In Preaching Articles: "Church Culture"

How Guests Become Regular Attenders At Your Church

By Josh Reich on Mar 24, 2022

Have you had a guest come to your church who seemed excited but never came back?

Tags: Children, Communication, Visitors, Unwelcomed Guest, communication  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways Judgmental Christians Are Killing Your Church

By Carey Nieuwhof on Aug 30, 2023

Jesus said Christians should be known for how deeply we love. Yet studies show that in the eyes of many non-Christians, we’re known for how deeply we judge, not for how deeply we love.

Tags: Evangelism, Grace, judgemental, grace, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

How Leadership Capacity Affects The Growth And Health Of A Church

By Josh Reich on Oct 5, 2023

Now, we all know that God is the one who grows a church, but often that church is healthy and growing because of the character, quality and capacity of the lead pastor and leaders.

Tags: leadership, Discipline, leadership capacity, coaching, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Why Was I So Hard On That Church I Visited?

By Karl Vaters on Jul 2, 2022

How might a newcomer view your church? What barriers may they face? What obstacles could be unintentionally in the way of them connecting and finding a place to belong?

Tags: leadership, Visitors, church ministry, Welcoming Others, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Top 10 Healthy Ways To Handle The Church Critic

By Charles Stone on Aug 17, 2022

“Two things you can’t avoid in ministry are…people late to the service and … church critics.” In this short post, I suggest 10 ways to handle the church critic.

Tags: Criticism, patience, offense, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, loving enemies, Disarming, criticism  (view more)  (view less)

How To Be A Strategic Pastor And See Your Church Grow

By Hal Seed on Aug 29, 2022

You make a dozen decisions a day. How do you know what’s the right decision? What moves your church forward? What’s wasting time?

Tags: leadership, strategy, Retreat, Effectiveness, productivity, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Your Great Preaching Is Not Going To Build Your Church!

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 12, 2022

Get out of the office, pastor, and knock on some doors. Later, you can get your people to do it. But first, you do it. Do it by yourself, if you must. Or take someone with you. Do it by appointment or cold-turkey. But do it. That is as profound a way as I know to build a great church.

Tags: Church Growth, Church Attendance, Personal Evangelism, Growth Strategy, Building the Church, Out of the Office, Door to door, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

What Are You Improving At Your Church Right Now?

By Karl Vaters on Oct 26, 2022

"Every church should constantly be improving. And not just in general terms. We should always be working on specific action plans to make our church better tomorrow than it is today."

Tags: leadership, Church Growth, Healthy Church, effective, productivity, pastoral leadership, church leadership, good leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

How To Modernize Your Church Communication With Digital Signage

By Optisigns - on Feb 26, 2024

Bring your communication strategy into new light with modern digital signage.

Tags: Announcements, announcements

The Perfect Length For A Sermon

By Thom Schultz on Nov 25, 2020

Many assume longer sermons are spiritually richer, but length alone does not produce transformation. Effective preaching focuses on clarity, engagement, and lasting impact.

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:8, Mark 4:33, 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:27, John 16:12  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, length, church leadership, preaching, Church Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Leading *chreasters* To Christ: 8 Ideas

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 18, 2025

Christmas and Easter bring many first-time church guests. Learn practical strategies churches can use to connect with holiday visitors and encourage them to return.

Scripture: Luke 19:10, Matthew 28:19, John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9, Romans 10:14  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Outreach, New, interest, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

How To Choose Your Next Preaching Series

By John Percival on Sep 15, 2020

Seven pastoral questions to help you prayerfully and wisely choose your next sermon series and feed your church a balanced biblical diet.

Scripture: Acts 20:27, 2 Timothy 4:2, Nehemiah 8:8, Colossians 1:28, Psalm 119:105  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, preparation, church leadership, preaching, Church Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Most Pastors Reject Pulpit Political Endorsements

By Carol Pipes on Mar 18, 2024

A LifeWay Research survey shows nearly 90 percent of Protestant pastors believe candidates should not be endorsed from the pulpit, even during election season.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2, Acts 20:27, 1 Corinthians 2:2, Romans 13:1, Colossians 4:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Politics, election, candidate, Church And State, Church and State  (view more)  (view less)

Ten Traits Of The Healthiest Churches Ten Years From Now

By SermonCentral .com on May 10, 2021

So, what if we could look into the future ten years from now, and see the characteristics of the healthiest churches in America? Would you be willing to make changes now? Take a look.

Tags: Healthy Church, diversity, Church Small Groups, mission

8 Reasons Why Most Churches Never Break The 200 Attendance Mark

By Carey Nieuwhof on Jul 14, 2023

While social media and even traditional media are still preoccupied with mega churches and multi-site churches, the reality is that most churches in North America are quite small.

Tags: leadership, Change, Church Growth, Small Church, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)