In Preaching Articles: "Training Disciples"

Forget Seminaries: What Are You Doing To Train The Next Generation Of Preachers?

By Chris Surber on Aug 15, 2025

We have a lot of people genuinely called, sincerely gifted people who struggle to find their way past the gatekeepers in our churches and denominations.

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-5, Mark 5:24-34

Tags: Discipleship, Gift, Seminary, Next Generation

4 Ways To Keep Your Evangelistic Edge In Preaching

By J. John on Apr 1, 2020

Evangelistic preaching flows from a heart on fire for the lost. Be yourself, be prayerful, be clear, and be practical so the gospel connects and bears fruit.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 4:5, 2 Corinthians 5:14, Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 13:13-15, James 1:22  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Evangelism, evangelism, Evangelism Training

Preaching That Makes Disciples: Three Texts You Must Preach

By Ray Hollenbach on Sep 13, 2022

For anyone who longs to preach about something more than a fire-insurance relationship with Jesus, these three passages will help you make disciples.

Scripture: Galatians 3:1-15

Tags: Preaching, yoke, Make Disciples, conformed, his image, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

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

By Karl Vaters on Sep 5, 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)

Does Our Culture Make Kids Feel Ashamed Of Their Faith?

By Focus On The Family on Sep 8, 2022

As Christians, we all know how important it is to equip kids with a sense of joy in reading God’s Word and the confidence to freely express their faith in Jesus. But that goal is becoming more difficult in today’s culture.

Tags: Apologetics The Bible, Training children, Children's Faith

You Can Make A Difference As We Make A Difference Together

By SermonCentral .com on Mar 8, 2021

Two thousand years ago, Jesus gathered some ordinary misfits into a little community called the church. He trained them as his disciples, died for their sins, rose again and breathed life into them by sending his Holy Spirit.

Tags: Outreach, Preaching, Difference, preaching

A Modest Proposal: Less Sermon Prep In Favor Of More Time Making Disciples?

By Bill Couchenour on Sep 5, 2021

Is it possible to reach the U.S. for Jesus in less than a decade by cutting sermon prep time in half?

Scripture: Matthew 7:24-28

Tags: Jesus, Outreach, Preaching, Disciples, sermon prep, Sermon Prep  (view more)  (view less)

4 Reasons Why You Should Share The Pulpit

By Kevin Larson on Aug 15, 2024

Sharing the pulpit strengthens the church, protects the pastor, and equips future leaders. Fear and pride keep pastors from doing it, but the cost is too high to ignore.

Scripture: Ephesians 4:12, 1 Timothy 5:17, 2 Timothy 2:2, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 5:2  (view more)  (view less)

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

Ugly Preaching Can Be Powerful

By Jamie Stilson on Feb 22, 2023

Preaching should be a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, not a display of our wisdom. One pastor calls it "ugly preaching."

Scripture: James 2:1-10

Tags: Preaching, training, Holy Spirit's Power, ugly preaching, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

4 Steps To A Friendlier Church (The G.i.f.t. Plan)

By SermonCentral .com on Dec 15, 2021

Genuine friendships are becoming more rare – and thus, of greater perceived value – than any other aspect of modern church life.

Tags: relationships, Friendliness, Friendship New Friends, Equipping Disciples

7 Keys To Increasing Your Church's Footprint

By Jim Morgan on Dec 21, 2021

Jesus modeled discipleship and community engagement as an example for His Church to follow. He felt a small number of highly effective disciples would cover much more ground than a slew of casual followers.

Tags: Outreach, Missional, Make Disciples, local church purpose

Increasing Youth Retention And Involvement In Your Church

By John Gilman Ii on Mar 23, 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)

Is Street Preaching Worth It?

By Greg Stier on Jul 25, 2024

Street evangelism can spark sincere conversions, but it rarely produces lasting disciples. Real impact requires shifting from cold conversations to relational disciple making.

Scripture: Matthew 28:19, Romans 10:13, Acts 2:42, Colossians 1:28, 1 Thessalonians 2:8  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Witness, Discipleship, great commission, Great Commission

9 Things I Learned From Preaching About Homosexuality

By Josh Reich on Mar 3, 2021

Your language and tone tells your church how to communicate it. Not only are you training your church what to believe about homosexuality, but you are also training them how to talk about it, what they will sound like.

Tags: Preaching, Homosexuality

Why Kids Need Exegetical Bible Teaching For The Long Haul

By Cameron Cole on Nov 14, 2022

"Preparing kids to face the real world on their own is scary and daunting. There are only so many things we can do and there are no guarantees. Within the realm of things, we can control resides the teaching of God’s word."

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16

Tags: Discipleship, teach, parenting, Equip, parenthood, Youth Ministry, guard the truth, child training  (view more)  (view less)