In Preaching Articles: "Lost Focus"

Five Strategic Advantages Of Small Churches

By Brandon O'brien on Feb 14, 2024

Small churches hold strategic strengths: authenticity, focus, people-powered ministry, intergenerational relationships, and margin-focused mission.

Tags: Community, Church, Growth, leadership, pastor, Church Growth, Health, authentic, Small Church, community outreach, community, Pastor, Leadership, church, Ministry Church, Authentic, Intergenerational Ministry, Community Outreach  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching To The Point: Ten Commandments Of Brevity

By Pete Wilson on Jul 12, 2021

Shorter messages demand sharper focus. Learning to preach with brevity can strengthen clarity, engagement, and faithfulness without sacrificing substance.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:2, Proverbs 10:19, Habakkuk 2:2, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Colossians 4:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Commandments, Preaching, Brevity, storytelling, Time, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Devil Knows How To Discourage You

By SermonCentral .com on May 10, 2022

This is the focus of all Satan’s massive, multifarious strategies: to dis-courage us through dis-belief in God’s promises.

Tags: Satan, Discouragement, give thanks, Discouraged

How Long Should A Sermon Be?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 11, 2020

There is no universal sermon length. What matters most is clarity, focus, and the preacher’s ability to hold attention around one central point.

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:9-10, Nehemiah 8:8, 1 Corinthians 14:8, Colossians 4:6

Tags: Communication, Preaching, preparation, Homiletics, Time, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Sharpen Your Sermon With A God-Centered Checklist

By Jared Moore on Sep 19, 2025

If you want to help your people focus on God when they leave church tomorrow, here are 11 things that you cannot do.

Scripture: Romans 12:1-2

Tags: Preaching, Checklist, joke, Sharpen, preaching, God centered, God Centered  (view more)  (view less)

Journey In The Dark

By Peter Mead on Jan 14, 2022

God delights to transform lives. There are many ways to depict this journey of transformation, but let’s focus on one example from the Old Testament.

Scripture: Psalm 131:1-3, Psalm 130:1-8

Tags: Psalms, Transformation, transformed life, Christian Maturity

5 Ways To Keep Your Church Small And How To Overcome Them

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jul 18, 2020

Many churches remain small because of unbiblical assumptions and avoidable habits. Learn how vision, planning, stability, and evangelistic focus can reverse that trajectory.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7, Luke 15:4, Acts 2:47, Colossians 4:5, 1 Corinthians 3:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Church Growth, preaching, Ministry Strategy

Funerals: 6 Things We Should–and Shouldn't–do

By Jared Moore on Jun 23, 2020

Funeral preaching demands clarity, compassion, and gospel focus. These guidelines help pastors navigate what to emphasize and what to avoid when ministering at graveside moments.

Scripture: 1 Peter 1:12, 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, Romans 6:23, John 14:6, Luke 16:27-31  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Biblical wisdom, Biblical Wisdom

15 Good-Sense Preaching Tips

By Gracia Grindal on Jan 19, 2024

Faithful preaching requires humility, clarity, restraint, and gospel focus. These fifteen practical dos and don’ts offer wisdom for preaching that serves hearers well.

Scripture: John 5:1-5, 1 Corinthians 2:2, 2 Timothy 4:2, Romans 10:14-17, Galatians 1:10  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, gospel proclamation, preaching, Gospel Proclamation

Is There Good News In Your Sermon?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Aug 12, 2020

When preachers struggle to find a sermon celebration, the issue is often focus. Centering on God’s gospel activity reveals good news worth celebrating.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10, Mark 6:1-13, Romans 8:1-11, Ephesians 2:4-10, 2 Corinthians 3:5  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, Good News, Homiletics, preaching

What Listeners Really Wish They Could Tell Their Pastor

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jun 14, 2021

A speaker recalls blunt feedback from a child to show how honest listener frustrations can shape better preaching—especially length, self-focus, and dryness.

Scripture: John 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 9:16

Tags: Communication, leadership, Preaching, Church Health, Feedback, Leadership, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Principles That Keep Your Pursuit On Track

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 8, 2020

Excellence matters in ministry, but it must never become an idol. These five principles help leaders pursue quality for God’s glory without losing focus or momentum.

Scripture: Colossians 3:17, Ecclesiastes 11:4, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Matthew 28:19, Philippians 1:6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Pastoral Coaching

Preaching Without A Net: Delivering Sermons Without Notes

By Bruce Salmon on Mar 3, 2025

A pastor describes how a forgotten outline pushed him onto the “high wire” of preaching without notes and how that risk opened new freedom, focus, and trust in God.

Tags: Church, Preaching, worry, manuscript, Homiletics, Pastoral Ministry, Expository Preaching, Sermon Delivery, Worry, preaching, church, expository preaching  (view more)  (view less)

57 Leadership Tips For Pastors

By Joe Mckeever on Mar 22, 2025

Joe McKeever distills decades of pastoral wisdom into fifty-seven clear, practical leadership lessons that help pastors lead with integrity, courage, humility, and spiritual focus.

Scripture: Exodus 18:1-12

Tags: Ministry, leadership, Preaching, Delegate, spiritual formation, Leadership, ministry, preaching, Spiritual Formation  (view more)  (view less)

Are You A Preacher Or A Motivational Speaker?

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jan 7, 2023

Many sermons sound inspiring yet leave out the cross and the coming kingdom. When preaching mimics self-help, it loses the gospel’s power and eternal focus.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Luke 9:23, Galatians 6:14, Matthew 6:19-21

Tags: Pastoral Ministry