I’m not a preacher—never will be—but I have done my fair share of public speaking, and I know the pressure of time. You only have so long before your listeners decide they’re done with the sound of your voice. I get it: you don’t want to be the one who puts people to sleep.
But here’s a view from the pew: please don’t apologize for the time in the middle—or even worse, at the beginning!—of your sermon. Don’t joke about how glad everyone will be when you’re done. Don’t promise to make the next point really brief because of the time. This kind of rhetoric may do more harm than a too-long sermon. Why?
- It demeans your task. Do you believe, as you are preparing and presenting a passage of Scripture, that you are bringing the word of God to your congregation? Yes, you’re fallible, and yes, you’re a weak vessel, but in spite of all that, God has gifted you and given you as a gift to his people, a means for equipping them, building them up, and making them more like Christ (Eph 4:11-14). Don’t make people think of God’s gift to them as a chore to receive.
- It underestimates your listeners. You should think of the people in your crowd as hungry people. Whether they’re unbelievers hearing the gospel for the first time or mature believers needing to fuel up for another day, no person is without a deep need to hear from God. Assume everyone sitting there is hungry, and don’t apologize for the feast you’ve prepared. Most of all, don’t underestimate their spirituality (1 Cor 2:13) or their eager desire to hear from God’s word.
- It validates immaturity. Of course there are going to be people sitting in the pews who haven’t come hungry—that they know of. They easily sit through a two-hour movie; at church, they’d just as soon you got it over with and let them go eat lunch. But seriously, do you want people to think this is a normal or acceptable way to come to God’s word? I doubt it. Then why apologize?
- It’s distracting. I’m guessing the passage you’re preaching on does not contain doctrines about brevity in public speaking, however wise it might be for you to pick up the pace. Stick to the word of God, even if you do have to (privately) speed up your sermon for the sake of time. Don’t distract people from the Bible by directing their attention to the clock.
- It sounds insincere. If you apologize for taking so long, but then go on talking, you sound insincere. If you’re truly sorry, wrap it up and be done. But if you have more to say, say it and mean it—and don’t be apologetic.
- It lets you off the hook. Apologizing for how long your sermon is taking is a way of excusing yourself from doing the hard work of preparing a shorter sermon. If your sermon takes too long one week, just resolve not to do the same next week. Let the pressure and chastisement of the clock spur you to greater discipline in your craft.
- It isn’t funny. If you’re just trying to joke, making jabs at your own long-windedness, try again. You’re an ambassador for Christ, and if you need to make people laugh, say something that isn’t going to undermine your task. Joke about your hair or your clothes or your inability to hit the high ‘D’ on the last hymn. But don’t joke about the words God’s given you. That isn’t supposed to be funny right now.
- It wastes time. Having had a dad who was and a husband who is a preacher, I know that preachers are constantly trying to boil many thoughts and insights down to one main point. As a writer and a teacher who strives for the same discipline, it’s no small task. So why veer off subject to talk about the time? Saying “Sorry this is taking so long” wastes precious words and, ironically, time.
It’s true preachers need to be conscious of the time. This is just common sense, and, if you have mothers with babies in your congregation, downright merciful. But being conscious of the time doesn’t mean you have to make your congregation aware of it. In fact, you should do everything in your power to keep us unaware of the time as you bring us the word of God. Preach a clear and compelling sermon from the Scriptures. Communicate with as much enthusiasm and sincerity as you are able. Tell us something we need to know. And train us to trust you to finish at a reasonable time so we can forget the clock and savour the satisfaction of God’s word.
