In Preaching Articles: "Acceptable Worship"

10 Ways To Make Your Announcements Better

By Chuck Lawless on Jan 22, 2026

Tired of clunky church announcements? Learn 10 effective strategies to communicate clearly and keep the focus on worship and the Word.

Tags: pastoral leadership, church announcements, church communication, Church Announcements, Worship Planning, Church Communication, Sunday Service Tips, Pastoral Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Al Mohler: Expository Preaching Is The Antidote To Anemic Preaching

By Albert Mohler on Jul 2, 2025

"The anemia of evangelical worship—all the music and energy aside—is directly attributable to the absence of genuine expository preaching."

Scripture: Lamentations 3:17-24

Tags: Preaching, weak, Expository, anemia, preaching, expository  (view more)  (view less)

Heads Up, Eyes Open, Everyone Looking Around Weekend Invitations

By Dean Hawk on Aug 3, 2023

I’m curious. When and where did ministers first begin asking people to bow their heads, close their eyes, and secretly raise their hand in a church service if they wanted to accept Jesus? Why do we feel like we need to sneak people into heaven?

Tags: Salvation, gospel invitation, Empowered churches

Seven Deadly Statements Of Church Members

By Thom Rainer on Oct 13, 2022

"Words have meaning. And if church members start articulating words consistently, those words begin to reflect the priorities and passions of the church."

Tags: conflict, relationships, Church worship, pastoral leadership, church membership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, shepherding, Shepherding  (view more)  (view less)

When Creativity Crosses The Line To Become Offensive

By Calvin Miller on Apr 14, 2025

Creative preaching can clarify truth or quietly undermine it. This article reflects on when creativity serves worship and when it crosses into embarrassment.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, Colossians 3:16, Romans 14:19

Tags: Church, Communication, Preaching, Confidence, Creativity, communication, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

Loving Muslims Begins With Honesty

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 24, 2020

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same deity? It has become one of the most pressing and controversial questions in the world in the last fifteen years.

Scripture: 1 John 5:12, John 8:19, John 5:42-43, John 5:23

Tags: Islam, World Religions, disagreement, loving people, Identity of Jesus, what Muslims believe  (view more)  (view less)

John Piper: My View Of Preaching

By John Piper on Aug 21, 2024

True preaching is expository exultation explaining the Bible and exulting over its truth. This vision shapes the church, fuels worship, and carries eternal weight.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:1-2, Nehemiah 8:8, Psalm 119:18, Hebrews 4:12, Romans 10:17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Pastoral Ministry

Why Every Sermon Should Speak Of The Trinity

By Jared Moore on Jun 2, 2021

The Trinity is not a peripheral doctrine but the very identity of the God Christians worship. Faithful preaching should regularly speak of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scripture: Zephaniah 1:1-18, Matthew 28:19, John 1:1-3, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Ephesians 4:4-6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, trinity, Doctrine, Foundation, Systematic theology, preaching, Systematic Theology  (view more)  (view less)

7 Fresh Ways To Preach The Christmas Story

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 18, 2023

Hal Seed: "Reading these Christmas stories moves me to worship and bow before him. Then I am ready to consider how to preach it."

Scripture: Isaiah 9:1-7, Philippians 2:6-11, John 1:1-5

Tags: Preaching, preaching

The Case For The Hour-Long Church Service

By Dave Browning on Jan 5, 2023

A focused, one-hour service honors people’s time, removes barriers for the unchurched, and forces churches to clarify what matters most in Sunday worship.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:21

Tags: church service

A Christmas Sermon 1,700 Years Old

By Brian Orme on Dec 17, 2024

Seventeen centuries ago, Gregory of Nazianzus preached Christmas as cosmic upheaval, divine condescension, and joyful trembling. His sermon still instructs our worship.

Scripture: Psalm 96:1, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:14, Psalm 2:11

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, ancient, preaching, Gregory Of Nazianzus  (view more)  (view less)

How To Guard Your Heart In The Pulpit: 5 Ways To Stay Grounded While Preaching

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Jan 27, 2026

Preaching is a public act of worship, but it’s also a spiritual battleground. Learn five essential ways to guard your heart as you step into the pulpit.

Tags: preaching tips, Preaching Tips

How Church Buildings Shape The Hearing Of A Sermon

By Ron Geyer on May 28, 2021

The design of a worship space influences how people listen, participate, and respond to preaching. Architecture, acoustics, and layout silently communicate priorities and shape the congregation’s experience of the Word.

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:4-8, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Colossians 3:16, Psalm 96:6, Hebrews 10:24-25  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Building, Preaching, Sound, room, Loud, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching To The Unchurched: 5 Essentials

By Rick Warren on May 4, 2024

In terms of seeing radical life changes in individuals, nothing can take the place of Spirit-anointed preaching. The message is still the most important element of a worship service for the unchurched.

Tags: Evangelism, Outreach, Preaching, pastoral leadership, evangelism, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

You Won't Accomplish Your Vision Without This

By Lance Witt on Mar 11, 2021

In my ministry Replenish, I am often asked “how do you know if a church is healthy”? What I know for sure is that the size of a church or it’s rate of growth or what happens on the platform in a weekend worship service is NOT a sure-fire indicator of health.

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