Texting in Church

[Dew-Ax-238]

What is it with people texting in church? Where have we lost respect for the Lord, the Pastor? I know it can not only be my church that this is happening in.

Have you had this in your church, if so what has been done about it to stop it? 

My question is what is so IMPORTANT to text the person that is about 5 pews away that can not wait 2 hours? 

[rootbeer]

No, that can't be; are people really that addicted?
No, I have never seen it.

[Dew-Ax-238]

My church is small, it runs at max 50 people.  I know of at least 7 that text during the whole service... It is so distracting cause you can hear Click, Click, Click....

[Sis]

I know that several PARENTS are doing it during church. The kids will only follow suit.


I like your new avatar, Bev!

[Chseeads]

Unless they put up some new cell phone towers someday, at my church you don't have to worry about texting, because there's no signal there. lol 

[Sis]

That's a good thing!

[Scott]

Sometimes I have to text the sound board team from the platform, it beats waving my hands and trying to mouth turn it up or turn it down.

[Renee Wilson]

it is rude and disrespectful...we go to church to gather together as  a whole and worship GOd...texting has nothing to do with that....to me you are telling God what is more important.....if youcan't give an hour or 2 wholly to God 2 or 3 times a week in unity with the body of christ how are you gonna give him eternity for eternity......be blessed all

[Amelia Bedelia]

When I used to attend church I rarely ever touched my phone but occasionally there would be one person I'd text who was also in the service but didn't sit near me.  Never texted someone outside though or anything unrelated to the service.

I think you can text without being disrespectful or distracting to those around you and you should never be so busy texting that you are no longer paying attention

[World Traveler]

My church is small, it runs at max 50 people.  I know of at least 7 that text during the whole service... It is so distracting cause you can hear Click, Click, Click....

My, how times have changed. That "click, click, click" used to be people clipping their fingernails during church.

[YooperYankDude]

My church is small, it runs at max 50 people.  I know of at least 7 that text during the whole service... It is so distracting cause you can hear Click, Click, Click....

My, how times have changed. That "click, click, click" used to be people clipping their fingernails during church.

Haha! Or balancing their check books! LOL... ans some even have the ability to fix the car, mow the grass, and check the turkey in the oven...

My personal thoughts... what if the Pastor decided to just half heartedly preach? Stop and text someone right in the middle of his sermon... or while talking he started clipping his nails... I'm thinking some people would be upset... cause he is there to Preach, Teach, or Treach... whatever you wanna call it... It is his job to reach to the lost souls in that service that some saint has brought with them... and that is all the saint is responsible for???

I think... again.. just me... I think you have a role in a church service. You can keep your mind on God's purpose for that service... support the Preacher... keep your head on the service... what if that service is that persons time...? But they get distracted by someone's "texting" or whatever thing you do when you get bored in a church service.

That is just how I feel about it... and I turn off my phone and leave it in my coat or somewhere I can't get distracted by it. Our services are TOO important... and Lives are on the line.

Scott's example is one I guess I can't argue with... LOL.  But texting someone across the room? For what? To point out to them that the Pastors coat and tie dont match?? lol... I think not!

[sunlight]

are they really texting?

I take notes on my phone, and many with the i phones read the verses he references from there as well...

But yes, i am sure some do text.

[YooperYankDude]

are they really texting?

I take notes on my phone, and many with the i phones read the verses he references from there as well...

But yes, i am sure some do text.

I know someone who uses his phone to look up scriptures, or even as a Bible in service... but is carrying your Bible to church really all that inconvenient? LOL

[He-Man]

I would have to do it to stay awake.

[Melody]

Sometimes I have to text the sound board team from the platform, it beats waving my hands and trying to mouth turn it up or turn it down.

I've seen preachers do it.  I find the overall debate interesting, (I've heard it a number of times now).  I agree that a bunch of texting people unrelated things is disrespectful.  However, honestly I think some people's idea of spirituality is a little skewed.  As if texting one thing is going to take you out of the Spirit, or disconnect you from the service.  A few months ago, Doug Klindinst came and Pastor had their sons take his shoes and people came and gave an offering in it.  It was so unique that Bro.Klindinst took a picture right then and there and posted it to facebook.  Really, if someone's going to lose their Holy Ghost right spirit over that, they need to go back to the prayer room and pray through...lol  Walking in the Spirit, and reverence for the house of God is not some legalistic ritual.  There is good humor acceptable in the kingdom of God and not every text is irreverent. 

Inconveniently, sometimes all of us think the other one brought the Bible only to find out no one did... lol  Looking up scriptures and taking notes is an asset on the phone when we find ourselves in the position, which I believe has only happened twice in a year or so I think.  Instead of papers that get ripped, we can download notes onto the computer to reread.

Silly texting is obviously rude, but then again, it's not the texting persay, it's the person's whole irreverent attitude. If they didn't have a phone, it would be passing notes or sign language and/or spurts of giggles. And if a person can't text w/o doing a lot of clicking, notes or not, that's irritating/distracting.  Just like the person who takes 5 min. to open their cough drop wrapper, clipping a hang/torn nail that can't be left be, or the kid that is kicking his foot against the back of your seat cause he has to go to the bathroom so bad but his single mama is clueless.  As long as it stops eventually, I can deal.  It's the ones that seem to never end... lol

In those moments I wonder if I prayed/fasted enough that week or worshipped purely in the song service enough to conduct/facilitate the presence of God so strong that those things wouldn't happen or as much.  If I had, would I be so easily distracted, or I'm human so maybe if I had would I be so easily irked?

[Sis]

That's why I used to sit in the front at home. All the goof-offs sat in the back and I couldn't see what they were doing.

In our church now, there are only about three long rows, so it's hard to not see.

[Scott]

I have my bible on my Ipod - I have around 20 odd bible translations on it. I carry it because my hands are usually full carrying musical instruments and a briefcase along with my notes and bible study material.

Not everyone on a phone or ipod is texting and not everyone with a bible is reading it. I've seen magazines and comic books shoved inside bibles.

[YooperYankDude]

I have my bible on my Ipod - I have around 20 odd bible translations on it. I carry it because my hands are usually full carrying musical instruments and a briefcase along with my notes and bible study material.

Not everyone on a phone or ipod is texting and not everyone with a bible is reading it. I've seen magazines and comic books shoved inside bibles.

I have 3 different Bible apps on my phone.. and one is an audio Bible... I think it is awesome... I don't always have my Bible everywhere I go... but I still prefer to read my actual Bible... and I keep my notes in the wide margin... and the search feature is nice, cause the Bible with the full concordance that I have isnt wide margin. So it does provide some usefulness... but so does E-sword on my laptop, and I dont use that in the middle of church.

Whatever works for other folks is fine... there is no scripture saying... "Thou Shalt not bring thy phone into church." Or "Thou shalt not text in the middle of the preaching." So whatever is cool with you and your pastor... fine... lol.

[taco_harvell]

This year at Impact, I set next to a minister on the last night who was texting during the entire service. He was texting another minister who was setting in the same service. I know this because he would have to tell his wife everything the other minister was texting him. they were making plans for after the service and texting jokes back and forth.

I finally asked him if he could keep it down and he acted as if I had offended him. What he was doing was completely uncalled for and was definitely uncalled for during a service. I wanted to ask him what he would do if the young people at his church did the same thing while he was preaching.  It was distracting and irritating and halfway through the sermon I had to move because i had just had it.

I know there are many times people will use their phone during a service for Bible apps or to take notes. It is distracting though to many people. If someone new came to a service and the person next to them spent the entire service with their face buried in a phone it could be very distracting. I remember when the Franklin electronic bible first came out and started to make it's way into the church. I knew several pastor's who asked people not to use them because they were to distracting. I think it is a question of how distracting is the use of these things in a service? If it would distract anyone from the service and cause them to miss something that could change their life, then I wouldn't want to do it. That's why when I go into church I turn my phone off until church is over.

[Sis]

I have my bible on my Ipod - I have around 20 odd bible translations on it. I carry it because my hands are usually full carrying musical instruments and a briefcase along with my notes and bible study material.

Not everyone on a phone or ipod is texting and not everyone with a bible is reading it. I've seen magazines and comic books shoved inside bibles.

Sooooooo, what are you reading comic books in church???  I know you didn't SAY it was you, but we know!

[Scott]

Nope.  A well know UPCI minister was preaching one night at a church service I was in and his son was on the front row reading the HULK during the service.

[YooperYankDude]

This year at Impact, I set next to a minister on the last night who was texting during the entire service. He was texting another minister who was setting in the same service. I know this because he would have to tell his wife everything the other minister was texting him. they were making plans for after the service and texting jokes back and forth.

I finally asked him if he could keep it down and he acted as if I had offended him. What he was doing was completely uncalled for and was definitely uncalled for during a service. I wanted to ask him what he would do if the young people at his church did the same thing while he was preaching.  It was distracting and irritating and halfway through the sermon I had to move because i had just had it.

I know there are many times people will use their phone during a service for Bible apps or to take notes. It is distracting though to many people. If someone new came to a service and the person next to them spent the entire service with their face buried in a phone it could be very distracting. I remember when the Franklin electronic bible first came out and started to make it's way into the church. I knew several pastor's who asked people not to use them because they were to distracting. I think it is a question of how distracting is the use of these things in a service? If it would distract anyone from the service and cause them to miss something that could change their life, then I wouldn't want to do it. That's why when I go into church I turn my phone off until church is over.

Great post... and I stand in agreement...

[Scott]

I never heard anyone suggest that the Franklyn Bible was distracting... I miss mine; it was stolen during a church break in. I used to use it to preach from.

However I do know that some people really get upset if you do not carry a bible to the pulpit. I print out all the scriptures I am going to use when I preach or teach; mainly because I will use multiple translations and it is easier than carrying 5 or 6 bibles to the pulpit. I have learned to carry a bible with me and to have it on the pulpit because it is a simple way of calming certain folks down. I guess the bottom line is that some people are not comfortable with modern technology in church. 

As a minister I am not 100% for nor 100% against texting in church, there are times in which it is necessary and depends on the circumstances such as Someone on the platform texting to the sound board or the projections computer is exceptable; we have several men in our church who are on call for their jobs, they get to stay in church and get more out of it by receiving a work related text and responding right away. It is better than jumping up and leaving service which causes more commotion

Now if you are sitting there chit chat texting someone, NOPE! 

I have also come to grips with someone walking into church, turning on their Ipod or phone and checking in on Facebook letting everyone know that they are at church. Why? Because not everyone on their friends list attends church and it is a good witness.

When we have special services going on, we have people in our church who will take pictures and post them to facebooks along with service updates.  ie....10 baptized and 7 received the Holy Ghost; again  we understand that social media is a good outreach tool. Yet we ask that they don't sit there on that social media site playing around.

[Scott]

Every generation has had something which created controversy within the church.

There was a time when Electric Guitars (including bass), bongos, congas, drumsets and wireless microphones were considered taboo, worldly and too hollywood!

When I started playing my trumpet in church as a teenager, I was accused of playing rock music in church. *siigh*

When over head projectors become popular in church for songs and sermons, there was resistance; now almost every church has some sort of projections system.  Man I don't know how many times we use power point and *gasp* YouTube during sermons and teaching.

[kkay]

I'll admit, I've done the "T" word in church but it was mostly me asking where my friend was. She's always late to church and everything else