The service should be a unity, and should not be divided by the announcements. It would be far better if these could be given before the preacher enters the rostrum. The items should then follow as the natural working out of the ideal of unity. Nothing staccato should mar the impression of orderly development.
The opening silent prayer by minister and congregation gives that highly desired hush of reverential expectancy as worshipers wait upon the Lord. The hymn by the congregation gives the assurance of fellowship, a psychological effect of great importance. Scripture readings should not be omitted, as a portion of the Scripture, together with the opening hymn, gives a suitable preparation for communal prayer. The offering should then be taken unhurriedly; and an offertory hymn stanza sung softly at the close is very fitting. Here is the opportune time for the choir, if there is one, to render a selection. The sermon should follow directly.
Some preachers feel impressed to give a children's story. Herein lurks a very real danger, for consummate skill is needed to introduce it in such a way as to avoid the impression of desultory procedure. Children should be encouraged to follow the sermon, for it is just as important for them to come to personal decisions as it is for the older folk. Not all the facts given will be caught by them ; but their emotions are nevertheless often stirred by simple thoughts that pass unheeded by the more sophisticated adult.
Every sermon should be simple, impressive, and personal, so that young and old may learn to know God and do His will. The personal decision to be or to do something for God is strengthened by the expression of this determination; hence, the value of an appropriate hymn at the close of the address. The benediction should close a service that has been characterized throughout by a tone of simplicity. The service gains in effectiveness by the avoidance of all irrelevant detail.
What is to be the criterion on the length of the sermon? Is it to depend upon the degree of complexity of the theme and the manner of presentation? Or are there psychological factors involved, such as the power of concentration and interest ? Does the power of concentration inevitably fail us after forty-five minutes of application on one theme? Or is it true that interest can shorten this period considerably, or lengthen it almost indefinitely? These are vital questions.
In the "good old days" sermons often lasted two hours, but in these restless modern times, public opinion seems to settle on twenty minutes as being the optimum length. Interest can be gripping for two hours, or flagging in less than twenty minutes. While it is true that the power of concentration is greatly affected by interest, yet it is safe to say that a much greater strain could be placed upon it without undue taxation. There are, of course, psychological limitations. The mind is not capable of holding in logical sequence an indefinite number of facts. Any group of ideas must be systematized, coordinated, and assimilated, before another group of a similar nature is presented. But these limitations are so elastic in their character that they are of little value in determining the length of the sermon.
What Determines Length of Sermon
In considering the sermon, it is not a question of how much one can stand, but a question of when the cumulative effect of the facts upon the emotions exerts the greatest power of control upon the will. The purpose of every sermon is to bring people to decisions, and this purpose to do or to act must be strengthened by the assurance of power to perform. Therefore the manner of presentation and the complexity of the facts used are of primary importance in determining the length of the sermon. If the theme is logically developed, and the subject matter is of average difficulty, the mind is quite capable of concentrating from thirty to forty-five minutes.
Notes are not usually taken in church; so readiness of recall is of utmost importance. Decisions called for during the service must be reinforced later by recapitulation. Some seem to feel that it is not necessary to remember the subject matter, for it is thought that even if we forget the sermon, we are better for having heard it. We are not better, however, until we have actually changed our lives in some respect. and this we do while the memory of the sermon is still with us. It is true that we forget the details, but the important points of the sermon exert an influence on our emotional life as great as that exerted by the greater body of facts presented during the service.
Thirty minutes has been mentioned as a minimum. This does not mean that a spiritual exhortation of, say, ten to twenty minutes is of little value. These are homelike and should not be thought of as sermons. They are not calculated to stir one to the making of vital decisions or adjustments in the spiritual life. A sermon of less than thirty minutes is pampering to the disposition to take things easy. Many people are today serenely unconscious of the perils of spiritual lassitude occasioned by the aversion to being stirred so deeply that fundamental changes take place in the life.
We are faced today with testing issues. It is an age of crises. A diffuse and pointless sermon is therefore a tragedy. It usually takes more than thirty minutes to stir men deeply. Rarely should one talk for more than forty-five minutes. Nevertheless, it is fatal to establish a rule that stipulates the sermon length, for habit is a tyrant in spiritual concerns. The preacher should be free to determine the length of the sermon within the limits suggested.
The average sermon will take forty minutes; hymns will take another twelve; and there will be a prayer occupying three to four minutes. The whole service should take about an hour, or an hour and ten minutes.
"Public service (worship) should be comforting, joyful, enthusiastic, the most beautiful flower of all the week, but its chief note should be reverence and godly fear." It is clear, then, that stateliness of thought, charm of style, and music which is in harmony with the highest and noblest in life, are all of inestimable value to enrich the service.
There should be dignity and smoothness that bespeak thorough preparation for all items. The Scripture should be read over beforehand by the one who is to take it, and spontaneous prayer is usually not so helpful as meditated prayer. There are exceptions, it is granted. But as the sermon needs preparation, so does the prayer. Solos or other musical items should not be rendered unless they have a definite bearing on the theme; therefore the preacher should be given opportunity to make suggestions concerning these. Preparations for such should naturally not be made on the day of the service. Above all, that which is novel and unusual should not be introduced in the church service until it has been thoroughly tried out in other services.
