In Preaching Articles: "Preaching Challenges"

4 Ingredients Of A Home Run Sermon

By Rick Ezell on Feb 6, 2025

Can your preaching hit a home run week in and week out? Sunday comes every seven days whether your sermon is prepared or not.

Scripture: Mark 6:12

Tags: Teaching, Preaching, preparation, Religion, Relevance, preaching, teaching  (view more)  (view less)

5 Places To Find A Sermon

By John Mcclure on May 12, 2020

What will I preach on? Whether you're asking this question a week, a month, or a year in advance of the Sunday in question, you're looking for inspiration.

Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30

Tags: Study, Preaching, preparation, preaching

When To Throw Away Your Sermon Notes

By Ted Smith on Nov 12, 2020

Some preachers think it's more spiritual to preach without notes. Others think it's more spiritual to use notes. What if it's both?

Tags: Discernment, Preaching, neglect, habit, note, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

True Story: The Guinness Record For The World's Longest Sermon

By SermonCentral .com on Oct 10, 2019

Pastor Zach Zehnder of Cross Church began his quest on Friday, November 7, and by Sunday had preached for 53 hours and 18 minutes—Why?

Scripture: Lamentations 3:23

Tags: Preaching

A Christmas Sermon 1,700 Years Old

By Brian Orme on Dec 17, 2024

Seventeen centuries ago, Gregory of Nazianzus preached Christmas as cosmic upheaval, divine condescension, and joyful trembling. His sermon still instructs our worship.

Scripture: Isaiah 53, Psalm 96:1, Isaiah 9:6, John 1:14, Psalm 2:11  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Christmas, Preaching, ancient, preaching, Gregory Of Nazianzus  (view more)  (view less)

Your Mother's Day Sermon, Pastor

By Joe Mckeever on Apr 29, 2020

Why is it so difficult for pastors of all ages to preach Mother’s Day sermons? Pastor-to-pastors Joe McKeever gives some assistance.

Scripture: Luke 1:26-56

Tags: Holidays, Preaching, pastor, mothers, mother's day  (view more)  (view less)

10 Creative Ways To Use The Bible In Counseling

By Elias Moitinho on Mar 11, 2025

Even though counseling is neither preaching nor teaching, it does have elements of both. Here are 10 helpful tips for engaging Scripture in your counseling sessions.

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12, Deuteronomy 2:25

Tags: Preaching, counsel, preaching

Dangerous Assumptions That Will Kill Your Message

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jun 21, 2021

Assuming the wrong things can cost us our audience. There are five dangerous assumptions in preaching. The damage they do may vary, but the fact that they are costly does not.

Scripture: 1 John 4:1-7

Tags:

5 Filters For A Funeral Sermon

By Chris Surber on Feb 6, 2022

I’ve preached a lot of funerals. Along the way I’ve learned some lessons from others and I’ve learned some lessons the hard way.

Tags: Funerals Christian, preaching Christ, Funerals, preaching, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Sorry, Pastors – The Growth Of The Church Is Not Up To Us

By Karl Vaters on Jun 4, 2024

"Preaching the Word, training disciples and ministering to the community may or may not increase the number of people who sit in front of me from Sunday to Sunday. But it will produce a healthy church."

Tags: pastoral leadership, call to discipleship, church leadership, Church Growth, Surrender, Healthy Church, God's Church, God in control  (view more)  (view less)

Keep Learning To Lead: Five Practical Lessons

By Gavin Ortlund on Apr 28, 2022

Leadership is hard. I rank it up there with pain, parenting, and preaching as one of those things in life that we never fully master, but only hope to keep learning over a lifetime.

Scripture: John 13:15-16, John 16:12

Tags: Teamwork, Leadership General, servant leadership, Jesus' leadership

25 Easter Follow-Up Sermon And Worship Ideas

By SermonCentral .com on Apr 9, 2023

One of the best ways to follow up with your Easter guests, as well as to encourage your church members, is by preaching about living out the new life we have in Christ.

Tags: after easter, preaching, Worship, Preaching, sermon series  (view more)  (view less)

4 Reasons Why You Should Share The Pulpit

By Kevin Larson on Aug 15, 2024

Do you want to preach God’s word for the long haul? Take regular weeks off to let God refill your tank and let others feed your soul.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:12

Tags: Preaching, pulpit, Equip, training, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

You Are Not The Story!

By H.b. Charles, Jr. on May 2, 2022

People should not leave the sermon having learned more about the preacher than Christ. When we stand to preach the word, we should prayerfully whisper to ourselves, “You are not the story.”

Scripture: Colossians 1:28, John 12:20, 2 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Tags: Pride, God's Story, self importance, Bible as a story

6 Tools For Overcoming Preacher’s Block (You'll Love #3)

By SermonCentral .com on Sep 9, 2025

I've been preaching for 30 years. At some point I have to run out of things to say, right? Actually, at hundreds of points I have run out of things to say!

Tags: Preaching, Devotional Life, preacher's block, body clock, preaching  (view more)  (view less)