During the retreat period at my hometown’s churches this year, I had the opportunity to preach at several churches. At each church, I would first ask the staff workers in charge about the approximate length of the sermon. Some told me it should be at least two hours, while others even required sermons to last for three hours without any breaks. Their reasoning was that if there were breaks, the order of the gathering would be disrupted, and believers would not be able to listen attentively to God’s word.
Why are such regulations in place? The gospel has been preached in my hometown for nearly a hundred years. In the early days, many believers did not have Bibles and had received little formal education; those who were illiterate could not read the Scriptures at all. At that time, pastors were also scarce. As a result, believers were extremely eager to hear biblical teachings during gatherings, always longing for more of God’s word. Sermons were therefore quite long, often lasting up to three hours. Yet, believers never felt tired; instead, they were eager to listen. Over time, this tradition continued.
However, in today’s context, I deeply feel that it is unreasonable to require sermons to last three hours. From a scientific perspective, the average person’s attention span typically lasts around 40 minutes. If a sermon stretches to three hours, the congregation’s comprehension of the message will inevitably decline. Human attention is limited, and prolonged listening can easily lead to distraction and fatigue. Nowadays, most churchgoers are elderly, and as their physical functions gradually decline, their ability to concentrate is not as strong as that of younger individuals. If sermons are too long, they may become too exhausted to focus on them, significantly reducing the effectiveness of the preaching. I have frequently heard elderly believers complain that long sermons make them restless and that they are uncomfortable sitting for so long and too embarrassed to leave for the restroom.
A sermon that lasts three hours is likely to become repetitive. To fill such a long period, pastors may unconsciously repeat certain points or add unnecessary details. This not only makes the sermon lengthy and tedious but may also confuse and frustrate the listeners. Moreover, overly long sermons can cause believers to lose patience.
The purpose of preaching is to help believers better understand God’s word and deepen their faith, so it is not good to give too long sermons. Pastors should consider the actual situation and needs of the congregation, reasonably arranging the sermon’s duration and content so that believers can receive the greatest spiritual blessings within a limited time.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a believer at a pastor in Jiangsu.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
