In Preaching Articles: "Words Do Hurt"

Improve Your Preaching In 5 Easy Steps Right Now

By Erik Raymond on Aug 18, 2020

Every preacher wants to get better. Erik Raymond offers five things you can do right away to impact your next sermon.

Tags: Preaching

11 Mistakes That Take Your Preaching Focus Off Jesus

By Jared Moore on May 8, 2023

If you want to help your hearers focus on God and think on God when they leave your service, then here are 11 things that you cannot do.

Tags: Jesus, Preaching, mistakes, focus, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Getting Out Of The Sermon Prep Rut

By Matt Brough on Nov 16, 2024

One of the challenges for preachers who have been preaching for some time is that it is much easier to coast, to do less preparation and to simply rely on your experience.

Tags: Sermon Prep, preaching, Sermon prep, Preaching, problem, sermon prep, Preaching Rut  (view more)  (view less)

People Don't Want To Sit And Listen Anymore: 4 Ways To Connect With A New Generation

By SermonCentral .com on Nov 25, 2019

Most people who leave the church aren't leaving God. Many of them are leaving the way we do church to try and find God.

Scripture: Romans 3:21-31, Acts 20:7-12

Tags: Preaching, Listen, Shift, disconnect, distrust  (view more)  (view less)

4 Threats To Every Sermon You Preach

By Lane Sebring on Oct 26, 2019

The reason we have to work harder to gain and keep attention has to do with what competes for the attention of our people every time we preach.

Tags: sermon, threats, Preaching, irrelevant

Plan To Pray

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 28, 2023

I have been a pastor and spend a lot of time talking to pastors, and as I do I learn that one of the struggles many pastors have is prayer.

Tags: Prayer, Spiritual Discipline, Paul on prayer, Intentional Growth

When Pastors Misplace Their Identity: 10 Probing Questions

By Charles Stone on Sep 19, 2022

“No one is more influential in your life than you are, because no one talks to you more than you do.” ––Paul Tripp

Scripture: 1 Samuel 28:1

Tags: Ministry, identity, Identity in Christ, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, church leadership, Right Priorities, self assement, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

7 Ways To Correct A Team Member In A Healthy Way

By Ron Edmondson on Nov 2, 2022

"All of us make mistakes and occasionally need someone to help us become better at what we do. This should always be the end goal of correction."

Scripture: Hebrews 12:11

Tags: church leadership, Leadership, relationships, Restoration, Respect, Biblical truth, Godly Leaders, pastoral leadership, leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Can Something This Simple Supercharge Staff Morale?

By Charles Stone on Nov 21, 2023

Several months ago I began something with our staff that has been a huge hit. It’s simple. Any staff can do it, whether in a church or a business application. And it boosts staff morale and excitement when we do it. I encourage you to try it with your staff. It’s called a “Blue Sky Thinking” morning.

Tags: pastoral leadership, servant leadership, church ministry, Staff Meeting, Leadership, leadership, motivation, inspiration, Solitude  (view more)  (view less)

Who Is Lord Of The Church?

By John Macarthur on Jun 16, 2022

The church today is badly in need of reformation again. And Christ’s lordship over His church is still the central truth we must recover, which requires the unleashing of His Word among His people again. We cannot merely float along with the latest evangelical trends and expect things to get better.

Scripture: Acts 10:42

Tags: Church, Body of Christ, Christ the head, Lord Of The Church, church  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ways To Make Your Church More Accessible

By Rod Arnold on Mar 14, 2025

Here are some smart, practical things you can do to connect with more people in your community and give them a chance to get to know your church.

Tags: Love, Forgiveness, Church, Compassion, Preaching, Together, Church General, Evangelism How To, preaching, church, love  (view more)  (view less)

Dangerous Assumptions That Will Kill Your Message

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jun 22, 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:

Getting Past Your Past

By Lance Witt on Jun 30, 2023

I know that on Sundays we walk into our churches, we smile, we shake hands, and we make nice. We pastor people and we preach from God’s Word. We are very respectable. But I know myself and I’ve worked with pastors way too long to believe that life is that neat and tidy.

Tags:

Why Authentic Preaching Could Be A Trap

By Maurilio Amorim on May 15, 2020

Maurillo Amorim: "I hope we are not creating a culture that encourages people to be authentic about their sins but excuses them from doing the hard work of making things right."

Tags: Preaching, preaching

There's Something Wrong With The Pastoral System

By Ray Hollenbach on May 8, 2020

Gordon MacDonald: "I think we probably need to totally re-define what pastors do in leading our contemporary 21st century church."

Tags: leadership, Preaching, training