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Thread: Length of Church Services

  1. #1

    Length of Church Services

    The church I have been attending for years has decided to make its services longer - 2 hours plus extra for 2nd service.
    The pastor told us that he has felt the tension too often when he felt the Holy Spirit was moving, and here comes the time demon :)

    I applaud this, as this is the best time we could be spending during the Lord's day - all too many times the people are thinking stuff like: This sermon is too long, or where are we going for lunch. Good grief, where is the mindset on the things of God so many desperately need that have been anointed/appointed for that time?

    So the pastor mentioned that there are some "formulas" to grow a church, and one of them is to keep the services around one hour. We have had about 1 1/2 hours, but now he he has decided to go even further against the grain of conventional wisdom on church growth.

    I remember some of my best church experiences was when there was no clock, and services went even 3-4 hours. One time service went to 3 in the morning. That's what I'm talking about. When the presence of God is in a place and the people have the hunger to stay and soak in that presence - with the clock being far from their mind - that is church at its optimum, IMO.

    This week my wife showed me a video of an underground church in a persecuted country. The people meet in a secret place and a visiting minister is told he is expected to preach all day and the next day too! I think the day will come that people will finally be desperate for God that long services will be par for the course.

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  3. #2
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    The visiting minister was asked to preach from 8:30 to 7 without any breaks, every day for three days if we are talking about the China video I linked in my latest thread. At the beginning they claim that a four hour sermon is short. They also mention twelve hour nonstop meetings in a building where it's 120 F. And two hour prayer meetings held at 4:30 AM every day.

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    Senior Member Valiant Woman's Avatar
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    I believe the pastor needs to allow the Holy Spirit to lead the Church services. When that happens, I don't mind staying all day. But how many Churches allow the Holy Spirit free reign? Hardly any. There's nothing worse than sitting in Church for longer than 2 hours listening to unanointed blather. No thanks, I'd rather have my eyebrows plucked.
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  7. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Valiant Woman View Post
    I believe the pastor needs to allow the Holy Spirit to lead the Church services. When that happens, I don't mind staying all day. But how many Churches allow the Holy Spirit free reign? Hardly any. There's nothing worse than sitting in Church for longer than 2 hours listening to unanointed blather. No thanks, I'd rather have my eyebrows plucked.


    I'm not much for sitting through unannointed blather either! I've been to services that were long and back during the Charismatic renewal days I attended a few that lasted until at least midnight. It's been a long time.

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    Senior Member Tehilah Ba'Aretz's Avatar
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    Our service normally lasts about 2 hours. An hour of speaking/preaching is normal for us. It's not like there is a time limit though. It's just that people begin to act like they are hungry around 1 PM.

  10. #6
    It's not the length of the service that counts. Some could accomplish more in 30 minutes than some others could in four hours.

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    Senior Member Nikos's Avatar
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    Unanointed blather? What kind of church do you attend? If the Word of God is preached it is anointed. Maybe it is not the preacher but the listener who is in the flesh. I don't need a three ring circus to keep my attention. I do need the Word of God preached, however.

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    Senior Member Cardinal TT's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bookman View Post
    It's not the length of the service that counts. Some could accomplish more in 30 minutes than some others could in four hours.
    There is truth to what you say as there are preachers who bore people when they preach too long

    But it can also be an excuse as many christians are undisciplined and after a short time lose interest because they are thinking of coffee, cake, fellowship, lunch etc etc
    If a church has NEVER extended a service but sticks rigidly to time that reveals man is in charge not God

    Having a general time format is good but sensitivity to God is crucial because leaders can miss the moving of the Holy Spirit and sometimes he deliberately does things to mess up our times and schedules

  14. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Nikos View Post
    Maybe it is not the preacher but the listener who is in the flesh.
    Fair point, Nikos. The pastor should'nt have to lean so far to be acceptable to cater to the widest spectrum of "what the people want or like."

    In our church, there is enough of a critical mass of spiritual mature people. They are connected to the underlying vision of excellence behind some of the practical decisions (like longer services). There is a significant core that knows that its going to cost you a bit more to go higher in the things of God.

    For those who are really going to make a ruckus about 1hour+ services, I would hope they would either grow up or go somewhere where they can be with like-minded people. This is a sacred time - a precious time. Fast food mentality is not the right approach for church services IMO.

  15. #10
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    There may be practical problems. Hot food is waiting for instance.

    Quote Originally Posted by Cardinal TT View Post
    There is truth to what you say as there are preachers who bore people when they preach too long

    But it can also be an excuse as many christians are undisciplined and after a short time lose interest because they are thinking of coffee, cake, fellowship, lunch etc etc
    If a church has NEVER extended a service but sticks rigidly to time that reveals man is in charge not God

    Having a general time format is good but sensitivity to God is crucial because leaders can miss the moving of the Holy Spirit and sometimes he deliberately does things to mess up our times and schedules

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