Preaching week after week can feel like a marathon that you can’t train enough for. Even with experience under your belt, some challenges come up when it comes to finding fresh ideas, connecting with your congregation, and staying encouraged yourself. Without the right preaching newsletters, these challenges can really stack up:
- You may find yourself scrambling for sermon ideas and feeling uninspired or repetitive.
- You might struggle to feel personally renewed by the messages you’re preparing.
- You might feel alone in your role, lacking input or community with other pastors who understand what it takes.
I’ve been there, and these struggles often come from not having consistent outside inspiration and connection with others in the same role. That’s why I’ve put together a list of the best preaching newsletters—ones that can keep you feeling encouraged, creatively fueled, and better equipped to impact your congregation.
Here’s a look at some of the best ones out there and what each can bring to your ministry.
Best Preaching Newsletters Shortlist
Here's a shortlist of the best preaching newsletters I think are worth joining in 2024:
- The Reflectionary - For sermon inspiration and reflection
- Cutting It Straight by H.B. Charles Jr. - For pastoral leadership insights
- The Ministry Matters Weekly Preaching - For weekly sermon resources
- Sermon Central Newsletter - For sermon preparation tools
- Pro Preacher - For preaching tips and techniques
- Preaching Today Newsletter - For contemporary preaching ideas
- Center for Excellence in Preaching - For academic preaching resources
- PreachingNow eNewsletter - For current preaching trends
- Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership - For pastoral development
- Faithful & Fruitful Ministry - For ministry growth strategies
- Preach Magazine Newsletter - For preaching and ministry news
Find more details about each newsletter below.
Overview Of The Best Preaching Newsletters
1. The Reflectionary - For sermon inspiration and reflection
The Reflectionary delivers imaginative daily readings and prayers for adults and children. It provides inspirational thoughts based on the Revised Common Lectionary.
- Audience: Pastors and church leaders
- Size: 2,000+ subscribers
- Newsletter Frequency: Biweekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
Each issue of The Reflectionary newsletter is lectionary-based with sermon ideas and outlines based on the assigned readings, ensuring that sermons are timely and relevant to the liturgical calendar. It includes creative sermon series ideas with themes, topics, and graphics to help pastors plan and deliver engaging multi-week sermons.
The free newsletter also offers articles on improving preaching skills, leadership development, and addressing current issues and challenges in church ministry.
2. Cutting It Straight by H.B. Charles Jr. - For pastoral leadership insights
The Cutting It Straight newsletter by H.B. Charles Jr.’s newsletter provides resources focused on training, modeling, and promoting faithful and effective bible preaching.
- Audience: Pastors and church leaders
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
This preaching newsletter covers expository topics that emphasize and explain biblical texts accurately. It delivers guidelines on organizing sermons to convey clear and impactful messages, strategies for applying biblical truths to contemporary life, and the importance of historical and cultural context in preaching.
Additionally, it offers tips for effective delivery and engagement with the congregation to help improve church leadership.
3. The Ministry Matters Weekly Preaching - For weekly sermon resources
The Ministry Matters Weekly Preaching newsletter focuses on the essentials of sermon preparation, worship planning, and leadership development. It features articles on topics related to church leadership and ministry.
- Audience: Church leaders and pastors
- Size: 130,000+ subscribers
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The weekly newsletter provides reflection and sermon ideas based on the weekly lectionary texts and deep, contextual analyses of Scripture, ensuring sermons are relevant and deliver accurate biblical messages. Each issue covers various themes including faith, leadership, social justice, and biblical texts' historical and cultural background, aiding in more profound understanding and interpretation.
Additionally, it includes personal and spiritual growth to encourage pastors to reflect on their spiritual journey.
4. Sermon Central Newsletter - For sermon preparation tools
The Sermon Central Newsletter is a leading resource for sermon preparation, providing sermons, illustrations, media, and relevant biblical texts to improve excellence in preaching.
- Audience: Church leaders and pastors
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The Sermon Central Newsletter provides new sermon ideas to keep preaching fresh and relevant. It covers thematic sermons like faith, social issues, and personal growth, topical preaching for more specific topics like peace, revival, and salvation, and sermon ideas on biblical characters, incorporating stories and lessons for today. It also focuses on preaching for change and encourages readers to join its email list for regular updates.
5. Pro Preacher - For preaching tips and techniques
The Pro Preacher newsletter delivers practical tips and techniques to improve preaching preparation and delivery. It focuses on inspiring and valuable insights to continuously advance preaching techniques.
- Audience: Pastors and church leaders
- Size: 17,000+ subscribers
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The Pro Preacher newsletter offers detailed guides on how to write and deliver memorable sermons, including topics on body language, sermon structure, and delivery methods. It provides a glimpse into sermon planning resources like the Sermon Calendar to help pastors plan their entire year, as well as preaching articles that discuss the teaching methods of Jesus Christ and insights on how to use these techniques in modern preaching.
6. Preaching Today Newsletter - For contemporary preaching ideas
The Preaching Today Newsletter offers sermon illustrations, resources, and articles on navigating the challenges of preaching in a polarized environment.
- Audience: Preachers and pastors
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The Preaching Today newsletter features webinars and articles addressing peace and justice in sermons. It provides insights about current social and political issues from a biblical perspective, and how to interpret texts accurately. The newsletter also covers tips and methods to enhance sermon delivery, including body language, storytelling, audience engagement, and insights into pastoral leadership and effective church ministry.
7. Center for Excellence in Preaching - For academic preaching resources
The Center for Excellence in Preaching newsletter provides sermon commentaries and liturgical season resources, to help deepen theological understanding.
- Audience: Preachers and pastors
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
This preaching newsletter offers detailed commentaries, providing deep insights into biblical passages and how to interpret them for present-day audiences. It also features resources addressing theological questions and pastoral care topics, such as grief and ethical preaching, as well as video tutorials on sermon crafting and the ethics of sermon illustrations. Additionally, the newsletter includes curated lists of book recommendations on theology and homiletics to enrich a preacher’s knowledge.
8. PreachingNow eNewsletter - For current preaching trends
The PreachingNow eNewsletter features insightful content to stay updated with the latest trends in preaching and ministry, including contemporary issues, practical tips, and interviews with renowned pastors.
- Audience: Preachers and pastors
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
This free preaching newsletter delivers resources specifically for sermon preparation, including outlines, themes, and illustrations that help craft impactful messages. It covers detailed exegesis of biblical texts to help preachers understand the Scripture better and different perspectives on social and cultural issues, teaching preachers how to tackle and discuss these topics in the sermon.
Additionally, it offers advice for personal spiritual growth and insights on leading with integrity and compassion.
9. Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership - For pastoral development
The Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership newsletter focuses on leadership development, including articles, podcasts, and events on mental health, marriage, and church membership.
- Audience: Pastors and church leaders
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The newsletter delivers in-depth resources on sermon preparation, delivery, expository preaching, and articles on counseling, dealing with stress, and supporting church members through crises. It offers guidance on leading healthy, disciple-making, and mission-oriented churches with topics on church revitalization, community engagement, and strategies for prioritizing evangelism.
10. Faithful & Fruitful Ministry - For ministry growth strategies
The Faithful and Fruitful Ministry newsletter delivers practical resources, insights, tools, and assessments to help build a pastor’s confidence and enhance ministry effectiveness.
- Audience: Pastors and preachers
- Newsletter Frequency: Weekly
- Cost: Free
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The newsletter offers strategies for effective sermon preparation, delivery techniques, and using digital media for ministry. It provides guidance that helps congregations move forward with clarity and vision and encourages pastors to deepen their relationship with God through Christian counseling training resources and understanding how to deal with ministry stress.
Additionally, this preaching newsletter offers a tool for pastors to evaluate the five key areas of ministry, aiding in identifying strengths and areas for growth.
11. Preach Magazine Newsletter - For preaching and ministry news
Preach Magazine Newsletter delivers articles and resources addressing current UK and global events from a biblical perspective to help relate sermons to contemporary issues. It provides insights on how to incorporate God's word into discussions on contemporary matters, which is a valuable resource for Christian leaders seeking to connect their messages with real-world events.
- Audience: Preachers, worship leaders, and student preachers
- Newsletter Frequency: Monthly
- Cost:
- Membership - £30 annually
- Extra membership - £66 annually
- Plus membership - £132 annually
- Student membership - £15 annually
- Gift membership - £30 annually
- Overseas Postal Delivery - £48 annually
- Subscribe here
Why Subscribe:
The Preach Magazine Newsletter covers tips and techniques for crafting and delivering impactful sermons, articles addressing theological issues and their practical implications for ministry, and book recommendations relevant to preaching and church leadership. It helps preachers connect Scripture with present-day issues with its detailed analysis of events from a biblical perspective.
Additionally, it offers access to preaching workshops and webinars for practical training and insights.
Additional Reading
Here are some other lists of newsletters for church leaders:
- Informative family ministry newsletters that provide resources and insights for nurturing families within the church
- Engaging children's ministry newsletters offering tips and ideas for effectively ministering to children in your congregation
Join for More Insights
Whether you are a seasoned pastor or just beginning your journey, these newsletters provide practical advice to elevate your preaching and communicate more effectively with your congregation.
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