How long should sermons be

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Hmm...
Here are your own words:

"I warn you however, that it is a sermon, so over an hour is recommended for listening to it." (10/16/12)

"I listen to at [least] one good hour long sermon a day from Sermon Audio."(10/17/12)

"I suggest you spend an hour and listen to Sinclair's sermon." (10/17/12)

"Look up Sinclair Ferguson's sermon...on election." (8/21/13)

"Sinclair Ferguson's captivates me both in his books and his sermons." (11/5/13)

Yup and now I will never do it again....the man is a fullerite.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

"Some lengthy Divines, with their many divisions, their, 'Finallies,' and 'Lastlies,' and concluding observations, spin and spin and cause their congregations to suffer—and that not a little, but exceedingly much. It is well, when we have anything good to say, to use as few words as possible, for if brevity is not the garment of Divine Grace, it is the soul of wit, and all our wits should be set to work to put Gospel teaching into such a form that it will be the better received. Assuredly, short and pointed addresses are more likely to reach the heart than long and dreary sermons. If our preaching is so poor that the people suffer, it is better that they suffer little rather than much! And if our ministry is very rich and satisfying, it is better to send the people home longing than loathing. We may also admire the prudence of Elihu in dividing his discourse into four or five portions. If you turn to the book of Job you will see that he has been speaking ever since the 32nd chapter and he has made at least three pauses. It may be that these filled up considerable intervals. His talk would have reached an unbearable length had he continued to speak on and on without a parenthesis of silence. But he stopped and gave his hearers space to breathe. Doubtless four sermonettes were better than one long discourse." —Charles Spurgeon, "God's Advocates Breaking Silence"

AMEN....:thumbsup:

 

[Rippon]

Yup and now I will never do it again....the man is a fullerite.

Two points : 1) You don't do what you say you do and do what you say you don't.

2) You need to start your own thread on Andrew Fuller. You throw around the term Fullerite so often these days. Do you follow the essays of George M. Ella?

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

.

Two points : 1) You don't do what you say you do and do what you say you don't.

2) You need to start your own thread on Andrew Fuller. You throw around the term Fullerite so often these days. Do you follow the essays of George M. Ella?

Who.....?

 

[Iconoclast]

"Some lengthy Divines, with their many divisions, their, 'Finallies,' and 'Lastlies,' and concluding observations, spin and spin and cause their congregations to suffer—and that not a little, but exceedingly much. It is well, when we have anything good to say, to use as few words as possible, for if brevity is not the garment of Divine Grace, it is the soul of wit, and all our wits should be set to work to put Gospel teaching into such a form that it will be the better received. Assuredly, short and pointed addresses are more likely to reach the heart than long and dreary sermons. If our preaching is so poor that the people suffer, it is better that they suffer little rather than much! And if our ministry is very rich and satisfying, it is better to send the people home longing than loathing. We may also admire the prudence of Elihu in dividing his discourse into four or five portions. If you turn to the book of Job you will see that he has been speaking ever since the 32nd chapter and he has made at least three pauses. It may be that these filled up considerable intervals. His talk would have reached an unbearable length had he continued to speak on and on without a parenthesis of silence. But he stopped and gave his hearers space to breathe. Doubtless four sermonettes were better than one long discourse." —Charles Spurgeon, "God's Advocates Breaking Silence"

Jerome,

I own a copy of the metropolitan tabernacle and new park street pulpit.
Not one of them is a sermonette. They all do I as I posted earlier.
In most of the sermons the introductory paragraph is greatly instructive....then it is followed by a couple of points ,,,and then a use or application of the text.

 

[Iconoclast]

Two points : 1) You don't do what you say you do and do what you say you don't.

2) You need to start your own thread on Andrew Fuller. You throw around the term Fullerite so often these days. Do you follow the essays of George M. Ella?

For me to sit and watch someone make such feeble statements against a godly pastor like Sinclair Ferguson is quite distressing.
People worldwide enjoy his gift and his ministry. When someone is looking to excuse their lack of obedience to scripture, they will strike out at faithful ministers of the word who expose their double minded ideas.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

For me to sit and watch someone make such feeble statements against a godly pastor like Sinclair Ferguson is quite distressing.
People worldwide enjoy his gift and his ministry. When someone is looking to excuse their lack of obedience to scripture, they will strike out at faithful ministers of the word who expose their double minded ideas.

Company man

 

[Jerome]

In The Sword and The Trowel (April 1, 1872) Spurgeon answered the inquiry “What have you been saying about short sermons being the hardest to preach? What is the length to which you go yourself?”:

with a conscientious preacher. . .brevity enforces excellence. If the minister is allowed only forty minutes for expounding a great truth he feels that he must not multiply words; but must compress much meaning into every sentence.

In general, a great sermon is a great evil. Length is the enemy of strength.

we speak for 40 or 45 minutes, we have come to adopt that period as our stint, and we usually find it neither too short nor too long. In occasional services, when we address persons who have no other opportunity of hearing us, we take more latitude, but our regulation allowance is three quarters of an hour. A man who speaks well for that length of time has told his people quite enough, and from him who preaches badly they have in that time heard too much. Most divines can deliver all their best thoughts upon a text in forty minutes, and as it is a pity to bring forth “afterwards that which is worse,” they had better bring the feast to an end. To men of prodigious jaw it may seem a hardship to be confined to time, but a broad charity will judge it to be better that one man should suffer than that a whole congregation should be tormented.

 

[Rippon]

Hmm...40 to 45 minutes is still about twice as long as many have argued for on this thread.

I've been doing all the research. Someone please find at least seven preachers on sermonaudio.com who average 20 to 25 minutes. If there are such creatures I dare say they do not unpack the Word of God much at all.

Whether Arminian or Calvinistic I would say that most preachers on sermonaudio.com preach at least 40 minute sermons on the average. All are not uniformly good --but many are quite good.

 

[Iconoclast]

Hmm...40 to 45 minutes is still about twice as long as many have argued for on this thread.

I've been doing all the research. Someone please find at least seven preachers on sermonaudio.com who average 20 to 25 minutes. If there are such creatures I dare say they do not unpack the Word of God much at all.

Whether Arminian or Calvinistic I would say that most preachers on sermonaudio.com preach at least 40 minute sermons on the average. All are not uniformly good --but many are quite good.

Anything on sermonaudio in the 20 minute range....is either a news report that goes on radio ....like Kevin Swanson....or I think pastor Greer in sc has some radio messages......

what Jerome posted from sermon is the norm....35-45 minutes is about right for the preacher and the hearer...

 

[Iconoclast]

Company man

EWF,

I have heard these men in person and spoken face to face with them. I have been in conference settings where I see them interact with others,and listen as they interact in question and answer format. They are godly men. You would be quite embarrassed and ashamed of your dismissive comments if you spoke for any period of time with any of them,of that I am quite sure.
Why have such a negative take on godly men, unless you are off track in your view? That is what makes it hard to read. They are sinners saved by grace like any other man. They are gifted above others however in order to function as God has ordained them to.
When you speak poorly of them you speak against God's design in giving them to the church--- You do not want to go there do you?
every Christian has sin in their life that needs to mortified...pastors included.
So why go around as if they are enemies when they are given to bless and edify? I think your view as you express it is not biblically defensible.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

EWF,

I have heard these men in person and spoken face to face with them. I have been in conference settings where I see them interact with others,and listen as they interact in question and answer format. They are godly men. You would be quite embarrassed and ashamed of your dismissive comments if you spoke for any period of time with any of them,of that I am quite sure.
Why have such a negative take on godly men, unless you are off track in your view? That is what makes it hard to read. They are sinners saved by grace like any other man. They are gifted above others however in order to function as God has ordained them to.
When you speak poorly of them you speak against God's design in giving them to the church--- You do not want to go there do you?
every Christian has sin in their life that needs to mortified...pastors included.
So why go around as if they are enemies when they are given to bless and edify? I think your view as you express it is not biblically defensible.

Im not attacking anyone.....what led you to say that? I just cant listen to them for more than a half hour & if I have to then it will be on something that is a recording where I can go back & re listen, stop it when I cant spend the time etc. Ive tried to listen to them at great length but I dont have tolerance to do it....its not in my DNA. I may read their books but even there I grow weary of constant rehashing over & over something I can get in a bible directly. As far as a Sunday service is concerned, have a timetable....dont meander. If its more than I can tolerate then Id ask for someone to tape it....then I will dissect it as I have the time & will to do it. And thats how I roll.

BTW, I have discovered that my most advanced learning is from teaching with Q&A. But even there, I will loose interest after a time.....I am not a patient man.

 

[Aaron]

I think sermons should be shorter than this thread.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

@Aaron: :thumbsup: -- and that's two in less than a minute!

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

I think sermons should be shorter than this thread.

Freaking A greed:laugh:

 

[Jerome]

Charles Spurgeon, "The Empty Seat":

to my mind, short, lively services coming frequently, on Sundays and week-days, are more refreshing than hearing two or even three long sermons on one day in the week only.

 

[Rippon]

I think sermons should be shorter than this thread.

Well, that's the long and short of it.

 

[Luke2427]

You express a rather selfish attitude. The preacher is preaching for your benefit and you have your personal limits?!


Alarm bells should be ringing in your head for your callousness there EW&F. What you have communicated is alarming for a Christian who wants to grow spiritually.

You have gone on and on for years now about not being able to have church. Now that you have the opportunity you want to make some restrictions because your comfort zone has been compromised?

I think this is an overreaction. He was just sharing that his attention span is not perhaps what he wishes it was and he wonders if preachers take this into account.

I do. Although I preach at least 45 minutes every Lord's Day morning.

I think calling him calloused and selfish is overreacting to his words.

 

[Luke2427]

I have a short attention span so I tend to shut it off in my head whenever a preacher exceeds my limits. Is this a factor of concern for a pastor giving a sermon or is it immaterial to the development of the sermon?

I think it depends on the preacher.

Couldn't you listen to Albert Martin longer than you could some others?

If a preacher has something worth saying and says it well the whole time, I find that even people with short attention spans can follow him for very long periods of time.

 

[Rippon]

As far as a Sunday service is concerned, have a timetable....dont meander. If its more than I can tolerate then Id ask for someone to tape it....then I will dissect it as I have the time & will to do it. And thats how I roll.

So you're not a New Testament church kind of guy. I,I,I,I and I huh?

BTW, I have discovered that my most advanced learning is from teaching with Q&A. But even there, I will loose interest after a time.....I am not a patient man.

But preaching and not Q&A sessions are what the Lord has prescribed for us.

You and your timetable. Your restlessness is rebelliousness. I think you would object to sitting on a mountainside listening to Jesus preaching on the Beatitudes --it's just not how you roll.

What? Do you have ants in your pants at your age?

Do you think that because you are not a patient person that excuses your disobedience?

You would not have been a happy camper at Westminster chapel. You probably would have wanted to confront DMLJ and told him to trim his messages because you think a sermon should be a homily instead.

Shame on you EW&F.