In Preaching Articles: "Maximize Usefulness"

Is Modern Church Leadership Tilting Toward Bivocational Ministry?

By Hugh Halter on Feb 12, 2024

"The goal of our existence is to learn how to leverage everything God has given us."

Scripture: John 21:15-17, John 21:15-22

Tags: church, Ministry, Church, bivocational, leverage, mobile, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

How To Be Interesting—and Unhelpful

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 15, 2023

John Piper reminds us that preaching has purposes far beyond merely interesting information.

Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-6

Tags: Preaching, Poetry, interest, john piper, unhelpful, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Being A Pastor: Blessing Or Burden? Part 2

By Lance Witt on May 1, 2024

None of us are exempt from the danger of cynicism and turning ministry into nothing more than a job.

Scripture: 1 Peter 5:2-3, 1 Corinthians 11:1

Tags: Humility, leadership, Authenticity, Unselfish, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Why I Love The Psalms

By Dr. W. Robert Godfrey on Aug 10, 2022

The Psalms teach us how to express our emotions to God in all the circumstances of our lives.

Scripture: Psalm 23:1, Psalm 56:8

Tags: Psalms, Emotions, suffering, Intimacy With God, soul care, Psalms of David  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching On Life: An Interview With Max Lucado

By Max Lucado on Jul 27, 2024

"I really believe the purpose of Scripture is to give us this authoritative handbook. We have a place where we can take people when they come to us with questions so we're not just speaking out of our own opinion."

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Have You Preached The Five Blessings That Flow From Thanksgiving?

By J. John on Nov 23, 2023

A British pastor reminds us, "Thanksgiving is more than an American holiday; it's a Godly holiday, as well."

Scripture: Matthew 25:26-27, Titus 2:1-10

Tags: Thanksgiving, Preaching, gratitude, focus, five blessings, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How I Learned To Preach--And What I'm Learning Still

By Doug Paul on Jul 15, 2020

There's a simple process at work, one that people have been using in the Church for thousands and thousands of years.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

A Modest Proposal: Less Sermon Prep In Favor Of More Time Making Disciples?

By Bill Couchenour on Sep 6, 2021

Is it possible to reach the U.S. for Jesus in less than a decade by cutting sermon prep time in half?

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-28

Tags: Jesus, Outreach, Preaching, Disciples, sermon prep, Sermon Prep  (view more)  (view less)

Ask Yourself: 20 Great Questions Before You Preach

By Bob Hostetler on May 29, 2023

Bob Hostetler has applied this list to himself for years. What can you use from it?

Tags: introspection, Speaking, questions, preaching, speaking, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Bible Works!

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 8, 2025

Phil Strout: "Everyone has an opinion. And guess what? So does God, and he's communicated it to us."

Tags: bible, Bible, Word of God, Opinion, communicate, phil strout  (view more)  (view less)

The Criticism I Hated—but Made Me A Better Preacher

By Joe Hoagland on Dec 27, 2019

None of us appreciate unsolicited, mean-spirited criticism, but we do need to hear people out.

Scripture: Mark 12:28-34

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Bad Theological Analogies, Brought To You By St. Patrick

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 13, 2026

The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy.

Scripture: John 5:1-16

Tags: Preaching, Theology, analogy, St Patrick, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

A Good Sermon Feels Like A Good Story: 7 Minutes With Fred Craddock

By Fred Craddock on Jan 16, 2026

Fred Craddock literally wrote the book on preaching. He reminds us, "Movement is more important than structure."

Tags: Preaching, structure, Movement, Fred Craddock, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To Preserve Your Creative Energy

By Peter Mead on Jul 21, 2020

Most of us have a limited tank of energy when it comes to creative flair. Don’t waste it.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:6-8

Tags: Preaching

10 Ways To Preach About Lust—and Get To The Real Issues

By Jared Moore on Nov 23, 2024

There's only one way to solve this: Get to the root of the problem. Jared Moore shows us how.

Tags: Intimacy, sexual immorality, sexual desire, Marriage, Lust  (view more)  (view less)