In Preaching Articles: "Make Disciples"

Too Many Listeners Hear Blah, Blah While We Try To Present Wow, Wow!

By Peter Mead on Nov 21, 2019

Part of the preacher's role is to slow people down and to help them make sense of what the text is actually saying.

Tags: Preaching, Text, listeners, preacher's role, make sense, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Pastors: The Ceo Has To Go

By Derek Vreeland on Aug 24, 2023

I feel the impulse to forsake the pastoral vocation of word and sacrament, prayer and disciple-making, in favor of becoming a CEO who gets things done.

Tags: liturgy, Theology, church and business, consumerism

What Makes A Sermon Good?

By Duane K Kelderman on Aug 2, 2024

Preachers and churches run into trouble when they forget that preaching is first and foremost a proclamation of Scripture.

Scripture: Ruth 3:1-10, 1 Chronicles 1:1

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Making The Move To Noteless Preaching

By Peter Mead on Jul 7, 2021

Remember, the goal of sermon preparation is an oral message, not a polished manuscript for publication.

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11

Tags: Preaching

4 Steps To A Friendlier Church (The G.i.f.t. Plan)

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 16, 2021

Genuine friendships are becoming more rare – and thus, of greater perceived value – than any other aspect of modern church life.

Tags: relationships, Friendliness, Friendship New Friends, Equipping Disciples

5 Top Priorities For Increasing Your Church

By Charles Arn on Jan 11, 2025

Decades of research reveal five church-growth principles—disciple-making, relationships, felt-needs, transitions, and social networks—that help any church engage its community.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Growth, Discipleship, leadership, pastor, Church Growth, Ministry Leadership, Pastor, Leadership, Congregational Health  (view more)  (view less)

4 Ingredients For Making Sermons Stick

By Ed Stetzer on Jan 25, 2020

One constant that remains essential in every church is preaching. Ed Stetzer talks about how to help your listeners apply what you preach.

Tags: Preaching, Church Practices, preaching

3 Mistakes Pastors Make With Commentaries

By Peter Mead on May 6, 2025

Commentaries are resources for preachers, not sources for sermons. Watch out for these three pitfalls when using commentaries in your sermon prep and delivery.

Tags: Preaching, Prep, Commentary, preaching

What Really Makes A Spiritual Leader?

By Bob Hamp on Apr 5, 2023

Spiritual leaders influence more than they direct, and they inspire more than they instruct.

Tags: Power, leadership, Counselor, Leadership General, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Most Common Mistake Preachers Make

By Dr. Frank A. Thomas on May 20, 2023

Preaching coach Dr. Frank Thomas believes great preaching starts with strong sermon structure. He shares how it's done.

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-9, John 15:1-10

Tags: Preaching, mistakes, preaching

How To Make Easter Stand Out

By Peter Mead on Apr 11, 2020

Easter is the real ground zero of the Christian faith. We tend to, or should, return to it week after week. So what do we do when Easter comes around?

Scripture: John 15:1-10

Tags: Crucifixion, Preaching, ground zero, preaching, Jesus, Easter  (view more)  (view less)

Make Sure You Plan The Finish

By Lance Witt on Feb 1, 2021

Can you imagine going to a theater to watch a hundred million dollar movie only to discover there isn’t a final scene? Can you imagine a race car driver leading the entire race and then in the final lap, stops paying attention and loses the race? Can you imagine getting directions on Google Maps and it not giving you the directions for the last mile?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:14

Tags: Easter, Easter Resurrection, Entrust with Gospel

5 Mistakes Churches Make With Money

By Kent Woodyard on Mar 20, 2021

My article last week focused on a particularly negative reaction I received to a blog post about online giving. That response – and them is understanding it belied – galvanized me to talk about generosity,stewardship, and all things giving even more than I had before.

Tags: Money, Giving, mistakes, gratitude

Live To Make God Look Good

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 2, 2022

The great tragedy of the universe is that while human beings were made to glorify God because of who they are and what they see, we have all fallen short of this purpose.

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-3, Romans 3:23, Romans 1:23, Isaiah 40:4, Isaiah 42:8, Isaiah 44:23, Isaiah 48:9-11, Isaiah 60:2, Isaiah 49:3  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: glory of God, meaning of life, glorify Christ, what is the purpose of life, Eternal Purpose, Self glory, Sin  (view more)  (view less)

5 Mistakes Most Preachers Make

By Carey Nieuwhof on Aug 2, 2022

"So maybe you’re a preacher, or you listen to preachers (or stopped listening to preachers). Almost everyone has a perspective on what makes or doesn’t make for a great sermon."

Tags: preaching, teaching, Simplicity, effective, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, preaching Christ, Effective Teaching, Teaching, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)