How long should sermons last

First published on LifeWayResearch. Used by permission. How to Be Effective in Urban Ministry. Soulfires: The Possibilities of Geeky Evangelism. Building Bridges to Our Muslim Neighbors. Rich Stearns. Cullen Rodgers-Gates.

Charles Drew. Scott Ridout. Jo Anne Lyon and Walter Kim. Price Harding. Leith Anderson. The movie family had different signals they would use for their preacher father in case he needed help. They had signs for their dad saying the wrong thing, his zipper was unzipped, or even if he was preaching too long. If the sermon went long, they would smile a big, toothy grin. When the following Sunday rolled around, my brother and I were ready and sitting on the very first row.

Around 10 or 15 minutes into his sermon, we started giving him full-teeth, watt smiles. My brother and I were pretty pleased with ourselves.

For the first 15 years of my ministry, I confidently preached more than 45 minutes for each sermon. As long as it takes to cover the passage adequately! I do not think the length of the sermon is as important as its content. The important thing is to cover the main points so that people are convinced of its truth and comprehend its requirements.

If you have nothing worthwhile to say, even twenty minutes will seem like an eternity to your people. The message must last long enough for the text to be rightly explained and the practical implications properly developed. Depending on the length of the passage, it is difficult to imagine this being done well in 20 minutes. The more believers understand His Word, the more they will see how glorious He truly is. Here is the simple reason I believe churches should not constrain their pastors to preach short sermons—the better a person understands the Word of God, the more they will grow spiritually 1 Pet.

This is a basic principle of Christian living, but it is ignored by many. I understand that the brain can only absorb what the seat can endure. The more they understand His Word, the more they will see how glorious He truly is. And the more they behold His glory, the more they will be transformed into His image 2 Cor. How long can your sermon be without losing the attention of the congregation?

Some of that depends on who the preacher is, some of it depends on how long the passage is, but most of it depends on how well the preacher knows the text. In short, if the preacher knows the text well and can hold the attention of his flock, he can preach for as long as he likes.