I had this one teacher in college that talked about the concept of chasing a rabbit. When teaching a dog to hunt, you have to train the dog not to chase the rabbit too much before the dog brings the rabbit back to you. I think that’s a good point for pastors, not to chase the rabbit too long or too far, because eventually you’ll forget where they were trying to take you.
Many congregants speak indirectly about the length of the sermon in remarks that echo the following. “Just tell me what you want me to know.” When that happens, another listener adapts to preaching a proverb that sometimes appears in other life settings. “Recognize that less is sometimes better than more.” This person prescribes, “Once you’ve made your point, move on.”
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Most of the listeners suggest that pastors make a single point (or a limited number of points gathered around a single focus). One interviewee underscores this idea. “Don’t just ramble. Stick to whatever the point is at that particular time. Make it and then sit down. Don’t just be filling up the time.” In like fashion, “Make your point so clear that I couldn’t miss it if I had to trip over it.”
A corollary is to make the big point once. “Make your point and move on. Don’t belabor. I’ve heard that more than once where one time would have been adequate. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to tell me the same thing in a different way four or five times. I’ve heard a lot of sermons that could have been half as long.” Indeed, one listener observes, “Some preachers get to the point and then start a whole new sermon.”
The impulse for a single point comes through another voice from the study in connection with other theme in this article. “Well, strictly from a technical point concerning the design of the sermon, I can only handle one point. If you give me one point, give the basis. Give me the evidence. I’m listening. I’ll hear you. Give me a story. Give me your personal consideration. I’ll take it into consideration.”
As a seminary teacher of the Bible, I hoped that preaching from Scripture would be the most frequent response to the question behind this article. While the total number of respondents may place this response fourth in frequency, many are quite intense. A number of interviewees answer the question we are pursuing in this article with a sentence that contains a list of qualities that would energize their listening. Almost all of these one-sentence answers include the Bible being at the center of the sermon. For instance, “I think keeping it relevant, keeping it based on sound Scriptural doctrine, and giving it in a way that keeps your attention.”