In Preaching Articles: "Ministry Philosophy"

Relational Leadership Part 2

By Lance Witt on Nov 8, 2023

Jesus cares just as much about how we treat people along the path to fulfilling our vision as he does if we accomplish the vision.

Tags: vision, leadership, relationships, honoring Christ, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, mission, Others First, Transactional, Transformational, e, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Relational Leadership Part 1

By Lance Witt on Nov 6, 2023

What is the key to relational leadership?

Scripture: Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 1:22, Romans 12:10, 1 John 4:21, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 10:24, Colossians 3:14, 1 John 3:14, John 13:34-35, Matthew 22:37-39  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: leadership, relationships, Ministry Work, pastoral leadership, relational leaders, church leadership, Transactional, Transformational, Leading Like Christ, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching God’s Word Is Timeless (Find The Timeless Truth)

By Joe Hoagland on Jul 25, 2022

The Bible is wholly relevant to the modern person’s life sometimes it just takes some work for us to figure that out. The idea of making a “timeless truth” central to your sermon is important in communicating God’s Word in a postmodern age.

Tags: Scripture, Communication, Teaching, Preaching, Preaching Help, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, communication, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Do This And Improve Your Preaching This Sunday

By Peter Walters on Sep 8, 2022

We have a new family in our church with no church background at all. When I prepare to preach I think of them and go the extra mile to make my message as understandable and relatable as possible.

Tags: Communication, Preaching, audience, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, Sermon Help, Sermon Delivery, communication, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

How To Tell If A New Volunteer Is Truly A Leader (Or Simply A Doer)

By Carey Nieuwhof on May 10, 2024

"I recently surveyed 1400 small and mid-sized church pastors to find out what they struggle with most as their church grows. They overwhelmingly identified developing leaders as their top challenge."

Tags: leadership, Church Growth, Volunteer, church ministry, obstacles to growth, Barriers to Growth, Growing a Church, Leaders vs Doers, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

A Road To Somewhere

By Don Ballard on Jul 25, 2024

How can pastors apply Stephen Covey's principle, 'Begin With the End in Mind', to the area of preaching and teaching the Bible?

Scripture: Romans 10:14-15

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Purpose, goals, Preaching Help, Pastoral Ministry, sermon prep, Sermon Prep, preaching, teaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

Sermon Feedback: 6 Questions For Better Preaching

By Peter Mead on Jul 20, 2024

Clear, simple sermon-feedback questions help preachers grow. These six practical prompts reveal clarity, engagement, biblical accuracy, and delivery strengths.

Scripture: Acts 8:25

Tags: Preaching, Criticism, experience, Improvement, evaluation, Homiletics, WORDS THAT KILL, Pastoral Ministry, Communication skills, improvement, criticism, preaching, Communication Skills  (view more)  (view less)

Top 13 Preaching Mistakes

By Bob Hostetler on Jan 13, 2025

A practical guide outlining 13 common preaching mistakes, with tips to avoid them and deliver sermons that are clear, Christ-centered, and spiritually nourishing.

Tags: Preaching, Homiletics, preaching tips, Pastoral Ministry, Expository Preaching, Sermon Preparation, preaching, expository preaching, sermon preparation, Preaching Tips  (view more)  (view less)

Pastors Never Know Who’s In The Audience

By Joe Mckeever on Jul 18, 2022

When a pastor stands to preach, he never knows who is listening to him. And if his sermon is recorded or broadcast, he has no clue who will be hearing his words. He will do well to make sure he knows what he’s talking about.

Tags: Communication, Teaching, Preaching, preaching tips, pastoral leadership, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching Blunders, communication, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

8 Questions To Ask Before You Preach A Sermon

By Josh Reich on Oct 17, 2022

8 questions to ask as you prepare to preach your next sermon.

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, Preaching Help, pastoral leadership, preaching the Word, Teaching God's Word, Pastoral Ministry, effective preaching, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Keeping Your Preaching Fresh

By Lance Witt on Sep 24, 2022

“Everything worthwhile is uphill. Everything that is valuable, you have to work for. No one ever coasted their way to success. Most people have uphill hopes but have downhill habits.”

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:2

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, hard work, Preaching Help, Pastoral Ministry, Powerful Preaching, effective preaching, Never Stop Learning, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

You Won't Accomplish Your Vision Without This

By Lance Witt on Mar 11, 2021

In my ministry Replenish, I am often asked “how do you know if a church is healthy”? What I know for sure is that the size of a church or it’s rate of growth or what happens on the platform in a weekend worship service is NOT a sure-fire indicator of health.

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When People Compare Pastors

By Charles Stone on Mar 27, 2021

Many pastors secretly struggle with measuring up to very successful pastors and churches. It’s tough, but it comes with ministry. People compare pastors. In this post I suggest a few ways to deal with this “measure up mentality.” I begin with one pastor’s experience.

Scripture: Psalm 62:5

Tags: Discouragement, Approval, Comparison, High expectations

The Most Necessary Thing

By Thomas C. Brown on Jul 11, 2022

Greater is the value of personal intimacy with God than busyness for him. Service must follow surrender and solitude.

Scripture: Luke 10:42, John 17:3, Philippians 3:8-10

Tags: Scripture, leadership, devotion, priorities, God's Word, pastoral leadership, Intimacy With God, Pastoral Ministry, soul care, Guarding Your Soul, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Top 3 Reasons Church Growth Ideas Usually Fail In Smaller Churches

By Karl Vaters on Aug 31, 2022

We're often told that small churches are failing at church growth. But sometimes church growth ideas are failing in smaller churches.

Tags: Church Growth, Context, pastoral leadership, Church Attendance, church ministry, rural church, Growth Strategy, Urban Church, context, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)