In Preaching Articles: "Hard Work"

The Preacher's First Mistake

By Bruce D. Johnson on Aug 26, 2023

If we fail to get this one right, it's hard to keep our listeners with us.

Tags: Preaching, mistakes, interest, hook, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

What Are 10 Things That Might Help A Pastor And His Wife Stay Married And In Ministry?

By Brian Croft on Aug 25, 2023

Marriage is hard enough, but add ministry into the mix and you have a recipe for a potential mess.

Tags: Marriage, Rest, intimacy with Christ, pastor's wife

7 Ways To Do A Bad Word Study

By Nicholas Mcdonald on May 20, 2021

Sometimes it's hard to wade through the muck and know when you're being short-changed.

Tags: Study, Preaching, the word, Dictionary, fallacy  (view more)  (view less)

3 Ways To Collaborate In Sermon Preparation

By Joe Hoagland on Aug 5, 2022

Have you ever considered how you might collaborate in sermon prep?

Scripture: Joshua 1:1

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Pastoral Ministry, sermon prep, working together, collaboration, Teaching Prep, Sermon Prep, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

What To Do When You Bombed Sunday's Sermon

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 2, 2021

It’s not hard to get up and say something inspirational. It is hard to get up and rightly divide God’s Word, build a bridge from an ancient culture to our own, and then to call people to an appropriate response to God’s revealed truth consistently week after week.

Tags: Preaching, failure, sermon, Sermon, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Relational Leadership Part 1

By Lance Witt on Nov 6, 2023

What is the key to relational leadership?

Scripture: Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 1:22, Romans 12:10, 1 John 4:21, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 10:24, Colossians 3:14, 1 John 3:14, John 13:34-35, Matthew 22:37-39  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: leadership, relationships, Ministry Work, pastoral leadership, relational leaders, church leadership, Transactional, Transformational, Leading Like Christ, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

John Piper: God’s Sovereignty Makes Mission Courage Possible

By John Piper on Mar 20, 2025

"It is hard to exaggerate how important it is for the mission of the church...to have a fully biblical vision of the greatness and the sovereignty and the glory of God."

Scripture: Matthew 24:14, Isaiah 46:9-10, Romans 8:28-39, Acts 13:48, 1 Peter 4:11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Perseverance, Discipleship, Missions, Sovereignty, Risk  (view more)  (view less)

10 Easier Ways To Preach About Money

By Margaret Marcuson on Jan 16, 2024

Talking about money is hard for pastors, but it shapes discipleship. These ten reminders help leaders teach stewardship with clarity, courage, and less anxiety.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:5-14, Matthew 6:24-33, Proverbs 3:9, Luke 12:15

Tags: Money, Stewardship, Preaching, Generosity, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

2 Things Every Pastor Should Do Before Preaching On Marriage

By Josh Reich on Oct 9, 2025

It's hard to do but incredibly helpful to your church. Your marriage is unique because of who you are and who your wife is.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Study: What Preachers Won't Preach About

By Toni Ridgaway on Mar 28, 2020

Over half of pastors avoid certain topics for fear of losing attendees. This report raises hard questions about courage, clarity, and faithfulness in preaching.

Scripture: Acts 20:17-32

Tags: Preaching, preaching, Biblical Faithfulness

3 Problems With Being Too Nice As A Leader

By Ron Edmondson on Jun 15, 2020

Leaders who avoid hard conversations hurt themselves, their teams, and underperforming staff. Here are three reasons excessive niceness undermines effective leadership.

Scripture: Proverbs 27:5-6, Galatians 6:1, Ephesians 4:15, Proverbs 9:8-9, Colossians 3:23  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Leadership, preaching, Organizational Health  (view more)  (view less)

What Are Your *pulpit Cooking Options*?

By Peter Mead on May 22, 2025

Peter Mead works the "feeding the flock" metaphor 10 different ways.

Tags: Preaching, teach, cook, option, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Shepherd God’s Flock: Equipping God’s People

By Chris Pascarella on Nov 7, 2022

"According to Scripture, pastors are called to equip the flock to do the work of ministry!"

Scripture: Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Called to serve, be the church, Church Body of Christ, pastoral leadership, equipped for service, Equipping Disciples, Equipping The Body, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Fortress For Truth: Martin Luther

By Steven Lawson on Oct 24, 2022

"Luther came to realize that salvation was a gift for the guilty, not a reward for the righteous. Man is not saved by his good works but by trusting the finished work of Christ. Thus, justification by faith alone became the central tenet of the Reformation."

Tags: justification, Reformation, bible truth, Bible Truth, defending the gospel, martin luther, Teaching God's Word, defend the faith, faithful preaching  (view more)  (view less)

11 Signs Your Church Is Going Extinct

By Carey Nieuwhof on Nov 13, 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