Church Announcements That Actually Increase Participation
Does announcing something on Sunday morning translate into more participation?
Father’s Day Sermon: Ideas, Suggestions, and Scriptures
Being a father is difficult and no earthly father (or father figure) is perfect. It would be one thing if everyone in our churches had perfect fathers and zero baggage, and we could discount the poor and misled examples of Hollywood dads. But that isn’t the case.
How To Develop Leaders
Here’s a sentence that no pastor has ever uttered: “Our problem is that we have too many leaders.” Ha! It’s laughable to think that we’d ever have such a problem. Instead, we often have the opposite problem. Not nearly enough leaders to do the ministry that we feel called to do. We need more leaders….
Resistance is Normal
One of my favorite myths about leadership is that leaders get whatever they want. It literally makes me chuckle as I type it. Sure, there are times when leaders get what they want and moments where followers just go along with whatever the leader requests. But mostly there’s resistance. Now, “what the leader wants” is…
How to Cultivate Leadership Reliability
The year my first daughter turned 12 was a doozy. A lot was changing in her world, and it’s hard moving into adolescence. Not only was she entering into middle school and a new phase of church life by participating in youth group, but she was beginning to experience the changes to body and brain…
The Fundamentals Of Leadership
Sometimes we can make things too complicated. That’s why it’s so important to be reminded of the basics. The story is told that legendary pro football coach Vince Lombardi would begin every year’s training camp by gathering the team, holding a ball in the air, and saying, “Gentlemen… this is a football.” As the camp…
Five Leadership Decisions Every Pastor Needs to Make
Part of a leader’s job description is to make decisions. Of course, there’s more to pastoral leadership than decision-making: as pastors we’re caring for people, preparing and preaching sermons, counseling married couples, visiting senior adults, training leaders, organizing ministry, and much more. In the midst of that multi-faceted ministry, we’re also responsible to make decisions….
The Marks of Healthy Leadership
Nobody opts-in to gravity. Gravity is part of reality. You don’t have to like it. You can wish it wasn’t there. You can try to fight against it. But gravity will win — just ask any young boy who strapped wings to his back and took a leap off his family’s roof! Leadership is like…
Sermons About Healing From Trauma
Explore how sermons can be a part of healing from trauma by legitimizing a congregation’s suffering. This blog offers practical sermons and insights to help pastors address emotional struggles from the pulpit, turning the church into a sanctuary for healing and hope. Don’t miss the ten invaluable resources aimed at enriching your ministry.
10 Ways to Grow Community
Want to make your church feel more like a tight-knit community? Our latest blog post gives you 10 awesome ways to do just that. From creating small study groups to using social media for good, we offer tips that will help everyone feel more connected and involved. Check it out to learn how to make your church not just a place to pray, but also a community to call home.
Best 2023 Christmas Sermons
Maximize your impact with these top-tier Christmas sermon series and guides. Each one is about cherishing Jesus Christ, resting in his finished work, and anticipating his triumphant return.
Top Ten Sermons for Fall 2023
When we trade our sunglass for sweaters, it’s time to welcome fall. We typically think about fall as a time for pumpkin spice and football, but fall also is a time of transition for your congregation. People reflect on the past year and look forward to what’s next. They also spend more time thinking about what gives their life meaning and satisfaction. And did you know that more people fall in love in fall than any other season?! We’ve pulled together our top five must-preach sermons for this fall.
How to Create Systems and Processes in Your Small Church
Do Sunday mornings at your church feel scattered or disorganized? Do you feel like you’re constantly putting out fires or duct-taping solutions together “for now?” Maybe your desk is covered in papers and post-it notes, your to-do list is a mile long, and you have several people you need to follow up with… if only…
17 Must-Have Resources for Small Church Pastors
As the pastor of a small church, there are probably many responsibilities you’re doing, not because you want to, but because you have to. Your church is still small. You don’t have a large budget or a large staff, so you end up doing a lot of the work yourself. Yet, you only have so…
4 Common Problems All Small Church Pastors Face
Every church has problems. They come in all shapes and sizes. That’s why episode 3 of the Hello Church! podcast is all about addressing the problems pastors of smaller churches face and how to overcome them. Whether you’re a new pastor or a seasoned leader, this episode is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to…
How to Lead Your Small Church Through Change
Whether you’re the new pastor of a small church or you’ve been the pastor for a while, leading your church through change isn’t always easy. Not only will you need to spend considerable time and energy coming up with and testing new ideas and procedures to figure out what works, but you’ll also have to…
Growing A Small Church
Are you frustrated trying to grow your small church? Maybe it feels as though you’ve hit a plateau, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t get past a certain point. Maybe you have no idea which church growth strategies to try. Or maybe you know exactly which strategies to try… if only you…
At the Movies Sermon Series Ideas for Preachers
Life exists in seasons – so why shouldn’t your sermons? Summer Sermon series meet the community, the church, and the preacher in reality – Summer brings a distinct flavor and pace in contrast with the rest of the year. This is especially true if you have (or want) young families in your church. School being…
Preaching Through Tough Texts
As pastors, we have a responsibility to communicate the gospel clearly and compellingly. Unfortunately, this isn’t always easy to do. Part of being a pastor also means preaching through tough texts that have the potential to cause confusion, hurt, or division among church members. Whether you prefer studying the Bible topically or you prefer to…
Preaching Through Pain
When you became a pastor, were you “signing up” for despair and pain? To be honest, it is part of the equation of leading. Have you modeled healthy leadership during seasons of pain? Sometimes we do, and there will be times when we flat-out make mistakes. In those scenarios, we mend offenses. Likely, many of…
Planning Your Sunday Service
As a pastor, you’ve probably put a great deal of time and effort into learning how to preach an effective sermon. It makes sense, as some might argue that the sermon is the most important aspect of a Sunday morning worship service. Yet, while preparing an impactful sermon is important, it’s only one part of…
Best Practices for Preaching Christmas and Easter Sermons
Each year pastors face the unique challenges that come with preaching through Christmas Eve and Easter sermons. Both holidays bring increased attendance numbers. But with that comes the challenge of keeping the focus on Jesus as families try to get that perfect family photo and juggle their schedules to fit attending church in with family…
How to Preach Through Cultural Events: Tragedy and Controversy
Postures pastors can take from the pulpit as they address headlines, happenings, and major cultural events that are tragic or controversial.
Preaching Gospel Sermon Series
How to preach a sermon series through one or all of the Gospel books. Insights into choosing the length, perspectives, themes, and creating an overall structure of your Gospel sermon series.
Preaching A Great Easter Sermon
The Easter Sunday sermon is the most important Sunday of the year as churches overflow with people eager to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The burden of a pastor is to preach a compelling Easter Sunday sermon that compellingly presents the gospel while connecting with: the unchurched new visitors members who haven’t attended in a…
Preaching Through A Vision Sermon Series
Preaching a vision sermon series is too often relegated to a few select messages at the beginning of the calendar year or the school year. A spotlight is placed on the pathway forward and language emerges appearing to be central to the way forward and then at the end of the series it never shows…
Repurposing Sermons
Turn your messages into a book, social media posts, email newsletter, and other sermon micro content.
How to Preach A Sermon: Best Practices for Delivering Your Message
You’ve done your research, and you’ve nailed down your big idea. You’ve researched sermon illustrations and found several perfect for your sermon and you’re confident in your conclusion. Now there is one minor step left. You’ve got to decide how to preach it. There is a lot to consider when thinking through how to preach…
Great Sermon Series Ideas for the Fall
UPDATED: We have added even more fall sermon series ideas and recommendations! Fall is one of the busiest and important seasons for the church, whether that is with an influx of new visitors, or your Fall is a festive time of year with a fun rhythm of holidays, festivals, football, and everything pumpkin. As a…
Church Sermon Series Graphics Done Right
A church’s sermon series graphics do much more lifting than simply filling the projection screen on a Sunday morning. As archeologists have uncovered artwork from early Christians, we have developed an understanding of how visuals help us remember and understand the stories. They are a powerful reinforcement of the teaching. Art, in general, makes us…
Podcasts Pastors Listen To
Podcasts make a big difference for pastors. If you’re a pastor, you know that finding content for your sermons can be challenging. You also understand that keeping up with the latest trends is essential to inspire and engage your congregation. We’ve put together this list of podcasts that pastors should add to their queue! These…
Best Sermon Introductions for Preachers
Grab the attention of your congregation at the beginning of every sermon. Four questions to help you write a captivating sermon introduction.
Sermons that Connect with Your Audience and Stick
Have you ever had a message fall completely flat? Everyone has. Few feelings are as dire as the one you experience delivering your message knowing with every second that passes, you lose more and more of the audience. The Chevy Guy at the 2014 World Series knows exactly how this feels. There are many different…
How to Become A Better Storyteller In Your Preaching
Where were you when you saw The Passion of the Christ for the first time? Can you remember where you sat? Who you were with? What it was like at the end of the film? The conversations that you had with others in the days that followed? You could have heard the crucifixion story hundreds…
How to Create A Sermon Outline
6 free sermon outline templates plus insights for creating your own custom sermon outline. Benefits of a sermon outline and the impact a sermon outline has on your preaching.
Coming Up with The Big Idea For Your Sermon
Where do you start your message? At the beginning? At the end? Do you start your message with an illustration or a story? Of all the places you could start, there is one place you should start. Every message should start with your big idea. But how do you discover that big idea? Where do you come up with…
