The Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies (CMBS) at Tabor College has completed indices to the Christian Leader from 1937 to 1959. A third volume will be forthcoming. Future plans include making these indices word searchable. In the interim, CMBS is making available a search process. Click here to make your search request (https://www.tabor.edu/about-tabor/center-mennonite-brethren-studies/christian-leader-inquiry-form).  

Download a PDF of past issues

June/July 2011 issue  July pdf.pdf

April/May 2011 issue  May.pdf

Feb/March 2011  CL FebMar.pdf

Dec 2010/Jan 2011 CL Dec10Jan11.pdf

Oct/Nov 2010 issue  CL OctNov 2010.pdf 

CL Library

Enjoy past articles in PDF format, by year, month and title.

2008

May

• Life, Death And Truth - by Steve Bomar  - When a young father's certainty in God is challenged, he discovers that he does not possess God's truth; the truth possesses him.
• The Best Is Yet To Come - by Gaylord Goertzen - In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul challenges us to look forward to God's plan for our new bodies.
• Marvin's Inquiring Mind  - CL columnist Marvin Hein died Jan. 5, 2008, at the age of 83. In three essays penned before his death, Marvin wonders about the process of dying, the value of setting your house in order and how he'll find his friends in heaven.
• "We'll Laugh Again" - by Nadine Friesen - How can adults help children cope with their grief following the death of a parent, sibling or anyone close to them?

April

• ICOMB: A Sign Of International Harvest - by Victor Wall - The International Community of Mennonite Brethren is a global church that exists today thanks to North American mission endeavors that span more than 100 years. Being part of this international community helps us think and act globally and holistically.
• The World Of ICOMB  - This map highlights the world according to ICOMB.
• Humbly Discerning Together - by Lynn Jost and Arthur Dueck - In 2004, ICOMB adopted a shared confession of faith. Two members of the task force that worked on this global document reflect.
• Voices From Around The Globe  - The MB Herald and Christian Leader posed two questions to Mennonite Brethren leaders around the world. Here's what they have to say.
• Plenty of Harvesters: An Interview With Delphin Kapay - with Andrew Siebert - Meet Delphin Kapay, a visionary young leader of the Congolese MB Church.

March

• Can You Keep A Secret - by Kevin Johnson - Consider the spiritual discipline of secrecy, a practice that Jesus commanded and that we often forget.
• The New Old Spirituality - by Tim Neufeld - Ancient spiritual ways of praying and reading the Bible help us understand the transformational power of God and draw us into his presence.
• Coming Clean - by Jan Johnson - Confessing our sins to someone we trust can help us find reasonable and practical steps to overcome sin.

February

• Amish Forgiveness And The Rest Of Us - by Steven M. Nolt - The world didn't quite know how to respond when the Amish community in Nickel Mines, Pa., forgave Charles C. Roberts IV just days after he shot 10 school girls, killing five. How do the Amish understand forgiveness, and what can the rest of us learn from them?
• Destination: Forgiveness - by Wilma Derksen - Thirteen-year-old Candace Derksen disappeared on her way home from school and was found dead seven weeks later. Her parents, Wilma and Cliff Derksen, said they forgave the murderer. Now, 22 years later, a man is charged with her murder. Is forgiveness still possible now that Candace's killer has a name and face?
• Forgive From The Heart - by David Faber - Christians need to be in the business of forgiving one another and doing so "from the heart" as Jesus says in Matthew 18. So what do I need to do when I have wronged someone?

January

• What Your World Needs Now - by Ed Boschman - Are there unique ways in which our evangelical Anabaptist theology as Mennonite Brethren can answer the questions people are asking?
• 148 Candles - by Ken Reddig - The Mennonite Brethren Church began 148 years ago during a time of crisis.
• Rallying The Team - an interview with Ed Boschman - As the new executive director of the U.S. Conference, Boschman sees himself as a "playing coach" and looks ahead to big wins.
• Why Does It Matter? -  We asked a variety of people to tell us why it matters that U.S. Mennonite Brethren are involved in church planting, youth ministry, education, stewardship ministries and global missions.

2007

• Index 2007 

December

• With -by Kevin Johnson - Christmas is God's invitation to "withness."
• Face To Face - by Katie Funk Wiebe - Simeon gazes on the face of the child in his arms and knows he belongs to this face and this face belongs to him.
• Skipping Christmas - by Ken Guenther - A young boy writes to the apostle John wondering why he skipped Christmas when writing his gospel.

November

• Building - by Kevin Larson - Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount suggest that foolish and wise living have to do with the foundation on which we build our lives.
• Buzzing Bees And Saddle Burrs - by Douglas B. Miller - Like a persistent buzzing bee, we are called to take a closer look at what the Bible says about wisdom and to let its words prick our thinking.
• Timeless And Timely - by Jason Heibert - The book of James is best read a wisdom literature.

October

• Calling God's Potters - by Raymond O. Bystrom - What can we Mennonite Brethren do as local congregations and as district and national bodies to identify and call new pastors?
• Ropewalk - by Rick Bartlett - When young people feel God's nudge to full-time church ministry, is your congregation ready to encourage and affirm that call?
• Soul Care - by Skip Suess - Healthy churches need healthy pastors. Findings from a recent survey of Pacific District Conference pastors can help us do a better job of caring for pastors.

September

• Faith Of Our Children - by Abe Bergen - What role do parents, congregations and church-related schools play in teaching a holistic gospel to our children?
• Tell Me A Story - by David Faber - What's the best way to help kids develop good character? Tell them stories.
• Dining At The All-You-Can-Eat Entertainment Buffet - by Melissa Ens - Helping our children make good entertainment choices is challenging when toxic elements are mixed with otherwise healthy entertainment "food."
• Send Them Off With Prayer - by Karen Wingate - Our college students need prayer at this crucial junction of their lives. Here are 10 ways you can pray for a college student.

August

• Dear Dad -by Ray Bystrom - A son writes to his father to answer the question, "What is a missional church?"  
• Packed With Love: Neighborhood Church, Visalia, Calif. - by Laura Campbell - Backpacks for school students open neighborhood doors.
• Help Wanted: Ethiopian Evangelical Church, Denver, Colo. - by Myra Holmes - Ethiopian congregation offers immigrants practical and emotional support.
• Now Serving: Garden Valley Church, Garden City, Kan. - by Myra Holmes - Volunteers serve free lunch to as many as 90 high school students each week.
• God's Grocers: Dinuba MB Church, Dinuba, Calif. - by Myra Holmes - Low-cost groceries link church and community.
• Puttin' On The Ritz: Lincoln Hills Bible Church, Sioux Falls, SD - by Malinda Just - Volunteers transform a church coat room into a one-stop prom shop.
• Touchdown: North Carolina MB Churches - by Chris Eidse - NCDC churches tackle community issues.

July

• Who Turned Up The Volume -by Kevin Johnson - It's time to turn down the volume and think about the noise we allow to enter our lives and squelch God's voice.
• Homesick - by Steve Ganger - Many houses and apartments in America today are suffering from "homesickness" -- they've lost their families.
• For Better Or Worse, For Busy Or Busier - by Gerald W. and L. Marlene Kaufman - Marriage prospers when we eliminate excess activities in order to preserve time for each other.

June

• Welcome Back, Boomers - by Jack Toews - Baby boomers should be leading the church into the future, but this generation is hardly to be found in church today. The time has come for that to change.
• Good Times - by Karol Hunt - How can baby boomers make the most of the second half of our lives?

May

• Conflicted - by Tim Davis and David Widows - A police officer and his pastor wrestle with issues likes justice, the use of force and protecting the innocent.
• Holding Dual Citizenship - by Pierre Gilbert - Christians don't always agree on the best way to demonstrate allegiance to country, but because we are first citizens of the kingdom of God, there is one critical area in which we are compelled to serve the earthly nations.

April

• The Garden - by Don Morris - This plot could become a productive garden filled with good things, but it would take a lot of work.
• An Insider's Look At Church Planting: A CL Conversation  - Four Mission USA church planters talk about the surprises, obstacles and joys they have encountered.
• The Great Church Planting Challenge - by Sam Sarkissian as told to Paul Bartel - When church planters rely on God and are guided byt he Holy Spirit, they witness the mighty and transforming power of God.

March

• Fitting Into "Size P" - by Laurie Oswald Robinson - Lent is a good time to open our spiritual closets and take inventory. Are we clothing ourselves in Christ's life?
• Lenten Reflections - by Tom Friesen - Observing Lent can help us become a humble tool in God's hand.
• Mourning Dance - by Cheryl Dueck Smith - Lent had been difficult for me to comtemplate since there was so much joy in my life. The next day my unborn son was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal abnormality.

February

• The Changing Face Of Global Missions - by Mark D. Baker and Martin Hartwig Eitzen - The way the North American church goes about global mission changed when the center of gravity for the Christian church shifted south.
• Short On Time, Long In Impact - by Randy Friesen - MBMS International general director shares his research on how short-term mission experiences impact participants. (Inlcudes "Making It Personal," by Dennis Fast. Reedley (Calif.) MB Church sent 115 people on short-term mission trips in one year. How have these short-term trips impacted the congregation?)
• Making A Global Family - by Dalton Reimer - Much has changed over the past 20 years in the relationshp between the two North American Mennonite Brethren conferences and the national conferences that we helped to plant around the globe. What else needs to happen for positive changes to continue?

January

• Where Is Santos? - by Lynn Baker - Two years ago Sanos set off for the U.S. with a group of illegal immigrants. The trip is dangerous and there are no guarantees of safe arrival, as this true story illustrates.
• Still Thinking - by Virgil Wiebe - As Anabaptist Christians wrestle with immigration questions, we should be guided by the gospel's call to dual citizenship and the practice of hospitality.
• Eva's Story - by Myra Holmes - Eva Avalos immigrated to the U.S. illegally in hopes of reuniting her children with their father. Instead she found herself abandoned. Then she found a Mennonite Brethren church with a heart for lost people.
• "And The Walls Come Tumbling Down" - by Elmer Martens - A teaching stint in Africa yields a number of surprises, including a new understanding about what the Bible has to say about ethnicity.

2006

• Index 2006 

December

• Sounds Of Christmas - by Brad Vogel - The first Christmas was characterized by quietness and even silence. So why do we sing with exuberant joy the carols celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ?

November

• Why Go To A Church Business Meeting - by Duane Deckert - A congregation's future depends on the involvement of its members. Here are five ways congregational meetings strengthen the local church.
• Church Boards: Boring Or Fulfilling - by Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower and Jill Schellenberg - The administrative work of the church can help us grow in our faith when we think of it as worshipful work.
• Transforming Your Benevolence Ministry - by Jenny Fomer - How can we provide potential life-changing charitable assistance? Consider these five steps the next time someone asks for help.

October

• Together Is Better - by Randy Friesen - Climbing the world's tallest peaks is filled with danger and best accomplished by working as a team. What can we learn about summiting the mountain of God's kingdom?
• God Is Faithful - by Dale and Rachel Winter - During almost three years spent waiting for a liver transplant for Dale, the Winters cling to a God they have found to be faithful even when they falter.
• Faith Is A Journey - by Katie Funk Wiebe - Faith is a process of continual growth from that first simple commitment of reaching out to God to becoming more Christ-like as we age.

September

• That's Why We Do It - an interview with D. Merrill Ewert and Larry Nikkel - Although Christian institutions face unique challenges during these challenging days in higher education, the two presidents of Mennonite Brethren institutions of higher education talk with great enthusiasm about our schools.
• Worth The Ride: Parenting In The College Years - by Steve Wiest and Kathy Heinrichs Wiest - How do you parent a college student? Start before you leave home, realize it won't be easy and relish the ride.
• Strengthening The Stakes - by Larry Martens - When our Mennonite Brethren colleges expand their vision to better serve their communities, are they in danger of becoming less connected to the denomination? Not is we pay attention to four core issues.

July

• He Makes Me Lie Down - by Diane Andrews with Myra Holmes - Like David, the author of Psalm 23, I realized  it was time to move from being a shepherd to being a sheep.
• Welcome To The Complex Life - by Pierre Gilbert - The book of Daniel suggests that one's simple -- or complex -- economic lifestyle is secondary to a much more important concern.

June

• Pre-Convention Issue - Read through selected portions of the special pre-convention issue.  

May

• Adopted Into God's Family - by Ray O'Neil - What is our responsibility to those who aren't part of the family of God?
• A Place To Belong - as told to Myra Holmes - Babies don't just appear on one's doorstep. But that's almost exactly how little Gabe came to join Steve and Annie Willems' family.
• A Shining Example - by Helen Lepp Friesen - Herb Friesen modeled for his family how best to move from life to eternal life.

April

• Oh, What A Difference - by Don Morris - "What must I do to be saved?" The answer is as simple today as it was for the New Testament jailor.
• Meatloaf Evangelism - by Michael C. Mahan - God wants us to use our relationships to bring people to salvations.
• I Am John, Just John - by John Langer - One man shares his story and asks you to share yours.

March

• Building A Worshipping Worship Team - by Jason Mohn - Are worship teams missing an opportunity to make disciples?
• Worship And Music: A Joyful Song - by Kim Bontrager - Music draws us into the worship service. It is a personal and powerful tool in our corporate worship.
• Worship And Prayer: Vital Support - by Carey Gossen - Apply the apostle Paul's teaching on prayer and you will see your own life as well as your church and community transformed.
• Worship And Preaching: The Central Element - by Roger Poppen - Scripture tells us that when believers gather for worship expository preaching must be central.
• A New Twist To Historic Worship Practices - by Wilfred Martens - Over time, we have lost some once-prominent practices that would enhance our 21st-century gatherings. What can we gain by bringing them back?

February

• Horse Sense: What I Am Learning From Horses - Keith Harder - Five four-legged friends are teaching their owner a lot about building healthy relationships.
• Take Your Marriage Someplace New - Ron Vogt - A healthy marriage offers adventure, desire, imagination and play as well as comfort, predictability, security, kindness and understanding. (PDF also includes the wedding devotional "Tough words for TLC" by Paul Friesen)
• When Two Are Better Than One - Roy E. Bronkema - Why are friendships essential? How can I nurture the friendships that are important to me?

January

• Being A 21st Century Re-Formation Church - by Jim Westgate - How can we re-form our churches to better serve the community?
• The Rural Church: Leading Through Change - by Ron Klassen - The rurual church of the 21st century must embrace change.
• The City Church: Reaching The World - by Al Ewert - What does God see when he looks at the world's cities?
• The Second-Generation Church: Spanning Two Cultures - by Shalom English Ministry staff - Second-generation immigrants live between two cultures. How does the church minister to this unique group?

2005

• Index 2005 

December

• Finding Christ In Christmas - by Carlin Regier - What does the biblical account of Christ's birth teach me about worship?
• Tale Of Two Celebrations - by Nancy Twigg - What can we do to create a holiday season enriched by our faith?   

November

• My Brother's Keeper - by Greg Camp and Audrey Hindes - Is my love for God related to how I treat other people?
• Prescription For Justice - by Rebecca Thesman - How can the church show mercy and justice to those who live without health insurance?
• When Numbers Don't Add Up - by Pakisa Tshimika - Congolese native Tshimika and photographer Ray Dirks take a firsthand look at a land in crisis.

October

• Discipleship - Quenching Our Thirsty Souls - by Ken Guenther - Isaiah invites us to drink from the refreshing water that only God provides.
• Out Of The Salt Shaker - by Vonnie Mostat - What do we do when the "bad" kid next door needs Jesus?