Preaching

Preaching helps pastors, preachers, and Bible teachers communicate God’s Word with clarity, faithfulness, and purpose. Explore practical, Scripture-shaped resources on sermon preparation, expository preaching, teaching methods, illustration and application, and leading people toward transformation. You’ll also find guidance on preaching in different seasons, teaching across age groups, handling difficult texts, and developing a healthy rhythm for study and delivery. Whether you preach weekly or teach in classes and small groups, these articles aim to strengthen your ministry of the Word.

December 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Sermons for a Postmodern Culture

By Rick Chromey Everything about church these days is different from what it was less than a generation ago. Everything but the sermon, that is. How can we change our approach to preaching in order to reach people receiving information today as never before? “No one . . . pour[s] new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16, 17). Few things in life are sacred, and fewer still are eternal. Wineskins come

December 3, 2015

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (5)

By Arron Chambers   Larry Lewis Larry and his wife, Teri, are missionaries for Open Door Libraries in Berlin, Germany. He has a Bachelor of Theology in Missions from Ozark Christian College. Larry”s Best Sermon: The best sermon I”ve heard on the identity of Jesus is “Was It a Waste?” by Dr. Roger Chambers of Florida Christian College (now Johnson University Florida), available at https://soundcloud.com/larry-lewis-46/rc-was-it-a-waste. (Roger Chambers is Larry”s uncle and this columnist”s father.) Why Larry likes this sermon: “This sermon changed my life. I first heard it about 15 years ago while editing tape files of Uncle Roger”s old

December 2, 2015

Christian Standard

Christmas: It”s a Heart Thing

By Jim Tune In his excellent book simply titled Preaching, Tim Keller commits an entire chapter to the notion and need for preachers to preach Christ to the heart. “Preaching,” according to Keller, “cannot simply be accurate and sound. It must capture the listeners” interest and imaginations; it must be compelling and penetrate to their hearts. It is possible merely to assert and confront and feel we have been very “˜valiant for truth,” but if you are dry or tedious, people will not repent and believe the right doctrine you present.” Arguing that we should preach “wondrously,” Keller contends that

October 31, 2015

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I’ve Ever Heard (4)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either.  ____ Marie Jobe Marie is an avid reader, running enthusiast, and a passionate pursuer and supporter of Brian Jobe, lead pastor at Harvester Christian Church, St. Charles, Missouri. Marie”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on what it means to be a temple of the Holy Spirit by John Mark Comer, pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon (https://vimeo.com/90938239). Why Marie likes this sermon: “I am very passionate about inspiring others to take responsibility with

October 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Integrity in Preaching

By Daniel Overdorf Stories abound of preachers and plagiarism. Some are funny: “When Chuck Swindoll starts preaching better sermons, so will I!” Or, “If I use one source, it”s plagiarism; if I use two sources, it”s research.” Other stories, though, are heartbreaking. Churches have fired ministers for preaching sermons downloaded from the Internet. Other preachers have kept their jobs but split their churches””half their members not wanting to serve with a leader they feel has broken a bond of trust. Plagiarism is using someone else”s material without giving credit. And it tempts even the most faithful of us. The temptation

September 25, 2015

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I’ve Ever Heard (3)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Interestingly, this month”s submissions include two sermons delivered at the same church but by different speakers, and two sermons by fathers of the contributors. Enjoy! Jennifer Farber Jennifer is executive director of the KORE Foundation. She works with the Small Holder Poultry Project in Haiti and oversees stateside operations. Jennifer”s Best Sermon: The best sermon on reaching, serving, and helping people to live better lives by Dennis Bratton (Jennifer”s father). This sermon was delivered at Journey Christian Church

September 23, 2015

Christian Standard

Taming the Sermon

By Jim Tune When it comes to discussions about the teachings of Jesus, especially his “hard” teachings, I”ve grown tired of the tendency to tame any revolutionary teaching that seems just too radical or too naïve or idealistic. The conversation too often goes like this: “I know that”s what Jesus said, but what he really meant was. . . .” For example, when Jesus tells us not to store up riches on earth, we repurpose it to say, “Do not get too attached to the riches that you have, in fact, stored up on earth.” We read the Sermon on

September 2, 2015

Christian Standard

Emotional Stinginess

By Jim Tune The joke was funny. My sermon was good. But two rows of people, mostly from the same family, were unmoved. They were, in their own minds, punishing me for an unpopular decision. The method of punishment? Withholding encouragement. Withholding praise. Withholding kindness. Arms folded across their chests, their eyes betrayed what they were thinking: You will receive no love from us this day. Praise has never been my motivation for preaching. You can”t please everyone anyway. But most preachers can relate to the “deliberate withholding” scene I just described. Thomas Aquinas once submitted that to withhold a

August 23, 2015

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard (2)

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Steve Malone Steve has been in the preaching ministry for 24 years and currently is lead pastor at Maple Grove Christian Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. Steve”s Best Sermon: The best sermon I”ve heard on God”s love is by Jud Wilhite, senior pastor at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, Nevada (www.southeastchristian.org/sermons/pursued-for-relationship). Why Steve likes this sermon: “In this message, Jud makes the story of Hosea come alive, and he does an incredible job of showing how what God

July 24, 2015

Christian Standard

The Best Sermon I”ve Ever Heard

By Arron Chambers Christian leaders, some of them preachers themselves, tell us about a sermon they can”t forget””and maybe you won”t either. Geoff Surratt Geoff Surratt has served on the leadership teams at Seacoast Church and Saddleback Church, and as managing director of Exponential. He is an author of The Multi-Site Church Revolution, The Multi-Site Church Roadtrip, and Ten Stupid Things that Keep Churches from Growing. He now serves as pastor of church planting at Southeast Christian Church in Parker, Colorado, as well as coaching churches and leaders around the country. Geoff lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Sherry.

April 1, 2015

Christian Standard

Preaching from the Bible and the Heart

By Jim Tune Many debate the level of vulnerability preachers should exercise from the pulpit. If you share too much, you risk sounding self-absorbed. If you never share any personal stories, you may appear inauthentic or aloof. My experience is that most audiences embrace people who are willing to share their story, particularly those parts that reveal the preacher as an imperfect person, with whom others can identify. To be clear, I”m not suggesting this as an “approach” to preaching. Nor should it be considered a public speaking “method.” If vulnerability in the pulpit is contrived, a perceptive congregation will

July 21, 2014

Christian Standard

Put It in Print

By Rick Jett (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) The best advice I ever received was from Alan Ahlgrim, former senior minister of Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Colorado. About 20 years ago, Alan was teaching one of the graduate classes I was taking at Cincinnati Christian University. One lesson was about personal growth of a leader. He said good leaders are constantly growing. They will read, take classes, attend conferences, and interview other leaders. He explained that growing leaders will set goals. He walked us through an exercise of writing goals and action steps

July 16, 2014

Christian Standard

Where’s Jesus?

By Ben Cachiaras (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I”ve Ever Received.”) As a fledgling minister in my first senior ministry, I worked hard on my preaching. I don”t recall the biblical text I was working from, but I do remember feeling especially satisfied with the way the sermon came together one particular Sunday. It had three cleverly worded points, a couple of new insights pulled from “deep” commentaries, a funny illustration that was sure to get some yuks, and a moving conclusion drawn from an incident with my young son””people always like to hear about your kids,

July 12, 2014

Christian Standard

Wayne’s Words

By Jack Cottrell (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) As early as junior high school I had decided I wanted to be a preacher, but well-meaning high school teachers pressured me in other directions. I grew up on a farm and was active in vocational agriculture during high school, and was awarded a nice scholarship by our county farm bureau. Thus, by the time I was a senior, I had changed my mind and decided to enroll in the University of Kentucky to study agriculture. Either in the summer of 1954 or 1955, during senior

July 8, 2014

Christian Standard

Bad Sermons, Big Vision

By Alan Ahlgrim (From our series “The Best or Worst Advice I’ve Ever Received.”) One of my favorite elders is the source of both the best and worst advice I can think of. Just after we occupied our new building, with a huge debt, and just before a Sunday service, Norm said, “This church is just two bad sermons away from disaster!” That was the worst. The best came from the same man a few years later when we were celebrating our 10th anniversary. He delivered the heartfelt and encouraging reminder, “God”s vision for this church has always been bigger

May 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Enlarging the Vision of Rural Preachers

By Jennifer Johnson “Small towns are getting smaller,” says Jim Hardy. “And the churches in these areas are getting smaller, as well.” Hardy founded the Center for Rural Church Advancement at Nebraska Christian College to encourage and equip the leaders of rural churches in Nebraska and beyond. The new initiative includes a series of two-day events in conjunction with The Barjona Company; Chad Hunt founded the company after growing Caveland Church from 150 to 750 people in the small town of Cave City, KY. A four-session series of these “strategic roundtables” is spread over two years, and groups are kept

March 30, 2014

Christian Standard

Reclaiming Preaching

By Brian Jennings I recently sat down, opened a magazine, and read the following quotes: “If you could change people”s minds about something, what would it be?” “Until you know the truth you”re trying to convey to an audience, your work isn”t finished.” You could probably find similar statements in a dusty book on preaching, but I found them in the January/February 2008 issue of Creative Screenwriting. I did not start reading this magazine to search for sermon tips (at least, not at first). I read it because I love video production. My love for video production started with a comedic,

April 21, 2013

Christian Standard

Women Preaching

By Brian Mavis Colleges are training them. Churches are using them. And Christ is being exalted. Here”s what we learned when we talked to women who preach and the professors who have taught them. Jodi Hickerson”s journey of becoming a preaching/teaching pastor began at 19 when she joined the teaching team for the high school ministry at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Kentucky. A few years later she was part of the programming team at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and then at 26 became one of the teaching pastors at Heartland Community Church, Rockford, Illinois. Today she is

March 14, 2013

Mark E. Moore

Interview with Mark Moore

By Paul Boatman Mark Moore is teaching pastor of Christ”s Church of the Valley (CCV) in Peoria, Arizona, a congregation with weekly attendance of about 19,000. He left a 22-year professorship at Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, to lead a creative ministry-equipping program through this congregation. You left a respected professorship after two decades. Why? Influence. I loved teaching in Bible college. I also love preaching. When pastor Don Wilson opened the door at Christ”s Church of the Valley, I realized I could pursue both loves. It gives poetic balance to my career: The first half in academia and

October 26, 2012

Christian Standard

A Place to Stand

By Daniel Schantz A church pulpit is just your basic wooden box, but sometimes it can turn into Pandora”s box. A good pulpit should provide a desktop for the preacher”s notes, hide his bodily imperfections, and give him something to lean on when his knees give out.   Desk The first thing I do when I step up to the pulpit is to clean house. A pulpit is a magnet for everyone”s junk, from lost-and-found keys and cellphones, to old sheet music, Bibles, and offering baskets. Some days it looks like a table at a rummage sale. A country church

Help Keep Christian Standard Free & Accessible with a Tax Deductible Donation

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Does Your Church Want to Support Christian Standard?

Would your church consider including support for Christian Standard in its annual missions budget? Your support would help us not only continue the 160-year legacy of this unifying ministry, but also expand the free resources, cooperative opportunities, and practical guidance we provide to strengthen churches in the U.S. and around the world.

We can do more together!

Every gift makes a difference!

No, thank you.
100% secure transactions - receipts provided.
Secret Link