In Preaching Articles: "lost sheep"

Let’s Keep Reaching Consumers. Aka, Lost Sheep.

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 29, 2021

“The American church is so consumeristic!” It’s a common line uttered by the religiously fed-up, and of course, there’s a lot of truth in it. Some churches in America do tend to cater to the consumeristic mentality of our culture. But I think, on the whole, most churches don’t, and that’s actually part of the problem.

Tags: Missions, lost sheep, Unchurched, Spiritual Maturity

Diagnosing Sheep

By Peter Mead on Apr 27, 2022

In pastoral ministry, there is a great need for the right diagnosis of sheep.

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-14, John 11:1-40

Tags: Prayer, Listen, Leadership Listening, Listening

Are We Really Sheep?

By Bill Kinnon on May 3, 2023

Bill Kinnon asks whether a perfectly biblical metaphor is misused in our day.

Tags: Sheep, metaphor, preaching, Preaching, teach  (view more)  (view less)

Going Hard After The Lost

By Lance Witt on Jun 6, 2024

Are we truly broken for the lost?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:18, Acts 8:4-40

Tags: Evangelism, Sharing the Gospel, preaching the gospel, reaching the lost, acts, Broken for the Lost, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Has The Church Lost Its Passion?

By Jim Morgan on Mar 18, 2021

Passion is what we can’t keep inside. It spills over and can’t be contained. We love our kids – we can’t help but talk about them. We love our favorite sports teams – we talk about them first thing Monday morning at the water cooler. Christians love God more than anything else – He should constantly be on the tips of our tongues. Our passion for the Lord should be evident to all those around us. “Private Christian” should be an oxymoron – our faith should pour out through every fiber of our being.

Tags: Discipleship, passion, social justice, Sharing Your Faith

3 Shifts Growing Churches Make To Welcome The Lost

By Brandon Kelley on Aug 11, 2023

Most churches genuinely want to welcome and reach those who are far from God. Sometimes the reason they don’t is because they get in their own way.

Tags: Genuine Faith, Evangelism The Lost, authentic ministry, relating to the lost

10 Suggestions For The Shepherd Of A Stagnant Flock

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 3, 2020

Non-growing churches are not healthy, at least in some significant ways. Joe McKeever gives his input to help revive a church that seems to have "plateaued."

Tags: Preaching, Sheep, Apathy, lead, Church Purpose of, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

These Six Questions Reveal How Well You Are Engaged In Your Neighborhood

By Karina Kreminski on Jun 3, 2024

"What does it look like to keep ourselves accountable to joining with God on his mission in our neighborhood?"

Tags: Outreach, neighborhood, reaching the lost, community outreach, Inviting others, open to others, Reaching out, Loving the lost  (view more)  (view less)

The Reverse Altar Call

By Greg Stier on Aug 2, 2023

Sometimes the words “altar call” trigger images of sawdust trails and endless verses of “Just as I am” with preachers prodding, pushing and persuading sinners to come forward down the aisle in front of God and everyone.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:2

Tags: Evangelism, strategy, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

When (And Why) To Shake Off The Dust And Move On

By Ben Sternke on Aug 15, 2020

We can too easily normalize fruitlessness in the name of faithfulness. There's a big difference.

Tags: Discipleship, Missions, Church Growth, church planting, Evangelism The Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Hidden In My Heart

By Megan Briggs on Apr 8, 2024

Have we lost sight of the need to memorize Scripture in our digital age?

Scripture: Psalm 119:11, Romans 12:2

Tags: memory, Disciplines Scripture, children's ministry, Memory Devices

Pastor And Prophet

By Lance Witt on May 11, 2024

"When it comes to our preaching, we live in the constant tension between pastor and prophet. On one hand, as pastors we want to encourage and care for the sheep. So, in our preaching we want to be uplifting and hopeful. On the other hand, as prophets we must sometimes say the hard things that the sheep don’t want to hear."

Scripture: Jeremiah 5:30-31, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Galatians 1:10

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Pride, People pleasing, pastoral leadership, selfish ambition, Pastoral Ministry, Pulpit Ministry, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

94 Servant Evangelism Ideas For Your Church

By Steve Sjogren on Apr 8, 2023

Servant evangelism wins the heart before it confronts the mind. A small act of kindness nudges a person closer to God, often in a profound way, as it bypasses one's mental defenses.

Scripture: John 4:5-26, John 15:9-17

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Outreach, Servant, Evangelism How To, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

10 Global Churches Larger Than America's Largest

By James O. Davis on Jun 5, 2020

In the last six years, the Global Church has witnessed more than 1.4 million new church plants with more than 250 million coming to Christ. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is growing faster than any other time in history.

Scripture: Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Leader, Missions, Global, Church Growth, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism  (view more)  (view less)

Death To Dancing Bears

By Lance Witt on May 31, 2022

“Sometimes as a worship pastor,” he said, “I feel like a dancing bear. It’s my job to get up and perform for the crowd, and as long as the performance is good, everyone is happy. Except me. Something is missing and I don’t know what to do.”

Tags: Ministry, burnout, pastoral leadership, Lost Focus, People Over Programs, ministry  (view more)  (view less)