FROM THE EDITOR
Learning vicariously churchexecutive . com
Volume 21 , Number 2
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Having written in the church leadership / management space for more than 20 years , I ’ ve seen so much change . One thing hasn ’ t , though : church executives still learn best from each other ’ s stories .
With every profile or case study we publish in Church Executive , we know our readers can see themselves in their peers ’ experiences — both the challenges and the victories . We know pastors pick up the phone and call the men and women featured in our pages , just to talk and act as sounding boards . It ’ s a rare privilege to work in an environment where every entity shares a common goal , and ‘ competition ’ is the exception , not the rule .
Knowing how beneficial these kinds of connections are , this issue features three compelling , personal stories of church leadership and education .
A story of progress . On pages 10-12 ( Looking backward , moving forward ), we delve into the origins of the Black Church Studies Institute , which is soon to debut at Rockbridge Seminary . As with any great leadership development story , this one begins with identifying a need — in this case , for seminarians to be familiar with the history of the Black Church .
Then , of course , it ’ s incumbent to find the right person to head up the effort . Here , Rockbridge leaders really found themselves blessed in Dr . Marlow D . McGuire , Sr ., who has been instrumental to this emphasis ’ s evolution from inception to fruition .
“ Really , we just want to fill a need to contextually educate students on the Black Church , the Black Church experience , the contributions of the Black Church to theology and church history ,” McGuire says . “ And we need to be that for students who are , themselves , within this context ; for those who want to reach out beyond their own specific people group ; or for those who want to be more effective in the Black Church community .”
A story of generations . Established in 1904 , Cross City Church in Euless , Texas , was long regarded as a place where men and women dressed in suits and skirts for worship . That worked in their favor for a long time .
In the past 20 years , however , the surrounding community has changed a lot , both socioeconomically and in terms of
diversity . This prompted church leaders to ask themselves what they really wanted Cross City to be .
They narrowed the vision to three guiding words : faith , family and future .
“ We knew it was going to take a lot of faith ,” says Pastor John Meador . “ We knew [ our campus ] needed to be family-friendly . We knew it needed to bridge into a new generation .”
Their reimagined church home — with new and improved kids ’ and student spaces , Commons area and café — is all of this and more . Read their story on pages 16-19 ( JOHN MEADOR + CROSS CITY CHURCH : Better design builds better connections ) and share it with your team .
A story of cooperation . For River Pointe Church in Houston , Texas , expanding into the rapidly growing West End area seemed cost-prohibitive . Then , in 2015 , they embarked on a path that would not only enable this expansion but create an unparalleled faith + community partnership opportunity : merging with a 109-year-old congregation whose membership had dwindled to almost nothing .
In the end , not only was RPC able to secure an entire block of property , but leaders prioritized keeping the historic church ’ s legacy ( and its buildings ) intact . The end result is a win-win-win – for the original church , for RPC , and for the surrounding community .
Find out how they navigated this outsidethe-box opportunity on pages 26-27 — Divine timing ( and much more ).
As always , we hope this issue is informative and helpful . We welcome your feedback .
RaeAnn Slaybaugh Editor in Chief
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL
Stephen Briggs Associate Pastor of Administration First Baptist Church | Hendersonville , NC
Denise Craig Executive Pastor Abba ’ s House | Hixson , TN
Mike Klockenbrink Chief of Staff Lakeside Church | Folsom , CA
Dan Mikes Senior Relationship Mgr ., Faith Based Banking Division Cass Commercial Bank | Des Peres , MO
John C . Mrazek III Executive Pastor Pathways Church | Denver , CO
Sam S . Rainer III Senior Pastor West Bradenton Baptist Church | Bradenton , FL
Mark Simmons Business Manager Christ Community Church | Milpitas , CA
Eric Spacek Risk Control Program Manager Church Mutual Insurance Company | Merrill , WI
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6 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | MAR / APR 2022