation, and make other preparations. A team of our professionals then install the drywall. The cost per home is more than $2,500, depending on the home’s size and the amount of drywall needed. But our church is covering the cost because of the generous contributions of churches and individuals who have given to our relief fund. The next step will be to help people with furniture and appliances.

My first words to our church family after the storm were these: “Starting with our own church and working outward, we’re going to help as many people as we can, with as much as we can, for as long as we can, and then we’re going to do more, because I want people to be able to say, ‘This flood was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it showed me that God is real and that he really cares about me!’” I said that in faith, not knowing how we were going to do it. But then God, by way of other churches, came through big time. And these people who have lost everything now have hope because of the “big C” Church!

Honestly, I’ve never been on the receiving end of help from other churches. We’ve always been the senders of money, people, and resources. This is new for us. But it’s been a great vantage point from which to view the amazing work of the church of Jesus in all her glory!

We were praying that our church family could “get into” people’s homes in our community. Little did we know we’d be in their homes helping to rebuild them. But God has brought such beauty out of this storm through his church. He always does. 

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Night a Night for Kings Kings and

Queens Queens Shine to Shine

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to share with kids that the God of this universe loves them, or let them know they matter, or celebrate them, that's worth it because lives change.

- Tim Tebow

the evening of Friday, On February 9, limousines will line up in front of Jacksonville Veterans

Memorial Arena in coastal Florida.

As guests in tuxedos and gowns make their way down the red carpet toward the entrance, cameras will flash and onlookers will yell, “You look great!” “We love you!”

Some of the honored guests will be in wheelchairs. Some will use walkers.

Others will struggle to speak. On this night, the occasion is not an award show or a celebrity gala; it’s “Night to Shine,” a prom-style formal event for people with special needs created by Christ’s Church in Jacksonville and sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation (an organization founded by Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow).

Night to Shine has become an annual tradition in Jacksonville, as young people with special needs are showered with God’s love on the Friday before Valentine’s Day. Attendees wear formal attire, dance, eat, and pose for photos— all at no cost to their families. Each guest is paired with a volunteer “buddy” who accompanies them throughout the event, allowing parents to relax and enjoy their evening as well. At the end of the night, each guest is crowned “King” or “Queen” of the prom. It is a joyous event for the attendees and their families—most of whom have never experienced such a formal celebration.

BY JUSTIN HOREY

In 2017, 375 churches participated in these events, hosting galas in 11 countries on six continents. This month, more than 500 churches from around the world, with the support of 175,000 volunteers, will host Night to Shine for approximately 90,000 honored guests.

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When you are able

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It Began with a "Night to Remember" Night to Shine began in 2014 as “Night to Remember” at Christ’s Church in Jacksonville. The previous year, lead pastor Jason Cullum and the staff at Christ’s Church envisioned the event as a way to expand their ministry by loving people who are overlooked or forgotten.

As they talked and prayed, the team at Christ’s Church became convinced that they could and should seek ways to minister to people with special needs. Cullum grew up with an aunt who had Down syndrome, so the idea held personal significance for him. He was also familiar with “Jesus Prom” at Southland Christian Church in Nicholasville, Kentucky—a formal event for people with special needs that began in 2000.

Inspired by Cullum’s family experience, Jesus Prom, and a conviction from the staff retreat, Christ’s Church held “Night to Remember” on Valentine’s Day 2014.

About 70 guests attended. One of the volunteers at the event that night was a young woman from Christ’s Church’s preschool ministry who works fulltime at the Tim Tebow Foundation.

That woman shared the concept with her coworkers, and the Tim Tebow Foundation quickly decided to get involved, renaming the event “Night to Shine” in 2015.

The foundation’s vision for the event is to “work with churches around the country to provide an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs.”

Tim Tebow said, “When you are able to share with kids that the God of this universe loves them, or let them know they matter, or celebrate them, that’s worth it because lives change.”

How Christian Churches Are Involved Because Christ’s Church and the Tim Tebow Foundation are both based in Jacksonville, the event grew quickly in Florida. Other congregations signed up to participate in the first Night to Shine in 2015, and Cullum estimates that more than 80 percent of them were Restoration Movement Christian churches. Real Life Christian Church in Clermont, Florida (near Orlando) has hosted Night to Shine since 2016.

In the first two years, Real Life’s events have drawn more than 300 guests and approximately 450 parents. Mike Shelly, outreach pastor at Real Life, quoted the church’s slogan by saying, “Our goal was to show both the guests and the parents that God Is Crazy About Them!”

With the backing of the Tim Tebow Foundation, Night to Shine has rapidly expanded beyond Florida. And approximately 75 of the 500 churches from around the world that are involved this month in Night to Shine will be Restoration Movement congregations like Christ’s Church and Real Life.

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What It Means for Parents Night to Shine is a blessing and a thrill for the guests who attend, but it is also an opportunity for churches to minister to parents of children with special needs.

“At Night to Shine, we’re ministering to the parents as much as—if not more than—the kids,” Cullum said. “We want to give them a night they won’t forget.”

The flagship event in Jacksonville includes a Respite Room where parents can sit, relax, and enjoy a view of the festivities from above the dance floor.

Parents are also reassured to know that the building features a Sensory Room during the celebration where guests can escape the noise, lights, and stimulation of the evening if they become overwhelmed.

Jill Conley, whose son, Logan, attended in 2017, said, “Night to Shine is the first special event my son was ever invited to . . . [to] be celebrated and loved just the way he is. Having a child with special needs brings many challenges, especially financial challenges. So, when a group of beautiful volunteers come together to provide clothes, food, and a night of fun for free, it’s like a tremendous gift from God. The whole night feels like a dream come true.”

For Churches that Want to Get Started Cullum actively encourages churches to become involved with Night to Shine or another formal event for people with special needs. At Christ’s Church, Cullum said, “No matter what, we are always going to be involved in a special needs prom.” Thanks to the involvement of the Tim Tebow Foundation, churches with no existing ministry for young people with special needs can get started. In Cullum’s estimation, the foundation “has opened the door to special needs ministry more than anyone besides the Special Olympics.”

As part of its sponsorship of Night to Shine, the Tim Tebow Foundation provides each host church with a planning manual, a “prom kit” with gifts for the honored guests, and branded decorations. Foundation staff members offer personalized guidance throughout the planning process, and host churches can also apply for financial grants.

(In 2017, the foundation contributed more than $3.5 million to Night to Shine.) For more information, see www. timtebowfoundation.org/ministries/ night-to-shine.

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Night to Shine began in 2014

at one church,

Christ's Church in Jacksonvuille, Florida, with about 70 guests.

Special Needs Ministry Beyond the Event As special and as valuable as Night to Shine is, Cullum admonishes churches to think bigger than one annual event for people with disabilities.

“Don’t just make this an event,” Cullum said, “make this part of your church’s ministry.”

Sherri Clark, who leads the special needs ministry at Christ’s Church, said she hopes to use the event as a “bridge” for families that might feel isolated from church.

“Our goal is to get the word out that families with kids who have special needs can come to church,” she said.

Cullum and Clark both encourage churches to actively minister to families with children who have special needs.

Clark said many of the families she has met through Night to Shine have not been to church for years because they aren’t confident their child can be cared for while they worship. It’s a problem Christ’s Church is committed to solving.

“We want everyone to be allowed to worship,” Clark said.

To that end, Christ’s Church provides volunteer “buddies” who accompany children with special needs on Sunday mornings. Many of those buddies first become involved at Night to Shine, and some of them have served faithfully for the past four years.

This month, more than 500 churches and 175,000 volunteers from around the world will host Night to Shine for approximately 90,000 honored guests.

The True Light Shines This ministry on behalf of the “overlooked and forgotten” is challenging and time-consuming, but also rewarding—and fruitful. As the Lord promised in Isaiah 55:11, “My word . . . will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Anyone who serves at Night to Shine or in the special needs ministry at Christ’s Church feels more blessed than the people they aim to serve, Clark reports, yet the results are tangible. Today, dozens of families attend worship services at Christ’s Church each week as a result of Night to Shine. And at the church’s most recent baptism service, Jason Cullum baptized two young adults with special needs.  Justin Horey is a writer, musician, and the founder of Livingstone Marketing. He lives in Southern California.

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because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. . . .

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

–ECCLESI A STES 4 : 9 - 1 2

F

ebruary has long been celebrated as a month of love and romance, emanating from the observance of Valentine’s Day every February 14. But this day is about more than sappy Hallmark cards, flowers, and jewelry.

The history of St. Valentine is shrouded in mystery—three saints named Valentine or Valentinius are recognized by the Catholic church and all three were martyred. One legend points to a Catholic priest named Valentine who opposed an edict by the Roman emperor that prohibited young men in the military to marry. Valentine married couples secretly, and eventually he was executed.

If this story is true, Valentine believed that marriage was sacred and he sacrificed his own life for his faith—two virtues worthy of upholding in today’s culture.

We interviewed three couples whose long marriages and lifelong ministries exhibit these same virtues. They encourage us to stand strong for marriage, even through difficult circumstances, and they demonstrate sacrificial lives poured out for God and his mission.

Dennis & Linda Messimer: married 50 years Wayne & Greta Meece: married 59 years Ben & Pat Merold: married 68 years

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Two are better than one,

5 DECADES AROUND THE WORLD

BY TR ROBERTSON

“Dennis would teach Bible studies and I would teach the kids,” Linda says, describing the arrangement they’ve followed hundreds of times, on three continents. “. . . But once kids came along,” Dennis adds, “Linda wasn’t as involved in the ministry work as she had been earlier.”

Since the kids have grown, Linda says, “I’ve done Bible studies with women and he did Bible studies with men. We support each other in that.

I don’t complain about the time that he’s busy and away from me, and he doesn’t complain about the time that I’m busy and away from him.”

Their shared devotion to meeting the needs of whomever God puts in their path has driven their approach to parenting, to prayer, and to the way they live their daily lives.

“We’ve done a lot of praying together over the years because we’ve had to,” she says, “but we don’t set a regular time. We’re more likely to grab each other and say, ‘Hey, we need to pray about this.’”

“We’re kind of different than most people,” she adds.

M I N I S T E R I N G A S A FA M I LY The Messimers have been partnering together in ministry for more than 50 years, ever since they married in the summer of 1967.

They ministered together in a rural Missouri congregation during their first years together. In 1970 they moved to Belgium where they helped start two churches. In 1988 they began working together in South Africa, training local preachers. During one furlough in the States, Dennis taught missions at Central Christian College of the Bible. Since 2011, they’ve been serving with the Mizzou Christian Campus House by ministering to international students.

They also raised four children during their years in Belgium and South Africa.

“We felt very blessed that we had four God-fearing children,” Dennis says.

“The thing is, we know other people that were probably better parents than we were that didn’t have the results we did.”

“There’s always uncertainties about the big things in life,” says Linda, “including raising children in another country. But we felt like it was the Lord’s will for us to be there, and it was an adventure. I don’t think we thought a lot about the impact it could have on the children. We just did it. There are advantages and disadvantages to it. We learned lessons the hard way.”

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A lifetime of ministry together has given Dennis and Linda Messimer a rhythm of talking—they often finish each other’s sentences—and a rhythm of serving God together.

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Even as their family grew, Linda followed along in whatever her husband was doing, often bringing the children with her.

“We did everything together,” she says. “The kids were part of our ministry. They were loved by the people we were giving Bible studies to and witnessing to.”

Their children grew up in an atmosphere of service, so it’s not surprising that all four have pursued their own adventures in ministry.

HELPING PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP “I [worked with] kids for a lot of years,” says Linda. “But once in a while, the Lord would just put someone in my life that he wanted me to care for.”

Meeting the needs of the people God brought their way turned out to be the core of the Messimers’ lifelong partnership in ministry.

Three years into their marriage, Dennis and Linda began an 18-year ministry in Belgium.

“Our first apartment there was a little bit rundown,” Dennis remembers.

“For the price, it was about the best we could find. It was three bedrooms and had a very large living room and a kitchen and a bath. But we had no furniture. Nothing.”

They heard about some missionaries who were leaving Germany and couldn’t take their furniture with them. So Dennis and a friend drove there.

“We stacked that Peugeot high with beds, a washing machine, a kitchen table, and I don’t remember what all,” he says. “We got back at three in the morning.”

They found a note on the front door: “All the bedrooms are full. We’re sleeping in the living room.”

W E ’ V E A LW AY S A S K E D O U R S E LV E S , “ A R E W E D O I N G T H I N G S T H AT WOULD NOT BE DONE IF WE WEREN’T DOING IT? AND HOW CAN WE HELP O T H E R S T O TA K E O U R P L A C E ? ”

“At the time I was cooking on a two-burner camping stove,” Linda says.

“That’s all we had. One of the things I felt most strongly about was just helping people who needed help. Just opening our home for a week or two weeks or two months or a year, which we do now as well. Helping [people] with their faith, helping them with their problems, their marriage, whatever.”

During their time in Belgium, they had people over for meals nearly every Sunday.

“It got to be too hard,” she remembers, “I said, ‘we just can’t do this anymore,’ so we stopped. But after two or three months, I said, ‘we can’t do this anymore either.’ We have to have them over. I have to change my way of doing things.”

A large garden in their backyard made things easier.

“After church, friends from the church would come and pick vegetables out of our garden and get them ready to cook,” she explains, “while I prepared the meat and other simple things. Instead of me having to do it all, we picked, cleaned, cut, and cooked together. They loved helping out.”

For the Messimers, hospitality has always been more than just having people over for meals.

“Hospitality is about having people in your home who need to be close to you for a while, to work through a problem or grow through their faith,” Linda says, “and that has to be done together.”

These days the Messimers have slowed their pace, but even now their home often is filled with college students from other countries.

COMMITING TO GOD TOGETHER Asked what advice they’d give to young couples beginning their partnership in ministry, Dennis says, “We’ve always asked ourselves, ‘Are we doing things that would not be done if we weren’t doing it? And how can we help others to take our place?’”

Linda adds, “We didn’t do it all right, but we did it. First of all, it has to be your individual commitment to God, then your individual commitment to God as a couple, and your commitment to each other. When you have that right, you’re going to work through whatever difficulties you face in the mission field. It’s going to be fine.”

For the Messimers, it continues to be fine as they head into the sixth decade of their adventure together.  TR Robertson is a freelance writer living in Columbia, Missouri.

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“I went in and found Linda in the living room. There was also someone sleeping in the kitchen. A group was passing through, plus a lady with three sons. I think there were 14 people altogether.”

23

years overseas

BY WENDIE GABBARD

O pen in g Do o r s

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“God placed it in our hearts early on,” Greta said.

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During those early years, the couple shared a dream of someday serving as missionaries.

Wayne considered becoming a doctor, but as he put it, “Those doors didn’t open.” Instead, they traveled to Illinois to attend seminary while he served as pastor for a small church. Eventually they settled in Missouri with their three children. Life was flourishing for Wayne and Greta in 1970. The church was growing, their children were happy, and the path seemed secure. Then the invitation came.

A church member approached Wayne and invited him to help start a Christian college in Liberia, West Africa. The spark was kindled, and he took the proposition to Greta. Surprisingly, she answered, “I don’t want to talk about it.” She had just received word of her brother’s death in Vietnam and was preparing to fly home for his funeral. The timing just wasn’t right to deal with such a huge decision.

“GodTgavehe b l e s s i n g to both of us was that we grew up country kids.”

Those country kids, Greta from Pennsylvania and Wayne from Kentucky, met as sophomores in college.

Rules prohibited them from dating without another couple or chaperone present and the understood boundary was “six inches apart.” Even so, they quickly fell in love and married in Greta’s hometown the summer before their junior year. Pennsylvania law allowed marriage at age 21. As both were 20, their parents had to sign for them.

Wayne and Greta Meece then returned to Kentucky Christian College, where she could attend as a spouse without paying tuition. The year was 1958.

“I was that person who said they’d never take their feet off the ground; I’d never get in an airplane,” she recalls. “But when this happened, Wayne put me on a plane alone to go to my family.”

She realized flying alone was a step God used to prepare her for the many trips to come. When she returned home from the funeral, together the couple honestly faced the decision about going to Liberia.

“Satan really tempted me,” Greta said.

“We were in a good place in life where, to be honest, we could afford the groceries every week and had health insurance and things we’d never had before. Satan puts the things of this world in front of us. I struggled a little bit at the time.

I was ready to go and yet, I wasn’t. But before long we were totally committed.

And I was. God did that.”

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M i ni s t e r in g i n Lib e r ia

Their first tour in Liberia lasted three years. Their children, Tim, 9, Beverly, 7, and James, 6, were excited by the adventure. Greta and Wayne adapted to life there without difficulty because of their upbringing as country kids.

“Years later, I remember another young missionary was going with us,” Wayne explained. “He talked about Jungle Camp [that] his organization sent them to. They learned to use an outdoor toilet, clean a chicken, and cook food over a fire. Someone turned to me and said, ‘Wayne, when did you go to Jungle Camp?’ I said, ‘I grew up there.’

“Both of us grew up in homes without running water, indoor toilets, central heat, or air-conditioning. We had a wood or coal-burning stove. Heat wasn’t a problem in Liberia,” he chuckled. “We learned pretty much how to live like the Africans do. It wasn’t a shock to us to pull water from a well. I don’t think we ever lived in a house of our own that had an outdoor toilet. But when we went into the village, it was a squatty potty.”

“We grew up doing things from scratch,” Greta added. “For me as a mother and a wife, that wasn’t so difficult. There weren’t the conveniences there are today, so we made do with what was there and adapted to the food.”

Shipments from the United States took six months to arrive. By the time it arrived, the kids had outgrown their clothes that were enclosed. Greta especially enjoyed receiving a magazine with housekeeping tips and recipes.

Letters from home took two to three weeks and ham radio was the only communication in those days. Even though they seemed isolated, they

rarely were discouraged. However, Wayne struggled seeing his family suffer through illnesses: Greta came down with malaria and one of their sons experienced dysentery.

Years later, the family faced desperate circumstances when the First Liberian Civil War broke out on Christmas Eve 1989. Forced to evacuate quickly, they left most of their possessions behind and fled the country and people they served. Rebel armies forced Liberians across the border into the Ivory Coast, and soon the Meeces traveled there to serve. The attitudes of the refugees had changed. The innocent Liberian people they had once served were now in an overpopulated and rustic Muslim town.

Wayne greeted many a scammer at his door trying to deceive.

“It was the hardest time in all my years in ministry,” he said. When their furlough came, it was well-needed.

“Be ready to give up your identity,” Greta quickly added. “The career you have now in the United States may have to be abandoned for a different role that God will show you.”

“

B e r e a dy t o g i ve up y o u r i de n t i t y.

T h e c a r e e r y ou have now in the United States m a y h a v e t o be a ba n do n e d f o r a d if f e r e n t r o l e t h at God w i l l s h o w y o u.

They advise young couples to reserve time for themselves, apart from ministry. Wayne and Greta were accustomed to doing everything together, but they realize that isn’t always the case in today’s society.

It often is difficult to orchestrate a date night. Sometimes something as simple as a walk together is all you can manage. The couple took wise advice from their African Christian friends when it seemed there was always someone at their door needing them.

Every day after lunch, they hung a sign on their door that announced, “This is our resting time. Please come back after 2 p.m.”

The Meeces now work with Team Expansion in Louisville, Kentucky, as they continue to help train young couples in the field. After nearly 60 years of marriage, they still spend most of their time together. “She had to learn to tag along and put up with whatever I got into. And she was willing to do it,” Wayne said as he looked at Greta.

“That’s what I’ve always appreciated about her.” 

Wendie Gabbard is is a writer and Bible teacher living in Louisville, Kentucky.

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After 23 years of overseas mission work, Greta and Wayne now offer advice for young couples entering the mission field. Be ready for change, the veteran missionaries tell them. In their experience, carefully made plans invariably require changing as the missionaries settle in. Adaptability is vital for them.

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Ad vis in g Y o u n g Co u pl es in Min is t r y

AFT ER

68 YEA RS

BY KELLY CARR

JUMPING INTO MINISTRY The year was 1948. Pat, a freshman at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee, was walking across campus when a sophomore slowly drove past in his 1930 Buick. Pat’s head turned, eyes following the car’s trail. Ever the extrovert, it didn’t take long before Pat found the chance to introduce herself to the driver of this stunning car. The next summer, Pat became Mrs. Ben Merold.

Pat was 18 years old, eyes full of hope and a trust that God would take care of her and her new groom. She didn’t worry about money or what was ahead. Ben was 23, having already served as a Marine in World War II—an experience that admittedly caused him to mature in responsibility yet remain a bit naive socially. A few months before they married, Ben was asked to try reopening a small church in Assumption, Illinois. Neither of them had any trepidation about jumping into ministry as newlyweds.

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“Before I met Ben, I always thought ministry meant sacrifice, so I was prepared for that,” said Pat. Though she had gone to college anticipating a music ministry career, she was ready to serve God whatever way he might use her.

“We both had the same idea. You’re in ministry—you’re going to have to sacrifice some things, get out there and go to work.

So we did,” said Ben. He doesn’t remember any particular struggle beginning ministry.

He just followed God’s call and put in as much hard effort as needed.

They moved to Illinois and transferred to Lincoln Christian College to finish their education. After a couple of years in part-time ministry, they finished school and went on to serve full-time in four other churches over the years. First they ministered in Villa Grove, Illinois, for 5 years and then in Sullivan, Indiana, for 12.5 years, where their three sons spent most of their childhood. In 1969, Ben was asked to go to Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, and the church grew from 300 to more than 3,000 in 22plus years. Finally in 1991, just before his 65th birthday, Ben said yes to Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Missouri.

While Pat assumed Ben would preach for several years and then retire, he served for 17 years and still remains as minister at large, offering his consultation and teaching.

“I told Ben they saw us as grandparents,” Pat said lovingly of the Harvester congregation, who were mostly in their 20s and early 30s when the Merolds arrived. They enjoyed that role. Pat said mentoring was her forte, and Ben felt the love and acceptance of the young members, watching the country church take off at a quicker rate than any previous ministry he held. The church topped 3,000 members before Ben stepped down from the lead role.

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Ben and Pat Merold—most folks seldom say one of their names without the other, and that’s just fine with them. When they talk, you hear their love for one another, the joy they feel together, and the immense pride they have about the other’s ministry. One could easily declare that Ben and Pat Merold are who we all hope to be when we grow up!

Ben and Pat share their story of a lifelong love for serving the Lord and for each other.

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M ARRIAG E O V ER T H E LO NG HA UL TAKE S WO RK + CO M PAT IBILITY. SO DOE S M INIS T RY.

PAIRING WELL TOGETHER Marriage over the long haul takes work and compatibility. So does ministry.

Ben and Pat have similar passions yet different skill sets that pair well together.

“Pat is very outgoing,” Ben said. “I’m not, so I need her. We meet people and she is the one who instantly establishes rapport with them. She’s much better at that than I am.” Then Ben described a specific example of her magnetic nature: “Pat will always attract young men. I [used to think it was because] she was young and good looking. Now she’s in her 80s and we’ll go someplace, and still young guys in their 20s and 30s talk to her. They talk sensibly to her. They don’t talk junk. She has that knack. I came to appreciate it and capitalized on it.”

“I don’t know about that,” Pat chimed in. “But I’m very proud of Ben and all the things he does. He goes about doing them without a whole lot of conversation about it. I appreciate that. I’m very proud of his preaching. I’ve listened to him for years, and I can’t believe how many sermons I remember.”

Ben recalls the youth groups Pat worked with over the years and the women’s small groups Pat developed into large ministries in both California and Missouri. “I’m proud of Pat as a Bible teacher,” said Ben. “I’m also proud of her as a counselor. She counsels with a lot of women (and some men too). Though there were times I’d be a little upset when she’d be on the phone for a long time with someone. But she does a great job.”

“I say the same about Ben,” Pat responded.

“So many ministers call him. There are so many times when practical advice is what they need and want from him. He always gives it, but I notice when he talks that he compliments them to encourage them.”

She also loves that whatever Ben says he’ll do, he does. “I think that’s a good quality— he always finishes what he starts.”

Ben and Pat both enjoy calling on people— at least they do now. Ben didn’t like it at first, but he knew he needed to do it and came to love that part of ministry. Calling was where they deepened relationships with the people they were shepherding, sharing in both sorrows and joys.

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LOVING OVER THE LONG HAUL When asked what advice they would give to young couples entering ministry today, Ben began, “We both have a devotional life, a prayer life . . .”

“But we don’t have it together,” Pat jumped in.

Ben laughed. “We’d probably get in an argument. We learned that very quickly.

You have to do what works for you in your devotional and prayer life like that. Accept one another and be proud of one another.”

“Trust God and work on your marriage,” Pat added. “A lot of things that are my shortcomings Ben never brought up to me, but I’m sure he prayed about it. When we were first married, I made vows to myself and God: Never talk badly about Ben. There will be enough people in the church doing that. I also made a vow about kids: I’m never going to tell them that they’re preacher’s kids and can’t do something. While one son did get off track for a while, none of our sons hated the ministry.”

“We were rather eccentric parents,” Ben recalled. “We did things other parents wouldn’t do. I would be preaching a revival somewhere, and Pat would get the three kids in the car and drive to meet me for a

milkshake afterward. Then they’d hop in my car, and I would drive them home. The boys loved it. I heard our boys talking when they were older, and they said they enjoyed being minister’s kids. They felt special. They were involved in the community. We lived a little different schedule, but we had fun at it. We still have fun. Pat has a great sense of humor.”

“I was very serious when I was younger,” Pat pointed out. “I didn’t have a sense of humor back then. That’s changed over the years.

Ben is easy to live with. He doesn’t demand anything. I couldn’t get used to that when I was young. I thought he’d make requests or demands, but he never did.”

In his humble way, Ben concluded: “I sat down the other day and looked at the words just as in Scripture. In Ephesians it says for husbands to love their wives just as Christ loved the church. I fail at that every day, but it’s still the guiding point. When you love each other, you have fun.”

And there you have it—the secret to decades of a marriage and ministry filled with love.

It involves trusting God, holding hands, and still having fun. 

Kelly Carr, former editor of The Lookout , is a writing and editing consultant in Cincinnati, Ohio (EditorOfLife.com).

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HEADLINES

BY CHRIS MOON

ticker// tape Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Mo., is hosting a preaching-teaching convention, “Be Strong: A Series in Joshua,” Feb. 19–21.

The convention will feature speakers Rick Atchley, Jon Kehrer, Drew Moore, Mark Moore, David Rutherford, Drew Sherman, and Sean Palmer.

Trace Church in Colorado Springs, a 2016 Orchard Group church plant, recently hosted a food packaging “party” where members packaged 23,000 meals to send to people in Puerto Rico. Lead planter Aaron Pennington said, “One of the things we like to do is throw incredible parties. . . . So we decided to throw a party to pack food for people in Puerto Rico.”

Tom and Debbie Jones were given Milligan College’s 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award.

The Joneses have been active church planters. Tom has served as Stadia’s executive director. Debbie has directed Stadia’s Bloom program.

Johnson University, Knoxville, Tenn., last fall hosted the “Just Lead” church leadership conference. The conference was presented

by E2: Effective Elders and

Greencastle (Ind.) Christian Church reached out to its community with a communitywide outreach dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Dinners were served for anyone who showed up to eat, according to the Banner Graphic news site.

Grandview Christian Church in Johnson City, Tenn., in October chipped in to help with “Love JC United,” an effort by local churches to serve their local community.

According to News Channel 11, churches came together to serve at 20 sites across the county, including the Salvation Army and a local elementary school.

The annual East Tennessee Christian Convention was held in November at Boones Creek Christian Church. The convention was first held in 1829 and is considered to be the oldest continuously held convention for Restoration Movement churches. Ethan Magness, senior minister of First Christian Church

KENTUCKY CHURCH HOSTS “DRUG HOUSE ODYSSEY” Nicholson Christian Church in Independence, Ky., bypassed the typical church “fall festival” and “trunk-or-treat” event this past Halloween to focus on something scarier.

The Northern Kentucky church spent three days in late October hosting what it called “Drug House Odyssey,” an interactive walk through the horrors of drug addiction.

According to WLWT Channel 5, the church produced a handful of live-action scenes that played out stories of drug addiction—from a childcare worker suffering an overdose to a teenager finding his mother had overdosed.

Kentucky has been particularly hard hit by the opioid epidemic.

“We want to show them where that path leads.

That . . . path leads to some pretty dark places,” the church’s student minister, Dustin Dalton, told WLWT. “We are actually basing all of the scenes on real-life events that have happened here in Northern Kentucky over the past 7 to 10 years.”

Drug counselors were available to provide assistance as people walked through the church to view each exhibition. The entire program took about 30 minutes to view.

“We have men, women, and children who have a passion for this issue,” Dalton told WLWT. “We want to see it out of our community. We want to see this thing fixed.”

Larry Travis serves as senior minister at Nicholson Christian Church.

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Boise (Idaho) Bible College’s spring conference is titled “Relational Proximity: Influencing and Investing in Others” and will feature keynote speaker Matt Proctor, president of Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Mo. The conference is scheduled for May 8-10.

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featured speakers James Estep, Gary Johnson, and David Roadcup.

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in Johnson City, was the speaker.

FORMER PORN DISTRIBUTOR FINDS, GIVES HOPE Keith Repult is trying to give hope where there seldom seems to be any.

The recovery pastor at Mission Church in Ventura, Calif., once owned the secondlargest pornography distribution company in the country. He found Jesus when a pastor came into the yogurt shop Repult and his wife owned and shared the good news with him.

From there, Repult left drugs and pornography behind and gave himself fully to the gospel. He wrote a book last year, Just Breathe: All Stories Are Redeemable, All Brokenness Repairable, All Addictions Breakable.

Repult was featured in a story in The Gospel Herald.

“I didn’t even realize the hold pornography and drugs had on me. I didn’t even realize it was wrong because it’s so normalized today,” Repult told The Gospel Herald. “But when I became a born-again Christian, my eyes were opened. If there’s one thing I want people to take away from my life, it’s that there’s always hope, and that hope is only found in Jesus.”

Repult wrote the book with Mike Breaux, a former pastor of Southland Christian Church, Nicholasville, Ky and Jen Oakes, of Mission Church in Ventura. It was released by BroadStreet Publishers.

Wes McElravy, pastor of Millersburg (Ohio) Christian Church, officiated an unusual and heartfelt “wedding” in October. He served as the pastor at a father-daughter ceremony for the seven daughters of Army veteran Willie Shelton, who was fighting terminal cancer but whose deepest desire was to walk his daughters down the aisle. The story was reported

by Fox 8 of Cleveland.

Shelton passed away less than two weeks after the ceremony.

Pastor Jim Book, of Kissimmee (Fla.) Christian Church, was quoted in a news story about how to address a local homelessness problem.

WFTV Channel 9 reported on a local government proposal to partner with area churches as shelters.

“There are a lot of churches that sit empty five to six days a week. This could be a golden opportunity for some churches to rediscover their purpose,” Book said.

Milligan College in Tennessee recently wrapped up the largest fund-raising initiative in its 150-year history. It raised nearly $42 million during the second phase of its “Forward Ever” campaign.

Windsor Road Christian Church in Champaign, Ill., put its own twist on the typical fall “corn maze.”

Derek Voorhees has been inaugurated as the 10th president of Boise (Idaho) Bible College. Voorhees is a graduate of Ozark Christian College, Lincoln Christian University, and Dallas Theological Seminary.

Calvary Christian Church in Winchester, Ky., is helping its community following the closure of a local YMCA. CCC is partnering with other churches to launch an Upward basketball league, according to the Winchester Sun. Stadia is turning 15 this year. The church-planting organization has launched nearly 300 churches in the United States since its founding in 2003. Stadia is hosting a “family reunion” with its planters, partners, staff, and board members during the Exponential East conference in Orlando, which will be held Feb. 26 to March 1.  would you like to submit a news item? /ChristianStandardMagazine @ChrStandard @christianstandardmagazine Cs@ChristianStandardMedia.com

BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Outlook Christian Church in McCordsville, Ind., recently launched a new ministry aimed at helping adults with intellectual disabilities.

The church has begun offering a Friendship Life Group that provides a Bible study and fellowship for people who may not feel at home in a church.

“I think our friends with disabilities have those same desires we do,” group organizer and Outlook member Nicole Crosby told the Greenfield Daily Reporter. “It’s going to not only help our friends with disabilities, it’s (also) going to help the community at large. We’re going to have more people who want to work together to make a difference.”

Outlook Christian Church has partnered in the effort with central Indiana’s Connection Ministries, which helps churches to minister better to people with intellectual disabilities. The idea behind the Friendship Life Group is to embrace people with intellectual disabilities as brothers and sisters in Christ and to form friendships that extend beyond the confines of the group meetings.

Rob McCord serves as senior minister of Outlook Christian Church in suburban Indianapolis. 

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The church used hundreds of refrigerator-sized boxes to keep kids guessing as they worked their way through the church’s cardboard “maze,” according to IllinoisHomepage.com.

interact HIGHER INVESTMENT IN FEWER PROJECTS?

STAND Loved your article about you and your dad [“Stand: When You Did Not Receive Your Father’s Blessing,” by Michael C. Mack. December 2017, p. 54]. I think a lot of guys can relate to your story, so thanks for being open with us.

This also gives everyone a chance to know a piece of the heart the new editor of the magazine, which I think has great value.

Rick Lowry Burlington, Kentucky via email

David Dummitt’s article in the November Christian Standard [“Three Shifts to Increase Global Engagement,” p. 8] was thoughtful and challenging. We should be intentional as we consider where and how much we support projects. However, I fear that his recommendation for “higher investment for fewer projects” can have unintended consequences. Implementing that idea across the spectrum of missions and ministries supported by a church will negatively impact church camps, campus ministries, and other local/regional ministries that rely on partnerships with many churches. [While] $5,000 may appear to be modest support to a megachurch, it represents major impact for many of those local ministries. Moving support from local or regional projects to a global project is not a net investment for global outreach and mission.

Mark Pike Senior campus minister, Ball State University, Christian Student Foundation Muncie, Indiana via website

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BLESSING THOSE BEYOND THE CONGREGATION Avalon Church of Christ has subscribed to The Lookout and Christian Standard for many years, and we have found the magazines to be relevant, timely, and encouraging. As the office manager, I’ve also received a number of positive comments since the redesigned Christian Standard rolled out.

We normally have several copies [of the magazines] left at the end of each month, and I deliver those to the Virginia Beach jail, where they are distributed to inmates.

I try to drop them off regularly, but if too much time goes by, it’s not unusual for me to receive a call from the chaplains, requesting a delivery. We are excited to know that the magazines that are such a blessing to us are serving to encourage and uplift those even beyond our congregation, and we are thankful for your commitment to providing this valuable resource.

I am also grateful for your amazing customer service. This week, I realized we had not received the most recent Lookouts.

I called and spoke with Anne, and within minutes, she had created a mailing label and dropped a set in the mail for us, and then emailed to let me know.

Thank you so much for the important kingdom work you are doing, and may God continue to bless you as you continue to serve him.

Gail Swartzentruber Virginia Beach, Virginia via email C H RIS TIA N STAN DA R D

“PICTURE OF THE YEAR” I vote this picture of Dave Stone and his father, Sam, “Picture of the Year” for Christian Standard [published with the article “The Blessing Freely & Naturally Given,” December 2017, p. 28]. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this one is worth ten thousand.

Victor Knowles Joplin, Missouri via website

Give us your

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

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Naysayers at the Cross Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him (Mark 15:29-32).

The two chief priests, Annas and Caiaphas, were at the cross. They wanted to see—with their own eyes— the end of this Galilean troublemaker.

Was it perhaps their first time to stand by a Roman cross? Making themselves unclean—possibly being splattered by the criminal’s blood—was anathema to them. Here, this day, they joked among themselves and with the teachers of the law, no doubt laughing aloud at their seeming success.

Perhaps patting one another on their backs and congratulating each other on a job well done.

They heard the taunts of common men and picked up their challenge: “Save yourself! You saved others . . . why can’t you do it now?” They thought he could not. That was their first mistake.

Their second was about themselves: “If you come down, we will see and believe!” (See Matthew 27:39-43.)

Believe? Had they no opportunities to believe? Had they no face-to-face teaching from the master? Had they not seen his power . . . and simply attributed it to the devil? Believe?

Many stand at the cross and take up the taunts of others there. “How silly! How foolish,” they decide. They refuse to investigate God’s plan of redemption. They give Jesus a cursory glance . . . and laugh! “Some kind of God . . . he did not even save himself!

Why should I trust him to save me?”

We stand at the cross . . . and believe.

We believe he died for us rather than save himself from the humiliation, the agony, the death he chose for himself.

“Come down from the cross”? Our cry must be, “Thank you, Lord, for not coming down. Thank you, Lord, for coming out of the tomb!” Here . . . at his table, we stand to say, “Yes, Lord, thank you!” 

BY RON DAVIS

Ron Davis loves “standing at the cross” reverently and thankfully each week at the Lord’s table of grace and sensing God’s love.

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