Dr. Mike Jones

Q: Are There Guidelines For How Long A Sermon Should Be?

Q: Some pastors sermons are lengthy and some pastors seem to be shorter. Are their guidelines on how long a sermon should be?

A: Most theologically minded pastors would all have to acknowledge that there’s no ‘one length-fits all’ idea for every sermon, because situations are different!

Sometimes, in a service, the Spirit of God moves in a unique way, and that 40 minutes sermon that I had in mind, turned out to be a 50 minute ‘God glorifying and transforming hearts’ message. But one thing that I’m known for is this: when the Holy Spirit stops talking through the message, I STOP TALKING!

[But] like most of YOU, I too have seen it the other way, during my 38 years in Christ’s ministry. I’m talking about the times, visiting pastors to your ministry or when you, like me, have been invited to friends’ ministries, because they were having a revival, and the visiting pastor adds humor to his message, and the congregation become amuse by it, and he knows, and instead of getting back on course with his preaching … he camps out and takes a commercial break with continuous humor (I call it ‘filler’): and this goes on for about seven minutes, before he eventually says, “OK, let’s get back to the Word!”

As Apostle Paul would say, “Those types of antics, they add nothing to me.” [This simply means, wasted time, and a break in the sensitivity and moving of the Holy Spirit. Can we be humorous at times, during our discourses? Surely! But should it be 1/6 of a 40 minutes sermon? Of course NOT!]

By now, I can hear some of you asking, “Then what factors should we considered, by the minister as well as mature members of the congregation?

We should consider:
(1) Is the pastor/minister staying true to the biblical text, in which he/she is speaking from? The speaker cannot open the text, read it, then take you on a 10 minute journey down memory-lane, before he actually starts exegeting the verse(s).

(2) Is the pastor/minister spending a reasonable amount of time in the text, explaining the application(s). And there are times, when we’re moved by the Holy Spirit to ‘camp’ there for an extra minute or two, because some members of the congregation, are really trying to comprehend what’s being said.

(3) A continuation from #2: we really have to consider our audience, in terms of, them hanging on every word or statement that you’re reading from the text. Many of them might be serious note takers, and don’t want to miss any of the key points being made. Also, we have to consider the new converts – their facial expressions tell us to go back over what was just said.

(4) The venue: for example, a wedding, funeral, anniversary dinner, commencement address, etc., doesn’t take 45 minutes to deliver the message. [And YOU know as well as I do, that the folks who attend these type venues, are hoping that we don’t give them the so-called, ‘whole-loaf.’]

I hope this helps: as for ME, personally, MY sermons average about 35 to 40 minutes, because I waste very little time getting into the text, and giving God’s people, what He impressed upon ME to say from a text or on a given biblical subject matter. For over 20 years of sound Biblical teaching, I can honestly say, as I approach 40 minutes of pulpit time, He would general say, “Conclude it!”

For pastor/ministers who grapple with this question, I would say to YOU, what a noted ministry friend, has said about this issue. “Know yourself. Know your people. Know your text. Know the situation. Pack as much as you can into the time you have for the glory of God and the good of your people.”