In Preaching Articles: "Life Mission"

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

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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, gratitude, Grumbling, Ingratitude, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Evaluate attitude, leadership, Thankfulness  (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

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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

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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

When Pastors Misplace Their Identity: 10 Probing Questions

By Charles Stone on Sep 19, 2022

“No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” ––Paul Tripp

Scripture: 1 Samuel 28:1

Tags: Ministry, identity, Identity in Christ, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church leadership, Right Priorities, self assement, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

7 Pitfalls Of Being An Introverted Pastor

By Ron Edmondson on May 30, 2020

"I am an introvert. With all my public appearances on Sunday mornings, this surprises many people. But in my private life and with those closest to me, there is no questioning that fact."

Tags: Preaching

Video: The Exodus, Deliverance, And The Meaning Of Baptism

By Granger Community Church on Jan 13, 2024

This five-minute video from Granger Community Church unpacks the history and the meaning of baptism--connecting our new life in Christ to Israel's passing through the Red Sea.

Tags: Baptism, Preaching, preaching

New Poll: What's The Average Length Of Sermon Prep?

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 16, 2021

LifeWay's Thom Rainer took a Twitter poll to see how much time most preachers give to sermon preparation. Where do you fall on the scale?

Tags: preparation, average, Prep, Time

How To Preach Repentance Like It's Good News

By Ray Hollenbach on Jan 4, 2020

"Repent" is the first word of the good news. Belief comes as we help our listeners rethink a way of life based upon what God has already done.

Tags: repent, repentance, Good News, grace

Preaching To The Unchurched: 5 Essentials

By Rick Warren on May 4, 2024

In terms of seeing radical life changes in individuals, nothing can take the place of Spirit-anointed preaching. The message is still the most important element of a worship service for the unchurched.

Tags: evangelism, preaching, Evangelism, Outreach, Preaching, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Two Questions To Break Despair

By Marion Clark on Dec 2, 2022

There is a great need for Christian counselors with the expertise to unravel the problems of life. The more a pastor is equipped in this area, the better they will be able to serve the members of their church who are facing difficulties and trials.

Tags: Despair, pastoral care, WISE COUNSEL, fixing eyes on Jesus, counseling, Hope, encouragement, Counselor  (view more)  (view less)

The Power Of Saying: I Don't Know

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 6, 2020

As a pastor people often look to you for answers to life's questions, but you don't have to pretend you know it all--in fact, you really shouldn't.

Tags: counsel, Communication, Preaching