In some congregations, you may find one member whose ministry is sending hand-written cards of congratulations to new Christians upon their baptisms.

Imagine if that one member tries to send a card to every new Christian, not just in their own congregation, but in the entire world.

Meet Lorraine Smith of Central Church of Christ in Dalton, Georgia. Inspired by a card her grandson received from strangers after his baptism, Lorraine set out to handwrite an encouragement card to every new Christian she can find. In the last two years, she's hand-written and sent cards to almost 7,000 new Christians from all over!

In this episode, she talks about how (and why) she does it and what's she's learned about how God turns strangers into family. She also testifies about how God is adding to the church of Christ every day (though we are often too distracted by bad news to notice). And she talks about how the church can better come alongside new Christians when they come up out of the waters of baptism.

Links from this episode:

Calvin Cockrell's Christian Chronicle report on 37 Faulkner University football players submitting to baptism in one night (from August 2023)

Christian Chronicle Podcast Episode 30 interview with some of the Faulkner University football players who submitted to baptism in August 2023

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Learn more about Freed-Hardeman University graduate degrees in New Testament or Old Testament at fhu.edu/chronicle.

In 2 Corinthians 3:5, the apostle Paul writes: "Not that we are competent in ourselves...but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of the new covenant."

Casey Coston is a veteran Church of Christ campus minister of more than 20 years. As he started his third decade in ministry, he took stock of his own "incompetence" and turned it into a book: Made Competent: A Story About Life in Ministry.

In this episode, Casey touches on some of the biggest ministry challenges and shortcomings he's faced so far, including:

• Balancing the commission to "make disciples" (a slow process that happens with a few intimate relationships at a time) and the pressure to attract bigger and bigger crowds to ministry "events"
• Balancing the love the church needs and the love his own family needs (and how church and family often compete for his energy, focus and time)
• Handling disagreements and discord with church elders and members

Casey also uses his unique point of view working with emerging generations of believers and seekers to imagine:

• How evangelism is changing and must change to connect with emerging generations
• How legacy congregations and new congregations might adapt to changes in the culture (without changing the essence of the church and the gospel it practices and preaches)
• The kinds of ministers who will meet the next moment

Links for this episode:

Made Competent: A Story About Life in Ministry by Casey Coston

Campus for Christ national Church of Christ campus ministry network

Episode 72 featuring Chris Buxton and Casey Coston on campus ministry

Discipling: The Multiplying Ministry by Milton Jones

Attend the 52nd Annual Caribbean Lectureship in Barbados this July 13 - 16, 2025. Learn more and register at caribbeanlectureship.com.

Learn more about Freed-Hardeman University graduate degrees in New Testament or Old Testament at fhu.edu/chronicle.

"The Restoration Movement" refers to the 19th and 20th century stream of events, people and thinking from which the Church of Christ emerged. Church of Christ folks of a certain age imagine that they are restoring the first century church as they find it in the New Testament.

But does restoration itself sometimes need to be restored?

If so, how do Christians restore restoration?

Matt Dabbs, a Church of Christ minister and scholar, offers his answers in his book, Restoring a Movement: A Hopeful Future for Churches of Christ.

In this episode, Matt talks about the powerful trends that fed the rise of the Church of Christ in its 1950s "golden age" in the United States. He also explores the powerful trends that worked against the Church of Christ and led to its decline in U.S. congregations and members in recent decades. Most important, he testifies to the power and work of God that is already making a future for emerging generations...if they choose it.

Links:

Restoring a Movement: A Hopeful Future for Churches of Christ by Matt Dabbs

Home Church Resources (Matt Dabbs's ministry to Christians and congregations who want to explore planting home churches)

The Christian Chronicle's report on Matt Dabbs's "backyard church" that formed during COVID isolation

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How might God educate, equip and empower you for ministry through a Freed-Hardeman University graduate program? Find out today at fhu.edu/chronicle.