Planning a year-long sermon calendar can feel overwhelming, but it’s a key step in nurturing a cohesive, well-rounded teaching strategy. By dividing the year into seasons and paying attention to the natural rhythms of your congregation, you can create series that resonate throughout every stage of the year. Below is a month-by-month breakdown inspired by…
Would you like to increase the number of people who attend your church on a weekly basis–both Christians and non-Christians? For most pastors, the answer is a clear yes! Many churches tell unbelievers, “You’re not welcome here,” without realizing it. If you want your church to be a friendly place where first-time visitors and non-Christians feel welcome (and want to return!), you need to be intentional.
We all know the American church is facing challenging times. A well-presented sermon series on the Book of Acts reminds all of us that these are not unprecedented times… it’s just our time. Seeds of the faith that grew into the worldwide church were planted by God in a turbulent time. Rome is still in…
Why You Need a Preaching Calendar in 2021 Read More Of the pastors we surveyed, we found that most of them did not plan their preaching more than two weeks out. In fact, only 9% of them planned more than two months out. We think having an entire year’s sermon calendar planned out is a…
How to Preach on Controversial Topics Read More Many pastors and leaders avoid preaching on controversial topics like politics, church giving, culture and even certain doctrinal issues. It’s not difficult to understand why. The world, and even our churches, have become more polarized in recent decades and social media has turned civil debates into downright…
“How do we compete with that?” Maybe you’ve found yourself thinking this as you watch the onslaught of TV commercials and marketing that are ramping us up to Christmas. Every year the buildup to Christmas starts earlier and gets louder—at least when it comes to the commercial aspects of Christmas. As a result, many people…
Your calling is to make disciples and one of the most influential tools you have is your weekly corporate teaching and preaching! Delivering a compelling message is one thing, but making disciples is another. The burden you feel for moving people from the non-believer to disciple is real and we believe that a preaching calendar…
Christmas always feels like it is right around the corner. Churches all over the country will soon be making plans to create one of their most meaningful times of the year. With the Christmas season will come the Christian celebration of Advent. Advent in One Sentence: Advent is a season celebrated by Christians as a…
Sermon illustrations. They’re powerful but can be really difficult to use effectively. Sure, you can throw a sermon illustration in here or there that has somewhat of a point and get by, but powerful sermon illustrations are tougher. A powerful sermon illustration helps a sermon get to a different place for the listener. People love…
The sermon calendar. It’s a world of possibilities and opportunities, but it can also be a world of stress and writer’s block. Every year, a few other staff members and I sit down to fill in the calendar. We usually do 6 months at a time. We’ll sit down in October to plan January through…
The Ultimate List of Sermon Topics is a quick snapshot of 115 different topics you can scan through and choose based upon where God has your church, what he wants to say through you, and how he wants to use your congregation now and in the future.
I just wrapped up a series on the book of Daniel. You can see the sermons and resources here. Because I get asked a lot by pastors about sermon prep, putting a series together, making the Bible relevant, I thought I’d share 3 tips for preaching the book of Daniel. Why? The book of Daniel…
A.A. Milne, the creator of the Winnie the Pooh series, wrote a short conversation between Piglet and Pooh. “I’m scared,” said Piglet. “A story will help,” said Pooh. “How?” “Don’t you know? Stories make your heart grow.” Church Leader, Look for the Stories In his simple, childlike way, Winnie the Pooh reminds us of the power…
Do you remember where you were the first time you saw an “I love my church” t-shirt? I can’t remember the first place I saw it, but I know I loved the idea. What a great way to market the church, and express our love. We called up our t-shirt company right away and got…
Over the last few days, it seems the whole world has been talking about a 14-minute sermon. This should encourage those of us who are called to preach. The next time you think sermons can’t make an impact in this world remember this week and how a passionate message about God’s love touched the hearts of…
No preacher will ever say, I don’t want another sermon illustration to add to my toolbox. Why? Because sermon illustrations show and tell. They bring flavor and color to a point of truth. Lane Sebring of PreachingDonkey.com says that you need to teach, illustrate, and apply every point you make. Most preachers have no trouble with teaching and…
By Scott Magdalein, founder of TrainedUp If the fuel of leadership is vision then the engine is communication. A compelling vision without great communication is like a bus full of fuel with a busted engine. It’s not going far. Humor me on this engine metaphor for a moment. If you’ve ever popped the hood of…
Have you ever asked yourself that question? It’s obvious that not all pastors are the same. We all have different gifts and different experiences that have shaped us into who we are. Sure, each one of us has similarities but we’re also unique in our own way. I think that’s one of the things that…
Much of Jesus’ preaching and teaching was showing his listeners his points rather than just saying them. He used sermon illustrations all the time. And we should too. Often times, though, it can be a struggle to come up with good sermon illustrations. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Prerequisite for Finding…
We’ve all done it. We’ve all spent time on it. We’ve all made the mistake. As a preacher, you spend time in preparation. If you plan ahead, the weeks coming into a message are filled with preparation and reading scripture and commentaries. The week of the message you’re fine-tuning each word and relearning the text….
Ministry is a full plate. And sometimes it can be overwhelming. Counseling session here. Sermon prep there. Develop some leaders here. Board meeting there. Future planning here. Staff coaching there. Volunteer coaching here. The list, as you know, can go on and on. If you feel like you struggle to get the most out of…
Evernote is a go-to tool for a lot of preachers. While it isn’t without fault, the app is a great way to capture bits of information and store them until we need them. On top of that, it’s a great place to write, brainstorm, and even preach directly from. Different preachers use Evernote differently. From…
How do you know if you are preaching effectively? We need a little more than the pleasantries of worshippers as they shake hands with us after worship. Anyone can say, “Nice sermon.” Here are 8 signs your sermons are making an impact. Your listeners remember the message One way to know if your sermons are…
Jesus talked about it. He talked about it a lot. In fact, he talked about it more than he talked about heaven and hell combined. What is the “it” that Jesus always seemed to be talking about? Money. A lot of preachers want to take the exact opposite approach, though. While Jesus talked about money…
As pastors and communicators, we’ve all heard the “Good job” and the “I needed that,” after a message. In fact, when we don’t hear it, it kind of makes us wonder if we just got on the stage and repeated the words, “Blah, blah, blah” over and over again. We’ve all received those rather generic…
Every preacher should always be growing, learning, and working on their craft. That’s the conviction I operate from. It’s why I’m always reading a book on preaching. It’s why I’m always deconstructing my own processes, methods, and routines. It’s why I listen to great communicators proclaim the good news of Jesus. But beyond the typical…
What if Google took you behind the scenes and showed you the world’s most pressing questions? Would you pay attention? Of course, you would. Lucky for us, they have done just that. Google regularly allows us to pull back the curtain to see what questions the world is asking and what topics the world is…
Want to improve your preaching in 2018? Here’s one way to make it happen: preach your failures. Wait, what? To be a more successful preacher, I need to preach my failures? It sounds a little off, but it is absolutely true. When you preach your failures, people will open up to your messages in ways…
The preacher gets on the path to memorable preaching before and during the occasion of preaching. It happens in the preparation time and in the delivery time. But this isn’t about triple-checking your word studies or strenuously stressing over the wording of your main point. This is about something far deeper. What makes for preaching that is…
Leaders are readers. The same goes for preachers. The effective preachers I know are constantly trying to improve their craft by reading the best books on preaching and communication. If you’re a preacher, get these preaching books on your shelf and read them in 2018. The 2018 Effective Preacher’s Reading List Resonate: Present Visual Stories…
In a recent podcast interview, I was asked, “Why aren’t there more effective preachers in the mainline church?” My response was that one reason is lack of training. Most mainline seminaries only require one introductory preaching class to graduate with an M.Div. What’s worse is the typical preaching intro class is not very practical for…
I love preaching in a series. Like a new pair of socks, it just feels right. For nearly twelve years I have preached in a series (with an occasional “stand-alone” sprinkled in for fun!) and I cannot overstate the benefits. Here are four of many worth considering: 1. Preaching in a series reduces stress. Imagine…
For many years I have obsessed over studying great preaching and preachers. They are all different. All have their own unique style and approach to delivering a message. However, there are 7 characteristics that they all have in common. 1. Preach with Borrowed Authority The best preachers do not preach from their own authority, but…
Preaching works! If you didn’t believe that, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article. It’s effective. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to convict of sin, convince of truth and convert the heart. When I was growing up, people would make a “public profession of faith” before being baptized. While we don’t…
Hopefully, you’re already thinking through your preaching calendar for next year. Part of shepherding a congregation toward long term health is offering a balanced diet from the pulpit. Your preaching over a twelve-month period should be pre-planned with certain factors built in. Before a new year begins, I try to identify eight to twelve series’…
Eye contact. It’s the most uncomfortable aspect of public speaking. Why? Because when we make eye contact with people, two things happen… We know a little bit more about what someone is thinking about what we’re saying. Our listeners know a little bit more about how we’re feeling about what we’re saying. And both can…
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