In Preaching Articles: "Too Small"

8 Reasons Why Most Churches Never Break The 200 Attendance Mark

By Carey Nieuwhof on Jul 14, 2023

While social media and even traditional media are still preoccupied with mega churches and multi-site churches, the reality is that most churches in North America are quite small.

Tags: leadership, Change, Church Growth, Small Church, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

3 Reasons Why I Give My Listeners Homework (And Why You Should, Too)

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 21, 2025

When we ask something more of our congregation we will quickly discover whether we are preaching for spiritual entertainment or spiritual formation.

Tags: Discipleship

Why Successful Churches Aren’t Turning The World Upside-Down – But The Outcasts Might

By SermonCentral .com on Jul 31, 2023

Jesus was the most culture-challenging, paradigm-shifting, tradition-breaking, change agent who ever lived.

Tags: leadership, Small Church, church in society, prophetic voice, Leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Increasing Youth Retention And Involvement In Your Church

By John Gilman Ii on Mar 24, 2021

Families have long been the cornerstone of church congregations. Parents bring their children to church every Sunday. At a certain point, it becomes the children’s choice and responsibility to decide if they want to continue going to church every Sunday or not. That’s why it’s so important to show your children God’s grace and make Him a priority in their life from an early age.

Scripture: Malachi 2:15, Proverbs 22:6

Tags: Youth, Small groups, Equipping Disciples, Youth Ministry, paying attention  (view more)  (view less)

Thinking About Expository Preaching—part 1

By Ed Stetzer on Mar 2, 2022

Expository is the best form of preaching, except for the other good styles, too.

Tags: pastor, Preacher, sermon prep, sermon, Expository Preaching, Pastor, Sermon Prep, Sermon, preacher, expository preaching, Sermon prep  (view more)  (view less)

Meaningless Chatter: 3 Traps Every Preacher Should Avoid

By Peter Mead on Feb 21, 2020

Do you have any stock phrases that come out too easily?

Tags: Preaching

Sexual Fire Has Its Place: In The Home Hearth

By SermonCentral .com on Feb 14, 2023

No pastor sets out to cheat on their spouse, but it happens all too frequently. Why?

Scripture: Proverbs 6:23-26

Tags: Lust, temptation, Sex, Fire, biblical sexuality  (view more)  (view less)

When (And Why) To Shake Off The Dust And Move On

By Ben Sternke on Aug 15, 2020

We can too easily normalize fruitlessness in the name of faithfulness. There's a big difference.

Tags: Discipleship, Missions, Church Growth, church planting, Evangelism The Lost  (view more)  (view less)

Growth Barriers, Effective Evangelism And Dangerous Church Trends

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 31, 2024

“A good leader is someone who is out in front of his people, but not too far…”

Tags:

The Top 3 Reasons Church Growth Ideas Usually Fail In Smaller Churches

By Karl Vaters on Aug 31, 2022

We're often told that small churches are failing at church growth. But sometimes church growth ideas are failing in smaller churches.

Tags: Church Growth, Context, pastoral leadership, Church Attendance, church ministry, rural church, Growth Strategy, Urban Church, context, church attendance  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching The Truth At Weddings

By SermonCentral .com on May 19, 2025

John Piper managed to offend people by simply preaching the truth at weddings. Maybe you should, too.

Tags: Wedding, Preaching, Offend, e, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

7 Last-Minute Tips To Avoid An Ineffective Sermon

By Ken Collins on Oct 2, 2024

Check what you have planned for tomorrow--can you avoid these all-too-common traps?

Scripture: Luke 10:25-37

Tags: Preaching, aim, lecture, irrelevant, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Adapt Or Fail: 6 Steps Any Church Can Take

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 29, 2025

Small churches have the ability to adapt more quickly than our larger counterparts. Like steering a speedboat instead of an ocean liner.

Scripture: Exodus 23:20-33

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Brandon Cox: 3 Unique Christmas Series You Can Preach

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 4, 2023

After a few minutes of brainstorming, Brandon Cox could approach the holidays in a variety of ways. You can, too.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Does Your Preaching Wield A Sword Or An Anvil?

By Peter Mead on Sep 16, 2024

God's word is a living and active sword. Peter Mead suggests that too often preachers try to drop an anvil on their listeners.

Scripture: Hebrews 4:12, Jeremiah 23:29

Tags: Preaching, living word, words, Sword, Impact, Heavy, anvil, preaching  (view more)  (view less)