In Preaching Articles: "Community And Testimony"

No Normal Sundays

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 23, 2021

Take a careful inventory, and you will find that most weeks this is the single most important hour of the week — and yet we are so prone to squander such a rich opportunity, sometimes even neglect it.

Tags: Communication, Worship, Commitment, Sunday, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Grappling With The Fears Of Technological Change

By Tim Challies on Apr 15, 2023

Technologies are good in that they allow us to carry out our God-given mandate (Gen. 4). But every technology also brings risk; it brings change. Innovations subtly shift our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Tags: Fear, Communication, Technology, Cultural Change, communication  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways To Shorten Your Sermon

By Peter Mead on Aug 19, 2024

Preaching time is limited, and sermons easily expand. These practical tips show how to trim intros, illustrations, context, conclusions, and post-sermon elements wisely.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1-58, Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Timothy 4:2, Colossians 4:4, Ecclesiastes 5:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Communication, Preaching, Edit, Time, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Don't Like Small Churches? Me Neither

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 2, 2023

The problems most people have with small churches aren’t about size, they’re about sickness. And sickness can happen in churches of any size.

Tags: Community, Preaching, Small Church, community, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To Lead People-Friendly Change In Your Church

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 12, 2022

I’ve been studying the art of change management lately and wanted to share a process with you that could save you a lot of grief the next time you think about a change in your church’s programs or procedures.

Tags: Communication, leadership, Change, Resilience, Leadership, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Illustration Variation

By Peter Mead on Aug 31, 2023

Be careful that you don’t get stuck in a rut with your illustration material.

Scripture: Matthew 5:17-48

Tags: Communication, Preaching, illustration, Quotes, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways To Get People To Pay Attention To Your Sermons

By Charles Stone on Feb 15, 2022

One of the most disconcerting feelings we pastors experience is when we prepare a sermon and pour our heart into it, yet feel that it didn’t make a difference in people’s lives.

Tags: Communication, Preaching, Relevance, sermons, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Courageous Conversations - Part 1

By Lance Witt on Sep 3, 2023

When it comes to correction, rebuke, or confrontation, to say it’s uncomfortable is a massive understatement. The truth is, pastors avoid it at all costs. That has certainly been true of me.

Tags: Communication, Courage, Confrontation, pastoral leadership, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Swindoll Says Stories Are Valuable

By Michael Duduit on Aug 14, 2023

Stories transport us into another world. They hold our attention.

Scripture: Matthew 13:34

Tags: Communication, Preaching, Story, storytelling, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How Guests Become Regular Attenders At Your Church

By Josh Reich on Mar 23, 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)

The Silence Of God (Psalm 13)

By Josh Reich on May 5, 2022

While we often think God’s silence means He has abandoned us or left us, that is not true. God’s silence does not equal God’s absence.

Scripture: Psalm 13:1, Psalm 13:1-6

Tags: Community, Sin, God's silence, prayers, community  (view more)  (view less)

Church Growth And The Work Of God

By Josh Reich on Oct 5, 2023

We know that God is the one who makes a church grow, that it isn’t on us. This is both a comfort and a problem.

Tags: Communication, vision, Discipleship, Church Growth, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Five Essential Reasons For Christians To Gather In Public Worship

By Brian Croft on Nov 1, 2023

Does church attendance really matter? Here are five important reasons why it is essential that every Christian gather with other Christians in the same local church weekly to hear the preaching of God’s Word.

Scripture: Romans 10:17, Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 13:17

Tags: Community, Discipleship, Church Attendance, church membership, Christian community, Growing in Faith, Connected, Covenant Community, community, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

How Long Should A Sermon Be?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 10, 2020

There is no universal sermon length. What matters most is clarity, focus, and the preacher’s ability to hold attention around one central point.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:9-10, Nehemiah 8:8, 1 Corinthians 14:8, Colossians 4:6

Tags: communication, preaching, Communication, Preaching, preparation, Homiletics, Time  (view more)  (view less)

At Least 10 Things Great Churches Are For

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 19, 2021

The church has often, intentionally or not, been branded as a community of people who are angry and therefore are against everything not church-y. This is especially true when we so vocally voice our protests and gang up to boycott every business that doesn’t look conservative-Christian-friendly enough. I’ve listened to too much lately. From all sides. Some opinions I agree with and others I don’t, but what I’ve concluded is ultimately this: If I’m going to be known or listened to, I want it to be because of what I’m FOR, not what I’m against.

Tags: Grace, Community, reputation, church culture, community, grace  (view more)  (view less)