Preaching is a pastor’s most important public role in a local congregation. Week after week, pastors open the Word of God to their congregations, so that God’s servants “may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).

Pastors understandably feel inadequate to their weekly assignment. However, if they approach preaching with humility, teachability and diligence, their confidence and competence as preachers can grow.

Over the years, the Influence Podcast has interviewed pastors, professors and people in the pews about how to preach more effectively. In this article, we highlight five podcasts that listeners have found especially helpful.

1. A Case for Expository Preaching

John Lindell is the lead pastor of James River Church, a multisite congregation in Southwest Missouri, and a leading expository preacher. In this conversation with Influence magazine Executive Editor George P. Wood, Lindell talks about what expository preaching is, why preachers should preach expository sermons, and how they can do so more effectively.

2. Preaching with Cultural Intelligence

America is becoming an increasingly diverse nation, and so are American churches. How should pastors and other church leaders preach and minister in this new cultural context? That’s the question Dr. Matthew Kim talks to George P. Wood about in this episode. Kim is associate professor of preaching and ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and author of the book Preaching with Cultural Intelligence (Baker Academic).

3. How to Tell Stories

Stories have a unique ability to capture people’s imagination and move them to action. The Bible itself is filled with well-crafted narratives that tell the history of God’s dealings with people. And Jesus is the master storyteller. He used parables to proclaim the gospel and invite listeners to respond with repentance and faith. In this episode, Influence magazine Senior Editor John Davidson talks to Jerit Abart and Trey Reynolds of BoldFlame Creative about how to embrace the art of storytelling. They pay special attention to the use of video components in sermons, the problem of limited budgets, and the importance of personal testimonies.

4. Speaking Truth in a Distracted, Secular Age

To be a Christian is to bear witness to Jesus Christ in the place and time in which you live. Every age presents unique challenges to, as well as unique opportunities for, Christian witness. In this episode, George P. Wood talks to Alan Noble about how Christians can bear witness to Christ in the midst of a distracted, secular culture. Noble is assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and author of Disruptive Witness.

5. Preaching Pet Peeves

The previous four podcasts discuss preaching from the standpoint of the preacher. But what about the preachee, the person listening to the sermon? In this episode, George P. Wood and Chris Colvin have a live conversation about the things preachers do that drive listeners crazy. Colvin is a content research consultant, freelance writer, and contributing editor of Influence magazine.