Philip Graham, the Washington Post’s legendary publisher, once said, “Journalism is the first rough draft of history.” If that’s the case, then with approximately 2,000 stories to his credit, John Kennedy has been writing the first draft of Assemblies of … Continue reading What Pastors Can Learn from Journalists | Influence Podcast
“Countless pastors, preachers, teachers, and ministry leaders are dismayed at the dysfunction engulfing the church and the wider culture,” write Matt Kim and Paul Hoffman. “Every day, headlines reveal a world divided across ethnic, class, sex, and political lines. We … Continue reading Preaching for Reconciliation and Unity | Influence Podcast
Phillips Brooks, the nineteenth-century minister who wrote “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” defined preaching as “the communication of Truth through Personality.” Truth is “the most authoritative statement of God’s will,” he said. Personality refers to a preacher’s “character, his affections, … Continue reading Why Preaching Requires Virtue | Influence Podcast
Pastors often hear complaints about church from members of their congregations. These negative comments can create a doom-and-gloom mentality among church leaders, as if everything in their congregation is going wrong. According to The Congregational Scorecard, a new report from … Continue reading What Do Churchgoers Want? | Influence Podcast
“Imagine that you have the following choice to make for your listeners,” writes Matthew D. Kim in the opening paragraph of Preaching to People in Pain: “(1) They can listen to sermons that only address the topic of success in … Continue reading Preaching to People in Pain | Book Review
“Suffering is ubiquitous, success is not,” writes Matthew D. Kim in Preaching to People in Pain. Ironically, the content of many, if not most, sermons focuses on success more than suffering, however. Are pastors missing an opportunity to speak into … Continue reading How to Preach When People Are Suffering | Influence Podcast
Preaching is hard work. Intellectually, it requires the ability to discern the original meaning and contemporary relevance of a Bible passage, then to communicate both in a memorable way. Practically, it demands that pastors do this for different texts on … Continue reading The Big Idea Companion for Preaching and Teaching | Book Review
Preaching is one of a pastor’s most important duties. It’s also one of the most difficult. Every week, pastors stand before their congregations and proclaim the Word of God. And often, they leave the pulpit feeling that they have failed. … Continue reading Improving Your Preaching in the Coming Year | Influence Podcast
When I went off to college, my mom concluded every letter she sent me by quoting Proverbs 3:5–6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he … Continue reading How to Read Proverbs for Preaching | Influence Podcast
Matthew D. Kim is associate professor of preaching and ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, as well as director of its Haddon W. Robinson Center for Preaching. He describes A Little Book for New Preachers as “a … Continue reading A Little Book for New Preachers | Book Review
GeorgePWood.com 