In Preaching Articles: "High Expectations"

7 Things Preachers Never Say – Pt.2

By Peter Mead on May 8, 2024

This series looks at seven things preachers never say. Last time we thought about the burden of expectation. How about this for another: The negative outcomes of both criticism and apathy.

Tags: church ministry, Negative Response, Backbiting, criticism, Criticism, Apathy, Gossip, slander, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

3 Big Problems With Running A Church Like A Business

By Karl Vaters on Oct 4, 2022

"We’re always decrying the rise of the consumer culture within the church. But how should we expect people to act when pastors act like CEOs marketing Jesus as a product?"

Tags: Lord Of The Church, shallow church, Jesus is Lord, pastoral leadership, church and business, Pastoral Ministry, avoiding burnout, church ministry  (view more)  (view less)

You Cannot Out-Dream God

By Marshall Segal on Jul 12, 2023

We tend to think our dreams were too big when we were young, say when we were six, and too small as we get older. But maybe our dreams never reach high enough.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Corinthians 10:33, Isaiah 43:7, Matthew 4:8, Psalm 49:16-17, Matthew 6:19-21, John 5:44, John 12:43, Matthew 6:1, Psalm 115:1, Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 16:11, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Ephesians 2:5, 1 Timothy 4:7, Matthew 19:29  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Dreams, Materialism, eternal perspective, Following God's will

Crafting A Culture Of Honor

By Lance Witt on Oct 22, 2020

In the middle of this election year, the amount of vicious attack and trash talking has reached a new high (or low). I think it is time that we as pastors take the lead in helping our congregations and communities know how to treat one another.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:32, 1 John 4:7-8, John 13:35, Romans 12:10

Tags: honor

The Gospel Of James: Open Letter To Martin Luther

By SermonCentral .com on May 7, 2022

Many of us today who think of ourselves squarely as your friends take exception to some of your views — some in greater measure than others — and I expect you, of all people, would be least surprised to hear of it and receive it.

Scripture: Galatians 2:14, Ezekiel 36:24-32, Jeremiah 31:33, Ephesians 1:13, Colossians 1:5, 1 Corinthians 3:12, 1 Corinthians 12:21, James 1:18-23, Philippians 1:27, 1 Peter 1:23-25  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: The Gospel, Reformation, Book of James, martin luther

Without Accountability, Confession And Friendship, ‘we’re Going To End Up Out Of Ministry’

By Michael Duduit on Jan 28, 2022

My friend Clayton King, who has never served as a senior pastor (and had not expected to), suddenly found himself leading one of the nation’s largest congregations as interim pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, South Carolina.

Scripture: James 5:16

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Isolation, Leadership General, pastoral leadership

Who Is Lord Of The Church?

By John Macarthur on Jun 16, 2022

The church today is badly in need of reformation again. And Christ’s lordship over His church is still the central truth we must recover, which requires the unleashing of His Word among His people again. We cannot merely float along with the latest evangelical trends and expect things to get better.

Scripture: Acts 10:42

Tags: Church, Body of Christ, Christ the head, Lord Of The Church, church  (view more)  (view less)

5 Signs That You Need To Quit Something

By Charles Stone on Nov 29, 2023

Quitters never win and winners never quit was drilled into my mind at an early age. I believed it. I practiced it. I lived it. I only quit one thing in my life before age 18, my high school football team. I quit because I sat on the bench 99.976% of the time. Since, then, however, I’ve questioned the veracity of that phrase, as catchy as it may sound.

Tags: Pastoral Ministry, giving up, quitting, Saying no, strategy, Overwhelmed, Busyness, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Hope Sermon Outline Template For Pastors

By Josh Read on Mar 10, 2026

The word "hope" has become church wallpaper. It's on coffee mugs in the lobby, printed across banners above the baptistry, and threaded through every worship set since 2015. Your congregation has heard it so many times it slides off them like rain off a windshield. Here's the tension: the biblical word for hope has almost nothing in common with the sentiment we've domesticated it into. The Hebrew word "tiqvah" literally means "cord" or "rope", something you cling to when the ground gives way. The Greek "elpis" in Paul's letters is never wishful thinking. It's confident expectation aimed at a future only God can deliver. This sermon outline is built for the Sunday you peel the bumper sticker off and show your congregation what hope actually costs and why it's the most defiant act a believer can perform.

Scripture: Lamentations 3:21-24, Romans 5:3-5, Psalm 42:5, Hebrews 6:19, Romans 8:24-25, Isaiah 40:31, 1 Peter 3:15, Jeremiah 29:11, Colossians 1:27  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Hope, sermonprep, SermonPrep, PastorLife, ChurchLeader, PreachingHope, BiblicalHope  (view more)  (view less)