Kirk E. MillerWhen it comes to books on preaching, there’s no shortage of resources available. But which books are actually the most helpful? To help you find some of the most cherished, we asked our Logos community to share their favorite preaching...
What is expository preaching, and is it still relevant in today’s changing world? In this episode of Logos Live, Kirk E. Miller sits down with Pastor David Helm who defines and makes the case for expository preaching as God’s design for his church...
Jim WilsonTrue pastoral effectiveness goes beyond preaching—it’s about presence. The most impactful pastors don’t confine their ministry to the pulpit; they live out their message among their people. Drawing inspiration from the management principle of...
James SewardThere are no shortcuts in the path that is sermon preparation. It takes sweat, soul-level investment, and often a bit of anguish. However, after twenty years of preaching, I have collected a handful of insider hacks that can improve your sermon...
Phil ThompsonA pastor once told me he would spend between twenty and thirty hours a week on sermon preparation. This left little time in his schedule for counseling his parishioners, leading his team, praying for his church, or planning for the future. Few...
Mark StraussThe earliest manuscripts do not contain John 7:53–8:11 or the end of Mark. So what is a pastor to do when preaching passage-by-passage through either Mark or John? Do you preach these passages? Do you ignore them? This article will help answer these...
Tanner ThetfordWhen we talk about preaching in the church, several words spring to mind: Faithfulness to the Word demands that we preach the Bible clearly and accurately. Love for God's people requires that we consider how what we say impacts their discipleship...
Gerald BrayIn the ancient world—as for most time since—the gospel of Christ was primarily spread by verbal proclamation, i.e., preaching, and in those days there was no shortage of gifted preachers. Among the pre-modern sermons of which we have record, John...
Jason StoneFor more than a decade now, I have trained pastors and students to leverage Logos for their study of the Bible, including sermon preparation and planning. Over the years, I have heard the same concern time and again: many professionals study the...
Writing and delivering well-communicated, biblically faithful sermons demands our study and energy. But having the right tools can help us in that effort. In this article, we’ll survey some of the best tools and resources available to preachers in...
Patrick SlymanIt was an innocent question, “Will you use sermon slides when you preach?” I was a first-year seminary student asking a recent graduate embarking on his first pastoral position. The curtness of his answer surprised me, “Not on...
Mary JahnkeThanksgiving Day gets overshadowed by other holidays in store aisles, porch decorations, and people’s priorities—but preaching about thankfulness will always hold a place in the pulpit. Here are 14 sermon illustrations on Thanksgiving to help you...
Lexham PressPreaching 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...
Logos StaffGrowing 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...
Peter Adam explores 20 features of expository preaching—and why he believes it most closely reflects God’s method of verbal revelation—in this excerpt adapted from Theology Is for Preaching: Biblical Foundations, Method, and Practice (just one...
Whether you are just starting to preach or have been preaching for years and are looking for ways to prove, you'll learn the nuts and bolts of writing a sermon in this article.
Jonathan T. PenningtonIs 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. Keep reading to...
Mark BarnesDuring my lifetime I reckon I’ve heard about 4,000 sermons. Often I have been challenged, uplifted, provoked, transformed. Sadly, other times, I have been bored.
Matthew BoffeyIf a young preacher stepped into your office asking for your best books on preaching, what would you suggest? Here are a few ideas.
Jeffrey KranzMore people go to church on Easter than any other day of the year, and churches around the world are already preparing for more visitors—whether online or in person. There are plenty of ways to ensure your Easter service is great, but what about the...
In this article, you'll learn how to write a topical sermon, including picking the topic, using the right tools, polishing your message, and more.
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...
Mark WardSome time ago my wife and I visited a church we’d never been to before and heard a message about Old Testament promises, specifically from one paragraph in Joshua 1. Take particular note of the promises because the preacher did: This Book of the Law...
Tim PerryA Christian understanding of death ... [does not] trivialize or objectify it. In the Christian imagination, death presents us with the mystery of life held in the hands of God—life that is not our own, that is fragile and limited. It presents death...
An old saying goes, “A day hemmed in prayer is less likely to come unraveled.” And even though that’s true, Christians still need encouragement to pray. Here are nine sermon illustrations on prayer to help provide it. 1. How God listens In 2009 news...
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...
There seem to be countless sermon illustrations on faith—but some are better than others. Find six memorable ones below! 1. Sermon illustration on enduring faith From Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations & Quotes: Faith honors...
This 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...