In Preaching Articles: "Rural Church" showing 196-210 of 507

Every Church Staff Team Needs A Little Bit Of Friction

By Brandon Cox on Nov 20, 2023

"Eliminate friction!!" That’s the goal most of us have when it comes to leading a team, or a church, or a company. But what if friction is actually the key to getting things moving in the right direction?

Scripture: Genesis 1:1

Tags: leadership, strategy, conflict, Teamwork, Tension, pastoral leadership, Friction, Team Dynamics, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

If You're Going To Do Church That Way, Do It Well

By Karl Vaters on Nov 30, 2023

Churches don’t become great by adding more programs. They get better at the ones they already have.

Tags: liturgy, Denomination, Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, church leadership, People Over Programs, Form and Substance, Do What's right, e  (view more)  (view less)

What If We Made Disciples And Left Church Growth To God?

By Karl Vaters on Sep 6, 2022

If we prioritized health, not as a means to growth, but as an end in itself, would we be in a greater position to represent Jesus to the world?

Tags: Discipleship, Church Growth, Make Disciples, great commission, pastoral leadership, church ministry, Growth Strategy, Equip the Saints  (view more)  (view less)

What Does It Really Mean To "Go Deeper”?

By Alan Danielson on May 2, 2020

Alan Danielson offers his take on one of the most overrated comments in the church today.

Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7, Colossians 2:7

Tags: Thought, Church, leadership, Preaching, spiritual growth, Leadership, preaching, church  (view more)  (view less)

God’s Great Evangelistic Plan

By Peter Mead on Sep 27, 2022

"God’s plan to reach people with the gospel is not primarily evangelists or apologists, although both are vitally important. God’s plan to reach people with the gospel is the church."

Tags: Evangelism, Church, Testimony, great commission, Church Purpose of, Evangelism How To, gospel proclamation, Enjoy God, evangelism, church  (view more)  (view less)

Five Essential Reasons For Christians To Gather In Public Worship

By Brian Croft on Nov 2, 2023

Does church attendance really matter? Here are five important reasons why it is essential that every Christian gather with other Christians in the same local church weekly to hear the preaching of God’s Word.

Scripture: Romans 10:17, Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 13:17

Tags: Community, Discipleship, Church Attendance, church membership, Christian community, Growing in Faith, Connected, Covenant Community, community, church attendance  (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)

Shepherd God’s Flock: Equipping God’s People

By Chris Pascarella on Nov 7, 2022

"According to Scripture, pastors are called to equip the flock to do the work of ministry!"

Scripture: Romans 12:4-8, Ephesians 4:11-12

Tags: Called to serve, be the church, Church Body of Christ, pastoral leadership, equipped for service, Equipping Disciples, Equipping The Body, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Jesus Didn’t Wake Up This Morning Depressed By The Size Of Your Church

By Karl Vaters on Apr 18, 2022

Jesus knows what happened and didn’t happen in church last Sunday.

Tags: Depression, Marriage Faithfulness, Church Attendance, God's perspective, e, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

Leading *chreasters* To Christ: 8 Ideas

By SermonCentral on Apr 3, 2020

Here's how you can reach the people who attend your church only on Christmas and Easter.

Tags: Church, Outreach, New, interest

Preaching Tip: Encourage Your Audience

By Peter Mead on Mar 25, 2020

Everyone needs encouragement. And yet, strangely, it's often absent from a significant amount of preaching.

Scripture: Proverbs 29:25, Romans 15:4-5

Tags: Preaching, encouragement, Church Growth

Smaller Churches Have At Least Five Advantages—do You Know Them?

By Brandon O'brien on Nov 14, 2019

Leverage these characteristics, and you'll see greater ministry success.

Tags: Preaching, Small Church, Save

What Does It Mean To Have The Heart Of A Pastor?

By Lance Witt on Apr 24, 2024

What qualities make a leader great? Hebrews describes the most important quality: heart. But what does it mean to have the heart of a pastor?

Scripture: Hebrews 5:1, Exodus 28:29-30, Jeremiah 3:15

Tags: Heart, Pastors, Church leaders

The Leadership Quality Nobody Talks About

By Lance Witt on Jan 4, 2022

Jesus did not come to cajole or manipulate people. He did not come to debate or lead by forceful personality. He never tried to gather a crowd or build an organization. He never marketed himself or developed his “brand”. Instead, he exemplified this quality that we all need.

Scripture: Matthew 12:19-20, Hebrews 5:2

Tags: Church leaders, Jesus' leadership

Preach The Past: Discover Powerful Illustrations And Lessons From Church History

By Chris Surber on Apr 16, 2019

A working knowledge of Church history teaches us to be humble. Our footprints aren’t the first tracks on this road.

Scripture: Acts 2:13-40, Acts 25:1-17

Tags: