In Preaching Articles: "Call To Discipleship"

3 Things Our Culture Is Doing To Bible Reading And Discipleship

By Mary C. Wiley on Jun 24, 2024

"We live in a microwave meals, listen-to-podcasts-in-double-time world. We want more with less; work smarter not harder. However, the move forward or get left behind mentality of today is not a good transferrable principle for discipleship. Mostly because discipleship is all about people, and people can’t be boiled down to a series of tasks. People are messy and their needs aren’t linear."

Tags: Discipleship, spiritual growth, church community, TEACH THE BIBLE, call to discipleship, training disciples, guard the truth, Study the Bible  (view more)  (view less)

Mentoring For Pastors: How To Find The Right Mentor At The Right Time

By Hal Seed on Oct 29, 2022

"Do you need a mentor? Only if you want to become more like Christ, live for Jesus more purposefully, and see your church take ground for God’s glory."

Tags: leadership, Grow, Mentor, pastoral leadership, Christian growth, mentoring, call to discipleship, church leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Call No One Wants To Get - Part 1

By Lance Witt on Sep 25, 2023

One of the spiritual questions every ministry leader must answer is, “Am I willing to serve in obscurity?”

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-40

Tags: Faith, obscurity, Cost of Discipleship, success in ministry

Sorry, Pastors – The Growth Of The Church Is Not Up To Us

By Karl Vaters on Jun 5, 2024

"Preaching the Word, training disciples and ministering to the community may or may not increase the number of people who sit in front of me from Sunday to Sunday. But it will produce a healthy church."

Tags: Church Growth, Surrender, Healthy Church, God's Church, God in control, pastoral leadership, call to discipleship, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Rethinking "Next Steps” In Discipleship

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 30, 2020

Churches often talk about “next steps,” but the phrase can become vague and ineffective. Meaningful discipleship requires clear, practical, and relational pathways for spiritual growth.

Scripture: Matthew 28:19-20, Hebrews 10:24-25, James 1:22, Colossians 1:28, 2 Peter 3:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Story, success, step, next, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why We Need To Seriously Reconsider The Idea Behind The Altar Call

By Jeff K. Clarke on Sep 15, 2025

We are so desperate to have people make a decision that we rarely, if ever, tell them about the costs associated with making that decision.

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, converts, altar call, costs, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Relevant, Old Paths

By Rev. Burk Parsons on Nov 26, 2022

If we are to redirect the current paths of young people, we must begin in the church by taking up the charge to come alongside younger men and women, and teach them the old, ancient values of God's Word.

Tags: teach, BIBLE STUDY, bible truth, Bible Study, Bible Truth, pastoral leadership, teach children, call to discipleship, guard the truth, child training, bible study  (view more)  (view less)

Not A Fan: The Hard Words Sparked A Church-Wide Revival

By Kyle Idleman on Jan 13, 2025

A preacher’s honest reckoning with crowd-pleasing sermons led to a bold call for true discipleship, sparking repentance, revival, and hundreds of unexpected baptisms.

Scripture: Luke 9:23

Tags: Love, Baptism, Jesus, Church, Commitment, Discipleship, Preaching, Disciples, revival, Church Growth, follower, preaching, church, love, Gospel call, Revival, Gospel Call  (view more)  (view less)

The Reverse Altar Call

By Greg Stier on Aug 2, 2023

Sometimes the words “altar call” trigger images of sawdust trails and endless verses of “Just as I am” with preachers prodding, pushing and persuading sinners to come forward down the aisle in front of God and everyone.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:2

Tags: Evangelism, strategy, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Smaller Churches Can Do Discipleship—without Wearing Out The Pastor

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 12, 2021

After a few hit-and-miss attempts, our church has discovered a simple five-step process that can work for any small church.

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, Process, Small Church, Limitations, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Reasons Not To Give An Altar Call

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Aug 12, 2024

Altar calls can help seekers respond to Christ, but they can also distort the gospel when misused. Here are four situations in which giving an altar call becomes unwise.

Scripture: John 6:47, Luke 23:43, John 12:42, Romans 10:9-10, 1 Corinthians 4:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Invitation, altar call, gospel clarity, Gospel Clarity, Altar Call  (view more)  (view less)

Is There Anything Wrong With Calling God "She”?

By Aaron Armstrong on Jan 7, 2022

"It's just a pronoun, so what's the big deal?" Well, what does the scripture say?

Tags: Preaching, Attributes, Masculine, feminine, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Forget Seminaries: What Are You Doing To Train The Next Generation Of Preachers?

By Chris Surber on Aug 16, 2025

We have a lot of people genuinely called, sincerely gifted people who struggle to find their way past the gatekeepers in our churches and denominations.

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-5, Mark 5:24-34

Tags: Discipleship, Gift, Seminary, Next Generation

Are We Preaching Greatness To The Wrong Audience?

By James Scott on Apr 28, 2023

Many church leaders call people to “greatness,” but most believers are called to quiet faithfulness in ordinary vocations.

Scripture: Matthew 20:26-28, Luke 16:10, 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Colossians 3:23, Micah 6:8  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Love, Preaching, peaceful, calling, preaching, love, Calling  (view more)  (view less)

Preacher’s Tip: If You Can Keep From Preaching, Do It

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Nov 6, 2020

Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. shares a hard word from a father clarified a calling: true pastoral ministry is not a hobby one can drop but a necessity laid upon the soul.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:16, Jeremiah 20:9, 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:24, Galatians 1:15-16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, advice, insight, Improve, calling, preaching, Calling  (view more)  (view less)