In Sermon Illustrations: "Pastoral Leadership"

On A Balmy October Afternoon In 1982, Badger ...

Contributed by Charles Wilkerson on Nov 14, 2003

On a balmy October afternoon in 1982, Badger Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, was packed. More than 60,000 die-hard University of Wisconsin supporters were watching their football team take on the Michigan State Spartans. It soon became obvious that MSU had the better team. What seemed odd was ...read more

Tags: Second Coming

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

A Cow Gets Lost  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 12, 2004

A COW GETS LOST Mike Yaconelli writes in The Wittenburg Door: I live in a small, rural community. There are lots of cattle ranches around here, and every once in a while a cow wanders off and gets lost.... Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and chances are he will reply, “Well, the cow starts ...read more

Scripture: Luke 8:4-15

Tags: Parable Lost Sheep

Swindoll States This About "Grace Killers": ...  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Sep 25, 2005

Swindoll states this about “Grace Killers”: There are killers on the loose today. The problem is that you can’t tell by looking. They don’t wear little buttons that give away their identity, nor do they carry signs warning every body to stay away. On the contrary, a lot of them carry Bibles and ...read more

Tags: Faith Vs. Works

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

George Barna Claims "People's Faith Commitment ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 10, 2006

George Barna claims "People’s faith commitment impacts their moral perspectives. There is a clear relationship between a deep Christian commitment and serious concern about the moral state of America. This is one of those moments in history when genuine, fervent leaders of righteous character and ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

George Barna Claims "People's Faith Commitment ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 16, 2006

George Barna claims "People’s faith commitment impacts their moral perspectives. There is a clear relationship between a deep Christian commitment and serious concern about the moral state of America. This is one of those moments in history when genuine, fervent leaders of righteous character and ...read more

Tags: Christian Values

Don Quixote De La Mancha  PRO

Contributed by Wade Martin Hughes, Sr on Jan 27, 2006

Have you ever heard the story of DON QUIXOTE DE LA MANCHA? Don Quixote was called the KNIGHT OF THE SORROWFUL COUNTENANCE! Don Quixote was a knight, he had a horse, he had full armor, and knew important people. Don seemed to have some mental problems. Don decided to go to battle, he grabbed his ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 6:12

Tags: Giving General

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Part Of The Kingdom

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 18, 2007

John Hess Yoder writes in Leadership magazine: While serving as a missionary in Laos, I discovered an illustration of the kingdom of God. Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border areas. Those who ate ...read more

Tags: Heaven

General Lee And The Bitterness Tree

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jun 25, 2009

GENERAL LEE AND THE BITTERNESS TREE In his book, Lee: The Last Years, Charles Bracelen Flood reports that after the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady, who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 4:30-32

Tags: Anger

Is Your Ministry Making Any Difference?

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Feb 12, 2023

Sometimes we think that God is not using us if we are not preaching to thousands every weekend. If you think that, remember this story about the value of one soul! I recently read about an old man, walking the beach at dawn, who noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23

Tags: Ministry, Holy Spirit, Faithfulness, Success, Fruit Of The Spirit, Spirit Filled Life  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Serving Is The Plan Or Strategy Of The Church. ...  PRO

Contributed by Paul Newell on Aug 29, 2001

Serving is the plan or strategy of the church. It’s how we are to do “business”. Just think about how we talk about church…it goes against just about everything in this world…  We call our meetings “services”  We call what we offer – “ministries”  The funds we receive are ...read more

Scripture: John 10:1-10

Tags: Discipleship, Church Purpose Of

Denomination: Baptist

They Were Sitting On The Back Porch Of The ...  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Nov 6, 2004

They were sitting on the back porch of the parsonage and the man said, "Pastor, I’ve got something to tell you. I’ve never told this to a soul, it’s extremely difficult to tell you this now, but my wife and I have had a fight almost every day for the past 30 years of our marriage." The pastor was ...read more

Christmas Present  PRO

Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Dec 16, 2005

Christmas Present It was the day after Christmas at a church in San Francisco. Pastor Mike was looking at the nativity scene outside when he noticed the baby Jesus was missing from the figures. Immediately, Pastor Mike turned towards the church to call the police. But as he was about to do so, ...read more

Tags: Christmas

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Marriage Takes Hard Work

Contributed by Curry Pikkaart on Aug 28, 2012

MARRIAGE TAKES HARD WORK Good marriages are designed in heaven, but they are made on earth. And it takes hard work. It reminds me of the pastor of a big city church who ran an ad for a caretaker/housekeeper. The next day, a well-dressed young man appeared at the pastor's door. But before he ...read more

Tags: Marriage Struggle

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

Tithe And Offiering

Contributed by Rev. Vinod Rasaily on Oct 19, 2016

"I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and musicians responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields." Nehemiah 3:10 The Pastors and Worship team of Jerusalem Church were no where to be found. The reason? They ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 3:10-13

Tags: Tithes And Offering, Giving In Love, Support Mission, Financial Support

Denomination: Assembly Of God

Set Free  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 2, 2008

SET FREE A man said to his pastor: “I am a miserable sinner and there is no help available for me. I have prayed to God, I have tried to be good and I have tried to do the right thing at the right time, but I always seem to fail.” The pastor asked him: “Do you believe in the life, the death, and ...read more

Scripture: Romans 8:1-17

Tags: Forgiveness In Jesus

Looks Great, But Where's ...

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jan 13, 2009

LOOKS GREAT, BUT WHERE’S GOD? I am reminded of the story about how a cowboy ventured right off the range one Sunday and attended church. This was a fine church; one of the town’s best and most influential. And the people wore suits that even Armani couldn’t afford. The problem is the cowboy ...read more

Tags: Worship General

Everybody Ought To Know!

Contributed by Dr. Larry Petton on Jul 17, 2023

I had a friend who pastored in Texas years ago who was going door-to-door to invite people to church and to know Christ. The pastor knocked on one door and an elderly woman answered. He said, “I am here to invite you to our church and to tell you about Jesus Christ. “ The woman said ...read more

Tags: Spiritual Warfare, Angels, Demons, Rebellion, Lucifer, Spirits, Hell, Satan, Devil  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Heart Attacks  PRO

Contributed by Sermon Central on Jul 31, 2008

HEART ATTACKS Did you know that tension exhibits itself in the from of stress? And stress is not always caused by negative things; it is also caused by positive things in your life. For instance, Mike Parker was recovering from a severe heart attack, and the doctor said there should be no ...read more

Tags: Anxiety

Looking At The Light

Contributed by Sermon Central on May 6, 2012

LOOKING AT THE LIGHT A pastor told a story of a man in his congregation who had lost literally hundreds of thousands of dollars. He owed everybody. One day the pastor asked him, "How in the world are you even surviving? How can you smile? How can you be enthusiastic about Jesus and about life when ...read more

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-21

Tags: Trials And Difficulties

Wanting What You Have

Contributed by Spencer Miller on Mar 10, 2013

WANTING WHAT YOU HAVE The story was told of a young preacher who was rejected by the other associate ministers of the Church he attended. They said very little to him and would often talk behind his back. One day he went to the pastor and expressed his intentions of leaving the Church and seeking ...read more

Tags: Jealousy

Denomination: Baptist