JOE CARTER FROM TGC
I’ve been wrong about church changes before.
Pastors without ties? I was against it. Praise songs instead of hymns? Hated the idea. Coffee in the sanctuary? Borderline heretical. Now, though, I can’t imagine going back to any of the “old ways” I once defended so passionately. So when I started getting bothered by people consistently showing up late to worship services, I had to ask myself if I was being a cranky traditionalist again.
I don’t think I am. This time, it’s not about my preferences but about something deeper.
I’m not the only pastor wrestling with this issue. Last summer, J. D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church and TGC Council member, addressed this problem with his congregation. In a sermon that went viral, Greear expressed his concern with members who come to worship services late or leave five minutes before the congregation is dismissed. His concern wasn’t primarily about people missing part of the service but about how such behavior reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what church is. As he put it, “You treat church like it’s a religious show instead of a welcoming family that you’re a part of.”
Greear’s observation about treating church like a “religious show” hits at the heart of the issue, and it raises crucial questions about how we understand corporate worship. When we consistently arrive late to our worship services, what message are we sending about the nature and importance of what we’re gathering to do?
[…] When we consistently show up late, we’re treating Sunday morning as an individualistic spectator event rather than as a corporate, participatory gathering of God’s people.
Embodied presence is necessary for us to worship corporately. The church’s singing, praying, and preaching depend on the congregation being present to participate. These are the primary reasons we need to gather rather than just worshiping God on our own in private. But embodied presence requires that we gather intentionally rather than just eventually show up.