In Preaching Articles: "Loving People"

Are You Giving Everyone A Big Church Welcome?

By John Gilman Ii on Jun 19, 2023

A proper welcome needs to have more than just a greeting. Churches need to create welcome pathways that guide people into more familiarity, connection, and relationship with the church. Creating a positive and effective welcoming strategy has never been more important. There is still time to put a great welcome process in place. Here are six tips to get you started in the right direction.

Scripture: Genesis 1:25-30

Tags: Visitors

You Can’t Force Teamwork

By Lance Witt on Jul 5, 2024

"When your car is aligned, it runs more efficiently, creates less wear and tear, and operates more smoothly. The same is true in creating alignment and teamwork within our ministries. It takes intentionality; you never drift into alignment. People with skill know how to get down inside the organization and align its systems and structures to increase effectiveness, minimize wasted effort, and achieve greater health."

Tags: Communication, Effective Teams, Leadership, communication, leadership, strategy, Teamwork, Alignment, pastoral leadership, servant leadership  (view more)  (view less)

5 Ways Ministry Leaders Start The Journey To Failure

By Ron Edmondson on Aug 1, 2022

One of the hardest things I do in ministry is interact with those who are no longer in ministry, but wish they were. They’ve been derailed. They messed up and either they got caught or the guilt got the best of them and they confessed. Watching this process over the years there appear to be some common reasons failure occurs. It doesn’t start at the failure. It starts months – and, perhaps years – prior. My hope is if we expose some of them we can catch a few people before it is too late.

Tags: leadership, e, Leadership, pastoral leadership, avoiding trouble, avoiding burnout, church ministry, Leadership Failure, Exposing Blindspots  (view more)  (view less)

Pastors Lead By Example

By Philip Holmes on May 4, 2021

“The reason elders are so necessary,” says Sanchez, “is because they are the means by which our sovereign king chooses to shepherd his church to display his kingdom on earth in local churches as embassies of heaven, and also to proclaim the message of the gospel, calling all people everywhere to repent and believe and enter into the kingdom. Elders shepherd the flock of God among them, under the chief Shepherd. That’s why elders are important, because it is our ascended Lord’s chosen means by which he shepherds his church.”

Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:1-7, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-2, Ephesians 4:1-32, Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23, Acts 20:17, Acts 20:28  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Teamwork, elders, authentic ministry, church leadership, e  (view more)  (view less)

At Least 10 Things Great Churches Are For

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 20, 2021

The church has often, intentionally or not, been branded as a community of people who are angry and therefore are against everything not church-y. This is especially true when we so vocally voice our protests and gang up to boycott every business that doesn’t look conservative-Christian-friendly enough. I’ve listened to too much lately. From all sides. Some opinions I agree with and others I don’t, but what I’ve concluded is ultimately this: If I’m going to be known or listened to, I want it to be because of what I’m FOR, not what I’m against.

Tags: Grace, Community, reputation, church culture, community, grace  (view more)  (view less)