10 Summer Sermon Series to Preach
10 Summer Sermon Series to Preach

Easter Sunday was a success and attendance has surged in your church. This surge is often the result of members inviting friends and family to attend celebration services with them. So, how do you encourage, challenge, and minister to the new people who continue attending services?

We have put together a list of the top 10 After Easter Sermon Series that will speak to newcomers and members alike.

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Writing Your Best Advent Sermon for Christmas
Writing Your Best Advent Sermon for Christmas

The difference between Advent being just another Christmas ‘thing’ and it being a spiritually engaging Christmas tradition can be influenced greatly by pastors preaching sermons that capitalize on the momentum of a countdown. Not just approaching sermons as ‘Christmas’ sermons but truly being intentional with the sermon outlines and manuscripts to capture the heart of…

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Preaching An Advent Sermon Series – Everything You Need to Know
Preaching An Advent Sermon Series – Everything You Need to Know

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…

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How Preaching Calendars Can Help You Disciple Your People
How Preaching Calendars Can Help You Disciple Your People

Editors Note: This is the first blog in a series written by local church leaders for local church leaders. Today’s post comes from Chad Graham. Chad serves as Lead Pastor at University Assembly in Colorado Springs, CO. Chad is also Senior Fellow at The Gordon Lewis Center for Christian Thought and Culture. As American church attendance declines,…

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10 Benefits of Using a Sermon Calendar
10 Benefits of Using a Sermon Calendar

This time of year, we see a ton of products and how-to guides talking about how to put together an annual preaching calendar. You might have even see our resources, too. *If you’re looking for preaching calendar resources and ideas, click here to read our ultimate guide to creating a preaching calendar. You may even…

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Characteristics of the Most Powerful Sermon Illustrations
Characteristics of the Most Powerful Sermon Illustrations

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…

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6 Sermon Topics You Can Preach Anytime
6 Sermon Topics You Can Preach Anytime

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…

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The 5 Best Sermon Illustration Packs Every Preacher Needs
The 5 Best Sermon Illustration Packs Every Preacher Needs

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…

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My Sermon Preparation Process
My Sermon Preparation Process

I have the privilege of preaching nearly every Sunday, and I have also had the privilege of being in the room when all four of my children were born. Stick with me … because there is a correlation. My wife was amazing (or crazy!) and chose “Natural Childbirth.” Four kids. Only four Advils. While each…

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3 Helpful Places to Go for Sermon Series
3 Helpful Places to Go for Sermon Series

I love preaching in a series. I made this confession in a previous article and outlined some of the many benefits of preaching in a series. This raised a question by several readers: “I was wondering where you all come up with your sermon series ideas?” That is a great question! Here are three primary…

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4 Powerful Benefits of Preaching in a Series
4 Powerful Benefits of Preaching in a Series

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…

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From Pizza Maker to Pastor
From Pizza Maker to Pastor

The Story Brent Sloan has been a member of Ministry Pass since the day we launched. We were humbled when he told us his story of going from pizza maker to pastor—and how Ministry Pass helped him make the jump. Check out Brent’s story in this video, and learn how Ministry Pass can help you…

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5 Ways to Flavor Your Messages Before Preaching
5 Ways to Flavor Your Messages Before Preaching

Every pastor knows that preaching the Word regularly demands a lot of time spent in research and development. We collect and categorize ideas. We dig into our passages. We assemble supporting verses and material. We put it all in outline form. And then, we deliver it! One of the last steps in the preparation process…

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6 Tips for Writing Magnetic Sermon Titles
6 Tips for Writing Magnetic Sermon Titles

The title is the smallest part of a sermon. It usually doesn’t even get mentioned during the actual sermon. Professional copywriters often refer to the first line of a sales letter as the “eyebrow” because it literally looks like one, all alone at the top. But I believe the value and importance of sermon titles is severely…

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5 Ways to Flavor Your Messages Before Preaching
5 Ways to Flavor Your Messages Before Preaching

Every pastor knows that preaching the Word regularly demands a lot of time spent in research and development. We collect and categorize ideas. We dig into our passages. We assemble supporting verses and material. We put it all in outline form. And then, we deliver it! One of the last steps in the preparation process…

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4 Simple Ways To Manage Your Time As You Prepare For Your Sunday Sermon
4 Simple Ways To Manage Your Time As You Prepare For Your Sunday Sermon

Sunday. The day of rest. The Lord’s day… Gameday. At least, that’s how it can feel amidst the hustle and bustle of a dedicated church staff working day-in-and-day-out to bring the Gospel to your congregation. That’s how it feels when you’ve gone over your sermon for the 100th time, wording and re-wording each sentence in…

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Four Steps to a Great Sermon Series
Four Steps to a Great Sermon Series

Editors Note: This is the second blog in a series written by local church leaders for local church leaders. Today’s post comes from Andy McMillan. Andy is a passionate leader, pastor, speaker and coach. He has been in ministry over six years. He has a B.A. in Christian Leadership and a M.A. in Ministerial Leadership. Currently, Andy…

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How to Write a Killer Sermon in Seven Days
How to Write a Killer Sermon in Seven Days

If you’ve been involved in a teaching or preaching ministry for any period of time, you’ve probably had to throw a sermon or lesson together at the last minute. If so, you’ve also realized that, even though God is able to work through our weakness (even weakness of preparation), sermons are far more effective when we…

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Mark Batterson on Sermon Series Planning
Mark Batterson on Sermon Series Planning

Welcome to video number four in our series with pastor and New York Times best selling author, Mark Batterson. In this video, Mark talks about some of the strategies he and his team at National Community Church use when planning their sermon series. Missed the previous videos? Check out the links to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3….

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Bring Christmas to Life Again

Fresh Ideas to Connect Christmas with Life

101 Christmas Sermon Series Ideas

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Bring Christmas to Life Again

Powerful and Relevant Illustrations Connect Christmas with Life

Christmas Illustration Ideas Mockup iPad

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