In Preaching Articles: "Life Experience"

How Leaders Defeat Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Apr 15, 2021

Somebody once said there are two things in life we can’t avoid, taxes and death. I’d like to add a third, discouragement. Church leader or not, you will face it. It’s an inevitable part of life. Here’s how I’ve learned to defeat discouragement.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 30:6

Tags: Discouragement, rest in god, Rest, Encouraged

Build Your Sermon Series On The Wonder, Worry And Wishes Of Your Congregation

By Charles Arn on Mar 9, 2024

The most important thing has to do with your sermon topics. They should address people's life issues and questions about the faith.

Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34, Job 21:7-34

Tags: Preaching, worry, Wonder, Relevance, Wish, Worry, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Avoid The Wreck: 7 Ways To Crash A Sermon

By Carey Nieuwhof on Sep 24, 2025

What's the difference between a sermon that changes someone's life and one that no one can remember even as they drive out of the parking lot?

Tags: Preaching, Resistance, Ruin, call to action, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Change Lives By Preaching From Heaven's Viewpoint

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 4, 2025

Randy Alcorn: "We encourage believers to look at life differently—like Elisha’s servant whose eyes were opened."

Scripture: Hebrews 11:20-30

Tags: Preaching, preaching

4 Steps To A Friendlier Church (The G.i.f.t. Plan)

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 16, 2021

Genuine friendships are becoming more rare – and thus, of greater perceived value – than any other aspect of modern church life.

Tags: relationships, Friendliness, Friendship New Friends, Equipping Disciples

10 Things Healthy Churches Do Well

By Joe Mckeever on Jan 24, 2025

Healthy churches face problems with wisdom, unity, and Christlike leadership. These ten traits show how congregations grow stronger even through crises.

Scripture: Acts 6:1-7

Tags: Church Growth, Healthy Church, Pastors, CHURCH LIFE, Church General, Accept, Christian community, church leadership, Biblical wisdom, Church Leadership, Biblical Wisdom, Congregational Health, Christian Community  (view more)  (view less)

The Role Of Preaching In Church Planting

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 4, 2020

"Contrary to some conventional wisdom, I would argue that in many cases, public preaching needs to happen early on in the life of a new church."

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:21

Tags: Preaching, church planting

Preaching The Messy Way

By Chris Surber on Apr 24, 2025

The greater the distance between you and your listeners, the easier it is to preach at them. Sharing life with them leads you to preaching the messy way.

Scripture: John 6:66-71

Tags:

Pit Stops Required- Part 1

By Lance Witt on Sep 12, 2023

Many pastors and ministry leaders soar through life at breakneck speed. They give every outward appearance of being on course, cruising on autopilot.

Scripture: Proverbs 14:18

Tags: Prudence, Time of Reflection, New Year's Reflection, avoiding burnout

Pastoring From A Place Of Gratitude

By Lance Witt on May 29, 2024

Does gratitude flavor your life? Are the words that flow from your lips and the thoughts that race through your mind marked by gratitude?

Scripture: Psalm 118:24, Colossians 2:7

Tags: leadership, Thankfulness, gratitude, Grumbling, Ingratitude, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Evaluate attitude, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Are You Training Lay Preachers? You Should!

By Chris Surber on Jan 24, 2024

When we neglect to develop and maintain active lay ministry in the life of the local church, our churches miss out in at least five ways.

Scripture: Proverbs 17:17

Tags:

Do You Remember Why You Became A Pastor?

By Chuck Warnock on Jun 11, 2025

There are times in our life when the clarity fades, discouragement clouds our memory and we wonder, "Why did I ever want to be a pastor?"

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27

Tags:

Great Preaching Lives In The Tension: Here's How

By Brandon Kelley on Jan 5, 2021

A sermon speaks from the grand narrative of Scripture to the grand narrative of your life. These two stories have identifiable tension points: use them!

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Great Leadership Often Starts With A Broken Heart

By Brandon Cox on Oct 2, 2023

Usually, knowing what breaks your heart is knowing what you should do with your life, and how you should be leading others.

Scripture: Nehemiah 1:4

Tags: broken, Brokenhearted, authentic ministry, Call to ministry

Vacation Bible School Promotion And Communication, Part One

By Lisa Eifert on May 15, 2024

What strikes simultaneous fear and joy in the hearts of church staff and volunteers this time of year? Yep, you guessed it, Vacation Bible School (VBS). Anyone who has been a part of planning VBS knows the vast amount of time, resources and imagination that go into making these events memorable experiences for kids.

Tags: Communication, Technology, delegation, VBS, communication  (view more)  (view less)