In Preaching Articles: "Meaning"

Do You Preach To Real People Or Straw Men?

By Chris Surber on Nov 8, 2024

Preaching in the abstract means missing real lives and real people. Here are four ways to connect to real people.

Tags: preaching, Holy Spirit, Preaching, Sensitive, real people, straw men  (view more)  (view less)

What If We Made Disciples And Left Church Growth To God?

By Karl Vaters on Sep 6, 2022

If we prioritized health, not as a means to growth, but as an end in itself, would we be in a greater position to represent Jesus to the world?

Tags: Discipleship, Church Growth, Make Disciples, great commission, pastoral leadership, church ministry, Growth Strategy, Equip the Saints  (view more)  (view less)

The Lost Art Of Feasting

By David Mathis on Nov 4, 2022

"Most of us have never given any serious thought to what it might mean to feast with Christ-honoring intentionality."

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Timothy 4:4-5, Luke 14:13, Romans 14:5-6

Tags: Thanksgiving, Fellowship, Community, feast, Christian Joy, give thanks, thank god, Thanksgiving Holiday, community, fellowship  (view more)  (view less)

You Preach, I'll Doodle

By Thom Turner on Nov 4, 2020

People have different learning styles. But does that mean you have to change the way you preach to reach them all?

Tags: Learning, Psychology, Effectiveness, Versatile

Seven Deadly Statements Of Church Members

By Thom Rainer on Oct 13, 2022

"Words have meaning. And if church members start articulating words consistently, those words begin to reflect the priorities and passions of the church."

Tags: conflict, relationships, Church worship, pastoral leadership, church membership, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, shepherding, Shepherding  (view more)  (view less)

4 Problems With Passionate Preaching

By Peter Mead on Apr 28, 2020

Just because we feel strongly about our message doesn't mean we should strong-arm our listeners.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:16

Tags: Communication, Discernment, Preaching, passion, Passion of Christ, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Use Humor Like A Hammer (Plus 4 Other Great Preaching Tips)

By Chris Foster on Feb 5, 2024

The average attention span has dropped from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. If this is true, what does that mean for you as a communicator of the Gospel?

Scripture: Exodus 3:7-17, John 14:26

Tags: preaching, Preaching, humor, social media, storytelling  (view more)  (view less)

5 Excellent Reasons To Develop A Preaching Calendar And 3 Ways To Start

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Nov 11, 2021

The fact that God knows our story--individually and corporately, from beginning to end--means we need not specialize in "Saturday night specials."

Scripture: Psalm 100:1-5

Tags: preaching, Preaching, Prayer, corporate worship, preaching calendar, talk to team  (view more)  (view less)

Should We Try To Please Our Listeners? How Much?

By Peter Mead on Mar 28, 2019

If listeners aren't satisfied, it could be a good sign, or it could be a bad sign. In the same way, happy listeners may mean something is wrong.

Tags: Preaching, Criticism, please, listener, Feedback  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching Without Notes: Four Must-Have Skills

By Sherman Haywood Cox on Jul 13, 2021

Sherman Cox: "Sermons with or without notes should eliminate irrelevant asides. By irrelevant, I mean that they are not connected to your sermon’s main point."

Tags: Preaching, preparation, note

The 4 Most Overlooked Realities Of A Healthy Church Turnaround

By SermonCentral .com on Aug 13, 2022

Many pastors say “I want this church to turn around”, when what we really mean is “I want this church to get bigger.” Those are two different goals.

Tags: Church, church

Don’t Try And Improve On God’s Methods

By Ray Ortlund on Apr 23, 2024

True awakening or revival is a glorious season in the life of the church when for His glory alone, God causes the ordinary means of His grace to make an extraordinary impact on many people.

Scripture: Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, Isaiah 1:15, Luke 19:9-10, John 3:8, Matthew 11:28-30, Acts 2:47  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Grace, Prayer, revival, Church revival, spiritual awakening, grace  (view more)  (view less)

Staying Married Is Not About Staying In Love, Part 1

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 13, 2021

1 Timothy 3:2 records that "the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife . . .". This means that marriage is a crucial element for a pastor. But what happens when you drift apart?

Tags: Preaching, preaching

The Silence Of God (Psalm 13)

By Josh Reich on May 6, 2022

While we often think God’s silence means He has abandoned us or left us, that is not true. God’s silence does not equal God’s absence.

Scripture: Psalm 13:1, Psalm 13:1-6

Tags: Community, Sin, God's silence, prayers, community  (view more)  (view less)

A Novel Idea For Preaching Christmas

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Dec 1, 2018

We assume our congregations know the biblical story and doctrinal meaning of Christmas. So we avoid major texts and look for something new or novel to say about the old, old story.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-15

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, Birth of Jesus, storytelling