In Preaching Articles: "Idea"

Biblical Preaching Is More Than Quoting The Bible

By Jeff K. Clarke on Jan 7, 2026

Not all ideas in the Bible are biblical. Discover how reading Scripture through the lens of Jesus helps us rightly interpret God’s redemptive story.

Tags: hermeneutics, biblical theology, Bible interpretation, Bible Interpretation, Christ Centered Reading, Biblical Theology, Hermeneutics, Narrative Theology  (view more)  (view less)

Three Foundational Passages For Growing Disciples Of Jesus

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 17, 2025

"Try to imagine talking about your subject every single day for two years. If the idea still thrills you, you've found your topic."

Tags: Jesus, Gospel, Growth, Discipleship, Disciples, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

How To Recruit And Keep The Best Volunteers

By Josh Reich on Jan 26, 2022

The idea of recruiting volunteers is overwhelming and difficult at times. There never seems to be enough people, and the ones who are serving are often tired and feel like they are the only ones serving.

Tags: Communication, Lay Leadership, ministry vision, Recruiting, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Are You Guilty Of Pastoral Plagiarism?

By James Emery White on Oct 10, 2020

Borrowing ideas is common in ministry, but passing off another preacher’s words or stories as your own crosses an ethical line. Here’s where that line stands.

Scripture: Exodus 20:15-16, 2 Timothy 2:15, Acts 17:28, Proverbs 12:22

Tags: Preaching, Plagiarism, Homiletics, preaching

What To Do With Information Overload

By Ron Edmondson on Oct 25, 2022

"One struggle I’ve witnessed consistently with leaders – including this one – is we drown in information overload. There are more good ideas than we can ever implement."

Tags: Technology, leadership, organization, effective, productivity, pastoral leadership, leadership capacity, good leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

6 Ways Pastors Can Help People Deal With Doubts

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 12, 2020

It seems like doubt is a popular subject these days, but doubt comes with a price. Here are six ideas that could help any pastor when asked to speak about the subject of doubt.

Scripture: John 20:24-31, Jeremiah 29:13, Mark 9:24, Acts 9:1-9

Tags: Faith, doubt, Belief, spiritual formation, Spiritual Formation  (view more)  (view less)

In Recruiting, Don’t Say No For Someone

By Josh Reich on Feb 27, 2021

What happens then is the leader says no for the person without giving them a chance to say yes or no. Would that person say no? I have no idea and neither do you.

Tags: Preaching, Recruiting

8 Reasons Churches Should Partner With Secular Community Groups

By Karl Vaters on May 5, 2022

How can we reach our communities if they have no idea we love them? And how will they know we love them if we don’t work alongside them?

Tags: Service, Humility, Culture, community outreach, culture  (view more)  (view less)

Tim Keller: Preaching Hell In A Tolerant Age

By Tim Keller on Jun 13, 2025

Many today reject the idea of final judgment and hell. Tim Keller advises pastors on how to deliver the very important biblical message to those who may not want to hear it.

Tags: Hell, Tolerance, Preaching, tim keller, preaching, Tim Keller  (view more)  (view less)

3 Ways To Boost Your Preaching Creativity

By Brandon Kelley on Jul 4, 2022

Do you want more people to walk away from the church gathering and actually remember the big idea from your sermon? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t?

Scripture: John 3:36, Matthew 15:21

Tags: Preaching, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, poor preaching, Effective Teaching, Sermon Help, Teaching Prep, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Places To Find A Sermon

By John Mcclure on May 13, 2020

Preachers rarely stumble into good sermons. They must look for them. Here are five reliable places to find a sermon idea, on the text, behind it, before it, within it, and through today’s moment.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 10:38-42, Matthew 4:19, John 3:16, James 1:21  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Biblical Interpretation

Preaching God’s Word Is Timeless (Find The Timeless Truth)

By Joe Hoagland on Jul 25, 2022

The Bible is wholly relevant to the modern person’s life sometimes it just takes some work for us to figure that out. The idea of making a “timeless truth” central to your sermon is important in communicating God’s Word in a postmodern age.

Tags: Scripture, Communication, Teaching, Preaching, Preaching Help, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, communication, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

10 Tips For Better Preaching Pt.1

By Jim Martin on Apr 13, 2020

Faithful week-in, week-out preaching depends less on clever ideas and more on habits of love, clarity, restraint, identification, and genuine passion. These ten simple practices help preachers serve their congregations with messages that are understood, valued, and taken to heart.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Corinthians 1:24, 1 Peter 5:2-3  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Homiletics, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

The "Measure Up Mentality” In Today’s Church

By Charles Stone on Dec 13, 2021

The ‘measure up mentality’ can suck the joy out of ministry. By applying a few simple ideas, you can stay positive and encouraged in your ministry even when you feel you don’t measure up in the eyes of others.

Scripture: Psalm 62:5

Tags: leadership, Preaching, pastor, Laziness, hard work, Pastor, Leadership, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

11 Ways To Make Christmas Your Best Outreach Of The Year

By Carey Nieuwhof on Dec 15, 2025

You may think it’s far too early to start thinking about Christmas, but think again. Whenever I’ve shared these ideas about Christmas, people say “Hey, I wish you’d talked about this earlier.” So we are.

Tags: Christmas, Outreach, Holidays, leadership, invite, pastoral leadership, Christmas Evangelism, church ministry, church leadership, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)