Perspective
Best practices for dismissing a minister
Somewhere in the unwritten but badly needed handbook for elders are three rules: 1. Do hard things well. 2. Do painful things kindly. 3. If…
October 2019
View as PDF‘I don’t want to be the sacrificial lamb’ • ‘They’re very close to God’ • Can churches grow in ‘post-Christian’ era • Bikers for Christ — and recovery • A tiny village for the homeless • Spanish-speaking church installs elders, deacons • After Dorian, Bahamas relief will be ‘more of a marathon than a sprint’ • Is socialism to blame? A Venezuelan reflects on politics and restoration • More room for ministry under a Big Sky • Moving in, the right way • Why planting new churches matters • President, preacher and globe trekker Cliff Ganus dies at 97 • Despite setbacks, Texas teen perseveres • Love ‘these servants of God’ • Best practices for dismissing a minister • What should we make of the strange and daringly sensual Song of Songs? • Discussion of gender roles is a thought-provoking read • A trip to Home Depot leads to a baptism and hope for Venezuela
In this issue:
National
Becoming a ‘Hope Dealer’
LAKE FOREST, Calif. — Where is “recovery” mentioned in the Bible? It’s a question Mac Owen hears regularly, he told the audience at the Celebrate…
International
‘They’re very close to God’
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The stories aren’t nearly as chilling as the way they’re told: “I had a revolver pointed at my face — twice,” says…
International
Is socialism to blame?
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Don’t preach to Gabriel Damalis about the virtues of socialism. “Personally, I don’t like socialism,” he says, “because I lived it.…
Partners
Partners, October 2019
Featured photo (above): Students pose by the new sign at what is now Rochester University in Rochester Hills, Mich. The fall semester brought the change…
International
Around the World, October 2019
Featured photo (above): Children at a park in Bristol, England, learn the story of Joseph — as told by puppets from a 25-foot-high pyramid. “Although…
Views
Despite setbacks, Texan teen perseveres
Socially marginalized and rejected by her peers, Kimbree Houston was in third grade when she began writing suicide letters to her counselor. For Kimbree, a…
Reviews
Review: The Song of Songs: A Biography
Despite 2,500 years of varied interpretations, the Song of Songs remains an enigma to most in Churches of Christ. Many contemporary scholars secularize the Song,…
Reviews
Review: God’s Good Design
Claire Smith did not grow up in a Christian home and was a passionate feminist. By God’s grace, she came to Christ in her young…
Editorial
Editorial: Love ‘these servants of God’
‘You will all watch your words and the ways that you go at these people, these servants of God!” Certainly, ministers are not perfect. They…
National
More room for ministry under a Big Sky
GREAT FALLS, Mont. —‘Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Members of the Great Falls Church…
National
Moving in, the right way
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Spider Man, bouncy castles and games of cornhole and pickleball (a combination of badminton and table tennis) highlighted the Sunday afternoon carnival…
Insight
A trip to Home Depot leads to a baptism — and hope for Venezuela
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — ‘Go Dawgs!” That wasn’t a phrase I expected to hear in the heart of Tennessee Vols country. (Actually, it’s more like Commodore country…
Letters to the Editor
Kind words about a crossword
We recently added a crossword puzzle to the pages of The Christian Chronicle. We love hearing the feedback from our readers. This particular letter really…