Audience Perception and the Length of Sunday Sermons
Not a surprise - pastors and congregations still don’t agree on sermon length
According to Lifeway Research, churchgoers are six times more likely than the preacher to report that a typical sermon at their church goes over an hour. On the other hand, preachers are twice as likely to say their sermons are less than 15 minutes.
While complaining over sermon length seems to have accelerated in the last few decades, the truth is, the conflict has been going on since the Reformation. Back in those days, it wasn’t unusual for a sermon to last up to 3 hours.
Christianity Today magazine reports that back in those days in Britain, frustrated church members started setting hourglasses in the pulpits. However, even on this point, honesty seemed to be an issue. When more modern researchers recently examined the hourglasses, more than a few actually reported an “hour” as about 48 minutes. (Apparently those early clockmakers preferred shorter sermons.)
What do you think?
What’s the right length for a typical sermon?
Do you think most today are too long or too short?
Phil Cooke, PhD. has been called “one of the most innovative communicators of our generation.” As a media producer, writer, speaker, and consultant, his client list includes major film studios and TV networks as well as major Christian organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, The Museum of the Bible, The Salvation Army, and others. He’s also coached and consulted with many of the most influential churches and nonprofit organizations in the world, helping them use media to tell their story. You can hear his podcast here.
