In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Soul"

The Top Secret Agendas Carried By Your Congregation

By Chris Surber on Sep 10, 2021

Every church member carries an agenda in the secret briefcase of their heart. What's their agenda?

Tags: Preaching, challenge, Congregation, Agenda, Affirm  (view more)  (view less)

Start With A Bang! Open Your Sermon Strong

By Tyler Scarlett on Nov 20, 2024

A preacher's worst fear is that the congregation will stop listening. What's far more dreadful is if the people never were listening in the first place.

Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Tags:

Does Your Sermon Pass The Geography Test?

By Chris Surber on Aug 17, 2025

The Gospel is for everybody everywhere. Is your sermon?

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-5

Tags: pain, Sin, Preaching, suffering, affluence, preaching, Pain  (view more)  (view less)

Every Sermon Needs A Strategy: What's Yours?

By Peter Mead on May 24, 2024

Peter Mead presents five big questions you should ask after you've studied the text.

Scripture: Zephaniah 1:12-18, Acts 8:26-40

Tags: Preaching, Relevance, God's Heart, main idea, reinforce, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Does Your Preaching Balance Law And Grace?

By Nathan Aaseng on Nov 1, 2021

Even though law and grace are opposites in many ways, both have their place in the pulpit.

Scripture: Mark 1:14-20, Exodus 2:5, Exodus 2:1-10, Job 22:25-30

Tags: Grace, Law, Gospel, Preaching, opposites, grace, gospel, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Sharpen Your Sermon With A God-Centered Checklist

By Jared Moore on Sep 18, 2025

If you want to help your people focus on God when they leave church tomorrow, here are 11 things that you cannot do.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Preaching, Checklist, joke, Sharpen, preaching, God centered, God Centered  (view more)  (view less)

Your Sermon May Solve Problems But Is That Enough?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Oct 10, 2025

Address people where they are, but take them to another place to meet the Sovereign of the Universe.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

11 Ways To Evaluate Your Own Preaching

By Chuck Lawless on Oct 24, 2025

The more important our work is, the more imperative it is we strive to improve. Here's how.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

11 Signs Your Church Is Going Extinct

By Carey Nieuwhof on Nov 12, 2025

Unless you’re in a free fall right now, it can be hard to know whether your congregation will thrive, survive or take a dive in the next decade.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:1-11

Tags: Church, Preaching, preaching, church

What's The Big Idea Behind Your Sermon?

By Peter Mead on Dec 29, 2025

Ideas change lives. People give themselves to ideas. And Christianity is a content-based faith

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Is Your Leadership The Moses Model Or The Jesus Model?

By Ray Hollenbach on Apr 15, 2025

"He was the shepherd, they were the sheep—and sheep do not morph into shepherds."

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Great Preaching Simplifies The Complex: Does Yours?

By Peter Mead on Apr 17, 2025

“I wouldn’t give a fig for simplicity this side of complexity, but I’d give my right arm for simplicity on the other side of complexity.”

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Preacher: Tell Your People What They Are!

By Lane Sebring on May 14, 2025

Great leaders set high expectations and truly believe their church is capable of meeting them.

Scripture: Romans 8:28-31

Tags: Preaching, preaching

10 Ways To Make Your Announcements Better

By Chuck Lawless on Jan 21, 2026

Tired of clunky church announcements? Learn 10 effective strategies to communicate clearly and keep the focus on worship and the Word.

Tags: pastoral leadership, church announcements, church communication, Church Announcements, Worship Planning, Church Communication, Sunday Service Tips, Pastoral Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

What Your Congregation Wants To Hear At Christmastime

By Joe Mckeever on Dec 14, 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