In Preaching Articles: "Covenant Community"

Why Illustrations Make Preaching Unforgettable

By Dr. Larry Moyer on May 22, 2020

Illustrations turn speakers into communicators. They clarify truth, reveal the preacher’s understanding, awaken attention, and help listeners see biblical realities clearly.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, John 6:44, Matthew 13:34, Proverbs 25:11, Psalm 78:2  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, illustration, sermon prep, Sermon Prep, preaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

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

Ministering To Millennials By Leveraging The Relational Power Of Healthy Churches

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 8, 2022

We need to lean away from the church-as-business model and into the church-as-relational-community model. Love God and love others.

Tags: Personal Testimony, Healthy Relationship, Intergenerational, millennials

How To Preach A Stressful Sermon

By David J. Lose on Jun 29, 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

Pulpit Humour: Five Pointers

By Peter Mead on Jul 23, 2022

5 Tips on how to avoid landmines when using humor in the pulpit.

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, humor, Pastoral Ministry, Communication skills, Pulpit Helps, Humility in Teaching, e, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

These Six Questions Reveal How Well You Are Engaged In Your Neighborhood

By Karina Kreminski on Jun 3, 2024

"What does it look like to keep ourselves accountable to joining with God on his mission in our neighborhood?"

Tags: Outreach, neighborhood, reaching the lost, community outreach, Inviting others, open to others, Reaching out, Loving the lost  (view more)  (view less)

Practical Ideas For Servant Evangelism

By Steve Sjogren on Apr 8, 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)

When Mission Replaces God: Escaping The Trap Of Missionalism

By Skye Jethani on Jul 29, 2024

Skye Jethani: "While a vision for serving God is needed, and the desperate condition of our world cannot be ignored, there is a higher calling that is going unanswered in many Christian communities."

Scripture: Psalm 62:1-6

Tags: Evangelism, Missions, renewal, evangelism, Renewal  (view more)  (view less)

10 Things Every New Believer Should Know

By Brian Mavis on Mar 7, 2025

New believers thrive when they learn God’s love, grace, Scripture, prayer, community, and Christ centered living early. These ten lessons safeguard a healthy start.

Scripture: Matthew 6:33, James 4:10, Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:16, James 1:22  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Discipleship, spiritual formation, Spiritual Formation

Preaching A Wedding: The Practical Do's And Don'ts

By Jared Moore on Mar 24, 2025

Preaching weddings brings unique pressures and expectations. These clear do’s and don’ts help pastors keep Christ central, avoid distractions, and communicate the gospel well.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:25-32, Proverbs 3:5-6, Colossians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Matthew 19:4-6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Death, Love, Commitment, Preaching, forever, Weddings, preaching, love  (view more)  (view less)

Sorry, Pastors – The Growth Of The Church Is Not Up To Us

By Karl Vaters on Jun 5, 2024

"Preaching the Word, training disciples and ministering to the community may or may not increase the number of people who sit in front of me from Sunday to Sunday. But it will produce a healthy church."

Tags: Church Growth, Surrender, Healthy Church, God's Church, God in control, pastoral leadership, call to discipleship, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)

3 Things Our Culture Is Doing To Bible Reading And Discipleship

By Mary C. Wiley on Jun 24, 2024

"We live in a microwave meals, listen-to-podcasts-in-double-time world. We want more with less; work smarter not harder. However, the move forward or get left behind mentality of today is not a good transferrable principle for discipleship. Mostly because discipleship is all about people, and people can’t be boiled down to a series of tasks. People are messy and their needs aren’t linear."

Tags: Discipleship, spiritual growth, church community, TEACH THE BIBLE, call to discipleship, training disciples, guard the truth, Study the Bible  (view more)  (view less)

5 Top Priorities For Increasing Your Church

By Charles Arn on Jan 11, 2025

Decades of research reveal five church-growth principles—disciple-making, relationships, felt-needs, transitions, and social networks—that help any church engage its community.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Growth, Discipleship, leadership, pastor, Church Growth, Ministry Leadership, Pastor, Leadership, Congregational Health  (view more)  (view less)

4 Keys To Increasing Giving In Your Church

By Jim Morgan on Jul 17, 2023

Redefining members (not pastors and staff) as the “church” and the community (not members) as the “customer” would reverse the lens through which churches evaluate nearly every decision they make today.

Tags: Money, Giving, Generosity, Perspective, perspective  (view more)  (view less)

Are You A "Do Something" Church?

By Miles Mcpherson on Jul 20, 2020

Many churches talk about impact but fail to act. Discover how counting real needs, walking toward the hurting, asking meaningful questions, and loving tangibly can transform a community.

Scripture: Mark 10:49-51, Luke 17:17-19, Luke 15:4, Luke 5:10-11, John 21:15-17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Service, Servanthood