In Preaching Articles: "Congregational Renewal"

4 Points Of Principle Preaching

By Chris Surber on Nov 11, 2025

"Can I call her up to the front on Sunday morning, have her sit in front of the congregation and use her sin as an example?”

Scripture: Psalm 128:1-2

Tags:

Preaching To Inspire True Generosity

By Matt O’reilly on Nov 18, 2021

What if preachers and their congregations actually looked forward to the stewardship series instead of dreading it? Matt O'Reilly believes it can be done.

Scripture: Matthew 6:5-8

Tags: Preaching, preaching

6 Benefits To Not Changing Churches

By Dean Shriver on Jul 9, 2021

Staying with one congregation models commitment, grows maturity, deepens preaching, builds trust, reveals generational fruit, and prepares pastors for final accountability.

Scripture: Colossians 3:13-14, Colossians 3:13, John 10:11-13, James 1:2-4, Hebrews 13:17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Ministry, Church, mistakes, affliction, Leave, ministry, church  (view more)  (view less)

Overcoming Blind Spots In The Pulpit

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 21, 2020

Every preacher gravitates toward familiar themes. Identifying and addressing pulpit blind spots helps congregations grow into spiritual maturity and biblical balance.

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23, Ephesians 4:13-15, Acts 20:27, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Colossians 1:28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church Growth, Pastoral Ministry

6 Messy Truths About Your Church—and 3 Helpful Realities

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 5, 2025

"I was taught never to wrestle with difficult truths in front of the congregation. Give them simple three-point, alliterated answers to life’s problems."

Tags: Bible, Preaching, messy truth, efficient, confusing, preaching, bible  (view more)  (view less)

How To Preach A Stressful Sermon

By David J. Lose on Jun 28, 2021

What might our personal and congregational lives look like if we took Jesus' words more seriously at home, work, school and in our communities?

Scripture: Luke 18:31-34, Proverbs 17:1-5

Tags: stress, Preaching, Stress

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

When A Private Apology Is Not Enough

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 14, 2022

"Nothing is so lovely and so welcome and so healing in a church as for a member to go before the congregation and admit to his/her destructive behavior and ask for forgiveness."

Tags: Humility, Reconciliation, repentance, restitution, Confession of Sin, church ministry, Apology, Making things right, Admitting Guilt, Repentance  (view more)  (view less)

6 Reasons To Preach The Same Sermon Twice

By Joe Mckeever on Apr 22, 2020

Many pastors avoid repeating sermons, but revisiting them can deepen impact, sharpen insight, and better serve a changing congregation. Here’s why repeats matter.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2, Matthew 13:1-23, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 4:13-16, 2 Corinthians 4:5-6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Expository Teaching

12 Reasons Why Church Leaders Don’t Delegate

By Chuck Lawless on Feb 2, 2021

It's an all-too-familiar scene: a pastor who burns out while doing things that a member of his congregation could have helped with. Here are twelve of the worst reasons not to delegate.

Tags: Preaching, idolatry, energy, Bad leadership, delegated authority  (view more)  (view less)

A Novel Idea For Preaching Christmas

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Dec 7, 2025

We assume our congregations know the biblical story and doctrinal meaning of Christmas. So we avoid major texts and look for something new or novel to say about the old, old story.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, Birth of Jesus, storytelling, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Do Not Forsake True Solitude, Pastor

By Joe Hoagland on Aug 10, 2022

I am talking about purposely removing yourself from the busyness to focus on prayer for your congregation, reflection on your spiritual life and those around you, and meditation on the huge weight that is the pastoral ministry.

Scripture: Joshua 1:8

Tags: Prayer Life, Solitude, Silence, Leadership General, prayer life  (view more)  (view less)

The Antidote To Anemic Worship

By Albert Mohler on Nov 27, 2022

The anemia of evangelical worship—all the music and energy aside—is directly attributable to the absence of genuine expository preaching. Such preaching would confront the congregation with nothing less than the living and active Word of God.

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:8

Tags: Music, Preaching, Expository, Worship God, Church worship, Acceptable Worship, corporate worship, church leadership, preaching, expository  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ministry Killers Every Pastor’s Wife Faces

By Charles Stone on Aug 20, 2025

Eight in ten pastors’ wives say they feel unappreciated or unaccepted by their husband’s congregations. Charles Stone and his wife give insight into how to protect your spouse and your marriage during the sometimes difficult calling of pastoral ministry.

Tags: Ministry, stress, Marriage, wife, family, Stress, relationships, priorities, home, Difficulties, pastoral care, Spouse, Church Body of Christ, Marriage General, church leadership, ministry, marriage support, Church Leadership, Pastoral Care, Ministry Health, Pastors Wife, Marriage Support  (view more)  (view less)

10 Tips For Better Preaching Pt.1

By Jim Martin on Apr 12, 2020

Faithful week-in, week-out preaching depends less on clever ideas and more on habits of love, clarity, restraint, identification, and genuine passion. These ten simple practices help preachers serve their congregations with messages that are understood, valued, and taken to heart.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Corinthians 1:24, 1 Peter 5:2-3  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Homiletics, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)