December 8, 2025

How One Pastor Thinks About Those Who Doze Off

I grew up in the church, which means I’ve seen my fair share of people nodding off during service, conferences and sometimes even in smaller Bible studies and church meetings. I’ve always found it to be a rather awkward situation. A few weeks ago, James Ellis III, a Baptist pastor and writer, told me that he too has encountered this while preaching. He told me the experience has also taught him a few things, which he agreed to share with us in this Mosaic-exclusive article. —Haleluya Hadero, Black church editor.

People fall asleep during sermons. When I was a young, impressionable preacher, it was a distracting, disappointing, and rather surprising discovery. I did my best to proclaim God’s Word, only to notice some eyes closed and heads slumped, tilted back or to the side.

I found the whole thing to be odd and out of sync with my other experiences on a stage. Before I came to faith, I performed as a competitive spoken-word poet. But no one attended those shows merely to check a box. The people who came were either lovers of words, supportive family members, or couples enjoying a date. But regardless of why they came, everyone was tuned in—snapping fingers, laughing, and shouting. Dozing off just wasn’t a thing.

Although falling asleep in church can be a sign of spiritual immaturity, that’s not always the case. Everyone has their own situations to navigate, the specifics of which we rarely know in full. One person could have been up late trying to settle a restless toddler who wet the bed. Another could have worked a third shift or might be beset by complications regarding a widowed parent’s declining health. Someone else might be on medication that causes drowsiness, might not have had a morning coffee, or might have stayed up late watching YouTube videos. But regardless of the reason or the ecclesial environment, I’ve seen sleeping everywhere.

The case I remember most distinctly is a series of short naps from a retired parishioner who was reliable, spiritually minded, and godly in every way. Yet about a quarter of the way into every sermon, he would drift into a hardcore "deaf to the world" type of sleep that would sometimes be accompanied by a good ol’ snore. On cue, as if they had choreographed their parts, his wife would gently bop him on the shoulder or arm, causing him to snap back to life—that is, until the process began all over again.

While sleeping mid-sermon is far from ideal, I’ve also learned not to take it personally. Preachers can’t strong-arm congregants into giving them their undivided attention, even though some do try. This is ultimately an issue of confidence in God, who has declared what goes out from his mouth will not return empty (Isa. 55:11). What preachers say matters a great deal, but it is not their responsibility to scan the crowd and make sure everyone’s alert. Whether congregants are awake or asleep, I’ve learned to trust that God is perfectly able to reach them.

The lack of alertness in church is also not always the fault of congregants. Most of us likely know pastors who adore their own voices and tend to be recklessly excessive with their words. They belabor their points and repeat themselves like a broken record, fixating on finding the right note or turn of phrase that will provoke shouts of "amen!" or "hallelujah!" Until that happens, the service will not end.

Being mindful of the time is a valuable gift all of us can give others. Regardless of substance or style, the preachers most worth listening to aren’t trying to be comedians, lecturers, celebrities, podcasters, or life coaches. Instead, they unpack the text, build a bridge between then and now, and offer genuine guidance for godly living without taking forever to do it. I’m not suggesting that every sermon must be 20 minutes or shorter to be faithful. In Acts 20, the apostle Paul once preached for a very long time, and he certainly was no slouch. But I’m not Paul, and neither is anyone else.

If you are a preacher, a Christian speaker, a small-group leader, or someone with any sort of platform through which to communicate God’s work, humility is a healthy posture to adopt toward that task. What can be off-putting is when one is conscientious about time and still inevitably finds some people distracted or asleep. In those moments, it can be easy to wonder—as I often have—whether we should just stop talking.

Sometimes these moments make me reminisce about a series of Reebok commercials from the early 2000s featuring former football player and wrestler Lester Speight. In the TV ads, he portrayed an "office linebacker" who would appear out of thin air and tackle employees who were slacking or breaking the rules. It’s one of my favorite commercials. But much to my chagrin, I can’t go around tackling parishioners who doze off.

So what are any of us who might find ourselves in front of sleepy people to do? Focus on God. Let him be our primary audience. Any good sermon, speech, or communication of God’s Word should flow from what has been revealed through study and prayer, culminating in a compelling message that edifies Christ’s body. In a very real sense, we must preach to ourselves first. If we don’t, relying on real-time affirmation from others will only make the temptation to manipulate the moment grow stronger.

Whether our hearers are stoic and silent as a church mouse or erupt in a full-blown Holy Ghost fete, keep the experience in proper perspective. All any of us can do is play our small yet crucial part, trusting the Holy Spirit to bless our earnest efforts despite our shortcomings—whether listeners are asleep or wide awake.

How One Pastor Thinks About Those Who Doze Off

Christianity Is Not a Colonizer’s Religion

No Longer Politically Ensnared

How to Forgive When You're Deeply Offended