A Mississippi pastor has set an unofficial world record after preaching continuously for 96 hours, according to his church.

Matt Olson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Sharon, preached from Genesis to Revelation over four days, following a structured schedule of short breaks for rest, food and medical checks.

“The Word of God is truth... and it's sufficient,” Olson said. “It is what sustained me for 96 hours when, physically, I should not have continued to... no one should be able to do that.”

He said the idea came after completing a 10-day missionary training programme, which included 96 hours in the woods without access to a Bible. The experience, he said, made him realise how much Scripture he still needed to master.

When he told church leaders, Olson said they thought he was “crazy” but supported the plan. A team was organised to provide medical monitoring, technical support and round-the-clock prayer.

The church followed Guinness World Record-style guidelines for endurance speaking, including five-minute breaks each hour that could be banked for longer rest periods. However, the attempt was not officially submitted for verification.

Olson said this was partly due to cost and also because the focus was not on publicity.

“This has never been about a world record,” he said. “It was only about proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ because it saves and just being faithful to what God called us to do.”

The current record for marathon speaking is held by Ananta Ram KC of Nepal, who spoke for 90 hours and two minutes.

Olson said the experience strengthened his faith and his view of Scripture.

“Jesus is Lord,” he said. “He is worthy of every sentence I preached, every sacrifice that was made, and every step of obedience that has been taken since.”