I get sad when I hear a phone ring in Church and funerals. My goodness! I love looking into peoples eyes as I preach. You can tell if your message is soaking in.
Baptist Press
By Thom Rainer, posted August 13, 2024
Several years ago, I decided to become a real church member. Let me explain.
For over 30 years, I was the preacher each Sunday at whatever church I attended. I preached as the pastor, the interim pastor, or guest preacher. I never viewed the church on Sunday mornings from the pews or the chairs. I wrote a book called I Am a Church Member, but I did not have the view of the church member, at least on Sunday morning worship services.
I decided eight years ago to decline almost every invitation to preach. I wanted to be active in my local church as a church member, not away on Sundays as a preacher in another church.
It has been an incredible blessing.
And it has been eye-opening. Let me give you one example.
I noticed several people in the church using their smartphones or tablets, presumably as a digital Bible or a digital notetaker. For those I could see from my vantage point, I also noticed that many of those with digital devices would click on the notifications they received. They were obviously distracted, and they obviously distracted me. As a point of confession, I looked over the shoulder of a church member last fall as he was looking at the college football rankings for the week. I am ashamed to say I looked longer than I should.
Recently, I went to a movie theater in my hometown. I noticed the previews stressed that everyone must turn off their phones and other digital devices.
I guess theaters have higher standards than churches in that regard. More Here
There will not be any effective barring of cellular devices in the foreseeable future, as so many persons DO use them for scripture reference and would not show up with a bible otherwise. And, it is quicker to move from scripture to scripture on the cellular. Pastors no longer (at least in the church services I have attended in the last several years) announce a scripture citation and then wait for everyone to ‘find it’ in their hard copy bibles. It seems to me that it’s no longer a matter of disrespect to use the cellular, except of course, when one regularly leaves the ringer on and disrupts the congregation! I’d rather have everyone being able to follow along with scripture than have 50% of the congregation without scripture or trying to read off of another person’s bible.