In Preaching Articles: "Pastoral Life"

When A Pastor Is A Growth Barrier - Part One: Dealing With Sin

By Ed Stetzer on Apr 15, 2024

I have worked for a long time to help pastors with growth barriers in their church. They can be anything from worship issues to strategy to theology and more. So many barriers can get in the way of a church growing, but a central one isn’t found in the processes of the church. There may be a number of reasons a ministry grows cold and a church slows down. But often, the heart of the problem is the heart of the pastor.

Tags: CLERGY SIN

Three Probing Questions Every Pastor Should Ask Himself

By Charles Stone on Sep 14, 2023

Take a few moments and ask yourself these questions to see what God reveals about your heart and motives.

Tags: motives, Faithfulness, identity, Identity in Christ

5 Powerful Benefits Of Being A Pastor Who Is A Morning Person

By Brandon Kelley on May 12, 2022

A couple of years ago, I decided to make the switch from night owl to morning person and that switch has made all the difference.

Tags: intimacy with Christ, Morning, focus, productive

Mentoring For Pastors: How To Find The Right Mentor At The Right Time

By Hal Seed on Oct 29, 2022

"Do you need a mentor? Only if you want to become more like Christ, live for Jesus more purposefully, and see your church take ground for God’s glory."

Tags: pastoral leadership, Christian growth, mentoring, call to discipleship, church leadership, Leadership, leadership, Grow, Mentor  (view more)  (view less)

Pastor, The Next Time You Attend A Conference, Do This!

By Brandon Kelley on Nov 8, 2022

"You can make the next time you attend a conference worth your while."

Tags: planning, Leadership, Plan, leadership, effective, productivity, pastoral leadership, overcoming problems  (view more)  (view less)

12 Simple Ways To Be A Pastor Who Prays Like A Warrior

By Hal Seed on Nov 11, 2022

I believe every pastor ought to be a prayer warrior.

Scripture: Isaiah 56:7, 1 Samuel 3:10

Tags: God hears prayer, daily prayer, Prayer for Others, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Holy Spirit's Power, Seek God's Face, Prayer  (view more)  (view less)

Getting Past Your Past

By Lance Witt on Jun 30, 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.

Tags:

What Distracts You While You're Preaching?

By SermonCentral .com on Oct 6, 2021

For preachers, distractions are a way of life, but they are no less annoying.

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-15

Tags: Preaching, Listen, Distract

6 Messy Truths About Your Church—and 3 Helpful Realities

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 6, 2025

"I was taught never to wrestle with difficult truths in front of the congregation. Give them simple three-point, alliterated answers to life’s problems."

Tags: preaching, bible, Bible, Preaching, messy truth, efficient, confusing  (view more)  (view less)

5 Top Priorities For Increasing Your Church

By Charles Arn on Jan 11, 2025

Whether you’re in a church of 20 or 20,000, these principles will help you to invest the talents God has given to your church.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Growth, Discipleship, leadership, pastor, Church Growth, Pastor, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

When Is A Sermon Good Enough?

By Stephen Gregory on Jul 16, 2024

What is a good sermon? How can I preach with confidence a message I have not had time to polish? Who am I seeking to please, anyway? Stephen Gregory seeks answers to these questions.

Scripture: Proverbs 16:3

Tags: Church, Preaching, pastor, Communication General, Pastor, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

The Arrogance Of Preaching

By Kenton C. Anderson on Jan 20, 2025

Preaching appears arrogant to people overwhelmed by the limitations of their perspective. Perspective becomes an asset as the preacher bears witness to God in the flesh.

Scripture: Leviticus 5:2-6

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, pastor, Pride, Arrogance, Pastor, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

Has Mission Become Our Idol?

By Skye Jethani on Jul 29, 2024

Skye Jethani: "While a vision for serving God is needed, and the desperate condition of our world cannot be ignored, there is a higher calling that is going unanswered in many Christian communities."

Scripture: Psalm 62:1-6

Tags: Preaching, pastor, Fire, Pastor, evangelism, preaching, Evangelism, Missions  (view more)  (view less)

The 5 Biggest Mistakes Pastors Make On Sundays (And What To Do About Them)

By Charles Stone on Jun 18, 2024

For pastors, Sunday can be the most draining day of the week. Intense people interaction, teaching or preaching, seeing our critics, trying to remember names, and attempting to put our own problems aside to listen to other peoples' problems add up to a stress-filled day. The very day we want to be at our best requires more from us than any other day. As a result, we can easily make one or more of the 5 biggest mistakes pastors make on Sundays. Evaluate this list to find out how many you make.

Tags: Preaching, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Sunday Morning, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

If Jesus Gave A Ted Talk Principle 3—create Connection (Affinity)

By Charles Stone on May 24, 2024

Create Connection is the third installment of an 8 part series on how neuroscience can improve your preaching.

Scripture: Matthew 9:4-7

Tags: Pastor, neuroscience, brain, preaching, sermonprep, Preaching, pastor, Brain  (view more)  (view less)