In Preaching Articles: "Preaching"

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

What? I Have To Preach The Christmas Story Again? 3 Fresh Reminders

By David Vroege on Dec 14, 2020

How do you go about breathing fresh meaning into a story everyone has already heard?

Tags: Christmas, New, Fresh, Preaching, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Can We Please Stop Preaching About All The Good People In The Bible?

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 29, 2019

The way we have traditionally approached character-based sermons has a tremendous flaw.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

How I Learned To Preach–and What I'm Learning Still

By Doug Paul on Jul 14, 2020

Most effective teachers do not start original. They learn through listening, imitation, and practice before discovering a voice that is truly their own.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:1, 2 Timothy 2:2, Proverbs 22:6, Hebrews 13:7

Tags: leadership, Preaching, spiritual formation, Leadership, preaching, Spiritual Formation  (view more)  (view less)

9 Things We Can All Learn From Billy Graham's Preaching

By Dennis Phelps on Jul 2, 2021

Someone asked Billy Graham how long it took to prepare a sermon. He answered, "A lifetime."

Tags: Preaching, prepare, Billy Graham

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

By Chris Foster on Feb 4, 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, humor, social media, storytelling, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

9 Things We Can All Learn From Billy Graham's Preaching

By Dennis Phelps on Oct 21, 2025

Someone asked Billy Graham how long it took to prepare a sermon. He answered, "A lifetime."

Scripture: Jeremiah 1:1-2, 1 Corinthians 2:2

Tags:

Slow Down, Big Fella—what A Motorcyclist Taught Me About Preaching

By Joe Mckeever on Mar 2, 2023

Nowhere in Scripture do we see Jesus shifting into oratorical overdrive and putting on a show for the people.

Scripture: Philemon 1:1-20

Tags: Preaching, slow down, suggestions, Slow down, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

11 Vital Preaching And Pastoring Lessons I Learned From My Mentor

By Chris Hefner on Aug 19, 2025

Sometimes leadership lessons are caught as much as they are taught.

Tags: Preaching, pastor, consistent, Mentor, advance, Pastor, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

3 Important Reasons Why You Should Preach On Thanksgiving A Month Early

By Ray Hollenbach on Nov 16, 2025

Everyone knows they're supposed to be thankful on Thanksgiving Day, but the heart-attitude won't kick in by magic; it has to be cultivated.

Scripture: Mark 6:45-52

Tags: Thanksgiving, Preaching, Thankfulness, gratitude, holiday stress, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Joe Mckeever: 3 Vital Reasons To Tell Stories In Your Preaching

By Joe Mckeever on Sep 10, 2025

There are a thousand reasons for dropping the occasional story into your sermon, pastor. Here are the top three.

Scripture: Exodus 17:8-16

Tags: Preaching, storytelling, stories, preaching

One Simple, Vital Question You Should Ask Immediately After Preaching

By Joe Hoagland on Dec 25, 2024

Ask this--before the allure of a relaxing Sunday afternoon or the pressures of starting the week on Monday morning win out.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Why Preaching Is Impossible (And What You Can Do About It)

By Jacob Myers on Dec 30, 2025

When you make the long, lonely walk to the pulpit to proclaim the Word of God for the people of God, how often do you hear the Mission Impossible soundtrack playing in your mind?

Scripture: Mark 12:38-44, Colossians 4:1-11

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Preach What You Practice – Why Rehearsing Is Essential To Great Sermon Delivery

By Lane Sebring on Apr 14, 2022

I want to show you why I believe the often neglected step of rehearsing the sermon is essential to great sermon delivery.

Tags: Preaching, sermon prep, preaching skill, effective preaching, Sermon Prep, preaching  (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