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.

February 20, 2011

Christian Standard

Keeping Christ at the Center of Our Sermons

By Matt Proctor “This is a great sermon,” said my friend as he handed me the CD. “You”ll enjoy it.” My friend knows me well: I”m a sermon junkie. I love to listen to great preaching. I immediately recognized the preacher”s name on the CD, a well-known minister within our movement who leads a strong, evangelistic church. On my next car ride, I popped in the CD””a message from the Song of Songs. The sermon was clearly tied to the text and packed with great illustrations, appropriate humor, and practical advice for a marriage relationship. When the CD was over

January 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Whatever Happened to the Invitation?

By Mark Atteberry The elders at my church very graciously gave me seven weeks off, a kind of mini-sabbatical. It was during the summer and my wife and I had a trip planned anyway, so we laid out a plan to visit a different church every weekend. We chose a mixture of large and small churches, city and rural churches, and Restoration Movement and denominational churches from Florida to the mountain west. Overall, it was a positive experience. We heard some fine sermons, met some nice people, and picked up a few good ideas. There was, however, one big surprise

August 1, 2010

Christian Standard

I Was the Big, Dead Tree

By Tim Harlow When I was a youth pastor, one of my favorite stories to reenact at church camp was from 1 Kings 18 when Elijah and the priests of Baal had a god-duel. The trick was to have someone with a roll of toilet paper soaked in lighter fluid in a nearby tree. At the right moment, he would light the toilet paper and let it slide down a wire into the altar””it was a great effect! I”m sure the real thing was even better. I can”t imagine how great Elijah must have felt knowing he was on the

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Preparing to Preach

By Bruce E. Shields Who is your ideal preacher? Think about a preacher who has had a positive impact on you. Can you recall a single sermon he preached? Was it the sermons or the character of the preacher that left the lasting impression? I often ask student preachers these questions, and invariably it is character they recall and not individual sermons. I hasten to add that this does not mean sermons have no lasting value, but rather that the sermons make up just one part of the overall impression that preachers leave. This means the preacher needs to pay

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

The Priority of Preaching

By Wayne Shaw Preaching has always been important in the culture and curriculum of our Bible colleges and seminaries. Earl C. Hargrove championed a theme that has been echoed in the charters of schools across the brotherhood when he launched Lincoln (Illinois) Bible Institute in his inaugural sermon with the promise, “The Preachers Are Coming.” For 45 years I have taught preaching, mainly at what is now called Lincoln Christian University, but also in special courses throughout North America and around the world. I speak with the confidence of experience when I assert that preaching is in the DNA of

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

Five Ingredients Sir Winston Churchill Used in Every Speech

By Max R. Hickerson A glance at The Sir Winston Method by James Humes gives us an insight into what made Churchill a compelling speaker. Churchill”s approach can help every Bible teacher and preacher. The following outline, borrowed from the book, shows us how. 1. A STRONG BEGINNING Refuse to start your message, “It is a pleasure to be here to speak.” Invent your own quotable line. Start with a quotation or a question that provokes thought: “What would you do for a million dollars?”; “What is your favorite adventure story?”; “Which is more important to you, 9/11 or 11/9?” “A

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

What Is a Sermon? A Survey of Scripture . . .

By Mark Scott A preacher mounted the pulpit and began, “I have so much to say, where should I begin?” A young boy from the back said, “How about somewhere toward the end?” Most churchgoers like sermons, especially “toward the end.” Defining the Word What is a sermon? That depends on whom you ask. John Stott said it is a bridge from the biblical world to the modern world. Fred Craddock said it is a short interpretative story. Haddon Robinson said it is a big idea extrapolated from a text. Bryan Chapell said it is Christ addressing our fallen condition.

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

What Is a Sermon? My Definition Has Changed Over the Years

By Jud White A wise and seasoned leader said to me once, “Jud, stop trying to preach great sermons. Preach good sermons and love your people, and they will love you for it.” That may sound like odd advice. He could tell I was trying so hard to preach well that it was suffocating my loving well. His advice freed me to be more concerned about caring for people and getting God”s truth out there week in and week out, rather than hitting a grand slam each weekend in my preaching. Ultimately, it freed me to make my preaching more about

June 6, 2010

Christian Standard

What Is a Sermon? Three Words Describe . . .

By Jeff Walling “Now that was a great sermon!” Every preacher wants to hear that comment when the service is over on a Sunday. But what really makes a great sermon? How should we measure the success of the minutes a congregation gives to hearing us open up God”s Word for them? I”ve often told the old, borrowed preacher”s story of speaking at a revival for a small rural church. Standing at the door after the morning services the preacher was greeted by member after member who praised the lesson. But then one gentleman shook his hand and said, “That sermon

June 2, 2010

Christian Standard

The Best Kind of Sermon

By Mark A. Taylor What sermons do you remember? I remember a sermon preached by Wayne Smith at a Talent Rally at Lincoln Christian College when I was just a teenager. God used that sermon to prod me toward vocational Christian service. I remember a sermon by Paul Jones preached at Cincinnati Bible College chapel that moved me and most who heard him to express appreciation to our parents. Another time in that same chapel building John Wilson preached about his daily prayer routine. And I”m still challenged to pray like he described. I”ve listened to sermons that have helped

February 7, 2010

Christian Standard

Memoirs of a Young Preacher

By Dale Tinsley I am quietly staring at a computer screen at 3 in the morning. Almost five years have passed since my first encounter with the church I am writing about. These past few years have deeply matured my understanding of God, ministry, and life, and reflecting on this time has led me to new convictions. As I open my heart and tell this story, my hope and prayer is that you hear a calling to live and act according to Christ, and that you might gain insight into how the church should look. VITAL, BUT OVERLOOKED I never

August 16, 2009

Christian Standard

A Perspective on a Long Ministry

   by Randy Gariss Preacher, You”ve Got Friends This article is adapted from a chapter that appeared originally in Preacher, You”ve Got Friends, compiled by Murray Hollis. This collection of life and ministry stories and advice is written by 25 Christian leaders, all of them with considerable ministry experience. The book is available for $15 plus $3 shipping at www.christianfriendsconnexion.com. Or write Christian Friends Connexion, 1111 Windsor, Joplin, MO 64801.   In 27 years at the same ministry, there have been multiple opportunities and reasons to leave. Sometimes the temptation to resign and start fresh somewhere else involved joy and

July 29, 2009

Christian Standard

Valuable Downloads for You and Others You Know

By Mark A. Taylor Every media outlet in the country is working to make information available to readers who want it via the Internet. Here at CHRISTIAN STANDARD we”ve been doing this for years. Our Web site, www.ChristianStandard.com, offers a wealth of new and archived material from the magazine, plus our Web-only features: blogs, weekly Sunday school lessons, extended interviews, reader comments, and more. All these are reasons thousands of Web users visit our site every week. In addition we”re creating a growing list of downloads. Each of these is inexpensive, easy to order, and valuable for teaching, preaching, or

July 8, 2009

Christian Standard

Interview with David Clark

By Brad Dupray David Clark”s July 1 message at the North American Christian Convention was, “Grace that Heals,” a sermon aiming to help those who are carrying scars and pain of unresolved conflicts. At the end of his message, he invited people to bring their brokenness before God in a time of prayer for healing. In his 28 years as lead pastor of Central Christian Church in Beloit, Wisconsin, Clark has seen his church grow, not just in numbers, but in amazing outreach to the community. He and his wife of 35 years, Deby, have been blessed with four children,

June 21, 2009

Christian Standard

How to Listen to a Sermon

By Brian Mavis SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERYONE IN YOUR CHURCH. (DETAILS BELOW.)       One hundred times more people will hear a sermon this week than preach one. So why are there thousands of articles, books, and classes on how to preach a message, but virtually none on how to listen to one? It”s because most people think listening just comes naturally. But that”s not what Jesus thought. Jesus said to “consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). The state and fate of your life depends on how you listen. Teachers are responsible for teaching well, but you

November 2, 2008

Christian Standard

Beyond Tweaking the Code

By Jason Rodenbeck When I started preaching at Castle Christian Church in Cumming, Georgia, I began podcasting our sermons. It is not especially difficult, but it requires learning a special code. If even one character is entered incorrectly, the podcast doesn”t work. But, fortunately, one little tweak to the source code often fixes the problem. Sometimes we look at the teaching of Jesus Christ that way””especially people caught up in what I call “the religion that passes for Christianity.” In that religion, we believe Jesus came to offer a cure for the ills of society and salvation from what really

October 8, 2008

Christian Standard

Church Health and Attendance Numbers”“How Do They Relate?

By Mark A. Taylor Is growing attendance a reliable indicator of church health? American Christians generally answer yes. Perhaps this is because we live with the effects of corporate pressure for quarter-by-quarter growth in sales and profits. For several decades now, the American mind-set has equated “bigger” with “better.” But not everyone accepts that conclusion any longer. Speaking at the Energizing Smaller Churches Network conference in Lincoln, Illinois, last month, Paul Williams listed 10 signs of a healthy smaller church. His first point: “Measure by relational growth as well as by numbers growth.” Many of the smaller church”s problems can

July 23, 2008

Christian Standard

Spontaneous Combustion and the Weekly Grind

By Mark A. Taylor It”s easy to take for granted the creativity of others, especially those who must produce content on a schedule. Preachers, for example, stand to speak every week, some of them several times every week. Teachers fill class periods, sometimes with the overflow of their study, some of them by reading just ahead of their students in the textbook. Newspaper columnists and magazine writers must achieve a specific word count on deadline. Many who benefit from such output think it comes easily. But Rob Bell, speaking this April at the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin

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