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Our church is on the verge of revamping our services. My question to everyone is, how long should a church service last? And shouldn't we consider the length of services times based on the current society we are living in? i.e. working parents, single parent homes, shift work including Sundays, families caring for aging parents.....etc.
Only serious replies as I will share them with my congregation.
1.5 hrs tops should be enough for the usual:
-Praise and Worship 15-20 mins
-Welcome, depending on how big the church is
-Announcements 3-5 mins
-Offering 3-5 mins
-Special music/Choir 5-10 mins
-Sermon 40 mins -1hr
If you can't say it in 20 minutes or less, then you've got a problem with getting to the point or just love the sound of your own words. Hell, the Gettysburg Address was 272 words, lasted three minutes, and are immortal. The speaker before Lincoln that day yapped on for two and a half hours and nobody remembers a damned thing the man said.
We have two clergy in our church who deliver superior sermons. They manage to give then in under fifteen minutes.
The entire service from readings to sermon to announcements to eucharist lasts about an hour, an hour and fifteen minutes if there's a baptism.
The sermon should be 20 to 30 minutes. The entire service 1 hour.
If anyone leaves before the end then you know it's a useless service that no one is truly getting anything out of. Even if the music is contemporary and entertaining. If a few people leave, then you know that many more wish to leave also but are only staying out of politeness. Or maybe they look forward to hanging out and speaking to people afterwards. I see this more in the evangelical churches. Some will even design an outer viewing area for people who want to leave early. Those kind of churches are toxic to the human soul.
Our church is on the verge of revamping our services. My question to everyone is, how long should a church service last? And shouldn't we consider the length of services times based on the current society we are living in? i.e. working parents, single parent homes, shift work including Sundays, families caring for aging parents.....etc.
Only serious replies as I will share them with my congregation.
Thanks.
Don't make it mandatory that everyone stay until the service is over. Then you can let it run until the pastor feels like it's time to quit.
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