Ministry Preaching

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.

In our churches today, we have allowed ourselves to hold to a low view of God instead of seeing Him as Who He really is. And in today’s world of seeking the most likes and followers, many Christian pastors and leaders are finding themselves preaching what people want to hear instead of what God wants to say.

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.

Preaching is hard work. When I first felt called to ministry, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This little book is the kind of resource I wish I had way back when I felt the call to ministry. There were good books on preaching, but most lacked the practical tips I needed. I knew why I preached and what to preach. What I didn't know was how to preach. I needed short, practical tips to get me started in the right direction.

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.

As Dr. King prepared for the Birmingham campaign in early 1963, he drafted the final sermons for Strength to Love, a volume of his best-known homilies. King had begun working on the sermons during a fortnight in jail in July 1962. Having been arrested for holding a prayer vigil outside Albany City Hall, King and Ralph Abernathy shared a jail cell for 15 days that was, according to King, ''dirty, filthy, and ill-equipped'' and "the worse I have ever seen." While behind bars, he spent uninterrupted time preparing the drafts for classic sermons....

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".

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.

Originally written in 1656 and endorsed by generations of leading pastors as an essential book on the work of ministry, this abridged version of The Reformed Pastor presents the best of Richard Baxter’s timeless advice in simple, modern language that’s more accessible to a new generation of church leaders.

"Sixty years ago I found myself distracted," Eugene Peterson writes. "A chasm had developed between the way I was preaching from the pulpit and my deepest convictions on what it meant to be a pastor."

And so began Peterson's journey to live and teach a life of congruence - congruence between preaching and living, between what we do and the way we do it, between what is written in scripture and how we live out that truth.

Nothing captures the biblical foundation for this journey better than Peterson's teachings over his 29 years as a pastor.

As an English-speaking denomination, Baptists originated within 17th-century Puritanism as an offshoot of Congregationalism. English Baptists migrated to the American colonies during the 17th century. During the 18th century, the Great Awakening resulted in the expansion of the denomination, and the conversion of many slaves to Baptist churches. Baptist congregations formed their first national organization the Triennial Convention in the early 1800.

Best-selling author and master communicator Charles Swindoll has been effectively speaking to others for over 50 years. In Saying It Well: Touching Others With Your Words he shares his secrets on how to talk so people will listen.

The gospel is the greatest message of all time, addressing the greatest need of all people. However, the good news about Jesus does more than just promise eternal life to all who believe. In this addition to the 9Marks Building Healthy Churches series, pastor Ray Ortlund explains the gospel's power to transform individuals from the inside out and create beautiful human relationships. This short book helps listeners experience the power of God as they are encouraged to trust in Christ and allow him to transform their beliefs, perspectives, and practices.

This collection of uplifting, informative stories behind your favorite hymns will warm your heart and revitalize your worship. Each entry comes with the hymn's full text and musical score. Perfect for devotions, sermon demonstrations, bulletin inserts, and introducing congregational hymns, each hymn story includes information about the author, composer, the tune's name, and scriptural basis.

Cardinal Ratzinger compellingly shows us the biblical, historical, and theological dimensions of the Eucharist. The cardinal draws far-reaching conclusions, focusing on the importance of one's personal devotion to and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, for the personal reception of communion by the individual christian, as well as for the life of the church. For Ratzinger, any transformation of the world on the social plane grows out of the celebration of the Eucharist. He beautifully illustrates how the omnipotent God comes intimately close to us in the Holy Eucharist, the heart of life.

Organized around the main beliefs that undergirded his ministry - the centrality of Christ, the importance of the new birth, the indwelling of the Spirit, and the necessity of the Bible - this introduction to Charles Spurgeon’s life and thought will challenge listeners to live their lives for the glory of God.

Craig Groeschel (lifechurch.tv) and his church have hosted an international multichurch campaign called One Prayer, a month-long concerted focus on unifying the many different, diverse churches participating by praying together and serving their local communities. This compilation book features chapters by seventeen passionate church leaders, including Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Jentezen Franklin, Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, and others.

Ellen Gould White (1827 - 1915) was a cofounder of what later became known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. As one of the five volumes of her Conflict of the Ages series, The Desire of Ages is a book about the life and significance of Jesus Christ. White does not relate the story of Jesus in chronological order, but by theme. The book begins with the prophecy about the name, Immanuel, and proceeds with the birth of Jesus and his later life and ministry, including the miracles of Christ, his teachings to his disciples, and his death, resurrection, and ascension.

When it comes to interacting with guests, churches typically gravitate towards one of two camps: over-the-top, shock-and-awe, let-us-entertain-you or oh-man,-some-people-just-showed-up, underwhelming experience. Each extreme has drawbacks: on one end, people become the center of the universe. On the other, hospitality is effectively ignored in deference to the "serious business" of worship. People Are the Mission proposes a healthy middle, one where guests are esteemed but the gospel is the goal.

Almost every pastor feels the pressure to get people in the doors. Often, in their zeal for fruit and growth, pastors and church leaders adopt worldly mechanisms for church growth that end up undermining the very call God has given them. Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, was a pastor to well over 5,000 people in a day long before "mega-churches" were the norm. In Spurgeon the Pastor, Geoff Chang shows how Spurgeon models a theological vision of ministry in preaching, baptism and the Lord's supper, meaningful church membership, biblical church leadership, and more.