1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

Should people applaud during a church service?

Discussion in 'Polls Forum' started by Marcia, Apr 19, 2009.

?
  1. For children or teens performing

    13 vote(s)
    54.2%
  2. For a special guest's or visiting choir's performance

    10 vote(s)
    41.7%
  3. For the regular choir

    8 vote(s)
    33.3%
  4. For a guest preacher

    4 vote(s)
    16.7%
  5. For the regular preacher

    4 vote(s)
    16.7%
  6. For a baptism

    13 vote(s)
    54.2%
  7. For someone giving their testimony

    10 vote(s)
    41.7%
  8. For a drama performance

    14 vote(s)
    58.3%
  9. Other reason for applause

    11 vote(s)
    45.8%
  10. There should never be applause for any reason

    4 vote(s)
    16.7%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Messages:
    11,139
    Likes Received:
    1
    The thread on baptism gave me the idea to do this poll.

    Should there be applause during a Sunday morning church service? If so, when?

    You can choose more than one answer. Remember, these questions apply only to applause during a regular Sunday morning church service.
     
    #1 Marcia, Apr 19, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 19, 2009
  2. donnA

    donnA Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2000
    Messages:
    23,354
    Likes Received:
    0
    To me, children as encouragement, or only when it's done as part of worship, prehaps a song or some drama or testimony has moved you to worship because of who God is. But just for the sake of applause, not for me.
     
  3. billreber

    billreber New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2005
    Messages:
    461
    Likes Received:
    0
    Generally speaking, if God prompts someone to applaud, they should do it. That covers a LOT of the provided choices, as well as others that may not be listed.

    Applause in Sunday morning worship service should be towards God, not towards people (IMHO). That being said, I have applauded at baptisms, after songs, and at other worship occasions, when I felt God guiding me to do so. My applause is for what God has done, not for what some human being has done, even if it is after a human being has done something.

    (I feel as if I am going in circles here. Does this make sense to you? I hope so!)

    Bill :godisgood:
     
  4. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    Our church can pretty much be counted on to applaud when a person gives their heart to Christ or follows in believer's baptism.

    I can't think of a better reason for applause.
     
  5. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2005
    Messages:
    9,031
    Likes Received:
    2
    We must remember that our preferences are often driven by the culture in which we were reared.

    In the church where I was saved (back in the 1940s), there was never applause, but a lot a shouting and plenty of Amens.

    The church where I have served since 1963 used to be that way, but over the years have moved toward applause. We're still not clappy-happy, but we're not silent, either.

    This is personal with me. I am quite uncomfortable with being applauded for a solo, or for the choir or other group to be applauded. I have discussed this with the church members, but they all insist that they are not applauding the individual or group, but are responding to the message of the music. Even so, in the context of a worship service, it seems to me that applause is a distraction.

    Now, on the other hand. Four times a year, the fifth Sundays, we have all singing on Sunday night. Everybody who sings gets applauded, and I join in. Somehow this does not equate with a worship service, and applause does not seem out of place.
     
  6. donnA

    donnA Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2000
    Messages:
    23,354
    Likes Received:
    0
    Makes sense, and I agree.
     
  7. Samuel Owen

    Samuel Owen New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2006
    Messages:
    284
    Likes Received:
    0
    None: 0, I never saw any! before the Churches began to modernise. Now! is that a Good Thing ???.
     
  8. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2006
    Messages:
    4,521
    Likes Received:
    43
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Why is applause a sign of modernizing? (just a rhetorical question)

    If someone applauds, they are just giving their approval.
     
  9. donnA

    donnA Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2000
    Messages:
    23,354
    Likes Received:
    0
    applause is certainly not a new and modern invention.
     
  10. Marcia

    Marcia Active Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2004
    Messages:
    11,139
    Likes Received:
    1
    I think perhaps that earlier, there was a more respectful attitude in churches than there is now. Sorry, but that's how I see it.

    I find applause to break up and disturb my reactions to songs, testimonies etc. (although I do applaud children and teens performing as an encouragement).

    Applause also, for me, disturbs a worshipful atmosphere and attitude.
     
  11. FriendofSpurgeon

    FriendofSpurgeon Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2003
    Messages:
    3,243
    Likes Received:
    74
    I tend to agree. I'm not a big applause person either, but it bothers me less than it used to.
     
  12. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2000
    Messages:
    17,933
    Likes Received:
    10
    Applause to praise the Lord or to encourage.
     
  13. padredurand

    padredurand Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2004
    Messages:
    4,541
    Likes Received:
    102
    Faith:
    Baptist

    :applause: I applaud your answer, Bill. I think it is kind of funny that shouting out an Amen or Praise the Lord is okay but applauding is not. Listen, if the Amen corner is shouting out "Amen" and the deacon bench is spilling over with "PTL" every time a song is sung or the preacher pounds the pulpit 'til his cufflinks break that is still an acknowledgment of the preceding event. It just seems a little more Christian if I toss in a word or two from my Churchese dictionary rather than shout out a Yee-Ha! I sat through some of those shouting meetings where the response from the folk stopped matching up to what was being said.

    "I believe," said Brother Leatherlung, "I could use another glass of water."
    "Amen," said the folk.
    "I said I believe..."
    "Yes, yes, yes, he believes..."
    (Louder) "I said I believe..."
    "Um, um, um, um, um..."
    "Could somebody..."
    "Oh, my! Glory, glory, glory!"
    Almost in tears because of his partched condition, He croaks out, "What... does... a... man... have... to... do...."
    "Preach it Brother! What does a man have to do?"
    I just as soon they gave him a quick round of applause... and a glass of water.
     
  14. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    May 30, 2006
    Messages:
    20,914
    Likes Received:
    706
    Right there with you. :)

    Amen!

    God is good. Why not give Him His due?? :)
     
  15. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2006
    Messages:
    4,521
    Likes Received:
    43
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Last night we had an evangelism rally with 3 great preachers, Dr. Roy Fish (South Western Seminary), Dr. John Sullivan (Executive Director of the Florida Baptist Convention) and Dr. Tom Kinchen (President of the Baptist College of Florida).

    During each message there were amens and applause as well as alot laughter. I can't think of any time that it was anything less than was directed by hearts of praise to God. I can understand where sometimes it would be, but everything can be used wrongly.
     
  16. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    Hey, when Roy Fish speaks, either applause or high fives are going to break out...


    :D
     
  17. rbell

    rbell Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    11,103
    Likes Received:
    0
    Confound it...must be one of those "new" psalms... :rolleyes:
     
  18. Samuel Owen

    Samuel Owen New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2006
    Messages:
    284
    Likes Received:
    0
    Someone hit the nail right on the head. As far as lot of Amen's, and Pulpit pounding, I really don't appreciate that a lot either. We have a Baptist Church locally, where you can hear Amen, Glory, Hallelujah, and the Preacher is in a froth of rant for a full 45 minutes or so. He is not a spring chicken, and I imagine a heart attack is a future sermon sometime; he even says so. I bet they clap for that also. :)

    Now at the end of that 45 minutes what has been said ?????. Well maybe you got "God is good" out of it, but nothing really meaty. But his crowd seems to have a great time, I really call this Religiosity; not Christianity.
     
  19. BigBossman

    BigBossman Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2009
    Messages:
    1,009
    Likes Received:
    0
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I'm not big believer in applauding in church. The excepetion is after someone has been baptized, then I don't have a problem with it. I don't believe in applauding someone after they have been singing.
     
  20. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2006
    Messages:
    4,521
    Likes Received:
    43
    Faith:
    Baptist
    I'd suggest that those are 2 different issues. A preacher who, according to your assessment doesn't say anything meaty, is different from people responding to what they hear from the pulpit.

    Is it disrespectful to God? How? Can we get inside a person's heart and know their motives?

    Is it disrespectful to the preacher? Then all the preacher has to do is simply ask people to say "Amen" or "Yea, God" instead of applaud. Or maybe just snore loudly. :tonofbricks:
     
Loading...