Declining birthrates in the United States will drive down college enrollment over the next 15 years. Some experts predict that hundreds of small private colleges and universities will close.

Of the 14 colleges and universities in the Church of Christ family tree, as many as ten of them have characteristics that put them at higher risk in the new higher education market.

Many of these schools are innovating in ways that cut costs, increase operating margins and revenue and at least give them a chance to grow or maintain enrollment enough to survive.

But will a necessary focus on margins lead to less focus on mission?

Dr. Joshua Travis Brown, assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Education and research fellow with the Center for Skills, Knowledge and Organizational Performance at the University of Oxford, shares what he found when he researched how small private colleges are managing tradeoffs between margins and mission. That research appears in his book, Capitalizing on College: How Higher Education Went From Mission Driven to Margin Obsessed (Oxford Press).

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Parents of special needs kids face a special kind of grief and a special kind of struggle. Yet, so often their needs go overlooked and unmet in their own churches.

Gigi Khonyongwa-Fernandez, author of From Rollercoasters to Carousels: An Emotional Support Guide to Healing for NICU, Bereaved and Special Needs Parents, shares her story and the emotions she and other NICU, bereaved and special needs parents experience.

In this episode, she opens up about how parents like her deal with ongoing grief and trauma. Among the points that come up in this discussion are:

• How we are all close to someone who experiences trauma, most of all in our churches
• NICU, bereaved and special needs parents struggle to allow themselves to feel their emotions
• Sometimes, churches do not make space for those who are grieving to grieve as fully and as long as they need

How might the church come alongside NICU, bereaved and special needs parents?

Links for this episode:

BT and Gigi reference both 2 Corinthians 1:4 and Proverbs 27:14

The Christian Chronicle's feature on Khonyogwa-Fernandez: https://christianchronicle.org/connector-in-chief-trauma-informed-coach-brings-the-world-together/

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Once upon a time, a Church of Christ minister could be effective with some education in Bible and training in preaching.

But is that enough in the "digital world" of the 21st century?

Dr. Todd Brenneman and Tommie Lee Washington, professors at Faulkner University, make the case that it's past time for Church of Christ ministers to add excellence in media and technology to their ministry repertoire.

In this episode, we talk about how the "digital citizens" of the 21st century expect to encounter and interact with ideas...including the gospel. Among the things that come up in this discussion:

• Designing church materials using tools like Canva
• Reaching more people through new media and streaming platforms
• Using cutting edge animation software to produce teaching content
• Producing lessons and sermons using AI

The New Testament is full of examples of ancient Christian teachers using the innovations of their time to communicate the gospel. So is it so far-fetched to imagine that Christian teachers today will do the same?

But is there any point at which using technological innovation to preach and teach the gospel is going too far? What are the dangers?

Link to the Faulkner University Bachelor of Biblical Studies with a digital ministry track

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Christian Chronicle Podcast partner Freed-Hardeman University sponsored this special episode to be an open invitation to you to visit the Bible lands.

If you're a longtime listener to The Christian Chronicle Podcast, you've heard the advertisements that promote the opportunity for all students in the Freed-Hardeman University Graduate School of Theology to work an archaeological dig in the Bible lands...for just $500 out of pocket.

In this episode, you'll find out how this opportunity open to everyone (even those who are not students at Freed-Hardeman University).

Why is this important? Our guests, Dr. Rick Brumback and Dr. Jonathan Moore make the case for how visiting the places where the Bible stories took place builds personal faith and empowers and enriches Christian preachers and teachers for their ministry work.

This is your chance to deepen your faith and widen your imagination as a Christian by visiting the Bible lands with Freed-Hardeman University.

Take your first step to the Bible lands at travel.fhu.edu and learn more at seeinghisworld.com and contact this episode's guests at rbrumback@fhu.edu and jmoore@fhu.edu.

When Dallas Jenkins, creator, principal writer and show runner for The Chosen spoke at Oklahoma Christian University, The Christian Chronicle's Bobby Ross, Jr., got a chance to sit down with him for a conversation. Carla Hinton, faith editor for The Oklahomanand The Christian Chronicle's CEO Erik Tryggestad joined them.

In this interview, you'll hear Jenkins talk about:

• The experience of filming the sixth season of The Chosen, which is all about the crucifixion of Jesus.
• How he handles the expectations of politicians that he (and his show) will be a platform and voice for their particular views.
• Why he chose to make The Chosen a TV show instead of a movie.
• The impact that The Chosen is making on Christians and non-Christians alike all over the world.
• How he chose Jonathan Roumie to play Jesus of Nazareth.
• The extreme personal and professional challenges of creating and sustaining The Chosen.
• How the broader entertainment industry has responded to, and been changed by, The Chosen phenomenon.
• The challenge and opportunity of interpreting Scripture through an artistic medium like television.

Link to Bobby Ross Jr.'s Christian Chronicle story about his interview with Dallas Jenkins.

Link to The Chosen

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When The Christian Chronicle covered and editorialized Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk's murder in September 2025, the reaction from our audience was big and hot.

Some Church of Christ folks expressed reverence for Kirk and regarded him as a Christian martyr. Others expressed anger and sadness at how he died, but emphasized that what he believed and how he expressed it did not represent them as Christians. Still others said they never heard of Kirk until his death.

In this episode, two young Christians, Charlie Kirk fans and followers, explain why he appealed to them so much. What about his life and teachings resonated with them?

And, from this, what might we learn about some members of the emerging generations in the Church of Christ?

Jeremiah Delcour and Keegan Haupt are leaders of the Turning Point USA chapter at Oklahoma Christian University, where they are students.

Link to The Christian Chronicle's coverage of how Church of Christ folks responded to Charlie Kirk's murder

Link to Dr. Jeremie Beller's Christian Chronicle editorial on the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's death

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"Spiritual warfare" seems to be on the lips and minds of many Christ-claimers in the United States these days, including those in the Church of Christ.

But what is "spiritual warfare" and how do we know that we're waging it?

Dr. Joe Beam, who wrote the landmark book Seeing the Unseen: A Handbook for Spiritual Warfare in the early 1990s, joins the present-day milieu on how the spirit realm is affecting current events and vice versa.

In this episode, Beam answers questions like:

• What might be contributing to what could be an increase in "spiritual warfare" talk in the United States these days?
• What is the difference between demon-possessed and demonized?
• Does demon-possession still happen today (and how do we know if someone is demon-possessed)?
• How do we know if we're being "attacked" by evil spiritual forces or if we're creating our own negative circumstances or situations?
• How do we know if God is communicating with us or if we're just having strong feelings that come from ourselves?
• How do we know if someone is "speaking for God"?
• For Church of Christ congregations that have to come to believe that the Holy Spirit is available to guide and support them, how do they learn to discern and follow the Holy Spirit?
• How do we "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1)?

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A little more than half (52 percent) of Americans say they would allow public school teachers to lead their students in prayers to Jesus in taxpayer-funded public schools. This is according to the latest Religious Landscape Study from the Pew Research Center.

In this episode, that study's author, Chip Rotolo, reveals how Americans have changed in both religious and spiritual beliefs and practices since Pew started researching them in 2007. While it may come as no surprise that Americans' adherence to, and participation in, organized religion has declined, Pew's research shows that the newest generation of Americans is showing signs of more openness than preceding ones.

Rotolo unpacks this and more data from the Pew report. What might these trends mean to Church of Christ congregations, their leaders and their members?

Link to the Pew Research Center's Religious Life Survey

Link to Chip Rotolo's site (referenced in the interview)

Link to Religious Landscape Study report that measures how religious is each state (released after this interview, but references in the episode)

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