Sometimes, you just can't avoid a long sermon. Many of my cousins are gospel preachers – very good preachers – and one of them just made a short blog post about a very long sermon he recently did that covered recent interest in the DaVinci Code. The sermon lasted 62 minutes.

In my first post about Breaking Rules, I noted that Vincent van Gogh is not considered a great artist because of his strict adherence to all the rules. In fact, the case is quite the opposite, and I would surmise that many members of the congregation my cousin preached at hardly felt the extended time period despite the 10-20-30 rule.

So how do you present 62 minutes of material and keep it engaging?

Stay Focused: The length should come from a wealth of material – not because you are busy chasing rabbits.

Stay Energetic: If you appear bored or fatigued with yourself, you are doomed. (I'm having a terrible flashback to a certain lesson about Genesis 1+2 back at TP, for those of you who know of what I speak.)

Keep It Moving: Avoid spending 45 of the 60+ minutes on one point. (Whoa, same flashback...)

Keep It Real: Use material that is current and relevant. The topic of my cousin's sermon is a great example. Make sure the material has a hook that will maintain engagement.

Don't Mention It: Avoid warning your listeners. "Today's lesson is probably going to be 12 hours long." No. You know you accomplished your task if few are aware of the elongated time period.

Don't Make It a Habit: You can only get away with this so many times.

Remember, human attention dwindles quickly, and you, as a speaker, need to put extra effort into maintaining that attention if you know you will be speaking for a long time. As for your slides, the guidelines don't change – you will just end up with more than 10. With the right material and the proper planning, long sermons can be effective.

Tags: sermons, time use, 10-20-30