Church service times always seem to be a touchy subject for many Christians. Most churches that are predominately African American are known for having long services. However, there are a good number of non-African American congregations that have long services too.

I always hear people debate over which model is better. Is it better to be in church for 3 hours or for 45 minutes? People who are in favor of longer church services frequently use the argument that “we need to give God the time that he deserves. If we can make time for everything else, we can make time for God.”  People also say that “we need to give God time to move”. I have been in long and short services and I haven’t experienced a “lack of anointing” just because service ended before my favorite NFL pregame show was over.

While I totally believe in making time for God, I’m not sure that God really cares how long I am in church on Sunday. I don’t think that God shows more favor towards the church that stays in service for 3 hours. What is more important is the time we spend with God the other 6 days of the week.

God has proven that he can move in a 30 minute or 3 hour service. There is no point in any of us bashing people for how much or how little time they spend in church on Sunday. If you really want to score points and find favor with God, then focus on how much time you spend with him outside of the walls of your cathedral, worship center or sanctuary.

In my opinon, being in service for 3 hours on Sunday is not a badge of honor. It means that there are a lot of people in your church that waste a lot of time during service.

Let me know what you think? Is there a minimum time we should spend in church on Sunday? Do we put constraints on the movement of God?