Church Service Length

[RAIDER]

Thanks for sharing.  It seems like what might work for one church will not work for another.  I'm not sure how large your church is, but you have a unique situation in your services.  In the area I live if you tried to have a two hour service with kids and parents doing what you described, you would have a small group of people attending the service.

 

[prophet]

How many of you have ever sat through a few of Dennis Corle's preaching services?

They are boring because of artless public speaking.

Anishinabe

 

[Smellin Coffee]

The church has a service? I though the church was simply an assembly? Who says that preaching or singing or eating or playing poker may or may not be a part of the assembly?

Hello, Smellin! 

You will have to please pardon my poetry...

It was Sunday morning “Poker time” at the Hybels Baptist Church,
All of the online HACker’s had labeled us as “The Rebellious Smirch”.

With Smellin’ taking the lead and dealing out the cards,
The HACkers continued their barrage of calling us retards.

As Raider looked at his cards and saw that wonderful Ace,
He could only think this is better than reading “Blue Denim and Lace”.

As Smellin philosophized about playing cards as his Christian duty,
Raider was wondering if that was a chapter in “Strength and Beauty”.

After Raider won the hand his eyes went from “Vapor to Floods”,
Smellin never really noticed as he was passing out the suds.

Wow! Just...wow! What an artist! Now can you paint a picture of HAC security dogs playing poker?

 

[RAIDER]

To stay true, the HAC security dogs would be bowling. 

 

[16KJV11]

How many of you have ever sat through a few of Dennis Corle's preaching services?

It is truly a marathon like experience. He wanted to come to my church but my people would fire me after they woke up from their naps.

I have.

 

[RAIDER]

I think much of the problem has to do with the following:

* A guy attends a Bible College that is attached to a large church with a dynamic preacher.  The services are longer.  The preaching is longer.  This guy graduates and feels that his church should do things the same way as the successful church he attended while in college.  He feels that he should preach the same length sermons.  Unfortunately, this guy is not a dynamic preacher.

* Preachers attend preaching conferences and revivals where dynamic preachers light the place up.  The service is longer.  The preaching is longer.  The invitation is longer.  He looks at this as a model for success and desires the same for his church.  Unfortunately, he can't hold the attention of a crowd for over 30 minutes.

* Preachers feel like they are backsliding if they don't do things the "old fashion way".  This includes the same exact order of service in the same way reguardless of circumstances.  Preaching a short message or getting out before a certain time would mean one is going liberal.

 

[rsc2a]

[quote author=RAIDER]* Preachers feel like they are backsliding if they don't do things the "old fashion way".  This includes the same exact order of service in the same way reguardless of circumstances.  Preaching a short message or getting out before a certain time would mean one is going liberal.
[/quote]

And who said Baptists don't have a liturgy.

 

[Mathew Ward]

Not only have shorter services, but even moving the times of the services.

 

[Haagen-Dazs]

Herein lies a wonderful axiom: The longer the service, the shorter the hair.

 

[prophet]

Herein lies a wonderful axiom: The longer the service, the shorter the hair.

  Pack a lunch if you see Kojak walk up to the pulpit.

Anishinabe

 

[RAIDER]

I think every preacher would like to think he's able to preach for an hour with the congregation hung on every word.  The truth is our brains wander...a lot during a sermon....unless, of course, you preach what Schaap preached.  I imagine a lot of people were hung on every word because they didn't know what would come out of his mouth next.

 

[4everfsu]

Herein lies a wonderful axiom: The longer the service, the shorter the hair.

Or in the IFBX church I attended, the shorter the skirts, the longer the sermons.

 

[patriotic]

If our pastor is going to go past an hour long service (not including invitation which is seldom 10 minutes long), he always tells us when he starts his message.  Even then, for example, on a Wednesday night, he might say, "I will do my best to be finished by 8:10 this evening.  I am very conscious of your precious time." 

And he is, and usually by 8:07. 

Good preparation will do that.  I teach a speech class.  Proper preparation usually lets the speaker know ahead of time a nearly exact time he will speak. 

He will also cut out a verse of a song or a whole song if special events or extra announcements cause the normal sermon start time to be delayed a few minutes. 

I never feel like I lack spiritual feeding by his being not only a punctual but a very considerate speaker as well. 

 

[Haagen-Dazs]

Herein lies a wonderful axiom: The longer the service, the shorter the hair.

Or in the IFBX church I attended, the shorter the skirts, the longer the sermons.

That too! HAHAHA!

 

[prophet]

Herein lies a wonderful axiom: The longer the service, the shorter the hair.

Or in the IFBX church I attended, the shorter the skirts, the longer the sermons.

Is it because there's a mini on the front row? 

Anishinabe

 

[RAIDER]

If our pastor is going to go past an hour long service (not including invitation which is seldom 10 minutes long), he always tells us when he starts his message.  Even then, for example, on a Wednesday night, he might say, "I will do my best to be finished by 8:10 this evening.  I am very conscious of your precious time." 

And he is, and usually by 8:07. 

Good preparation will do that.  I teach a speech class.  Proper preparation usually lets the speaker know ahead of time a nearly exact time he will speak. 

He will also cut out a verse of a song or a whole song if special events or extra announcements cause the normal sermon start time to be delayed a few minutes. 

I never feel like I lack spiritual feeding by his being not only a punctual but a very considerate speaker as well.

Exactly!!  Organization and preparation are the keys.  It just takes a little common sense (which is a precious commodity in our IFB circle).

I use to get so angry at some of the teachers at HAC.  I would take a Bible class (let's say on Jeremiah).  We would meet three days each week.  At the end of the semester we would have covered 1/3 of the book.  I wanted to say, "You've got to be kidding me.  I paid for this class and we only completed 1/3 of it?  Are you telling me that, as a teacher, you do not have the organization and preparation skills to figure out how much of the book you need to cover each class period?"

 

[Mathew Ward]

If our pastor is going to go past an hour long service (not including invitation which is seldom 10 minutes long), he always tells us when he starts his message.  Even then, for example, on a Wednesday night, he might say, "I will do my best to be finished by 8:10 this evening.  I am very conscious of your precious time." 

And he is, and usually by 8:07. 

Good preparation will do that.  I teach a speech class.  Proper preparation usually lets the speaker know ahead of time a nearly exact time he will speak. 

He will also cut out a verse of a song or a whole song if special events or extra announcements cause the normal sermon start time to be delayed a few minutes. 

I never feel like I lack spiritual feeding by his being not only a punctual but a very considerate speaker as well.

Exactly!!  Organization and preparation are the keys.  It just takes a little common sense (which is a precious commodity in our IFB circle).

I use to get so angry at some of the teachers at HAC.  I would take a Bible class (let's say on Jeremiah).  We would meet three days each week.  At the end of the semester we would have covered 1/3 of the book.  I wanted to say, "You've got to be kidding me.  I paid for this class and we only completed 1/3 of it?  Are you telling me that, as a teacher, you do not have the organization and preparation skills to figure out how much of the book you need to cover each class period?"

That is because there are a lot of rabbits to chase when following those old paths.

 

[16KJV11]

If our pastor is going to go past an hour long service (not including invitation which is seldom 10 minutes long), he always tells us when he starts his message.  Even then, for example, on a Wednesday night, he might say, "I will do my best to be finished by 8:10 this evening.  I am very conscious of your precious time." 

And he is, and usually by 8:07. 

Good preparation will do that.  I teach a speech class.  Proper preparation usually lets the speaker know ahead of time a nearly exact time he will speak. 

He will also cut out a verse of a song or a whole song if special events or extra announcements cause the normal sermon start time to be delayed a few minutes. 

I never feel like I lack spiritual feeding by his being not only a punctual but a very considerate speaker as well.

Exactly!!  Organization and preparation are the keys.  It just takes a little common sense (which is a precious commodity in our IFB circle).

I use to get so angry at some of the teachers at HAC.  I would take a Bible class (let's say on Jeremiah).  We would meet three days each week.  At the end of the semester we would have covered 1/3 of the book.  I wanted to say, "You've got to be kidding me.  I paid for this class and we only completed 1/3 of it?  Are you telling me that, as a teacher, you do not have the organization and preparation skills to figure out how much of the book you need to cover each class period?"

It's b/c of those pesky wabbit twails he ventured off on.

 

[Smellin Coffee]

If our pastor is going to go past an hour long service (not including invitation which is seldom 10 minutes long), he always tells us when he starts his message.  Even then, for example, on a Wednesday night, he might say, "I will do my best to be finished by 8:10 this evening.  I am very conscious of your precious time." 

And he is, and usually by 8:07. 

Good preparation will do that.  I teach a speech class.  Proper preparation usually lets the speaker know ahead of time a nearly exact time he will speak. 

He will also cut out a verse of a song or a whole song if special events or extra announcements cause the normal sermon start time to be delayed a few minutes. 

I never feel like I lack spiritual feeding by his being not only a punctual but a very considerate speaker as well.

Exactly!!  Organization and preparation are the keys.  It just takes a little common sense (which is a precious commodity in our IFB circle).

I use to get so angry at some of the teachers at HAC.  I would take a Bible class (let's say on Jeremiah).  We would meet three days each week.  At the end of the semester we would have covered 1/3 of the book.  I wanted to say, "You've got to be kidding me.  I paid for this class and we only completed 1/3 of it?  Are you telling me that, as a teacher, you do not have the organization and preparation skills to figure out how much of the book you need to cover each class period?"

It's b/c of those pesky wabbit twails he ventured off on.

So THAT'S how RAIDER lost his hare!...

 

[Evelyn]

If our pastor is going to go past an hour long service (not including invitation which is seldom 10 minutes long), he always tells us when he starts his message.  Even then, for example, on a Wednesday night, he might say, "I will do my best to be finished by 8:10 this evening.  I am very conscious of your precious time." 

And he is, and usually by 8:07. 

Good preparation will do that.  I teach a speech class.  Proper preparation usually lets the speaker know ahead of time a nearly exact time he will speak. 

He will also cut out a verse of a song or a whole song if special events or extra announcements cause the normal sermon start time to be delayed a few minutes. 

I never feel like I lack spiritual feeding by his being not only a punctual but a very considerate speaker as well.

Our pastor is like this.  If something is going long, a verse of a song here and there vanish and the time is made up.  Our pastor generally preaches about 35 minutes and our services are around one hour long.  We begin early on Sunday mornings - SS is at 9:00 and the main service is at 10:15.  This is so that we can beat all the Pentecostals to the restaurants after church. ;-)