The Brevity of Sermons by Scott Thomas
Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit I will be brief. – William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Church planters generally have a lot of vision, passion, drive and urgency to communicate the Good News to others. How do these excellent characteristics translate into the sermon lengthparticularly for those of us who have a high view of Scripture?
The length of a sermon does not necessarily equate to a message centered on the Gospel. A good sermon may be long, but rarely is a long sermon good. Just because some great communicators preach for an hour, does not mean that it is the new covenant for church planters.
It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what other men say in whole books what other men do not say in whole books. – Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols
I am not a fan of Brazilian steakhouses. You know, the ones where natural omnivores become ravenous carnivores. I prefer to eat a 6 oz. filet mignon, savoring its succulent juices with every bite. Too much great steak is still, well, too much. Sermons that are too long, although filled with great content, are received like that Brazilian waiter with his twelfth serving of the night at your table.
Good things, when short, are twice as good. – Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
The perfect sermon length is hard to determine. Whenever I preach, I tell the production manager to set the clock at either 30 or 35 minutes. They normally tell me that I could go 50 minutes. I tell them that it is much easier to preach 50 minutes than 30. It takes more study and concentration and I think it is more powerful. When I preach for 50 minutes, I jog. When I preach for 30 minutes, I sprint. Who wants to sit and watch someone jog around a track? Give me a 4X100 relay instead.
It is with words as with sunbeams. The more they are condensed, the deeper they burn. – Robert Southey
Below are my 7 brief points to ponder when preparing to preach.
- Be Concise
- Be Consistent
- Be Correct
- Be Christ-centered
- Be Charismatic (defined as compelling charm)
- Be Compassionate
- Be (more) Concise
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. ~Thomas Jefferson
Id like to say more, but that would be hypocritical
Originally posted at Church Planting.com. Read more here: Brevity of Sermons | ChurchPlanting.com
About Scott Thomas:
Scott Thomas is Pastor of Pastoral Development at The Journey Church in St Louis. He created the Gospel Coach Training and Certification system and has coached hundreds of pastors. Scott has served as President and Network Director of Acts 29 Network and as an elder at Mars Hill Church. Scott has an MA in Missional Leadership and has been married for 31 years to Jeannie, with whom he has two sons. He planted and replanted churches for 16 years as a lead pastor.