Links of the Week (10/8/16)

Each Saturday we point you to the best preaching, leadership, and ministry content we have encountered on the internet during the week.

Links of the Week

Want some free preaching and productivity resources? How does a sermon evaluation worksheet, a weekly productivity template for Evernote, a sermon series planning template for Evernote, and 56 weeks of preaching topics sound to you? Grab them by going here (and never miss fresh content from RookiePreacher.com).

The Ultimate Guide to Naming Your Church – by Stephen Altrogge

Naming a church used to be so easy. If you were the first Baptist church in town, you were “First Baptist Church” (notice how you never see a “Second Baptist Church”?). Assemblies of God churches were all called, creatively enough, “Assemblies of God” (or some variation). In the past, naming a church was a pretty straightforward venture.

But as it says in Proverbs, “The times, they are a-changing” (that’s in The Message I think).

J.D. Greear: ‘I See Many Churches Failing to Play Their Part’ – via OutreachMagazine

Our Enemy wants nothing more than to use good things to distract us from the one essential thing—our focus on the gospel. Growth in Christ is never about going beyond the gospel, but going deeper into the gospel.

John Van Pay: The Simplicity of America’s Fastest-Growing Church—Part 1 – via OutreachMagazine

As a student ministry pastor in New Hampshire, John Van Pay pursued success. He fed an engine of programs and events, driving growth. On the side, he planted a rural church and helped lead another in the inner city.

Here’s Part 2.

Three Common Storytelling Mistakes – via PublicWords

I know you think storytelling is important, because you’re reading this blog post. Or do you need to be persuaded? The human mind is structured to remember stories, not facts, or things, or lists, or even ideas. Do you want proof?

Public Speaking in the Church: Using Effective Multimedia with Your Talk [Series] – by Rachel Blom

When I was a kid, speakers who wanted to be creative used objects, a flannel board (if you don’t know what these are you’re clearly younger than me!), or a slide-presentation with audio. And just to be clear: I’m talking about actual, physical slides here, not Powerpoint or Keynote.

10 Reasons Pastors Who Use Sermon Calendars Preach Better Than Before – by Brian Dodd

This time of year pastors see a lot of resources and how-to guides on putting together an annual preaching calendar. One question you might be asking before downloading the 2017 calendar template or using our complete 2017 sermon calendars is, “How does this actually help me?”

Why I Love Being a Pastor – by John MacArthur

I remember reading Iain Murray’s excellent biography of Jonathan Edwards. I found much to identify with, especially the personal heartaches Edwards endured as pastor of the same church for twenty-three years. After all that time his flock voted him out.

3 Nagging Problems with Andy Stanley’s Approach to the Bible – by Jared C. Wilson

Pack a lunch.

By now, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with the firestorm resulting from NorthPoint Church pastor Andy Stanley’s teaching on the Bible and its suitability for (initial) apologetic/evangelistic engagement, most notably found in his recent teaching series but also in a conversation with Russell Moore at the most recent ERLC conference.

Seven Key Reasons People Choose a Church – by Thom Rainer

Why did you choose to come to this church?

I ask the question hundreds of times each year, especially to people who joined a church within the past year.