Guest AuthorGrant Fishbook started preaching full time in 2003, but every few years, he’d discover that he wasn’t connecting with the modern audience. At first, he thought maybe he was the problem—maybe he wasn’t doing something right, or maybe he...
Lexham PressThis post is lightly adapted from “Preach to the outer edges” by Patricia Batten in Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry, edited by Scott M. Gibson (Lexham Press, 2016).
In the practice of preaching, is there an effective method for how to start a sermon that will grab (and help keep) your listener’s attention? In his book Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Become a Better Preacher, available now...
It’s probably not a stretch to say that suicide has impacted every church. Nor is it a stretch to say that many church attendees—even the ones who show up every week—have never heard a sermon on suicide. And yet, it’s become the eleventh leading...
Preaching is one of the highest callings, but it can be one of the most challenging—which is why learning how to prepare a sermon outline is so critical. This one step will help ensure each message you preach is delivered succinctly and clearly so...
Is there a difference between preaching and teaching? This question is one of many that Professor and Preacher Jonathan T. Pennington addresses in his book, Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Become a Better Preacher. Small...
Below is an excerpt from Finding Our Voice by Matthew D. Kim and Daniel L. Wong that addresses the forms of discrimination Asian Americans commonly face and how to begin to address that pain pastorally. *** “What are you?” “Where are you from?”...
Mary JahnkeGrowing up, my dad had a Leatherman multi-tool. Any time he undertook a roll-up-your-sleeves kind of task, it was there to help him get it done. Logos does the same thing—it’s the multi-tool sermon planning toolkit millions use for sermon planning...
Jennifer GrishamPut on your festal robes—the newest version of Logos Bible Software has arrived! Logos 9 is here with all-new features and resources to take the busywork out of your ministry. Watch the trailer to see what’s new! There’s a lot we think you’ll love...
Faithlife StaffWhen it comes to preparing a sermon, you need a solid outline. Not only does a sermon outline help you pick your main points, having an organized outline helps keep your listeners’ attention and helps them see what’s most important. But how do you...
Even if you find it easy to preach a sermon, read why Bryan Chapell says the 3 “deadly be’s” can help your preaching center more on Christ.
Thank you, pastors, for all you do. You probably don’t hear that enough. As you continue feeding your flock, may these three simple tips to help you lighten your load and powerfully share the gospel. *** 1. It doesn’t all depend on you...
Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman not only teaches the book of Proverbs—but also how to preach the book of Proverbs. The following excerpt adapted from Longman’s Mobile Education course Preaching Proverbs appears in segment 24: “Proverbs...
If you regularly or occasionally preach sermons or deliver homilies, can we get to know you better? Specifically, Logos would love to better understand your needs—so we can better meet your needs. Answering just 20 questions will help us do that...
Pastors have a monumental calling. Acts 20:28 instructs, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Whether you’re...
This excerpt is adapted from James: Verse by Verse by Grant R. Osborne. *** James [1:19–26] begins with three characteristics of what we may call “people of the word,” those who truly center their lives on God’s principles for a proper walk with...
Matthew BoffeyBy Matthew Kim, adapted from Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry. I once sat under the preaching ministry of a pastor who loved his people. He cared about them. Everyone knew it. Everyone felt it. But after years of...
Remember ERP: Estimated Relationship Potential. This is a social science theory from the field of interpersonal communication which demonstrates that when we meet someone we quickly form an estimate of the potential for a relationship. We start to...
In this adaptation below, we read about the gutsy step preachers should take with their preaching. *** In an issue of Leadership journal, Lee Eclov tells the story of a researcher named Hillary Koprowski, who was a leader in the search for the polio...
This post is adapted from “In our preaching, less is more” by Haddon Robinson. *** There is an old story that preachers tell: A man came to church one Sunday and the only person who was there, besides himself, was the preacher. The preacher was...
You may never have asked yourself this question before, but do your sermons sound angry? *** There is a temptation in every preacher to begin and end every sermon with correction. Didn’t Paul tell us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all Scripture is God...
By Scott M. Gibson, adapted from Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry. Charles Gore, formerly bishop of Worcester, Birmingham, and finally Oxford, wrote more than a century ago, “The disease of modern preaching is its search...
Many of us are familiar with the passage in Luke 15. It’s the Parable of the Lost Sheep. It goes like this: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man...
An excerpt on sermon preparation and prayer by Matthew Kim, adapted from Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry. It’s something that we all know in our minds. We’ve considered it. But it’s often difficult to put into practice...
When students ask for recommended books on pastoral ministry before entering seminary, I usually have Paul Tripp’s Dangerous Calling at the top of my list. Tripp points out many of the common heart problems related to pastoral ministry. But this...
By Jeffrey Arthurs It was said of Winston Churchill that “he mobilized the English language, and sent it into battle.” I exhort you, send your best words into battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Send language forth like soldiers...
By Lucas O’Neill, author of Preaching to Be Heard Many sermons are like meals from typical fast-food chains—flavor at the expense of nutrition. It’s easy, fast, cheap, and tastes addictively good. Your We begin with the text and we surrender the...
By David Helm Scottish poet Andrew Lang once landed a humorous blow against the politicians of his day with a clever line indicting them for their manipulation of statistics. With a slight alteration in language, the quip could equally be leveled...
You will preach narrative far better if you know this literary archetype. The Bible is full of stories, and most of them revolve around a hero. From Abraham to Moses to Deborah to the True and Better Hero, much of Scripture is a hero’s journey...
One quality above all others gives your sermon intro the hook it needs. Here’s how to work that quality into your intro. All ad writers agree that a headline is the most important part of any ad. Famous ad writer David Ogilvy once said, “On the...