How Long Should A Sermon Series Be?
A book club in Austin, Texas, has been reading the same book for 12 years! At one page per meeting, they are not even close to finishing and moving on to other books.1
I wonder if some congregations feel the same way about their pastor's sermon series. The pastor preaches from the same book of the Bible, and there seems to be no end in sight.
I know opinions will vary on this topic, and there is no one correct answer. My purpose is not to cause consensus but to generate serious thought.
How long is too long when it comes to a sermon series?
Of course, a series on Philemon should be shorter than one on the Gospel of John. But how long should that John series be?
I confess, I gave up reading Martyn Lloyd-Jones when preparing sermons. Not because what he says isn't good—it's just too much material to wade through in a normal week of pastoring and preaching.
Right now I'm preaching through Colossians. This Sunday I will bring the eleventh message. If I stick to the plan, I will cover the book in fifteen sermons.
Some would say, "That's way too long!" You should keep it between four to six weeks.2
Others might say, "Only fifteen weeks?!"3
Bernard of Clairvaux preached on the Song of Solomon for 18 years! He would've preached longer had he not died.4 Call me carnal, but to listen to 18 years of preaching on Song of Solomon would make me want to die, too!
My advice on this is to take as long as one needs to adequately cover the book, but keep the series moving. You are not writing an exegetical commentary or research paper; you are writing sermons.
In really long books (and thus series), I suggest breaks along the way. During these breaks (a Sunday or two), preach from a totally different book or genre. This provides a breather for you and the congregation.
Another suggestion is to divide a longer book into sections that could serve as individual series. I did this years ago when I preached through Revelation. I divided the book into two different series, which I preached in two different years.
I have approached the book of Genesis in the same way. I did a separate series on Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph. Those three series covered a huge chunk of the book in an interesting way. In the future, I will need to do a series on Isaac and one on Genesis 1-11, and I will have preached pretty much the entire book.
Expository preaching through books does not always have to be chronological week after week. With some creativity, a preacher can preach the whole book in a way that generates and keeps interest without wearing out the preacher or his people.
What do you think?