I love it when a plan comes together. Several years ago, I told my wife it would be great if when I retired from full-time ministry, our son (Andrew), who was serving in an associate role on my church staff at the time, would make the decision to lead his own church. I told her I would love just to be present and available for him in any way he might need. Fast-forward, and about a year after I retired, he accepted a call to lead a church not far from where we live and I feel, in many ways, like I’m living my best life. My son is my pastor, and I am his full-time (unpaid) consultant.
As Andrew prepared to begin his new ministry we talked about preaching. He had been on my preaching team as a part of his role as an associate, but had some questions about things like creating a preaching calendar, balance in choosing topics, etc. As we talked, I told him he should plan to preach for 30 minutes. I remember reading a quote from Kevin DeYoung that said, “A sermon should be long enough to adequately exegete and apply the main point of the passage, but short enough to leave mature Christians willing to listen a few minutes longer.” I liked the idea of 30 minutes because you could build in a “cushion” of five minutes and still be good, especially in a new church where first impressions matter.
How long do you think a sermon should be? Pew Research Center analyzed 50,000 sermons preached between April 7 and June 1, 2019, to determine the median sermon length in the U.S. The result was 37 minutes. According to a Lifeway Study (May 2020), most churchgoers prefer a sermon between 20-40 minutes. And people are twice as likely to say their pastor’s sermon is too long (27%) than it’s too short (13%). That reminds me of the old saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad short sermon.” In contrast to that, I’m also reminded of the old joke about a pastor who noticed a man get up and leave during the middle of his sermon, only to return just before the conclusion of the service. Afterwards he asked the man where he had gone. “I went to get a haircut,” the man said. The pastor asked, “Why didn’t you do that before the service?” “Because” the man said, “I didn’t need one then.”
All jokes aside (especially the bad ones), how long should a sermon last? Here are some guidelines to consider.
First, you’ve got to be true to the text. In other words, you’ve got to take the time for explanation, illustration, and application in a way that not only makes sense to the listener but also begins to stir their mind and heart.
Second, you’ve got to understand your audience. This was something I tried to communicate to my son as he began his new ministry. It takes some time to discover who the people in your congregation are, what they are used to, what they like, and how they feel about listening to you preach. And you might have to create a plan to develop the kind of listening “culture” you’re trying to achieve. There can be exceptions to this. When I became the pastor at Mount Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood, Indiana, I followed Reggie Epps. Reggie and I had been friends for many years, and I knew he was a great expository preacher. That knowledge helped me a lot in my early years at the church.
Third, you need to understand yourself. Let’s be honest. Some preachers are more gifted than others and our preaching, including the length of the sermon, should be in line with our giftedness. I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of listening to someone preach for 40 or 45 minutes, but it felt like 15. In contrast to that, we’ve listened to someone preach for 15 minutes and it felt like 45. While I am a strong believer in the role of the Holy Spirit bringing conviction through preaching, and the truth that we get better at something the longer we do it, our preaching needs to be in line with our ability to hold someone’s attention.
Fourth, be concise. One of the things I’ve learned in writing this column for Christian Standard is the importance of being concise. I am limited to a certain number of words with each column. That simple truth forces me to be extra thoughtful about each sentence I type. Applying that same guideline to sermon writing can be a powerful thing.
Fifth, be honest. When I was a young preacher in my 20s, I traveled to Southern California to attend a preaching conference. One evening, in a standing room only worship center, I listened to a man preach for 50 minutes from Matthew 18. It was incredible as he unpacked one spiritual truth after another. One of the most significant things I remember about that experience, even after all these years, is thinking to myself, I’m not that guy. And I was okay with that. I knew that God had called me to be a preacher. In fact, that’s all I ever wanted to be. But I was not going to honor that call by trying to be someone other than myself. And over the years, God was faithful to help me grow into the unique preacher he had call me to become. Don’t waste time trying to be someone other than yourself. God wants you to preach with your voice.
I’m writing this column on the one-year anniversary of my retirement from full-time vocational ministry. My wife and I absolutely love having our son as our pastor. We can’t wait to go to church each Sunday to hear him preach. He preaches for 30-35 minutes and it’s just right. I love it when a plan comes together!
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