In Preaching Articles: "Evangelism How To"

How To Say Good-Bye: Preaching Your Last Sermon

By Chris Surber on Nov 9, 2021

People usually listen closely to your first words--and your last. Make them meaningful.

Scripture: Matthew 16:18

Tags: Preaching, Purpose, preparation, Goodbye, last sermon, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Should We Try To Please Our Listeners? How Much?

By Peter Mead on Sep 17, 2025

If listeners aren't satisfied, it could be a good sign, or it could be a bad sign. In the same way, happy listeners may mean something is wrong.

Tags: Preaching, Criticism, please, listener, Feedback, criticism, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Grace Is A Divine Scandal, And That's How You Should Preach It

By Ray Hollenbach on Dec 9, 2024

Grace can be abused, grace can be played the fool, grace can be wasted--but grace doesn't care. Grace is the divine scandal.

Scripture: Galatians 2:21

Tags: Preaching, preaching

How To Tell Who You Can Truly Trust In Leadership

By Carey Nieuwhof on Jan 9, 2023

Trusting people in leadership can be a disheartening and confusing proposition. And the stakes are high.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Mentoring For Pastors: How To Find The Right Mentor At The Right Time

By Hal Seed on Oct 28, 2022

"Do you need a mentor? Only if you want to become more like Christ, live for Jesus more purposefully, and see your church take ground for God’s glory."

Tags: leadership, Grow, Mentor, pastoral leadership, Christian growth, mentoring, call to discipleship, church leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Your Great Preaching Is Not Going To Build Your Church!

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 11, 2022

Get out of the office, pastor, and knock on some doors. Later, you can get your people to do it. But first, you do it. Do it by yourself, if you must. Or take someone with you. Do it by appointment or cold-turkey. But do it. That is as profound a way as I know to build a great church.

Tags: Church Growth, Church Attendance, Personal Evangelism, Growth Strategy, Building the Church, Out of the Office, Door to door, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways To Keep Your Church Small And How To Overcome Them

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jul 17, 2020

Many churches remain small because of unbiblical assumptions and avoidable habits. Learn how vision, planning, stability, and evangelistic focus can reverse that trajectory.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7, Luke 15:4, Acts 2:47, Colossians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 3:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Church Growth, preaching, Ministry Strategy

When Church Members Leave: How Pastors Carry The Quiet Wound

By Greg Surratt on Apr 28, 2020

Pastors feel deep pain when people leave their church. Understanding why it happens and how to respond wisely can turn hurt into growth, humility, and renewed strength.

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25-35, John 6:66-67, Proverbs 19:11, Romans 12:18, 2 Timothy 4:16-17  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Church, Church Growth, Connect, Assimilation, Church Practices, connect, church  (view more)  (view less)

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

By Peter Mead on Dec 1, 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)

How Pastors And Parents Can Help Children Benefit From The Sermon

By Erik Raymond on Oct 13, 2025

Erik Raymond suggests some things he has done as both dad and pastor to help kids hear and understand the message in “big church.”

Tags: Forgiveness, Preaching, preaching

Why Didn't The Disciples Ask Jesus How To Measure Success?

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 26, 2024

Imagine this scenario. Jesus is meeting with the disciples. He’s been training them for three years. He’s died, risen again and walked with them in resurrection power for almost 40 days. As the day of his ascension draws near, he gathers them together to reiterate The Great Commission.

Scripture: Luke 14:23, Luke 15:7

Tags: Disciples, success, Church Growth, Measure success

How God Became A Man: What Jesus Did For Thirty Years

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 28, 2022

Don’t begrudge God the glory of your long, arduous maturation process. In it you are tasting the growing pains that Jesus knows very well. And he stands ready to help you persevere until God’s process is complete.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:26, Hebrews 5:7-9, Matthew 17:27, John 11:14, John 1:47, Luke 3:23, Matthew 2:1-23, Luke 2:8-51, Luke 2:52, John 4:18  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Jesus, Ordinary, Christian growth, incarnation of Jesus

How To Tell If A New Volunteer Is Truly A Leader (Or Simply A Doer)

By Carey Nieuwhof on May 9, 2024

"I recently surveyed 1400 small and mid-sized church pastors to find out what they struggle with most as their church grows. They overwhelmingly identified developing leaders as their top challenge."

Tags: leadership, Church Growth, Volunteer, church ministry, obstacles to growth, Barriers to Growth, Growing a Church, Leaders vs Doers, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

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

By Karina Kreminski on Jun 2, 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)

How I Learned To Preach–and What I'm Learning Still

By Doug Paul on Jul 14, 2020

Most effective teachers do not start original. They learn through listening, imitation, and practice before discovering a voice that is truly their own.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Timothy 2:2, Proverbs 22:6, Hebrews 13:7

Tags: leadership, Preaching, spiritual formation, Leadership, preaching, Spiritual Formation  (view more)  (view less)