In Preaching Articles: "I Still Believe"

God Wants To Shape Your Wants: An Invitation To The Psalms

By John Piper on Nov 30, 2022

Try to imagine the Bible without the Psalms. What a different book it would be! What a different place the church would be. And what a different person I would be.

Scripture: Psalm 1:3

Tags: Heart, taste and see, Delight, Personal Growth, Delight in the Lord, sovereignty of God, Psalms, Emotions  (view more)  (view less)

Piper: What's The Best Tone For Your Preaching?

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 18, 2020

"The question I have for preachers is: What tone should you aim at in preaching? This is an urgent question because, if you don’t answer it, your listeners will answer it for you."

Scripture: Romans 15:4

Tags: Communication, Preaching, voice, tone

Are You A Well-Defined Leader?

By John Holm on Jul 19, 2021

"I've rarely coached someone who decided that more knowledge or more skill would help them become a successful leader. Instead, what they needed to learn was more about themselves."

Tags: Leader, Character, define, Leadership General

You Exegete Your Text, But Do You Exegete Your People?

By Leslie Holmes on Sep 3, 2025

"Bob Easley may not have gone beyond sixth grade, but he taught this quasi-educated preacher that there's a lot more to be learned about preaching than I ever got inside a book."

Scripture: Job 1:1-10

Tags: people, Preaching, Text, exegete, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Reverse Altar Call

By Greg Stier on Aug 2, 2023

Sometimes the words “altar call” trigger images of sawdust trails and endless verses of “Just as I am” with preachers prodding, pushing and persuading sinners to come forward down the aisle in front of God and everyone.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:2

Tags: Evangelism, strategy, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Do Not Forsake True Solitude, Pastor

By Joe Hoagland on Aug 11, 2022

I am talking about purposely removing yourself from the busyness to focus on prayer for your congregation, reflection on your spiritual life and those around you, and meditation on the huge weight that is the pastoral ministry.

Scripture: Joshua 1:8

Tags: prayer life, Prayer Life, Solitude, Silence, Leadership General  (view more)  (view less)

When God Stiff-Arms A Pastor

By Lance Witt on Jul 24, 2023

God delights to show His favor. He longs to pour out His Spirit. He is a God of lavish grace. But if you want to see God remove His favor and hold back His Spirit and shut off the spigot, just introduce pride. I have a growing awareness of how much pride has been and is in my life. It’s been a constant companion for more than fifty years. I am well acquainted with the dark side of leadership.

Tags:

Pastors Lead By Example

By Philip Holmes on May 4, 2021

“The reason elders are so necessary,” says Sanchez, “is because they are the means by which our sovereign king chooses to shepherd his church to display his kingdom on earth in local churches as embassies of heaven, and also to proclaim the message of the gospel, calling all people everywhere to repent and believe and enter into the kingdom. Elders shepherd the flock of God among them, under the chief Shepherd. That’s why elders are important, because it is our ascended Lord’s chosen means by which he shepherds his church.”

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-7, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-2, Ephesians 4:1-32, Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17, Acts 20:28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Teamwork, elders, authentic ministry, church leadership, e  (view more)  (view less)

The Gift Of Being Unproductive

By Lance Witt on Mar 21, 2023

In some ways I am the least likely pastor to write an article on Sabbath keeping. For the first thirty years of my Christian life, the concept of Sabbath wasn’t even a blip on my spiritual radar.

Tags:

Preaching Without A Net: Delivering Sermons Without Notes

By Bruce Salmon on Mar 3, 2025

It's a high wire act, one of which OSHA would not approve — preaching without notes. Only the most extraordinarily gifted speaker can pull it off, or so I used to think. Find out why.

Tags: Church, Preaching, manuscript, Fear and Worry, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

Only One Perfect Pastor

By Taelor Gray on May 1, 2021

Growing up in church, I used to think of pastors as heroic, super-powered leaders who were almost like enhanced human beings. For me, they were moral superiors operating beyond the scope of failure and “common” struggle.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 9:1-27, Galatians 2:11-14, Acts 20:17-38, 2 Corinthians 12:9

Tags: pastor, humanity, Imperfection, Pastoral Character, Pastor  (view more)  (view less)

How To Lead People-Friendly Change In Your Church

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 13, 2022

I’ve been studying the art of change management lately and wanted to share a process with you that could save you a lot of grief the next time you think about a change in your church’s programs or procedures.

Tags: Communication, leadership, Change, Resilience, Leadership, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Deliver Me From Distraction

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 28, 2022

Since the fall of man, people have had trouble staying focused, but we live today in an age of unprecedented distraction. Since you’re already reading this on some electronic device, I don’t need to elaborate.

Scripture: Romans 8:28, Romans 12:6, Romans 8:1, Luke 12:48, Galatians 5:22-23, Matthew 6:13, Romans 8:20-23, Luke 10:41-42, Psalm 27:4, Ephesians 5:16, Ephesians 5:20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Heart, Humility, distractions, idolatry, Distraction  (view more)  (view less)

The Best Way To Promote Church Growth? Support Small Churches

By SermonCentral .com on Jan 27, 2021

I want as many people as possible, all over the world, to know Jesus. The good news of the gospel can’t be confined within the walls of my church, the distinctives of my denomination, the borders of my country, or the customs of my culture.

Tags: Support, Preaching, Church Growth, Small Church

Five Steps To Respond To A Hurtful And Hateful Email

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 7, 2022

“You have no business being the pastor of our church. All you are interested in is getting your own way and changing all the good things we have going. People are saying you should be fired. I agree with them.”

Scripture: Proverbs 15:1

Tags: church ministry, Difficult People, Facing Controversy, criticism, Leadership, Perseverance, leadership, conflict, Criticism, loving people, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)