In Preaching Articles: "Church Discipleship"

When (And Why) To Shake Off The Dust And Move On

By Ben Sternke on Aug 15, 2020

We can too easily normalize fruitlessness in the name of faithfulness. There's a big difference.

Tags: Discipleship, Missions, Church Growth, church planting, Evangelism The Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Confronting Idols, Making Disciples

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 22, 2023

Chris Wright suggests that the way we do church may actually prop up idolatry in the church. Are there any idols in your church?

Scripture: Matthew 8:1-10

Tags: Idol, Discipleship, Disciples, Confront, chris wright  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching: Teaching People The Way They Actually Learn

By Wayne Cordeiro on Mar 15, 2025

Effective teaching isn’t just knowing your message; it’s knowing how people learn. Adjusting to generational learning styles strengthens how truth is received and lived out.

Tags: Discipleship

3 Reasons Why I Give My Listeners Homework (And Why You Should, Too)

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 21, 2025

When we ask something more of our congregation we will quickly discover whether we are preaching for spiritual entertainment or spiritual formation.

Tags: Discipleship

Why Spiritual Transformation Stalls And How Pastors Can Restart It

By Thom Rainer on Mar 5, 2020

Spiritual transformation often stalls in believers and churches. Identifying its root causes helps pastors guide congregations from stagnation to renewed gospel growth.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Tags: Spirit, Church, Growth, Discipleship, Preaching, Transformation, In Christ, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

5 Top Priorities For Increasing Your Church

By Charles Arn on Jan 11, 2025

Decades of research reveal five church-growth principles—disciple-making, relationships, felt-needs, transitions, and social networks—that help any church engage its community.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Growth, Discipleship, leadership, pastor, Church Growth, Ministry Leadership, Pastor, Leadership, Congregational Health  (view more)  (view less)

John Piper: God’s Sovereignty Makes Mission Courage Possible

By John Piper on Mar 20, 2025

"It is hard to exaggerate how important it is for the mission of the church...to have a fully biblical vision of the greatness and the sovereignty and the glory of God."

Scripture: Matthew 24:14, Isaiah 46:9-10, Romans 8:28-39, Acts 13:48, 1 Peter 4:11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Perseverance, Discipleship, Missions, Sovereignty, Risk  (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

What Small Groups Do Best...and What They Don't

By Glenn Packiam on Jul 7, 2023

Small groups are a perfect example of how pastors may learn from researchers. At many church conferences, pastors speak confidently of their latest, greatest small group model, sure that it is the new breakthrough in discipleship.

Tags: Outreach, Learning, relationships, Church Small Groups

A Category You Won’t Find In The Bible: The Churchless Christian

By Thabiti Anyabwile on Oct 27, 2022

"It is important for Christians to be members of a local church because the New Testament apostles can’t conceive of anything called a Christian that’s not connected to Christ’s body."

Tags: Church, Discipleship, Christian Life, Healthy Church, Called to serve, local church, be the church, Church Body of Christ, Christian community, church  (view more)  (view less)

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

8 Preachable Marks Of A Transformed Life

By Philip Nation on Jan 9, 2025

Spiritual transformation is God’s work in believers, shaping them into Christ’s image. These eight biblical marks help pastors guide their people toward genuine gospel change.

Scripture: Galatians 4:19, Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Church, Discipleship, Preaching, pastor, Transformation, transformed life, Pastor, preaching, church, Transformed Life  (view more)  (view less)

What If We Made Disciples And Left Church Growth To God?

By Karl Vaters on Sep 6, 2022

If we prioritized health, not as a means to growth, but as an end in itself, would we be in a greater position to represent Jesus to the world?

Tags: great commission, pastoral leadership, church ministry, Growth Strategy, Equip the Saints, Discipleship, Church Growth, Make Disciples  (view more)  (view less)

The Post-Sermon Bible Test

By Peter Mead on Jan 11, 2024

Good preaching doesn’t end when the sermon ends. It equips listeners to return to the text, understand it, desire it, and handle it for themselves in the days ahead.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, preaching

The Powerful Difference Between Lecture And Lab

By Outreach Inc. on Apr 10, 2025

There are untold thousands of Christians who can take the "God test" and get all the answers right, but who remain unformed and unchanged.

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, preaching