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Your thoughts about starting chuch on time

Friendly Face Posts: 434 **12/10/18 10:21 am**

What are your thoughts on the importance of starting church right on time versus 5 or more minutes late as a regular practice? Do you feel it is important or being legalistic? Personally, I think we should start on time for the following reasons. I appreciate you input as to whether you feel it matters, have more reasons to start on time or not worry about it.

-New visitors are usually on time and uncomfortable waiting around for a late service to start.

-I believe we should respect other people's schedule who discipline themselves to be there on time.

-When a church regularly starts 5 minutes or more late people who would normally be punctual show up late too because they know there is no need to be on time.

-In smaller churches if a new visitor pulls up 15 minutes early and sees very few cars he or she will probably not park and come in but leave. I believe most people feel that he or she will be smothered when they arrive due to others not being there then too much eye contact in the message because few options are there for the pastor.

I do regularly teach the importance of coming in early and being prayed up for the service, Several regulars and I have talked about this and they agreed to make it on time. However, I recently had the discussion on why this is important with a key leader who is a tremendous blessing to all of us but did not understand why it matters on a Sunday when new visitors are not there.

Any thoughts, more reasons on why it is important, your experiences or feelings that I may be legalistic here?

Start On Time!

Acts-celerater Posts: 875 **12/10/18 11:25 am**

We have an atomic clock off stage and precisely at start time, we walk onto the platform. If you start late, you are teaching people to come late.

On time...

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1607 **12/10/18 11:54 am**

Always.
Anything else lessens the perspective of others about how important the worship service is to you, and therefore should be to them. If you have people that are typically late (as pretty much every pastor does), once they realize that you're starting later, they'll just come even later. Start on time and teach them the practice of striving for excellence.

Re: On time...

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1865 **12/10/18 12:42 pm**

Acts-celerater Posts: 787 **12/10/18 1:01 pm**

When I was in business we had a saying that if you weren't at least a minute early for the meeting, you were late.
Being habitually late says God's time isn't valuable. I'd rather He not be thought of like that.
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Acts-pert Poster Posts: 16646 **12/10/18 1:19 pm**

Start on time.

If you want it to go longer due to folks coming late...fine.

If musicians are late - you have a problem. Either have a long devotion - or some pre-recorded music ready to be broadcast.
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Re: On time...

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 13654 **12/10/18 1:30 pm**

Please do

Acts Mod Posts: 25305 **12/10/18 2:10 pm**

Also state meetings Laughing

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Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology Posts: 5330 **12/10/18 4:39 pm**

It's important. No discussion needed. Start on time.

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 12817 **12/10/18 4:57 pm**

Itâ€™s really a big problem when the only leaders you have besides yourself are constantly late. One thing Iâ€™ve found that can help fill the gap somewhat is to have a time of prayer at the beginning of the service, which isnâ€™t usually done too much in any case. What gets me is, these folks all have regular jobs that they make it on time to, but they canâ€™t make it on time to corporate worship. It all comes down to real priorities.

Acts Enthusiast Posts: 1865 **12/10/18 5:10 pm**

Golf Cart Mafia Consigliere Posts: 3147 **12/11/18 4:28 pm**

There is a very large church building in our area, it used to be the flagship church of the AG here. I visited a few times and they run about 40 now. One reason, I think, is that as a visitor, I felt very awkward getting there at 10:30 and it not actually starting until nearly 11.

I asked about it, and was told something like "Oh, that's just when we say we start, we don't get through talking and fellowshiping until around 11" That might be fun for all the buddies, but it is really awkward for the rest of us.

Friendly Face Posts: 434 **12/11/18 5:01 pm**

I was saved in 1983 and don't remember many people arriving late to church at that time. If you go back before then was it common for many people to arrive late in the 60s and 70s? Did you ever have services where nobody was late? Is the late for church thing much.more.common now?

As a missionary-evangelist I do remember some Sunday night services without late attendees. Usually the Sunday night crowd was mostly older people.

Friendly Face Posts: 100 **12/11/18 6:28 pm**

Absolutely on time or I stroke. Lol
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