There should be a class for the hall-walkers

Have you ever noticed this? At just about every church, there is a significant contingent of people who are always walking the halls of the church building. I pray that for most of us, we have not noticed this, since we would be in Sunday school or worship during the time the hall-walkers are about. But they are there!

You may have had to leave church a little earlier, or perhaps take your child to the restroom for the fourteenth time. But you will see them, people who seemed to be walking from one hall to the next. They usually are not carrying a Bible, so it does not appear that they are late for class or the worship service. Sometimes they even stop in the halls and meet with other hall-walkers. Maybe it’s a planning meeting or someone needs directions.

But then again, there are many events and meeting that are scheduled during the same time as worship services on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. I realize that organizers feel that people will not attend the planning meeting or special fellowship unless they can do it “while they are at church anyway”. But the fact is that nothing should be scheduled or taking place at a church, during the time of the worship service, except the worship service itself. The halls should look like a ghost town while worship is taking place in the church sanctuary.

Seriously though, unless someone is working as part of a security detail (and it’s sad to think that some fellowships need security), a parent with sick or crying child, a medical professional who has to take a call from a patient or someone whose work is of that nature, EVERYONE should be in attendance for the worship service or Sunday school?

I find it is very sad that so many seem to be moving around, but worse than that, it seems that other things are more important that worshipping God and being fed by the preaching and teaching of His Word.

The worship service, and especially the preaching of the Word of God is the most important ministry in the church and there should be no reason that a healthy able-bodied believer should not be in attendance, with their Bibles, participating, listening and even taking notes as the Word of the living God is proclaimed.

The apathy, indifference and weakness of far too many Christians has to be the obvious results of a church that no longer regards the worship service, and especially the preaching of the Word, as being very precious to them.

We need to be in worship. Our pastors need us to be in worship. Most importantly, our Lord commands us to be in worship.