My Question

 Here's a question for which I have no answer. 

Why are conference offerings so long? Why does the pastor taking the offering have to deliver a short sermon on giving just to receive an offering? I thought that if you preach on money and giving regularly in your church, you maybe do not need to preach on giving and money at every offering. Just saying.

Tonight, in our regular Tuesday night of conference, the pastor preached for 20 minutes just to take the offering. He talked on and on and on. It wasn't a three point sermon, but it wasn't a simple Biblical case for giving either. It kind of covered a lot of ground, with Bible verses and personal testimonies,(not about money), and it went on for 20 minutes. How did I know how long? I have stood through enough long conference offerings that I check my watch when they start and again when they stop.

Pastor Mitchell used to try different guys to take the offerings at the Prescott conference. Some still do it today. Others did it once and never again. Maybe going on too long is anathema in Prescott. Just saying.

I wonder how much money is not given when the offering is done so terribly. Some people will give no matter what. But some won't. Some would give if the preacher gave them a reason to give. I have put my offering back in my pocket to give it at a later time. And I have given when I had no plans to give.

I think the conference offerings are so long because they became too long years ago and no one is willing to change it to make it better. Just saying.