In Preaching Articles: "Local Church Leadership"

Confronting Idols, Making Disciples

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 22, 2023

Chris Wright suggests that the way we do church may actually prop up idolatry in the church. Are there any idols in your church?

Scripture: Matthew 8:1-10

Tags: Idol, Discipleship, Disciples, Confront, chris wright  (view more)  (view less)

4 Attributes Of Powerful Preaching

By Kevin Deyoung on Jan 29, 2025

Kevin DeYoung presents four qualities of what he calls "truly good preaching–-the kind that resonates with people and the kind God tends to employ."

Scripture: Matthew 7:28-29

Tags: Preaching, Authenticity, Clarity, Veracity, Authority, Leadership General, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

It’s Getting Crazy For Pastors And Politics

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 9, 2024

I’m not a politician. I learned from one pastor, who said, “If I thought politics could save the world, I wouldn’t have become a pastor.”

Tags: Politics, unity, Religion, diversity, pastoral leadership, Unity, Diversity  (view more)  (view less)

Listening In A Noisy World

By Steve Smith on Feb 21, 2022

So much talking. So many words. So many meetings. So much information. How can we ever take in what we really need to receive to make sense of our lives, our days and most importantly, one another.

Scripture: Luke 10:38-42

Tags: Leadership Listening, Listening, MINISTRY OF PRESENCE, listening vs hearing

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)

Five Marks Of A Servant Leader

By SermonCentral .com on May 16, 2022

What traits do we look for in a leader that suggest his fundamental orientation is Christlike servanthood?

Scripture: Philippians 1:25, Matthew 20:26-28, Psalm 15:4, Ephesians 6:6, John 7:18, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 1 Corinthians 11:16, 1 Corinthians 5:2, 1 Corinthians 9:7, Luke 22:25-56, John 13:1-17, Matthew 16:23, Philippians 2:9-11, Matthew 18:15-20  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: servant leadership, servanthood of Jesus, servant leader, glory of God

The 5 Biggest Mistakes Pastors Make On Sundays (And What To Do About Them)

By Charles Stone on Jun 18, 2024

For pastors, Sunday can be the most draining day of the week. Intense people interaction, teaching or preaching, seeing our critics, trying to remember names, and attempting to put our own problems aside to listen to other peoples' problems add up to a stress-filled day. The very day we want to be at our best requires more from us than any other day. As a result, we can easily make one or more of the 5 biggest mistakes pastors make on Sundays. Evaluate this list to find out how many you make.

Tags: Preaching, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Sunday Morning, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Three Root Causes Of Stalled Spiritual Transformation

By Thom Rainer on Mar 5, 2020

Why does spiritual growth sometimes stall out in believers? Thom Rainer offers his view and solutions from a study of the Corinthian church.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Tags: Spirit, Church, Growth, Discipleship, Preaching, Transformation, Growth in Christ  (view more)  (view less)

Do You Know The 4 Pillars Of Guest Preaching?

By Pete Wilson on Jan 6, 2023

Pete Wilson: "Don’t make controversial statements the church staff is going to have to clean up later."

Tags: Communication, Teaching, Preaching, Church General, communication, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Don’t Try And Improve On God’s Methods

By Ray Ortlund on Apr 23, 2024

True awakening or revival is a glorious season in the life of the church when for His glory alone, God causes the ordinary means of His grace to make an extraordinary impact on many people.

Scripture: Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, Isaiah 1:15, Luke 19:9-10, John 3:8, Matthew 11:28-30, Acts 2:47  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Grace, Prayer, revival, Church revival, spiritual awakening, grace  (view more)  (view less)

Bigger Is Not Necessarily Better: 3 Reasons I'm Convinced God Most Often Builds His Church Small

By Chris Surber on Jul 1, 2025

God uses big churches for certain Kingdom jobs, and God uses little churches for specific assignments.

Scripture: Matthew 18:20-21

Tags: ministry, Ministry, Community, Kingdom, Small Church, big versus small, community  (view more)  (view less)

Is Your Preaching Too Deep Or Too Shallow?

By Craig Groeschel on Feb 5, 2025

Craig Groeschel discusses the challenge of preaching with simplicity, practicality, and relevance while remaining spiritual enough to change lives.

Scripture: Hebrews 5:13

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, deep, Prep, Leadership General, e, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

We Need A Theology Of Rest

By Lance Witt on Jul 27, 2023

You don’t have to be running at an insane pace to be running on empty. I think the primary issue here isn’t the size of your ministry or the pace of your ministry. The PRIMARY issue has to do with the health of your soul (your interior life).

Scripture: Proverbs 14:8, Exodus 33:14-15, Jeremiah 6:16

Tags: Wisdom, Rest, endurance with joy, spiritual leadership, entering God's rest  (view more)  (view less)

You Become What You Think About The Most

By Josh Reich on Mar 30, 2023

The best companies (churches) have the best leaders. The second-best companies (churches) have the second-best leaders. The third-best companies (churches), in these times of turbulence, are unfortunately on their way out of business.

Tags: Image, Preaching, preaching

The Overwhelming Majority Of Pastors Don’t Have One

By Lance Witt on Jul 26, 2023

The truth is those of us in ministry often don’t do the friendship thing very well. One survey among pastors found that 70 percent do not have a close friend, confidant, or mentor. Henri Nouwen wrote, “Most Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships.” What an indictment.

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