How long is too long for a sermon?

In an article by the Christian Post, the outlet discussed how megachurch Pastor Ed Young of Fellowship Church located in Grapevine, Texas believes that half hour sermons are beyond the capacity of the modern-day listener.

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“The  first service I preached 36 minutes. Way too long. The second service I did it in 20 minutes and 43 seconds,” Young said. “…the 20-minute message was better than the 36-minute message.”

The Post noted how Young also called out other pastors for being too long-winded in their messages. “Preachers, we preach too long, I guarantee it. Just look at yourself…I preach too long. Once a sermon gets past 25 minutes…I lose it.”

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As the Post further reported, a survey by the Pew Research Center from 2019 showed how the median Catholic sermon was 14 minutes long, with Evangelical sermons with a median at 39 minutes in length. Mainline churches had a media of 25 minutes for sermon lengths, while black Protestant church sermons weighed in at about 54 minutes long.

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We live in a world full of distractions, where our attention is constantly pulled in a hundred directions, yet the Word remains our most vital source of spiritual nourishment, guidance and strength. More than anything else in this world, we need to let Scripture dwell richly within us, shaping our thoughts, decisions, and actions.

As believers, our priority must be to receive the Word, meditate on it, and allow it to penetrate every part of our being. When the Word becomes our primary sustenance, we are equipped to live victoriously, to walk in faith and to impact the world around us for the kingdom of God.

Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.

Texas-based Pastor Ed Young believes those who think megachurches are “just too big” are hypocrites.

The founder and senior pastor of the multi-site Fellowship Church in Grapevine issued the bold statement in a video shared to his Facebook page. Young’s church, for context, reported a weekly attendance of 24,000 in 2020. The preacher noted in his video many have told him his congregation “is just too big,” but asserted it’s unfair to criticize the sizes of churches in places with large populations.

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“‘Your church is just too big,’” Young said, quoting what he’s heard from critics of Fellowship Church. “I’ve heard people tell me that a lot: ‘It’s too big. It’s a megachurch.’ Well, that’s got to be one of the most hypocritical statements someone can make, because the person making the statement goes to massive concerts. They would go to a game — a football game. They would go to a massive mall, and they never really say that about those entities.”

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, a megachurch is a church averaging 2,000 or more weekly attenders. There were roughly 1,170 megachurches in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from the 1,750 megachurches reported by the Hartford Institute in 2020.

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Young went on to boldly assert, “Hey, if you think the church is too big, then you’re not going to like Heaven, because Heaven is going to be a big place. If a church is around a lot of people, it should be big in the context of being big.”

To order Phil Hotsenpiller’s “It’s Midnight in America,” visit Amazon.com.

In 2020, a Lifeway Research study found the average church in the U.S. seats roughly 200 people, but the median weekly attendance is 65 worshipers. Megachurches, it should be noted, only make up about 0.5% of churches across the country, serving about 4 million weekly congregants.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at Faithwire.

Reprinted with permission from faithwire.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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Texas-based Pastor Ed Young believes those who think megachurches are “just too big” are hypocrites.

The founder and senior pastor of the multi-site Fellowship Church in Grapevine issued the bold statement in a video shared to his Facebook page. Young’s church, for context, reported a weekly attendance of 24,000 in 2020. The preacher noted in his video many have told him his congregation “is just too big,” but asserted it’s unfair to criticize the sizes of churches in places with large populations.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

“‘Your church is just too big,’” Young said, quoting what he’s heard from critics of Fellowship Church. “I’ve heard people tell me that a lot: ‘It’s too big. It’s a megachurch.’ Well, that’s got to be one of the most hypocritical statements someone can make, because the person making the statement goes to massive concerts. They would go to a game — a football game. They would go to a massive mall, and they never really say that about those entities.”

According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, a megachurch is a church averaging 2,000 or more weekly attenders. There were roughly 1,170 megachurches in the U.S. in 2023, a decrease from the 1,750 megachurches reported by the Hartford Institute in 2020.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

Young went on to boldly assert, “Hey, if you think the church is too big, then you’re not going to like Heaven, because Heaven is going to be a big place. If a church is around a lot of people, it should be big in the context of being big.”

To order Phil Hotsenpiller’s “It’s Midnight in America,” visit Amazon.com.

In 2020, a Lifeway Research study found the average church in the U.S. seats roughly 200 people, but the median weekly attendance is 65 worshipers. Megachurches, it should be noted, only make up about 0.5% of churches across the country, serving about 4 million weekly congregants.

To read the full story, visit our content partners at Faithwire.

Reprinted with permission from faithwire.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.

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A megachurch in Grapevine, Texas had none other than Dr. Phil McGraw speak on prayer, family and finances.

Ed Young’s Fellowship Church had a special guest, Dr. Phil, discuss the importance of prayer and family in today’s modern society. In a world so keen on allowing the government to be the provider for their families, McGraw says this is not what parents are called to do.

“You don’t want to co-parent your children with the government,” McGraw says. “Anytime the government says, ‘knock, knock knock: I’m your government and I’m here to help you’ [you need to] run.”

McGraw also believes it is critical for married couples and families to attend church together. Citing the fact that church attendance is below 50% right now, he sees the vital need for families to place God first.

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“The church brings something to the family unit that causes cohesion,” McGraw says. “That causes values to be thought of and talked about and prayerfully considered. If there’s regularity to it, then there’s a constant reminder of those things.”

McGraw emphasizes how one key he implemented while raising his sons was to have them see him pray often.

“It was important to me as a father to model to those children that they see their father in a prayerful relationship with the heavenly Father,” McGraw says.

McGraw also touched on the subject of envy and how important it is for people to see themselves in the same lens our heavenly Father sees us through.

“If you see yourself as second-class, that’s not how God sees you,” McGraw says. “There’s been a high price paid for you.”

McGraw shared his personal testimony of coming to Christ on TBN. His father was an alcoholic and worked in the oil business. At 13, McGraw decided to turn over his life to Christ.

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“That’s when I met the Lord and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I remember it like it was yesterday because that was a big step for me at 13 years old because I didn’t have a lot of leadership at that point,” McGraw says.

This decision would change the entire trajectory of McGraw’s life.

“It was a serious decision for me because I was very analytical,” McGraw says. “That was a big step of faith for me. I didn’t do it just because that’s what you do at that age. I had to really think this through.”

During this time when families, marriages and faith couldn’t be further away from the cultural norm, it’s people like Dr. Phil who are making a difference. Instead of using influence to turn people away from God, this is the moment to use whatever influence we have to call people toward Jesus.

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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.