In Preaching Articles:

What Your Gospel Message Reveals About Your View Of The Gospel

By Ray Hollenbach on Sep 6, 2025

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

Tags: Ministry, Preaching, conflict, redemption, gospel message, ministry, preaching  (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 23, 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: believer, Preaching, Congregation, Generation, spiritual health, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Three Foundational Passages For Growing Disciples Of Jesus

By Ray Hollenbach on Jul 17, 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: Jesus, Gospel, Growth, Discipleship, Disciples, gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Change Your Ministry: Ten Books, Ten Months

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 25, 2025

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

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

The Secret Ingredient For Effective Ministry

By Ray Hollenbach on Jun 17, 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 8, 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: Joy, Preaching, benediction, benefit, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Preaching: A Ten-Year Conversation

By Ray Hollenbach on Apr 30, 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 16, 2025

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

Scripture: Hebrews 3:1-6

Tags: Preaching, preaching

Church Discipline, Short Skirts, And Angry Deacons

By Ray Hollenbach on Mar 11, 2025

Loving someone enough to help them find freedom from their fears and appetites is the heart of church discipline.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 5:1

Tags: Discipleship, Preaching, Church General, preaching

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

By Ray Hollenbach on Dec 10, 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 30, 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: Grace, Preaching, King, Tyrant, too small, grace, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

The Current Of Thanksgiving

By Ray Hollenbach on Nov 18, 2024

A simple prayer is taking root in me, teaching me the deep wisdom of gratitude, and changing my life.

Scripture: Psalm 73:28

Tags: Thanksgiving, gratitude, give thanks, Prayer with thanks

Preach The Way The Bible Preaches--Tell Stories!

By Ray Hollenbach on Nov 12, 2024

Those of us who feed God's flock must become God's storytellers. Here's the journey we must take.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-9, Exodus 17:8-16

Tags: Parable, Preaching, narrative, storytelling, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Why The Church? Six Preaching Points

By Ray Hollenbach on Oct 9, 2024

It's popular today to meet with friends at a coffee shop and call it "church." Popular, but wrong.

Tags:

Growing Grace In God's Garden: The Church

By Ray Hollenbach on Mar 22, 2023

We have created a Christendom where we can choose churches the way most people choose restaurants: according to our individual tastes. How can we grow in grace when we a free to wander from one family to another?

Scripture: Luke 15:1-32, Ephesians 2:5-10

Tags: Preaching, preaching