The debate often arises in Churches: should Church services be “time-bound”, or should one “give room to the Spirit”? This is a recurring theme in the Church growth literature, too. I consider that both the time and length of services needs to be predictable. People are creatures of habit, and they need a sense of security -- but more than that, in urban ministry in particular, shift-workers may carefully plan their time in Church, many live in residences and need to keep time -- and so on. Yes, one can walk out of a service if it gets too long, but people don't want to do that. It was once reported to me that seven people walked out when I was away, when a guest preacher didn't keep time. I said: “We shan't have him again.” OBSERVATION: This is not a hard and fast rule, however. Ultimately one consults the Lord. However, I believe that predictability in all spheres has a lot to do with a strong Church.
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