We are of the school that teaches that a sermon should fit within 10 minutes maximum. After that, you've lost your congregation with most of them wondering how much longer it's going to be rather than listening to what, if anything, is being preached.
Yes, you’ve said that before. Many times. And as others of us have said many times, that’s not the only school—some of us come from schools where 10 minutes is generally considered inadequate to do much more than scratch the surface.
There are different approaches and expectations going on here. Viva la difference.
Seminary homiletics class, which was of dubious utility, tended to say 10 to 12 minutes, but then where I went was on the Anglo-Catholic side, and they pretend not set much store by preaching anyhow. I find 10 is a bit short for me, and 15 is more realistic, especially when one considers that most of the congregation here come from denominations with strong preaching traditions - Lutheran, Presbyterian and Baptist. I would venture to suggest the most effective preachers are those who known when to shut up, and that varies enormously from person to person.
There are ways of checking to see if your sermon is too long if one just opens his/her eyes. People checking their wristwatches or cell phones (millennials do that all the time); people glancing around, but the best one I will never forget is when my daughter was three and she thought I had gone too long--"That's enough, daddy." Everyone laughed. And I ended my sermon.
My apologies - but on this occasion, it was a bit of a stir. And I did start by identifying the school from which we come.
Gee D have you ever seen on ship of fools one of these discussions about sermon length ever started by those who believe ten minutes are inadequate? If not have you ever wondered why you feel the need to bait and those who do not feel that way do not?
Fact is, some 10 minute sermons are too long and some 20 minute ones are too short. Depends on content and the ability of the speaker (and the context).
Comments
There are different approaches and expectations going on here. Viva la difference.
Gee D have you ever seen on ship of fools one of these discussions about sermon length ever started by those who believe ten minutes are inadequate? If not have you ever wondered why you feel the need to bait and those who do not feel that way do not?