Ministry Preaching

This book has been written to outline the worldview, practices, and history of Islam, to help non-Muslims understand their Muslim friends and neighbors better. Topics covered include the Islamic sacred books and articles of faith, the key religious observances, and the differences to be found among Muslims. The story of Islam is traced from its beginnings in the seventh century to the present. Non-Muslims who listen to this book will gain an understanding of why Muslims think and act as they do.

Frederick Buechner has long been a kindred spirit to those who find elements of doubt as constant companions on their journey of faith. He is a passionate writer and preacher who can alter lives with a simple phrase. Reflecting Buechner's exquisite gift for storytelling and his compassionate pastor's heart, Secrets in the Dark will inspire laughter, hope, and bring great solace. Start listening and rediscover what it means to be thoughtful about faith.

Preachers fill our church pulpits, conference stages, and television airwaves. But the question remains: What is good preaching really like? In this accessible volume—written for preachers and preachers in training—pastor David Helm outlines what it takes to be a faithful proclaimer of God's word.

One of the great early Christian writings of the second century, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching is a book all true believers can learn from. In writing to his friend, Irenaeus unfolds the Christian faith by quoting extensively from the Old Testament.

Preaching needs to become purposeful, says Jay Adams, because purposeless preaching is deadly. This book was written to help preachers and students discover the purpose of preaching has and the ways that the Scriptures inform and direct the preaching task. Preaching with Purpose, like the many other books of Jay Adams, speaks clearly and forcefully to the issue. After listening to this book, both students and experienced preachers will be unable to ignore the urgent task of purposeful preaching. And the people of God will be the better for it.

This volume consists of a series of messages delivered by the noted Chinese pastor-teacher Watchman Nee during a training period for workers held in Kuling, Foochow, China, in 1948.

In Preaching in a Post-Truth World, Mike Glenn, a pastor of one of the largest churches in America, with more than 30 years of pastoral experience, offers wisdom, guidance, and insight for the pastors that seek to recenter the pulpit and preach the truth of God’s Word.

Create a church unchurched people absolutely love to attend. Deep and Wide provides church leaders with an in-depth look into North Point Community Church and its strategy for creating churches unchurched people absolutely love to attend. Andy Stanley shares his strategy for preaching and programming to both mature believers and cynical unbelievers, essential ingredients for creating irresistible environments, and North Point's spiritual formation model (The Five Faith Catalysts).

Whether you speak from the pulpit, podium, or the front of a classroom, you don't need much more than blank stares and faraway looks to tell you you’re not connecting. Take heart before your audience takes leave! You can convey your message in the powerful, life-changing way it deserves to be told. An insightful, entertaining parable that's an excellent guide for any speaker, Communicating for a Change takes a simple approach to delivering effectively.

How can pastors become resilient in a rapidly changing world? Is it possible to love well and lead faithfully? In the wake of crises that have exposed and accelerated massive cultural shifts, we see more clearly the seismic shifts of post-Christendom, the surging storms of a new paganism and pluralism, and the scattered debris of the cultural aftermath. Drawing on new research from the Barna Group, scripture, and church history, Glenn Packiam addresses some of the most pressing questions for today's leaders.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, commonly referred to as “the Doctor,” had a successful career in medicine before abandoning it all to become a preacher in London. His sermons—displaying the life-changing power of biblical truth—diagnosed the spiritual condition of his congregation and prescribed the gospel remedy. This study of Lloyd-Jones’s life will encourage and exhort listeners to consider the role of the knowledge of God, the power of the Spirit, and the fullness of Christ in their daily lives, allowing them to discover the inseparable union of doctrine and the Christian life.

Featuring interviews with preachers such as Tom Foster, Stan Gleason, T. F. Tenney, Claudette Walker, Raymond Woodward, and many more, Life Preaching "presents preaching from the human perspective based on interviews with some of the outstanding preachers of our day. The author skillfully introduces the topic with solid commentary, and then illuminates it with the experiences and accumulated wisdom of those who have lived the preacher’s life.

Christian preaching is a God-appointed means of transforming its hearers in both head and heart, not only in intellect but also in affections. With clear examples of specific methods, John Piper shows preachers how and what to communicate from the pulpit in a way that takes seriously the task of handling the word of God week in and week out in the context of, and as, Christian worship.

Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875) was a Presbyterian minister and a leader of the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called “The Father of Modern Revivalism”. These powerful lectures deal with religious revival, how to encourage or promote it, and explaining how a revival experience may be maintained in the life of the Christian and in the life of the church. The author considered a religious revival as a new beginning of obedience to God.

The Homiletical Plot, Expanded Edition follows in the same solid tradition of its predecessor. Upon its release, The Homiletical Plot quickly became a pivotal work on the art of preaching. Instead of comments on a biblical passage, Lowry suggested that the sermon follow a narrative form that moves from beginning to end, as with the plot of a story. This expanded edition continues to be an excellent teaching resource and learning tool for all preachers, from introductory students to seasoned clergy.

Jim Cymbala—New York Times best-selling author and long-time pastor of The Brooklyn Tabernacle—has been watching the pressing need for back-to-the-basics spiritual leadership among Christians, and he's seen so many churches come to defeat because so many leaders forget this one truth: Your church is not your church. It's Christ's church. In order for his church to flourish, we have to minister his way.

In Effective Biblical Counseling, Gold Medallion Award-winning author Dr. Larry Crabb presents a model of counseling that can be gracefully integrated into the functioning of the local church. He asserts that counseling is simply a relationship between people who care and that its goal is to free people to better worship and serve God.

St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696 - 1787) was an Italian bishop famous for his moral teaching. He was born in Naples to a noble family who directed his life into law. After earning his degree, he led a very successful law practice until at the age of 27 he gave it up to become a priest. He was ordained at the age of 30, and then became a minister to the poor, founding a number of "evening chapels".

C.H. Spurgeon, in 1800s England, said "Everywhere there is apathy. Nobody cares whether that which is preached is true or false. A sermon is a sermon whatever the subject; only, the shorter it is the better." Until all that changes, until we return to our calling to go into all the world and preach the Gospel without shame, the Church is in danger of losing its impact on society. And that would be our generation's greatest loss.

Jerry Jones lays the theological groundwork for the basis of preaching, presents the case for the priority of preaching, and demonstrates the fundamental necessity of preaching in the church. Drawing from the extensive experience of a lifetime of preaching the gospel, the author distills the key elements of preaching into a book that preachers young and old will have a hard time pausing.