Article

A Sermon’s Life Cycle

And more helpful tools from Christianity Today

A Sermon's Life Cycle

Most sermons follow a similar pattern.

After 25 years of preaching, Pete Scazzero, pastor of New Life Church in Queens, New York, has noticed a pattern for his sermon preparation process. Scazzero calls it "The Life Cycle of the Sermon," and he claims that his sermons follow this cycle at least 95 percent of the time. This cycle involves five remarkably consistent phases—birth, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. (Sound familiar?) In this candid interview at PreachingToday.com, Scazzero analyzes this pattern and coaches preachers in how to journey through each stage of the cycle.

Fear of Failure

Unwind your fear with a truer perspective on ministry.

In ministry it is all too easy to be plagued by fears of failure or inadequacy. Many of these fears stem from flawed expectations or a narrow perspective. BuildingChurchLeaders.com has a 30-page training resource on the topic featuring articles, devotionals, assessments. The download offers insights and practices to help you gain a more biblical (and more encouraging) outlook.

8 Legal Pitfalls for Pastors

How to avoid the most common threats.

In this digital e-book from ChurchLawAndTax.com, you learn ways to mitigate risks your church faces and prevent future litigation that might hinder its ability to do ministry. Richard Hammar and Frank Sommerville, two experts on church law and tax, highlight eight pitfalls that frequently land pastors or churches in court.

How to Recover From Ministry Failure

Persevering through a failed ministry.

This training pack is created for those of you who've put your heart into a ministry that has failed. To guard against discouragement, they offer this packet of articles to give you perspective and inspire you to persevere.

Copyright © 2014 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.

Posted April 1, 2014

Also in this issue

Where to look after ministry comes crashing down

Questions Are the Answer

When My Daughter Said, 'I'm Gay'

Confessions of an evangelical pastor.

You're a Genius

A review of Multipliers

Is Failure Good?

And other items of interest from ministry and culture.

Experts in Weakness

I don’t fit the typical definition of a “strong” leader, and I am glad I don’t.

What I Learned in the Fire

When pastoring a church plant became a living hell, I thought I was done with ministry.

Transforming Failure

How God used a painful season of ministry to change my life.

Surprising Benefits of Failure

Success comes from multiple attempts

Resources

More helpful tools for transition

Celebrity Pastor

Open Discussion

Framing the Issues of Our Day

Leadership Journal reviews

Is Pot Legal in Your State Yet?

And other items of interest from ministry and culture

Farewell Franchise Ministry

Why is megachurch pastor John Mark Comer ditching conventional church-growth wisdom? Two words: mission and millennials.

No More One-Man Band

Larry Osborne and Chris Brown on the payoffs and pitfalls of transitioning to shared leadership.

The Rocky Road to Bethlehem

Jason Meyer’s calling to succeed John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church was clear but not easy.

The Church That Saved Me

How pastoring a small church transformed my ministry expectations

Who's Serving Whom?

I neglected the callings of my people. I pushed them into church work. Now it was time to equip them to be the body of Christ in the world.

Community-minded Pastor Redefines Expectations

And other items of interest from ministry and culture.

The 15 Best iPad Apps for Pastors

Apps every iPad-packing pastor needs.

Social Sermon Affirmation

Modern Exegetical Research

Pastoral Penalty

Irritating Stereotypes That Make Me a Better Pastor

Three obnoxious assumptions that just happen to be true.

Failing Them Softly

Disappointing people’s expectations is inevitable. Just do it at a rate they can tolerate.

View issue


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