In Preaching Articles: "Church History"

Doing Ministry Without Losing Your Soul Part 1

By Lance Witt on May 13, 2024

"There is nothing worse than trying to inspire people to be passionate about God when you have little or no passion yourself. There is nothing more empty feeling than trying to connect people to God when you feel disconnected from God."

Tags: soul care, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Growing in Faith, Christ's Love for Us, Healthy Ministry, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Doing Ministry Without Losing Your Soul Part 3

By Lance Witt on May 22, 2024

When pastoring is your job, it adds complexity to simply loving Jesus. To live and lead from a healthy soul, we must learn the art of separating our own personal pursuit of loving Jesus from our “ministry” of leading in the church.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Tags: soul care, avoiding burnout, Putting Christ First, Sincerity with God, church leadership, time with God, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Weaving Gospel Fluency Into Every Sunday Message

By Jeff Vanderstelt on Nov 21, 2022

If we are going to grow people up into Christlikeness in every way, we need to learn how to speak the truths of Jesus Christ into everything.

Scripture: Luke 24:44-45

Tags: preaching Christ, guard the truth, Gospel centered, Teach His Word, church leadership, teaching, Teaching, pastoral leadership, defending the gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Always Choose The High Road (There’s Less Traffic)

By Jonathan Herron on Dec 7, 2022

Jesus said his disciples would be known by their radical love for one-another, (John 15:12).

Scripture: John 15:12

Tags: pastoral leadership, speak truth in love, Slow to speak, church leadership, Guard your tongue, honor, SALT AND LIGHT, Encourage Others  (view more)  (view less)

4 Issues That Could Silence Your Preaching

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Aug 8, 2020

We like to think we're beyond outside influence, but there are hot-buttons in every church that could take away your pulpit voice.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

What Kind Of Christians Will People Be If They Listen To Your Sermons For A Decade?

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 23, 2025

Beyond the weekly phrase, "Good word, Preacher," the spiritual lives of the people in your church provide excellent feedback regarding the effectiveness of your preaching.

Tags: spiritual health, preaching, believer, Preaching, Congregation, Generation  (view more)  (view less)

How Your Preaching Can Destroy Modern Idols

By Chris Surber on Nov 15, 2024

Every church has those things that it clings to that are off the table for change or removal, and usually even for discussion--unless you bring them up.

Scripture: Leviticus 26:30

Tags: Preaching, destroy, Discussion, modern idols, 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

Saturday Nights Are Not For Sermon Planning

By Hans Wunch on Oct 9, 2019

You spent so much time this week at the hospital with church members, you thought about stopping by human resources to pick up a paycheck.

Scripture: Luke 23:43

Tags: Preaching, guidance, prepare, sermon planning, leadership  (view more)  (view less)

How Pastors And Parents Can Help Children Benefit From The Sermon

By Erik Raymond on Oct 14, 2025

Erik Raymond suggests some things he has done as both dad and pastor to help kids hear and understand the message in “big church.”

Tags: Forgiveness, Preaching, preaching

8 Easy Ways To Plan Now For New Vbs Families To Stick

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 8, 2021

In my experience, churches put on a stellar VBS and just hope that the fourth goal of retaining new families from the community will take care of itself.

Tags: Unchurched, VBS, families, relational leaders, Outreach  (view more)  (view less)

Pastors And Pornography

By Paul Kendall on Dec 15, 2022

Family counseling specialist Paul Kendall warns pastors and church leaders against the increasing threat of pornography and how to protect themselves and their ministries from it.

Scripture: Matthew 5:27-28

Tags: Addiction, Pornography, pastor, Purity, Pastors, Pastor  (view more)  (view less)

The Strengths And Weaknesses Of Two Popular Preaching Styles

By Brady Boyd on Apr 25, 2020

Brady Boyd: "I think both approaches have merit for the local church and it’s the job of the pastor to listen to what God is saying and obey."

Tags: Preaching, preaching

10 Sacred Cows That Need To Be Tipped

By Jared Moore on Sep 7, 2024

Contemporary sacred cows are no more helpful than traditional sacred cows. Here's one preacher's view on the sacred cows that need tipped in the church today.

Scripture: John 21:20-22

Tags: Preaching, Method, preaching

Are You An Itinerant Pastor?

By Nathan Rouse on Sep 26, 2020

This addiction to "new" is breaking churches and ruining the credibility of those that minister in the pulpit. We need pastors that won't leave; we need pastors that will cleave.

Tags: Itinerant, Attrition, Preaching, pulpit