The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 59, No. 1, Ed. 1, January 2002 Page: 1 of 35
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Christian Chronicle and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library.
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Jeanene Reese
Preparing women for
ministry in our context.
Page 20
Transporting kids
Are churches and schools
monitoring safety?
Page 8
SEE THE CHRONICLE ONLINE:
www.christianchronide.org
INSIDE
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Vol. 59 No. 1
An international newspaper for members of churches of Christ
January 2002
Churches mourn
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Spann
See CIA, Page 29
CIA agent killed
in Afghanistan
BY ERIK TRYGGESTAD
THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
WINFIELD, ALA.
The line of congregants filed into the Winfield Church
of Christ Dec. 6, remembering in hushed voices an old
friend.
“You know he went to school with our kids.” “He was a
quiet little boy.” “So tragic,” they said.
This was Johnny Michael Spann’s
home. He grew up in the Winfield
church of about 260 and dreamed of join-
ing the military and flying a plane like
Tom Cruise in the film ‘Top Gun.”
On Nov. 28 the CIA revealed that
Spann, known as Mike, was killed in a
prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif,
Afghanistan. The 32-year-old was the
first American casualty on Afghan soil in
the war on terrorism. The news sent a wave of national
media crashing down on Winfield, a town of about 4,500
Or
limit
ERIK TRYGGESTAD
Reporters with a Birmingham television station prepare a report as members of the
Winfield, Ala., Church of Christ assemble for the Dec. 6 memorial service for Mike
Spann, which was attended by 400 people. Media from across the country, including
CNN and The Washington Post, crowded into a nearby parking lot to get a glimpse of
the proceedings. Flags flew alongside Christmas decorations throughout Winfield.
Madison’s conflict reflects complex, broader issues
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See MADISON, Page 29
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CALENDAR ....
CURRENTS.....
INSIDE STORY ..
INSIGHT.......
INTERNATIONAL
LETTERS ......
OPINION......
OBITUARIES ...
PEOPLE.......
REVIEWS......
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BY LINDY ADAMS
THE CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE
Toluca
A thriving church welcomes
the Pan-American Lectures.
Page 17
INSIDE
WHAT CAUSES CONFLICT? Is it escalating? How can
we resolve disputes in churches? Examining the
roots of these realities, particularly disturbing in
church families, can bring light and hope.
Churches can resolve conflict.
Part one in a three-part series
Its name is legendary and brings to mind
legendary people and associations. It was our
first multi-faceted, multi-programmed mega-
church.
It’s the church led by Jim Mankin, Jimmy
Sites, Steve Flatt and, of course, the inimitable
Ira North. It’s Amazing Grace Bible Class,
Happy Hills Boys Ranch, song leader Nick
Boone — yes, Pat’s brother.
It’s Madison.
It’s the church on Gallatin Road in suburban
Nashville, Tenn., which under the leadership
of bigger-than-life Ira North, went from being
a typical congregation to being what some
considered our flagship. In its heyday it was
the largest congregation in churches of Christ, from congregations among churches of Christ
But in recent years Madison has fallen on
hard times.
North succumbed to cancer in the 1984 and
— found that 59 percent of all religious bodies
nationwide changed worship practices a “great
deal” in the last five years and that such
A SERVICE OF OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
from a well-oiled machine to one in need of
overhaul.
However, recent attempts at an overhaul put
those committed to the old ways and those
seeking the new at terrible odds.
Tensions rose. Tempers flared. Members
were set against members. Some left.
At the end of 1998, Madison’s Sunday morn-
ing attendance was 3,240. Today it is 2,433, a
loss of about 800 members, according to Jerry
Sherrill, Madison’s business
administrator.
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li' Across the nation religious
'wl™ groups from Baha’i to Baptist
||| are embroiled in similar con-
flict, reports Faith
Nort" Communities Today, a
research project of the Lilly Endowment
which released its findings on 42 U.S. reli-
gious bodies last March. Frequently the con-
flict centers on worship issues.
The FACT study — which included data
in the years since the congregation has gone change brought conflict
As any attentive observer knows, our fellow-
ship is no exception. Since mid-August, word
of conflict in 11 congregations has been
reported to the Chronicle. The discord is of
several sorts, but often regards worship.
But what happened at Madison?
Some parts of the story are disputed. While
Madison’s elders declined to discuss the
details of the conflict, some members and
leaders shared their insights.
The church’s troubles began in earnest in
early 2001, members say. A contemporary
Sunday morning service in the church’s base-
ment fellowship hall was added to two existing
traditional services. The new gathering quick-
ly outgrew its quarters.
In February, elder Buck Dozier read an
elders’ statement saying the contemporary
service would replace the second traditional
Sunday morning service in the main auditori-
um. The next Sunday some members walked
out of the contemporary worship, according to
deacon David Hardin.
From that Sunday, the conflict escalated.
Madison’s prominence drew coverage in local
media — including television reports and two
articles in 77»g Tennessean.
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McBride, Bailey & LaMascus, R. Scott. The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 59, No. 1, Ed. 1, January 2002, newspaper, January 2002; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1308274/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.