“Time Management”

Saturday, April 05, 2014

Where I meet with fellow christians, I have observed the following pattern:  fifteen to twenty minutes prior to the start of class, members will be gathering, talking, and socializing.  During the fifteen-minute break, there is more gathering, talking, and socializing. After the sermon, for minutes to an hour (or more), there is once again more gathering, talking, and socializing.  Comparing the use of the building:

• 1 - 1.5 hours socializing
• 1.5 hours worship

Should this be concerning?  How can we be more consistent?

Sincerely,
Consistency

Dear Consistency,

There is nothing wrong with the pattern you have described – it perfectly matches what you would expect from a healthy, vibrant, and loving family of saints.  God tells us that when we assemble to worship that all things should be done decently and in order (1 Cor 14:40).  That means that we need to plan a time to meet and be diligent to organize services in a way that is cohesive, beneficial, and above all, biblically accurate.  Your congregation’s leadership has decided that in order to do those things to the best of their ability, it takes one and a half hours.

Whenever you create a routine, there will be people that show up early to be on time (a sign of commitment) and people who stay after to take advantage of the time with others (a sign of devotion to others).  What you have described is a sign that not only are people committed to attending, they are committed enough to show up fifteen to twenty minutes early, show up for both classes and services, and remain afterwards to spend time with others because the people matter so much to them.  This is exactly the sort of attitude you would expect of those who are faithfully committed to the Lord and His people (Heb 10:24-25).

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