In Preaching Articles: "Connect The Dot"

Preaching Without Notes: Four Must-Have Skills

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 12, 2021

Sherman Cox: "Sermons with or without notes should eliminate irrelevant asides. By irrelevant, I mean that they are not connected to your sermon’s main point."

Tags: Preaching, preparation, note

8 Tools To Explain A Biblical Passage Clearly

By Peter Mead on Dec 8, 2024

Why not simply read a bit of Bible and then say what you want to say, making the odd vague connection? This passes for preaching in many places.

Scripture: Genesis 49:10

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Bridging The Church Communication Gap

By Barry Whitlow on Jun 19, 2020

Seventy percent avoid church because our communication no longer connects. Reaching them requires bold change, cultural awareness, and clearer, relevant preaching.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, Colossians 4:5-6, Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 10:14-15

Tags: Preaching, church leadership, preaching, Church Leadership

Practical Ideas For Servant Evangelism

By Steve Sjogren on Apr 7, 2023

Servant evangelism uses simple acts of kindness to nudge people toward God. These practical, low-cost ideas help churches connect with their communities with high grace.

Scripture: John 4:5-26, John 15:9-17

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Outreach, Servant, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ways To Hook Your Congregation Into Your Message

By SermonCentral .com on May 11, 2020

Your sermon text is central, but it doesn’t always need to come first. Strong hooks help listeners connect their lives to Scripture before exposition begins.

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:8, Luke 24:27, Ecclesiastes 12:10

Tags: Bird, Preaching, Anxiety, Field, flowers, preaching, anxiety  (view more)  (view less)

Why Was I So Hard On That Church I Visited?

By Karl Vaters on Jul 1, 2022

How might a newcomer view your church? What barriers may they face? What obstacles could be unintentionally in the way of them connecting and finding a place to belong?

Tags: leadership, Visitors, church ministry, Welcoming Others, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

7 Marks Of Great Preaching

By David J. Lose on Feb 3, 2025

Great preaching is more than speaking well—it engages Scripture, proclaims Christ, connects to real life, inspires imagination, and sends God’s people into the world.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2

Tags: Preaching, Prayer, BIBLE STUDY, father's will, Bible Study, Pastoral Ministry, gospel proclamation, biblical preaching, Sermon Preparation, bible study, preaching, sermon preparation, Biblical Preaching, Gospel Proclamation, Effective Communication  (view more)  (view less)

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

By Thabiti Anyabwile on Oct 26, 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)

Doing Ministry Without Losing Your Soul Part 1

By Lance Witt on May 12, 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: pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, soul care, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Growing in Faith, Christ's Love for Us, Healthy Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Prepare Your Heart To Lead Your Home: Advent Advice For Fathers

By Douglas Wilson on Dec 11, 2025

A father who wants to lead and disciple his family needs to remember that the one thing he must cultivate is heart loyalty. He must, of course, connect that loyalty to scriptural and worthy objects, but if he does not have heart loyalty, childrearing will simply be one grief replaced by another.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:4

Tags: Christmas, Advent, parenting, discipling, teach children, Discipline, Attitudes of thanks, child training  (view more)  (view less)

3 Tools Small Group Leaders Need To Succeed

By John Gilman Ii on Aug 7, 2024

Small groups help churches grow because they help strangers become great friends. People stay at churches where they find friends because friendship covers a multitude of sins. Small groups involve us in others’ lives and really invest us in the church. These friendships eventually turn into deep, meaningful connections that can last a lifetime.

Tags: friendship, Small groups, church organization

Are You Giving Everyone A Big Church Welcome?

By John Gilman Ii on Jun 18, 2023

A proper welcome needs to have more than just a greeting. Churches need to create welcome pathways that guide people into more familiarity, connection, and relationship with the church. Creating a positive and effective welcoming strategy has never been more important. There is still time to put a great welcome process in place. Here are six tips to get you started in the right direction.

Scripture: Genesis 1:25-30

Tags: Visitors