Why Preachers Shouldn't Talk Too Long

When I was a kid, we belonged to a non-demoninational Christian tradition. My dad was thrilled when the preacher didn’t take too long with the sermon. Dad would say, “Now we can beat the Baptists to lunch.”

A few years ago, I worked at the North American Mission Board and was required to attend a Southern Baptist Church. In the hallways, I would hear folks say, “I hope the pastor doesn’t go too long today. We want to beat the Methodists to lunch.”

The Methodists have always been so gracious to let me come to speak to their Sunday school classes… and in churches where some people went to early services, I was advised, “Don’t go over your time limit. We need to beat the Presbyterians to lunch.”

That tells me we are all more alike than different. We all like to eat lunch!