Mississippi Pastor Preaches 96-Hour Sermon, Claims Unofficial Marathon Speaking Record

Matt Olson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Sharon in Mississippi, completed a 96-hour continuous sermon covering the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, his church announced, surpassing the existing unofficial mark for marathon speaking by an individual. The feat eclipses the previous record of 90 hours and 2 minutes set by Ananta Ram KC of Nepal. Olson and the congregation declined to seek official Guinness World Records certification.

The Record and How It Was Set

Olson preached over four consecutive days, following Guinness World Record guidelines throughout — taking five-minute breaks each hour or banking that time for longer breaks that allowed for showers and brief naps. The church mobilized a rotating medical team to monitor his vital signs, a technical crew to film the event and round-the-clock prayer teams to support the effort. The full sermon was livestreamed from the church's website, and archived video of each day remains publicly available.

Church leaders initially questioned the plan, Olson told Fox News Digital, but ultimately gave him their full backing. The congregation's support proved critical to sustaining the effort across four days.

Why No Official Guinness Submission

Despite adhering to Guinness guidelines, First Baptist Church of Sharon chose not to submit the record for official adjudication. Olson cited two reasons: a principled objection to using Scripture as a vehicle for publicity, and the cost of securing an official Guinness adjudicator under the organization's non-profit tier, which he said carries a price tag of $16,500.

Olson told Fox News Digital the church would have directed that sum toward mission work regardless. "We're called to be good stewards of what God has given us," he said.

The Inspiration Behind the Attempt

Olson traced the idea to a 10-day missionary training program he completed before the event. As part of that program, he spent 96 hours in the woods in a simulated hostage scenario with no access to his Bible. The experience, he said, exposed gaps in his command of Scripture and prompted what he described as a calling to preach for the same duration.

He told Fox News Digital the ordeal reinforced the power of biblical text to carry a person past physical limits. "The Word of God is truth… and it's sufficient," he said. "It is what sustained me for 96 hours when, physically, I should not have continued."

Olson's Stated Focus

Olson was direct in pushing back on any framing centered on record-breaking. "This has never been about a world record," he told Fox News Digital. "It was only about proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ." He said every aspect of the effort — the preparation, the sacrifice of supporters, and each hour of preaching — was oriented toward that singular aim.

The archived livestream remains on the church's website.