In Sermon Illustrations: "Church Small Groups"

Giving Tithes And Offering To Your Local Church

Contributed by Rev. Vinod Rasaily on Oct 19, 2016

Believers must understand that Church is the backbone of mission and therefore must be faithful in bringing their tithes and offering to their local Church. Some Church goers who live outside of their home town would not commit themselves to support the Church which they are attending, instead they ...read more

Scripture: Malachi 3:10-11

Tags: Tithes And Offering, Christian Giving, Giving To God

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Church Attendance In The Usa At An All-Time Low

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Mar 5, 2022

During the First Great Awakening, 20 percent of the colonial population came to Christ and joined churches. Today, less than 20 percent regularly attend church. Discussed at length in his book The American Church in Crisis, David Olson conducted research showing that only 17.5 percent of the ...read more

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14

Tags: America, Revival, Church Attendance, Evangelism, Church, Worship  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Things You Will Never Hear In Most Churches!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 20, 2022

THINGS YOU WILL NEVER HEAR IN MOST CHURCHES! "Hey! It’s my turn to sit on the front pew!" "I was so excited, I never even noticed your sermon went over time 25 minutes!" "Personally, I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf." "I volunteer to be the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 2:14

Tags: Church, Complaining, Pastors, Laziness, Church Members, Gossip, Murmuring, Division  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Six Major Heresies Confronting The Church Today

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 11, 2024

Since that very moment in the Garden of Eden when a single bite shattered the harmony of the world, man has tried to make his own way, be his own master, and set up his own kingdom. It's nothing new. Nevertheless, if we want to be faithful followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this ...read more

Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-4

Tags: Scripture, Discernment, Truth, Legalism, Word Of God, Last Days, New Age Movement, Hyper Grace, Emerging Church, Doctrine, Heresy, False Teachers, Pastors, Universalism, Prosperity Gospel  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

When Church Makes You Throw Up!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

Marty, a little boy, was in church one Sunday with his mother Doris, when he started feeling sick. 'Mummy,' he inquired, 'can we leave now?' 'No,' his mother replied, 'the service isn't over yet.' 'Well, I think I'm about to throw up.' Marty ...read more

Tags: Church, Children, Mothers, Sick

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Why Teens Go To Church The #1 Reason (44%) Say, ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

Why Teens Go to Church The #1 reason (44%) say, It makes me feel closer to God. 24% go to learn about God, 8% because their parents make them go, 10% because they can be with other Christians, 5% because they like their Sunday School class and 10% for a various other reasons. Youth group is a big ...read more

Scripture: Luke 12:13-21

Tags: Evangelism How To

Someone Tells About A Man With A Psychological ...  PRO

Contributed by Dana Chau on Jul 1, 2003

Someone tells about a man with a psychological problem. This man walks around all day believing that he is dead. His family is tired and frustrated by his delusion, because dead people don’t contribute to the living. To solve the problem, the wife of this man set an appointment with a ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of, Church General

Denomination: *other

Fewer Churchgoers Since ‘91, The Adult Population ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 18, 2006

Fewer Churchgoers Since ‘91, the adult population in the U.S. has grown by 15%. But during that same period, according to a new Barna Group study, the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 ...read more

Tags: Church General

The Important Thing Is To Start, To Lay A Plan ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"The important thing is to start, to lay a plan and then follow it step-by-step no matter how small or ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Mennonites Merge: In A Vote Eclipsing All ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 16, 2006

Mennonites Merge: In a vote eclipsing all expectations, the Mennonite Church (based in Elkhart, Ind.) and the General Conference Mennonite Church (based in Newton, Kan.) merged to form the Mennonite Church USA. The new denomination brings together the 125,000 members of the two groups. Over ...read more

Tags: Church General

Fewer Protestants: A University Of Chicago Survey ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 20, 2006

Fewer Protestants: A University of Chicago survey shows U.S. Protestants are now 52% of the population, down from 62% in ‘93, and may no longer be the nation’s largest religious group by year’s end. The 52% included about 2% of respondents who said they were Church ...read more

Tags: Church General

When You See A Man With A Great Deal Of Religion ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 10, 2006

“When you see a man with a great deal of religion displayed in his shop window, you may depend upon it, he keeps a very small ...read more

Tags: Church General

Last Week, Bernie Came To The Church Door. He ...  PRO

Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Oct 9, 2002

Last week, Bernie came to the church door. He showed up about five minutes before I was getting ready to leave for an appointment, and my first response to his arrival was, oh, no, not now. Bernie had been drinking – I could smell it on his breath. He was sweating profusely and was a little bit ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:13-20

Tags: Fellowship

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The La Times Recently Stated "Pastors Are The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 6, 2006

The LA Times recently stated “Pastors are the single most occupationally frustrated group in America.” Eventually 30%-40% of religious leaders drop out of the ministry and about 75% go through a period of stress so great that they consider quitting. Incidents of mental breakdown are so high that ...read more

Tags: Church General

A Joke To Share When Attendance In The First Service Begins To Drop

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Nov 12, 2024

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. The plaque was covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:25

Tags: Church, Worship, Pastors, Attending Church, Dead Churches  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

According To The Latest Survey From Gallup, The ...

Contributed by Bumble Ho on Sep 26, 2005

According to the latest survey from Gallup, the number one reason for people joining a church is because “they like the pastor” (55%). The number one reason for leaving a church other than relocation is “disappointment with the pastor” D. Michael Lindsay, ...read more

Tags: Church General, Church Body Of Christ

Denomination: Christian Missionary Alliance

If It Moves, Sin!

Contributed by Mark Brunner on Dec 4, 2005

Chuck Swindoll writes: “One of my favorite stories comes from a man who used to be in our church. He and his wife were close friends of our family, but they have now moved to another part of the country. We really miss their joyful presence. When he was a youth worker many years ago in an ethnic ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:15

Tags: Church Practices

Denomination: Lutheran

If Youre Willing To Plan For A Wide Range Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 12, 2007

"if youre willing to plan for a wide range of small and large disastersthus reducing the potential for you and others to be caught off-guardyou can actually be more aggressive, and thus more likely to avert setbacks. ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Why Do Companies Outgrow Their Founders? Founders ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 16, 2006

Why Do Companies Outgrow Their Founders? Founders get stuck in habits that worked when they started the company. They made all the decisions, did everything themselves. Now they have to build teams, create plans, build an infrastructure. The founder ...read more

Tags: Church General

More Born Again New Barna Research Finds 45% Of ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Feb 20, 2007

More Born Again New Barna research finds 45% of all U.S. adults meet the Barna Group “born again” criteria. That’s up from 31% in ‘83. It hovered in the 36% to 43% range from ‘92 through ‘05. The current figure represents the largest single-year increase since ‘91. A 16-point rise among Baby ...read more

Tags: Church General