In Preaching Articles: "Pastoral Character"

What Are You Improving At Your Church Right Now?

By Karl Vaters on Oct 25, 2022

"Every church should constantly be improving. And not just in general terms. We should always be working on specific action plans to make our church better tomorrow than it is today."

Tags: pastoral leadership, church leadership, good leadership, Leadership, leadership, Church Growth, Healthy Church, effective, productivity  (view more)  (view less)

8 Signs You May Be An Anxious Leader

By Charles Stone on Jun 26, 2024

These seven signs might indicate that your leadership is being negatively affected by how you handle your anxiety.

Scripture: Philippians 4:6

Tags: Leadership, anxiety, Stress, Anxiety, pastoral leadership, worry and anxiety, Scripture Memory, Ministry Leadership, stress, leadership  (view more)  (view less)

The Double-Edged Sword Of Ambition

By Lance Witt on Jul 9, 2024

Ambition is a blessing and a curse. When it is God-directed and Spirit-managed, it can bear tremendous fruit. But when it is hijacked by self and ego, it can leave a wake of destruction in its path.

Tags: entering God's rest, ministry vision, Faithfulness, motivation, Ambition, Rest in Christ, pastoral leadership, personal holiness  (view more)  (view less)

God's Grace Sermon Outline

By Josh Read on Mar 11, 2026

Grace might be the most preached-on topic in the history of the church and the least understood. Every pastor has a grace sermon in their back pocket. The problem isn't that we preach it too rarely. The problem is that we've filed it under "God is nice to us" and moved on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer identified this seventy years ago and named it precisely: cheap grace. Grace as doctrine, as principle, as system. Grace without discipleship, grace without the cross. Most congregations have heard enough grace sermons to believe God accepts them. Far fewer have heard one that made them uncomfortable. This outline is for that second sermon. Not grace as comfort but grace as disruption. The kind that doesn't just forgive what you were but refuses to leave you there.

Scripture: Titus 2:11-12, Romans 6:1-2, Ephesians 2:8-10, John 8:10-11, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Genesis 6:8, Luke 7:47, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Grace, grace, sermonprep, SermonPrep, PastorLife, ChurchLeader, GodsGrace, PreachingWithPurpose  (view more)  (view less)

5 Things God Never Said

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Dec 31, 2024

Larry Moyer advises pastors to beware of five misconceptions of God’s Word that can adversely affect our outreach to non-Christians.

Scripture: Revelation 3:20, John 20:31, Ezekiel 3:18-19, John 6:44, Matthew 10:32-33  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Evangelism, Witness, Outreach, Salvation, Gospel, Preaching, myth, Bible Influence, Evangelism The Lost, evangelism, gospel, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Eight Ideas For Reaping The Fruit Of Your Vacation Bible School

By Hal Seed on Jul 7, 2024

Hal Seed helps pastors and church leaders measure the success of their children’s ministry outreach events and retain unchurched families as a result.

Tags: Church, Children, Outreach, family, VBS, Evangelism How To, church  (view more)  (view less)

Urban Preaching Myths In The Pulpit

By Trevin Wax on Feb 5, 2025

Trevin Wax uncovers seven often used urban preaching myths and encourages pastors to verify sources, illustrations, and stories before preaching.

Scripture: Mark 10:25

Tags: Preaching, false teaching, urban legend, preaching

4 Audiences You Need To Know When Preaching

By Mark Gomez on Sep 22, 2020

Pastor Mark Gomez shares the way he sees his audience: "Suddenly, there is a much broader audience than we first believed."

Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-18

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Preacher’s Tip: If You Can Keep From Preaching, Do It

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on Nov 5, 2020

Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. shares a personal story about a powerful preaching insight he received from his father.

Tags: Preaching, advice, insight, Improve

Go Ahead: Preach The Same Sermon Twice

By Joe Mckeever on Jun 9, 2021

"As a young pastor, I couldn't repeat a sermon any more than I could eat yesterday's breakfast again."

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-13

Tags: Preaching, repeat, twice, preaching

Is Your Preaching Missing This Key Component?

By Lance Witt on Jan 6, 2021

As a pastor I am embarrassed to admit this, but prayer has often been a struggle for me. And yet, it is crucial to our success in preaching.

Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4

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Pit Stops Required- Part 1

By Lance Witt on Sep 11, 2023

Many pastors and ministry leaders soar through life at breakneck speed. They give every outward appearance of being on course, cruising on autopilot.

Scripture: Proverbs 14:18

Tags: Prudence, Time of Reflection, New Year's Reflection, avoiding burnout

Getting Past Your Past

By Lance Witt on Jun 29, 2023

I know that on Sundays we walk into our churches, we smile, we shake hands, and we make nice. We pastor people and we preach from God’s Word. We are very respectable. But I know myself and I’ve worked with pastors way too long to believe that life is that neat and tidy.

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Preaching When The News Intrudes

By Eric Reed on Jan 5, 2025

When natural disasters, terrorist attacks, celebrity deaths, and political intrigue dominate the news, should pastors talk about them? And if so, how?

Tags: Church, Preaching, Culture, disaster, media, Trials and Difficulties, preaching, church, culture  (view more)  (view less)

9 Points For Preaching On The Problem Of Evil

By Norman Geisler on Jan 21, 2025

The topic of evil offers many onramps to preaching powerful sermons and proclaiming the gospel. Dr. Norman Geisler offers insight for preaching and pastoral conversations.

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:15, 1 Timothy 3:6, Colossians 4:6

Tags: problem of evil, Apologetics God, Sin General, Trials, Apologetics, Evil, Satan, suffering, tragedy, Difficulties  (view more)  (view less)