In Preaching Articles: "Decision Making"

What Are You Improving At Your Church Right Now?

By Karl Vaters on Oct 26, 2022

"Every church should constantly be improving. And not just in general terms. We should always be working on specific action plans to make our church better tomorrow than it is today."

Tags: leadership, Church Growth, Healthy Church, effective, productivity, pastoral leadership, church leadership, good leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Why Preaching Is Impossible (And What You Can Do About It)

By Jacob Myers on Dec 31, 2025

When you make the long, lonely walk to the pulpit to proclaim the Word of God for the people of God, how often do you hear the Mission Impossible soundtrack playing in your mind?

Scripture: Mark 12:38-44, Colossians 4:1-11

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Ten Traits Of The Healthiest Churches Ten Years From Now

By SermonCentral .com on May 10, 2021

So, what if we could look into the future ten years from now, and see the characteristics of the healthiest churches in America? Would you be willing to make changes now? Take a look.

Tags: Healthy Church, diversity, Church Small Groups, mission

12 Preaching Tips I Learned From Haddon Robinson

By Dean Shriver on Jun 25, 2020

A decade of learning under Haddon Robinson reshaped my preaching, my pastoral instincts, and my walk with Christ. These core lessons capture what makes expository preaching powerful, purposeful, and transformative.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Ephesians 4:15, John 17:17, 2 Timothy 4:2, Matthew 21:21-22  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching Principles

5 Ways To Get People To Pay Attention To Your Sermons

By Charles Stone on Feb 16, 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)

Does Your Church Have A Negative Reputation? You Can Reverse It

By Ron Edmondson on Feb 6, 2023

"Not that I seek the approval of man, but I wanted to be part of a church that would truly make a difference in our community, so much so that if we were gone, people would miss us."

Tags: Church, Preaching, negative, reputation, ron edmondson, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

Do This And Improve Your Preaching This Sunday

By Peter Walters on Sep 8, 2022

We have a new family in our church with no church background at all. When I prepare to preach I think of them and go the extra mile to make my message as understandable and relatable as possible.

Tags: Communication, Preaching, audience, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, Sermon Help, Sermon Delivery, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

What Your Congregation Wants To Hear At Christmastime

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 15, 2023

Joe McKeever helps reframe our calling: "The people who make up your congregation do not require anything new from you regarding the Christmas story this season or any season. "

Scripture: Matthew 1:1-16

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Baggage: The Stakes Have Never Been Higher

By Lance Witt on Jan 3, 2022

Every single week people walk into your church and for the most part they seem to have it together. They make small talk, they dress appropriately, they participate congenially, they listen politely, and at the end of the service they file out quietly.

Tags:

Pastoral Transition: Setting Your Church Up For Ministry Success After You're Gone

By Karl Vaters on Oct 20, 2023

Following a long-term, successful pastorate is one of the hardest callings in ministry. Every pastor should do everything we can to make it as easy as possible for the next pastor and the church to do great ministry after we leave.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: leadership, servant leadership, Pastoral Transition, Decentralize, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

46% Of Us Adults Now Unchurched

By Michael Duduit on Apr 6, 2024

Barna makes these observations: “Attracting churchless people to corporate faith usually requires more than a few incremental refinements in outreach strategy and tactics. This is about more than improved marketing and having greeters at the church’s front door."

Tags: Change, Unchurched, Church Attendance, Change in America, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching God’s Word Is Timeless (Find The Timeless Truth)

By Joe Hoagland on Jul 25, 2022

The Bible is wholly relevant to the modern person’s life sometimes it just takes some work for us to figure that out. The idea of making a “timeless truth” central to your sermon is important in communicating God’s Word in a postmodern age.

Tags: Scripture, Communication, Teaching, Preaching, Preaching Help, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, communication, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

3 Ways To Improve Your Preaching Today!

By Joe Hoagland on Dec 6, 2021

There are some steps we can take as communicators, today, to make lasting change. As I look at improving multiple things in my life I look for the building blocks I can use to achieve success right away as well as into the future.

Tags: Preaching, Introduction, conclusion, sermon prep, Praying, Sermon Prep, preaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

Doubt Busters

By Lance Witt on Jun 28, 2024

"One of the things I love about the Bible is how honest it is. The pages of Scripture don’t gloss over the flaws and sins and weaknesses of people. Even the great heroes of the faith are not airbrushed or photo-shopped to make them look superhuman."

Scripture: Psalm 77:4-14, Isaiah 40:26

Tags: Faith, doubt, Remember, Trust, God's Character, God's faithfulness, doubt and fear, Crisis Of Faith  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways To Grow Your Church's Congregation

By Ricardo Hernandez on Apr 17, 2023

Dwindling church attendance is a concern faced by almost every established or newly-created church and should be strategically addressed. Here are five simple approaches that will make your church more inviting for your existing members and help attract new ones.

Tags: Community, Church, Church Members, members, Connect, Young people, social media, community, church members, connect, young people, church  (view more)  (view less)