In Preaching Articles:

The Shocking Truth About Growing In Jesus

By Ray Hollenbach on Nov 9, 2025

Would you like to be a radical, against-the-gain follower of Jesus? Suggest this radical solution.

Scripture: Acts 11:19-26

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Why The Church? Six Bold Preaching Points

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 27, 2025

The bottom line is this: Church is God’s idea, and we ignore it at our peril.

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-15

Tags: Equip, Church's witness, preaching, Forgiveness, Preaching  (view more)  (view less)

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

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 20, 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

5 Preaching Gems For Maundy Thursday

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 1, 2025

The Last Supper: More than history, more than a painting, it's the living example of how to go through stressful times.

Tags: preaching, Jesus, Easter, Preaching, Easter Maundy Thursday, the last supper  (view more)  (view less)

What Your Gospel Message Reveals About Your View Of The Gospel

By Ray Hollenbach on Sep 5, 2025

When we preach we plant seeds, but what will grow from the seeds we plant?

Tags: redemption, gospel message, ministry, preaching, Ministry, Preaching, conflict  (view more)  (view less)

What Kind Of Christians Will People Be If They Listen To Your Sermons For A Decade?

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 22, 2025

Beyond the weekly phrase, "Good word, Preacher," the spiritual lives of the people in your church provide excellent feedback regarding the effectiveness of your preaching.

Tags: spiritual health, preaching, believer, Preaching, Congregation, Generation  (view more)  (view less)

Three Foundational Passages For Growing Disciples Of Jesus

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 16, 2025

"Try to imagine talking about your subject every single day for two years. If the idea still thrills you, you've found your topic."

Tags: Growth, Discipleship, Disciples, gospel, Jesus, Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Change Your Ministry: Ten Books, Ten Months

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 24, 2025

The well-rounded preacher draws from multiple sources. How wide is your reading?

Tags: writer, ministry, Ministry, inspiration, book  (view more)  (view less)

The Secret Ingredient For Effective Ministry

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 16, 2025

What if there were a way to open the floodgates of heaven for other people? What if YOU could have this secret?

Scripture: John 5:9-16

Tags: Ministry, Humble, Humility, effective, humble heart, ministry  (view more)  (view less)

Preacher: Don't Forget The Benediction

By Ray Hollenbach on May 7, 2025

There's a rich vein of life even in the verses that close each Epistle. Have you ever preached a benediction?

Scripture: Jude 1:24-25, 1 Timothy 4:1-2, 2 Timothy 2:1-3, Ruth 4:1-15, 1 Corinthians 15:58  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: Preaching, benediction, benefit, preaching, Joy  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching: A Ten-Year Conversation

By Ray Hollenbach on Apr 29, 2025

After we step down from the pulpit, we are still involved in the lives of our people. In fact, their lives become an indicator of how effective our preaching really is.

Scripture: Jeremiah 2:13

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Is Your Leadership The Moses Model Or The Jesus Model?

By Ray Hollenbach on Apr 15, 2025

"He was the shepherd, they were the sheep—and sheep do not morph into shepherds."

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Good & Bad Cases Of Church Discipline

By Ray Hollenbach on Mar 10, 2025

A real church incident exposes why believers distrust discipline. Yet Scripture shows discipline is meant to heal, not harm, calling us to restore one another with Christ’s presence.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18, Hebrews 13, Philippians 3, Galatians 6  (view more)  (view less)

Tags: pastoral care, Pastoral Care

Grace Is A Divine Scandal, And That's How You Should Preach It

By Ray Hollenbach on Dec 9, 2024

Grace can be abused, grace can be played the fool, grace can be wasted--but grace doesn't care. Grace is the divine scandal.

Scripture: Galatians 2:21

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Do We Preach A Grace That's Too Small?

By Ray Hollenbach on Nov 29, 2024

We've lined up the chairs in neat little rows and called it grace. We never noticed: it has broken free.

Scripture: Numbers 4:1-4

Tags: preaching, Grace, Preaching, King, Tyrant, too small, grace  (view more)  (view less)