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: ministry, church, Ministry, Church, bivocational, leverage, mobile  (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)

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: Speaking, questions, preaching, speaking, Preaching, introspection  (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: phil strout, bible, Bible, Word of God, Opinion, communicate  (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

3 Ways To Defeat Leadership Discouragement

By Charles Stone on Dec 11, 2023

Discouragement comes with the territory for ministry leaders. Unmet goals, putting out fires, staff issues, displeasing people, and general tiredness all contribute to discouragement. When it weighs us down, how can we dig out? The life of the prophet Elijah gives us hope.

Tags: Pastoral Ministry, Elijah's Depression, Fighting for Joy, Leadership, Perseverance, leadership, Discouragement, Depression, Elijah's faith  (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

Bad Theological Analogies, Brought To You By St. Patrick

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 16, 2021

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: analogy, St Patrick, Preaching, Theology

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)

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

By Fred Craddock on Nov 13, 2019

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

Tags: Fred Craddock, Preaching, structure, Movement

Preach The Past: Discover Powerful Illustrations And Lessons From Church History

By Chris Surber on Oct 1, 2025

A working knowledge of Church history teaches us to be humble. Our footprints aren’t the first tracks on this road.

Scripture: Acts 2:13-40, Acts 25:1-17

Tags: