I must confess that I tend to go on the long side. I am a TMS grad that many times gives TMI. My conscience is afflicted because I kick myself or going too long (sometimes 45 minutes). Am I wrong? I want to find a balance, get convictions, and stick to that.
How long is too long? How long do you men teach your students for?
What do you men think is a duration that would be "just right"?
20min.?
30min.?
More?
As long as I am keeping their attention I don't worry about time. I preach to every age group of our church so time is hard to gauge - often I do it on the fly. Here is what I average per age group.
ReplyDelete2yrs - 15min
5yrs - 20min
10yrs - 30min
14-18 - 30-45min
20-65 - 45-1hr
65+ - 15min
Some other thoughts:
In a discussion format I can easily go an hour. At a retreat I go longer approx 1hr.
At a special event I keep it under 20.
My shortest sermon, and curiously the one that has received the most accolades, was a 911 monument dedication for the county fire department - 7min. Everyone, many unbelievers, had been standing in the sun for 30min. I knew I had to keep it short: http://mmccchurch.org/sermon-audio/911-dedication/
I don't think there is a right or wrong. The chemistry you have with your audience and the content you are preaching has a lot to do with it. If they can retain 45 minutes of Andrew Calaway Gold - then mine those mountains!
Man, if I could only mine those mountains of Andrew Callaway gold! I would sit in for hours on end. Hehe.
DeleteAndrew, I appreciate your candor on the subject.
Thank you for the insight Paul. That is helpful think through the different preaching contexts.
Our youth ministry includes ages 12 - 17 right now. In general, I shoot for a general goal between 35 - 40 minutes, with the specific goal being 35 minutes. This goes for both Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. I believe this is where my flock is right now in their capacity to retain at an effective level. When I go longer I fear that they go away thinking, "that was a long one," instead of being challenged and convicted by the gospel and God's Word.
For what it is worth: When I preach from the pulpit, my pastor wants me to craft a 35 minute message. He typically goes 35-40 minutes.
My thoughts is that you should preach as long as you can and still hold people's attention, engage them, and accurately communicate the truth. So it often has something to do with giftedness and experience. However, if you are given a specific time slot, I think it is best to stay within that time slot and not go over. It is better to leave them wanting more, than leave them bored to death.
DeleteJack
Thanks so much for coming by Jack. Thank you for lending some wisdom to some guys who are still trying to figure this preaching thing out! I really appreciate the Effective Sermon Delivery Class. One of my favorites. And from time to time I refer to the syllabus and notes from it.
DeleteKyle
Amen Kyle.
DeleteAfter this was first mentioned, it caused me to do a little more thinking.
ReplyDelete1. What does the Sr. Pastor and/or Elder board desire?
Do you think they are right? Are they open to reason? What are their reasons? They have been associated with the ministry at the local church much longer than you have.
2. How long does the Sr. Pastor preach on Sunday morning?
Some pastors preach for 25 minutes, while others preach for 50-60min+. The entire congregation will be more apt to a longer sermon if that is what they are used to.
3. You are the shepherd and the leader of the group, therefore, you get to determine what the length is, within reason. How long do you desire to preach for (that is reasonable)?
Teaching people to listen to sermons is a shepherding moment. One, they may not realize the importance of preaching/listening to God's Word. Two, there may be miscommunication on what is "THE MOST" important thing when we gather. For example, people may think Fellowship is higher than hearing God's Word.
Moreover, if the people are used to 20 min, coming in and preaching for 40 would be unloving to your sheep. Maybe 35 minutes would be a good goal to reach, though you are aching to preach 45 :). Start talking to others about the length and preach on the "Preacher's Duty to his People." Take time getting to 35 min.
4. What is the dynamic of the teaching session? Are you a boring orator or an enticing question asker?
Different settings allow for different teaching styles. Sunday Morning main preaching doesn't allow the opportunity for Questions. However, Sunday School or Mid-Week does. Being engaging through questions may allow the teaching time to go longer.
I came into a setting where the Sr. Pastor typically preaches for 45-50min. Therefore, it made it much easier for me to preach longer. Our mid-week is lighter in "mood" than Sunday morning and typically go anywhere from 30-40 min. If we end our study at 8pm, make sure to stop at 7:45. I made a habit of going longer, so I ended up changing the time to end at 8:30 so I could have an extra 10-15 minutes of teaching and 10-15 min of fellowship
Sunday morning is high on preaching discipleship so I preach for 40-45 minutes.
My people were already used to it and accustomed to the length. Moreover, my group is a little older than most. Lastly, just because they may be "younger" does not mean they are unable to process the deeper truths of Scripture. Here we have freshman in high school taking lower-level physics. Their brains are being stretched in their school; therefore, give them a rich Gospel and deep explanation of the text.
Great comments Shawn!
Delete"Are you a boring orator or an enticing question asker?"
LOL An important question for every preacher to asses.
I have seen Andrew in action and he is definitely an enticing question asker. My personal opinion, with Shawn's suggestion, "take your time to getting there," I think 45min is a very reasonable goal.
This is an interesting post i saw from Dr. Varner. He asked the question of sermon length on an FB post. Check out the responses he got:
ReplyDeletehttp://dribex.tumblr.com/post/18394224910/sermons-how-long
Just found some quotes from Spurgeon on sermon length. This makes so much sense!
ReplyDeleteBrethren, weigh your sermons. Do not retail them by the yard, but deal them out by the pound. Set no store by the quantity of words which you utter, but strive to be esteemed for the quality of your matter. It is foolish to be lavish in words and niggardly in truth. -C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 71
Also,
Do not overload a sermon with too much matter. All truth is not to be comprised in one discourse. Sermons are not to be bodies of divinity. There is such a thing as having too much to say, and saying it till hearers are sent home loathing rather than longing. An old minister walking with a young preacher, pointed to a cornfield, and observed, “Your last sermon had too much in it, and it was not clear enough, or sufficiently well-arranged; it was like that field of wheat, it contained much crude food, but none fit for use. You should make your sermons like a loaf of bread, fit for eating, and in convenient form.” -C.H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students, p. 77
Take heed brethren!
HT: http://www.dennyburk.com/are-your-sermons-too-long/
Recently I have come up with two aphorisms to help me consider being more concise (or less long?). These work like warning signs for me.
ReplyDeleteInteresting is not essential.
Exhaustive can be exhausting.