In Preaching Articles: "Dead Outline"

Why (And How) Transitions Can Make Or Break Your Sermon

By Peter Mead on Dec 2, 2020

Your sermon outline looks so good on paper, but how you transition from one point to another is just as important.

Scripture: Proverbs 11:24

Tags: Preaching, transition, effective, conclusion, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Top 13 Preaching Mistakes

By Bob Hostetler on Jan 13, 2025

A practical guide outlining 13 common preaching mistakes, with tips to avoid them and deliver sermons that are clear, Christ-centered, and spiritually nourishing.

Tags: Preaching, Homiletics, preaching tips, Pastoral Ministry, Expository Preaching, Sermon Preparation, preaching, expository preaching, sermon preparation, Preaching Tips  (view more)  (view less)

10 Ways To Know Someone Is Leaving Your Church

By Brian Dodd on May 11, 2020

Churches lose people, but wise leaders spot warning signs early. This guide outlines practical indicators that someone is drifting and how to reconnect proactively.

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Peter 5:2-3, Galatians 6:1-2, Acts 20:28

Tags: shepherding, Shepherding

Is Your Church Telling The Truth About Evangelism?

By Greg Stier on Jan 15, 2025

Many churches claim evangelism is their priority, but few practice it. This article exposes the disconnect and outlines five steps to make evangelism a true, lived mission.

Scripture: Acts 4:31

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Gospel, Honesty, great commission, Church General, Evangelism How To, Pastoral Ministry, church leadership, evangelism, gospel, church, Church Leadership, Evangelism Training, Great Commission, Mission Statements  (view more)  (view less)

The 10 Commandments Of Preaching

By Tyler Scarlett on Feb 8, 2025

Preachers make mistakes, but some errors do lasting harm. These ten “commandments” outline the habits and convictions that guard faithful, compelling, Christ-centered preaching.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:21, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Timothy 3:15

Tags: Commandments, Preaching, church leadership, BIBLICAL TEACHING, Expository Preaching, preaching, expository preaching, Church Leadership, Biblical Teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Do You Pay Attention To God's Voice While You're Preaching?

By Mark Moore on Feb 1, 2024

We pay attention to our well-crafted manuscripts and outlines. But, honestly, how many of us are paying attention to the voice of God while we are preaching?

Tags: God, Preaching, voice, preaching

Preaching Without A Net: Delivering Sermons Without Notes

By Bruce Salmon on Mar 3, 2025

A pastor describes how a forgotten outline pushed him onto the “high wire” of preaching without notes and how that risk opened new freedom, focus, and trust in God.

Tags: Church, Preaching, worry, manuscript, Homiletics, Pastoral Ministry, Expository Preaching, Sermon Delivery, Worry, preaching, church, expository preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Better Ingredients, Better Preaching

By Peter Mead on Jun 1, 2020

Even slight shifts in tone, focus, or structure can distort a sermon’s flavor. Guard the gospel, preach the text, and let Scripture, not your outline, set the menu.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Corinthians 4:5, Nehemiah 8:8, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Romans 1:16  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Pastoral

Gospel-Centered Sermons Actually Work

By Jeff Medders on Nov 16, 2022

"I want to encourage every pastor reading this to keep preaching the gospel. Week in. Week out. Keep exalting, heralding, and lifting up our crucified Savior, risen from the dead, reigning in Heaven, saving all who will look to him and believe."

Scripture: Romans 16:25, Colossians 1:28, 1 Corinthians 2:2

Tags: Gospel, Preaching, teach, pastoral leadership, Entrust with Gospel, Pastoral Ministry, preaching Christ, power of the gospel, gospel, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Though You Slay Me

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 21, 2022

For Shane Barnard, it came in the hospital room at the passing of his father. When the doctor informed Barnard and his mother that his father was dead, the flood of pain and shock came. As Barnard held his mother to comfort her, he says, as she wailed, she sang softly underneath her breath, the words of Job 1:21, "He gives, he takes, blessed be the name of the Lord."

Scripture: Philippians 3:10, John 6:66-67, Job 1:21

Tags: Worship, Perseverance, suffering, Surpassing Worth

What’s The Big Hurry?

By Lance Witt on Feb 9, 2021

I confess to you that I am a hurrier. I wish I had a dollar for every time my kids have heard me say in an agitated tone “Hurry up!” Sometimes I walk in a hurry and leave my wife behind. When I have to wait in line, or a flight gets delayed, or there is dead time in a worship service, or someone is telling a long story, I find myself internally saying, “Could you please hurry up?”

Tags: Busyness

Embracing All Saints: Dia De Muertos And Its Christian Significance

By Josh Read on Oct 29, 2025

As we approach late October, various cultural traditions emerge in communities across the United States. Among them, Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) stands out, celebrated with vibrant colors, marigolds, and a deep reverence for those who have gone before us. It’s easy to see this Mexican holiday as just a cultural event, yet for believers, it points to something greater: remembering those who came before us, giving thanks for God’s faithfulness, and celebrating our shared life in Christ.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Psalm 116:15, 1 Corinthians 15:55, Hebrews 12:1, Revelation 21:4  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Remembrance, hope in Christ, faithfulness of god, All Saints Day, Faithfulness of God, Hope in Christ, Grief and Comfort, Community and Testimony  (view more)  (view less)