In Sermon Illustrations: "church planting"

Church Membership Vows  PRO

Contributed by Jim Kane on Jan 28, 2003

Church Membership Vows Will you ___________, take your church to be your church; to live together in the holy covenant of membership? Will you love, comfort, honor, and keep your church and be faithful to your church as long as you live? Do you ___________, take your church to be your church, from ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Church Of God

The Cradle Of The Church Was The Marketplace. ...

Contributed by Davon Huss on Sep 7, 2004

The cradle of the church was the marketplace. From the preaching and public ministry of Jesus to the daily acts of the apostles, the central scene was the marketplace. Perhaps the greatest need for our day is the need to market Jesus Christ. The church must become expert in marketing: Not in ...read more

Tags: Workplace Evangelism

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Church Is A Hospital For Sinners  PRO

Contributed by James Vilgos on Nov 18, 2005

Church is a Hospital for sinners: A Some are content with placebos, fake medicines that you think are healing you so you feel good. Things that get you excited like music, a joke in the sermon, an emotional speaker things that they receive as entertainment and you think that is the Holy ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Orthodox

The Rich Family In Church  PRO

Contributed by Rick Stacy on Jan 29, 2006

The Rich Family in Church by Eddie Ogan I’ll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14, my little sister Ocy was 12 and my older sister Darlene was 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. My dad had died five years before, leaving Mom with ...read more

Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Tags: Giving, Giving General, Tithe, Sacrifice

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Irritation In A Church Service

Contributed by K. Edward Skidmore on Apr 18, 2006

Irritation in a Church Service: It is not all that strange for people to come to church and be dissatisfied with something going on there. On the two occasions I had recently to sit out in the audience at church with my family I noticed myself focusing on things like the temperature of the room ...read more

Tags: Worship Purpose

Denomination: Christian/Church Of Christ

Is The Church On The Endangered List?  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Aug 18, 2006

** IS THE CHURCH ON THE ENDANGERED LIST? Many Americans are on a spiritual quest. This should be good news for the church. But, according to researchers, many of them are choosing noninstitutional forms of religion. A recent poll by Gallup shows that weekly church attendance is holding steady at ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 71:18

Tags: Sanctuary, Church General

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Sick Of My Church

Contributed by Paul Humphrey on Sep 3, 2006

Sez I to myself, as I grumbled and growled, Im sick of my church, and then how I scowled. The members unfriendly, the sermons too long; In fact, it seems that everything’s wrong. I don’t like the singing; the church a disgrace For signs of neglect are all over the place. I’ll quit going there, and ...read more

Tags: Responsibility

Denomination: United Methodist

The Church Is Not A Dormitory For Sleepers, It ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The church is not a dormitory for sleepers, it is an institution for workers; it is not a rest ...read more

Tags: Church General

The Problem Is Not That The Churches Are Filled ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The problem is not that the churches are filled with empty pews, but that the pews ...read more

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

Marks Of A Healthy Church  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 19, 2009

Marks of a Healthy Church Walt Disney was a dreamer. His crowning vision was EPCOT; Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. He envisioned the perfect city of 20,000 using all of the most modern advances technology. One problem, Walt Disney died before his cream was ever realized. His dream ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 3:1-22

Tags: Church Purpose Of

The Church's Greatest Troublemakers  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2009

THE CHURCH'S GREATEST TROUBLEMAKERS Preacher and Bible commentator, John Stott, said this in his exposition of Paul's letter to the Galatians: "To tamper with the gospel is to trouble the church... Indeed the church's greatest troublemakers (now as then) are not those outside who oppose, ridicule ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 1:6-10

Tags: False Teaching

The Church's Identity And Purpose

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 15, 2009

THE CHURCH'S IDENTITY AND PURPOSE In his book, The Family of God, Batsell Barrett Baxter says the following: "There are some who think of the church as an organization like other organizations. It is true that the church is an organization, but it is not primarily an organization. Rather, it is ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 1:21-23

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Church-Hopping Stats

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Mar 15, 2010

CHURCH-HOPPING STATS Surveys show that as much as 85 percent of church membership growth is made up of people who church-hop. Other surveys show that there has been no real growth in church membership in recent ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Pentecostal

Importance Of Church Friendships  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 9, 2010

IMPORTANCE OF CHURCH FRIENDSHIPS A new Gallup study commissioned by Group Publishing shows that people with close friendships in their church are very satisfied with their congregation, less likely to leave their place of worship, and have a strong friendship with God. Church members who have a ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42

Tags: Church Body Of Christ

No Greater Gift To The Church

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 31, 2010

NO GREATER GIFT TO THE CHURCH Andrew Murray once said, "God has no more precious gift to a church or an age than a man who lives as an embodiment of His will, and inspires those around him with the faith of what grace can do (Andrew Murray, Leadership, Vol. 7, no. 4). Dear friends, by God's ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:10

Tags: Character

A Church Made William ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 3, 2010

A Church Made William Wickham King Edward of England appointed William Wickham to build a church. William Wickham performed his duty and finished by writing in one of the windows, "This work made William Wickham." When the king saw this he confronted William for assuming the honor of building the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:12-13

Tags: Gratitude

The Importance Of Church In The Face Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

The Importance of Church in the Face of Disillusionment The church has fallen on tough times. Sadly, some of the negative perceptions are the church’s fault. Stories of sexual abuse by a few ministers and avarice and greed by others have tarnished the testimony of the church. I am convinced that ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25

Tags: Church General

The Church: The Balm Of Healing  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

THE CHURCH: THE BALM OF HEALING In the book, The Empowered Communicator, Calvin Miller says that most people we come in contact with are silently thinking: • I am loneliness waiting for a friend • I am weeping in want of laughter • I am a sigh in search of consolation • I am a wound in search of ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Burma Shave And The Church  PRO

Contributed by Ed Sasnett on Jun 15, 2010

BURMA-SHAVE AND THE CHURCH Dan Betzer told about the old Burma Shave commercials alongside the roadside. Some of you remember how advertisers would use several well-placed slogans on signs to promote their product. Burma Shave was famous for their billboard advertisements. For example, one ...read more

Tags: Discipleship

Denomination: Baptist

Attending Church Matters

Contributed by Noel Atkinson on Jun 27, 2010

ATTENDING CHURCH MATTERS The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry in spring 1997 released an article that shows older people who base their Christian faith on TV programmes have a higher rate of depression and lower health than the general population. While those who base their Christian life ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Baptist