In Preaching Articles: "Church Discipleship"

Are Small Churches Less Fruitful?

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 25, 2022

Does the size of a church always speak of its faithfulness?

Scripture: John 15:5, Matthew 7:20, Matthew 12:33-34, Luke 3:9-14, Luke 3:8, Matthew 13:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Trusting God, Church Growth, Church size, Love One Another, ministry, Ministry, Fruit, Faithfulness  (view more)  (view less)

The Central Message Of The Church Is Reconciliation

By Jeff K. Clarke on Oct 9, 2022

“The essence of forgiveness is absorbing pain instead of giving it.” – Timothy Keller

Scripture: Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Tags: God's Love, forgive, Forgiveness in Jesus, gospel proclamation, The Church's Message, gospel, Forgiveness, Gospel, Reconciliation  (view more)  (view less)

When Church Members Leave: How Pastors Carry The Quiet Wound

By Greg Surratt on Apr 28, 2020

Pastors feel deep pain when people leave their church. Understanding why it happens and how to respond wisely can turn hurt into growth, humility, and renewed strength.

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25-35, John 6:66-67, Proverbs 19:11, Romans 12:18, 2 Timothy 4:16-17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church, Church Growth, Connect, Assimilation, Church Practices, connect, church  (view more)  (view less)

Five Strategic Advantages Of Small Churches

By Brandon O'brien on Feb 13, 2024

Brandon O'Brien offers five strengths that he believes are inherent in small congregations, which can leverage these characteristics for ministry success.

Tags: Church, Growth, pastor, Church Growth, Health, Small Church, Church General, Pastor, church  (view more)  (view less)

10 Reasons Small Churches Tend To Stay Small

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 20, 2024

After working for years among hundreds of small congregations, Joe McKeever speaks to the subtle growth barriers that tend to go unnoticed or unaddressed in stagnant churches.

Scripture: John 13:35, Psalm 85:6, Luke 11:1-2

Tags: Church, Outreach, pastor, Church Growth, Health, Fail, Small Church, Church Practices, Pastor, church  (view more)  (view less)

10 Things Healthy Churches Do Well

By Joe Mckeever on Jan 23, 2025

Whether we are a critic or a lover of the church — or for some of us, both — it's important to remain balanced.

Scripture: Acts 6:1-7

Tags: Church Growth, Healthy Church, Pastors, CHURCH LIFE, Church General, Accept  (view more)  (view less)

The Secret To Memorable Preaching

By Larry Osborne on May 9, 2023

Linking small groups to weekend sermons increases attentiveness, note-taking, and application, turning preaching into lasting transformation rather than forgettable moments.

Scripture: Acts 2:42, James 1:22, Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 10:24-25  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, Small groups, Great, preaching, Small Groups, Memorable Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Things That Are Not So Wrong With The Church

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 3, 2022

I’ve noticed that for a couple thousand years now, the church has had this tendency to be quick to point out what is wrong with the church, but slow to affirm what is right.

Tags: Church, Culture, negative, Church Health, church, culture  (view more)  (view less)

11 Signs Your Church Is Going Extinct

By Carey Nieuwhof on Nov 12, 2025

Unless you’re in a free fall right now, it can be hard to know whether your congregation will thrive, survive or take a dive in the next decade.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Tags: Church, Preaching, preaching, church

Eight Things I Like About The Church…and Five I Hate.

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 6, 2023

Show me a Christian who can please God better alone than with other believers and I’ll show you a one-of-a-kind, something never before seen on planet Earth. The Lord thought you and I would be needing each other, so placed us in a church fellowship when He saved us.

Tags: Church, Preaching, preaching, church

Is Your Church Stuck Or Just Small?

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 10, 2025

If your church is healthy, quit stressing about getting bigger. God may not be calling you to bigness.

Scripture: Acts 1:1-15

Tags: Healthy Church, effective, Small Church, Growth, Church Growth  (view more)  (view less)

7 Dangerous Church Hiring Mistakes

By Brian Orme on Mar 27, 2024

We don’t want you to drop $300K (or more) of Kingdom funds on bad staffing when it should go toward Gospel-centered initiatives. So, here are seven hiring mistakes you want to avoid at all costs.

Tags: Church, Preaching, mistakes, church and business, hiring, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

If Your Church Is Drifting And Stuck, Should You Try To Change It From Within?

By Jonathan Herron on Jan 11, 2022

What do you do if you’re a frustrated support staff member of a visionless church? Do you try to change things from within?

Tags: Church and change, church planting, Church Death, pastoral leadership

Relevant, Old Paths

By Rev. Burk Parsons on Nov 25, 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: child training, bible study, Bible Study, Bible Truth, pastoral leadership, teach children, call to discipleship, guard the truth, teach, BIBLE STUDY, bible truth  (view more)  (view less)

Good & Bad Cases Of Church Discipline

By Ray Hollenbach on Mar 10, 2025

A real church incident exposes why believers distrust discipline. Yet Scripture shows discipline is meant to heal, not harm, calling us to restore one another with Christ’s presence.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18, Hebrews 13, Philippians 3, Galatians 6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: pastoral care, Pastoral Care