In Sermon Illustrations: "Healthy Churches"

The Reason Behind An Unusual Hymn Singing ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2009

The Reason Behind an Unusual Hymn Singing Practice is Discovered Sometime in the last decade of twentieth century, a young pastor who was a fresh graduate from a renowned seminary was assigned to shepherd an old church in a remote village. The church was founded and built sometime in the late ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:3-8

Tags: Church Practices

Most Segregated Hour Of The Week

Contributed by Engleburg Toney on Jan 18, 2010

MOST SEGREGATED HOUR OF THE WEEK Time magazine, in its January 11, 2010 issue, had an article in it about what a Chicago megachurch was doing to integrate its congregation. It even cited a quote from Dr. King. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. famously declared that "11 o’clock Sunday morning is the ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Seventh-Day Adventist

Sir Thomas Beecham, The British Conductor, Once ...

Contributed by Paul Green on Feb 5, 2010

Sir Thomas Beecham, the British conductor, once saw a distinguished-looking woman in a hotel foyer. And he was sure that he knew her from somewhere, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember where or her name. But he stopped to talk to her anyway. And as the pair talked he vaguely remembered ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Baptist

When Barbara Bush Visited Tokyo She Was Lunching ...

Contributed by Paul Green on Feb 5, 2010

When Barbara Bush visited Tokyo she was lunching with Emperor Hirohito at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. Looking around her elegant surroundings, she complimented Hirohito on his official residence. "Thank you," he said. "Is it new?" pressed Mrs. Bush. "Yes." "Was the old palace just so old that it ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Baptist

Wm Barclay Once Said, "Jesus Did Not Say You Are ...

Contributed by John Perry on Feb 8, 2010

Wm Barclay once said, "Jesus did not say you are the light of the church. He said ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Pentecostal

Keep Your Fire Hot  PRO

Contributed by John Perry on Feb 8, 2010

Keep Your Fire Hot A pastor went to visit a man who had been absent from church for some time. When the pastor arrived at the house of his wayward parishioner he found him sitting by a fire of glowing coals. The man fully expected his pastor to rebuke him for his tardy attendance at services. But ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:24-25

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Pentecostal

We're Building Two A Day

Contributed by Bobby Scobey on Feb 22, 2010

WE'RE BUILDING TWO A DAY In the 1880s the Methodist Church was privileged to have a leader named C. C. McCabe. He was a church extension pioneer and strategist, and a great achiever he was. One day he was on a train, riding out to the Pacific Northwest to help develop and launch a strategy for ...read more

Tags: Church Growth

Denomination: Pentecostal

The Love For God's House

Contributed by Donnie Martin on Apr 14, 2010

THE LOVE FOR GOD'S HOUSE No wonder the Psalmist longed for God’s House. It is sad that many people, even some who claim to know Christ, take so little interest in His church-—the Church He purchased with His own blood. Some people only show up on important occasions in life. The only time the ...read more

Tags: Church General

Denomination: Baptist

Whose Side Are You ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 4, 2010

Whose Side Are You On? A story is told about a believer who was stone cold deaf. Despite this, they faithfully attended and participated in the local church of which they were a member. When asked why they bothered, they said, “I want everyone to know ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25

Tags: Church General

Priorities In Life And ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 9, 2010

Priorities in Life and Church Several years ago, because of all the tornados in the area, a developer in Tulsa, Oklahoma, offered an optional tornado-safe room in the new homes he was selling. Nine of the first ten buyers opted to pay the extra $2,500 for the room, which can also be used as a ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Decline Of Christianity In America  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 30, 2010

DECLINE OF CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA North America is the only continent on earth where Christianity is not growing. Only 17.5% of the population of the US attends church on a regular Sunday. During the 1990’s there was a 19.4% decline in church attendance. 85% of churches in America are ...read more

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47

Tags: Church Growth

How To Hug

Contributed by Sermon Central on Aug 4, 2010

HOW TO HUG A man walked by a book store, and in the window saw a book with the title How to Hug. Being somewhat of a romantic, he went in to buy the book. To his disappointment, he discovered that it was a volume of an encyclopedia covering the subjects "How" to "Hug." Everyone knows that the ...read more

Scripture: Romans 14:17-20

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Change

Contributed by Larry Wilson on Aug 7, 2010

Bound by Tradition Warren Wiersbe tells us, “Over the years I have seen churches . . . flounder and almost destroy themselves in futile attempts to embalm the past and escape the future. Their theme song was, ‘As it was in the beginning, so shall it ever be, world without end, Amen.’ Often I’ve ...read more

Tags: Church, Change

Denomination: Baptist

Walking In A Rut

Contributed by Martin Wiles on Aug 23, 2010

WALKING IN A RUT Have you ever felt as if you were in a rut? Some years ago, me, my brother and daughter went hiking on the Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina, Tennessee border. It is an area called the Bald Mountains because you actually walk over the tops of the mountains. It is grasslands ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

Think Steps, Not Programs

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Oct 5, 2010

THINK STEPS, NOT PROGRAMS In his book, Seven Practices of Effective Ministry, Andy Stanley writes: "Think Steps, Not Programs" (p. 88). The idea is this: Instead of having a strategic vision that focuses on programs, you have a strategic vision of a people-process, a pathway that takes people from ...read more

Tags: Church Practices

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Loss Of Original Purpose

Contributed by Sermon Central on Oct 23, 2010

LOSS OF ORIGINAL PURPOSE In the town of Delburne, Alberta, there was an old water tower built in 1926. Standing empty, the building was bought by two men who wanted to turn it into a dining and cocktail lounge. Plans called for a bar to be built on the second floor. Something similar has already ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 30:1-2

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Looks Great, But What Does It Do?

Contributed by Isaac Butterworth on Dec 17, 2010

LOOKS GREAT, BUT WHAT DOES IT DO? I once read about a certain Mr. Wahlstrom who purchased an old bombsight and took it apart to see what made it work. As he began to put it back together, he decided to add to it some spare parts he had from other projects. Over time, friends and neighbors took an ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Only Copy The Original

Contributed by Allan Kircher on Feb 11, 2011

ONLY COPY THE ORIGINAL By studying the book of Acts we'll give ourselves a biblical STANDARD to follow. This is important because the sad truth is many churches don't pattern themselves after God's original design. Instead they organize themselves and operate according to the latest trend. They ...read more

Tags: Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

Self-Centered Christianity  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 6, 2011

SELF-CENTERED CHRISTIANITY John Koessler pastored for years before becoming a professor in the pastoral studies department at Moody Bible Institute. In 2007 he wrote, A Stranger In The House of God, chronicling his experience in various churches. "Most of the Christians I know are disappointed ...read more

Scripture: Titus 1:1-9

Tags: Church Practices

Anna's Stories

Contributed by Sermon Central on Apr 7, 2011

ANNA'S STORIES A thirty-four-year-old German woman named Anna Rosmus recently told the tragic story of what happened in her hometown in Germany during World War II. Speaking at Carson-Newman College in Tennessee, she told of growing up in Passau, Germany, years after the war. As a teenager, she ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:1-7

Tags: Church Purpose Of