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pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 2:51:14 PM
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irislady
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I have a quick question. How many hours on average does it take a pastor to write their Sunday sermon? Are those hours normally used during the church 'office' hours? Our pastor has been regularly taking 8 regular business hours (4 on Tuesday and 4 on Wednesday) to write her sermon- those are non interrupted hours- no phone calls, no meetings, nothing- and still takes all day Thursday (as a paid day) at home to finish up her sermon? Does it really take 16 hours to write a sermon? I am concerned that she is not spending time available to individuals and families in need for pastoral care or general office hours/work. Am I alarmed for no reason?
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 3:00:47 PM
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rcjames
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That would depend on how many hours of prayer and Bible study goes into a sermon.
As a Pastor of over 45 years my average work week (including prayer, study, counselling, office, visitation, teaching, home groups, sermons, etc.) runs well over 100 hours per week.
Since my sermon preparation is intermingled with all the other duties I cannot give you a specific answer to your question.
I do wonder as to why you would want to know? And why you would be "Alarmed" at all?
Thanks
RC
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Just a country Preacher's humble opinion
Read the first chapter of my latest book here;
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 3:08:38 PM
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JimboFletch
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quote:
ORIGINAL: rcjames
...As a Pastor of over 45 years my average work week (including prayer, study, counselling, office, visitation, teaching, home groups, sermons, etc.) runs well over 100 hours per week...
What amazes me, RC, are laymen that think a pastor doesn't really "work."
I'm not a preacher but I have taught Bible Study quite a bit. If I don't spend a couple of hours a day preparing for a 30 minute, it will noticeably suffer. And that's for a lesson that is usually mostly prepared with lots of literature purchased by the Sunday School. So it doesn't surprise me that 16 or 24 hours is spent in preparing a message from scratch, including research, study, and prayer.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 4:14:13 PM
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PastorPatricia
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I don't think eight hours is at all unreasonable. When I went to Bible college that was the general guideline for sermon writing. To properly research the scriptures, spent time in prayer and write the actual sermon notes takes a lot of time. When we were in Bible College we had to do at lest a sermon a week you could always tell who had done their homework, there were some wonderful sermons and some that were lacking in substance and style.
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But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Is. 12:24
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 4:20:14 PM
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JimboFletch
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quote:
ORIGINAL: rcjames
My great grandfather (Southern Baptist minister for 63 years) told me when I first started in the ministry to study for a sermon just like there was no such person as the Holy Ghost (that it was all up to me), and then to stand up and preach just like I had not studied at all; permitting the Holy Spirit to guide my words.
That sounds like superb advice! The same Bible that tells us to sudy to show ourselves approved also tells us the Holy Spirit will give us words when we need them.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 4:23:54 PM
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GroupW
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I think a lot has to do with how a person teaches. For example - a former pastor I know spent a tremendous amount of time just doing the historical, linguistic, and technical research behind a passage. He taught amazingly well. He also spent 20-30 hours a week on his sermons.
8 hours seems a bit on the low side to me. Our current pastor probably spends at least that much. I know he spends 2 days or more just doing the writing & the research. I have no idea how much other preparatory work he does beyond that.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 4:33:38 PM
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9drtr
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I know one former pastor of mine figured one hour of preparation for every minute of sermon.
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Edwin
When we know who is coming, how can we worry about what is coming? When the last hour belongs to us, how can we worry about the next minute?
Ross Crighton
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 5:33:22 PM
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pbaribeault
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This is within a normal range, possibly a little towards the high end, but acceptable -- particularly for a new-ish preacher, one that does excellent research and/or is dedicated to the prayerful elements of preparation rather than just the practical ones. Also, preparing a powerpoint accompaniment to a sermon usually takes me up a couple of hours at least, and I'm good with tech.
If your concern is that other pastoral elements are being neglected in favour of sermon prep, the most important thing for you to be aware of is that pastors have different giftings, and tend to allocate their time accordingly. You've got yourself a studious one, and the best plan is to activate the gifts of the congregation to compliment your pastor and have a functional Church body as a whole, with lots of un-paid, un-trained average people contributing. (Not that your pastor should neglect her duties entirely in some area, but that everyone benefits when a good portion of a person's time goes towards what they do best.) Be sure to take best advantage of the fruit of your studious pastor by listing attentively to sermons, appreciating the insights provided, even taking notes... the word of God is an incredible thing.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/13/2008 6:06:23 PM
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1love1God1way
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I spend probably 10-15 hours preparing a sermon.
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love.ben
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 8:57:34 AM
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Consecrated2God
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I'm not sure how many hours my husband spends preparing, but it's a lot. I'll ask him and get back to you. He spends a lot of time researching his material and seeking the Lord, and after he writes it he preaches through it twice and makes adjustments.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 9:57:12 AM
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ffbruce
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I've now been in full-time ministry for almost 23 years. Before that, I spent several years in a secular vocation, while doing pulpit supply.
First of all, RCJames said one thing that rings so true for me - that sermon preparation is so intermingled with so many other facets of life and ministry that it's hard to determine exactly how much time is spent on it. Even when I'm just doing casual reading, I often find myself gleaning illustrations and ideas from it - so I suppose you could count that toward sermon prep, if so inclined.
Second, I rarely re-use sermons. In fact, other than a wedding or funeral message, I don't think I've re-used more than 1 in the past 5 years. I thoroughly enjoy the study and preparation for sermons. Plus, when I look back over a sermon previously preached, I have a tendency to think, "Oooo yikes, what was I thinking?" 
Third, sometimes sermons just flow, and other times they're really tough to process through. That's another way of saying that all sermons don't require the same amount of time to prepare. For instance, this past Sunday I preached a sermon, "Where Did We Get The Bible, And How Do We Know It's True?" That particular sermon required an enormous amount of background/historical study.
Fourth, not to bash pastors here, but I'm sure there are some who hide behind the, "I'm doing sermon preparation" excuse, when really they're doing other things. Not necessarily bad things, but claiming to be "in the Word" or "studying for a sermon" tends to be an easy way of getting out of other things you don't want to do.
Fifth, I love what I do. Virtually every aspect of ministry thrills and delights me - more-so now than ever before. I am pastoring an absolutely delightful congregation, and I almost feel guilty for being paid to do what I so dearly love to do anyway. It's like the old saying I've heard, "If you love your job, you'll never have to work a single day of your life."
Sixth, I'd like to ask of you, "IrisLady", why you ask this question. I do hope it's only a matter of curiosity, and not an indication of animosity and/or trouble in your church.
All that said, I'd estimate that it takes me a little less time to prepare sermons now than 20 years ago. I'd guess my average sermon preparation time to be about 10 hours per week.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 11:35:17 AM
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VBCYouthPastor
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It's difficult to come up with a number.
On weeks where I am preaching (about once every 2-3 months...I might not be the best resource here), I'll spend the majority of Monday and Tuesday preparing. In an ideal world, I'd love to have my outline complete and have the rest of the week/weekend to really think/pray/meditate/let the Holy Spirit stew over it.
And while I would like to be interruption-free during this time, it's almost impossible to shut off from the congregation. I'm the Youth Pastor here but I have a constant flow coming through my office all week long.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 11:41:47 AM
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ffbruce
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quote:
ORIGINAL: VBCYouthPastor
It's difficult to come up with a number.
On weeks where I am preaching (about once every 2-3 months...I might not be the best resource here), I'll spend the majority of Monday and Tuesday preparing. In an ideal world, I'd love to have my outline complete and have the rest of the week/weekend to really think/pray/meditate/let the Holy Spirit stew over it.
And while I would like to be interruption-free during this time, it's almost impossible to shut off from the congregation. I'm the Youth Pastor here but I have a constant flow coming through my office all week long.
Which is EXACTLY the way it should be!
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 2:01:37 PM
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ErickJ
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The least amount of time that I probably spend in sermon prep is 8 to 12 hours per sermon, two a week. I have never really tracked it so the minimum might be more than that. This I know the more time I spend in prayer, reading, the Bible and other resources, and working it over the better it is when I actually preach it. I would rather be over prepared and have to cut something than to be under prepared and have to try and convince people based upon their trust of me alone.
Just my opinion
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 2:03:47 PM
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Consecrated2God
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I asked my honey, and he spends between 12-20 hours per week in sermon preparation. He preaches two sermons per week.
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<--Plantation house in Louisiana
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/14/2008 3:45:28 PM
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buckifn
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Frankly it is none of your business anyhow. Some people can learn more in 3 hours than others can in 36.....maybe the Spirit is dealing with Him and urging him to dig deeper into the Scriptures for his own growth.
If most people knew how many hours a Pastor spends per week visiting hospitals, funeral homes, nursing homes, training seminars, family crisis calls, etc they would offer a LOT more encouragement and a lot LESS criticism.
It is nothing for me to research 4 hours at least 2-3 days a week before teaching 1 class. Sometimes it is longer.. but studying is only 1 aspect of teaching....reaching out, encouraging, connecting to those in my class...that is an ongoing process...and I know for a Pastor it is even moreso.
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RE: pastors hours/sermon writing - 10/15/2008 1:26:44 PM
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DaveW
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In a previous congregation I had to fill in for the pastor when he got sick for about 2 months. (bad case of malaria) I took about 4 to 6 hours for a 45 minute message. I had a lot of good resource material that made pulling it together a lot easier (it was different material than what was in general usage in our brotherhood of congregations).
The amount of time can vary widely depending on the person and the length of the sermon. In general, the less prep time the longer the sermon and the more likely it is to 'wander.' If you want an hour long sermon it will take about half as long to prepare as a 20-30 minute sermon.
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