Author: Administrador

In a recent issue of his “Ministry Toolbox” newsletter, Rick Warren offers this: “Jesus taught profound truths in simple ways. Today, we do the opposite. We teach simple truths in profound ways. “Sometimes when pastors think they are being ‘deep,’ they are really just being ‘muddy.’ They like to show off their knowledge by using … Continue reading “Preach Simply”

Bryant Wright is the pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Northwest Atlanta, a church he began and which now has nearly 8,000 members. At this summer’s Southern Baptist Convention, he was elected to be the new president of the SBC. He is author of a new book Seeds of Turmoil: The Biblical Roots of … Continue reading “Preaching on Mission: An Interview with Bryant Wright”

In a recent article for PreachingTodaySermons.com, Tim Keller writes: “The contemporary preacher of orthodox Christianity faces an unprecedented dilemma. Despite what you would think from a casual perusal of any video store, bookstore or magazine rack, we do not live in an immoral society—one in which right and wrong are clearly understood and wrong behavior … Continue reading “Preaching in an Amoral Age”

Redundancy is a tricky fellow. An antonym is precision. Most all pastors are guilty of redundancy and short on precision from time to time. All of us have a desire to get it out of our sermons; but before we can eliminate it, we must be able to hear it, which requires trained and dedicated … Continue reading “Preaching Points: Redundancy and Precision”

In his book Making a Good Church Great (Regal), Steve Sjogren warns about letting worship music run too long: “We were, at one time, a ‘high worship’ church. That is, we would sing worship choruses for up to 45 minutes. However, the long worship time made our church ‘seeker hostile.’ Our attitude was, ‘If those new … Continue reading “Check Your Worship Time”

You Might Need a Preaching Calendar If… • You find yourself desperately scrambling to put some thoughts together Friday or Saturday night so you will have something to say on Sunday.• You are downloading other preachers’ sermons and trying to pass them off as your own.• Your schedule does not allow you to do proper biblical exegesis.• Your sermons … Continue reading “You Might Need a Preaching Calendar If”

Tony Morgan—author, church strategist, and pastor of ministries at West Ridge Church in Atlanta—recently remembered a conversation he had with a denominational leader about the attributes of a declining church. Morgan remarked, “When I work with churches for the first time, sometimes they’re frustrated with me because I’m not willing to help them fix something … Continue reading “Why Churches Decline”

Introduction(1 Corinthians 9:19-23)The highest service of man on earth is sharing the gospel. The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Rev. Joseph Samuel Exell (1849-1909) says, “The services of men on earth embrace a large variety. There is the service of the agriculturalist, the mechanic, the mariner, the merchant, the scientist, the legislator, the king…Men esteem these … Continue reading “For the Gospel’s Sake”

As the father of two boys (14 and 10), a recent article at CNN.com caught my attention. In it, author Kenda Creasy Dean argues that most teenagers in American churches have a case of “fake” Christianity. Some excerpts: “Dean says more American teenagers are embracing what she calls ‘moralistic therapeutic deism.’ Translation: It’s a watered-down … Continue reading “Kenda Creasy Dean on Kids’ Spirituality and ‘Fake’ Christians”

Thom Rainer and his son Jess have a book coming out in January called The Millennials. The book is based on a major research study regarding the generation born between 1980 and 2000, though they focus primarily on the latter part of that generation. In a recent entry at his blog, Rainer writes: “Though we … Continue reading “Millennials and Leadership”