Maybe we should build baptist churches like the Russian Baptist Churches at the beginning of the communist era. All the pews were removed and standing room only. A lot harder to sleep on your feet.
It would require less building space and reduce the cost per square foot or square meter. The building would hold more people too. It might minimize the number of religionists because it would be too uncomfortable enough for them. A friend of mine was a missionary in a once communist country in Africa. everyone stood there. He also told me that the services were about three hours long and the sermon was about 1/2 of that time. Going to church was an all day event by the time they walked to the meeting and walked home.
I have somewhere in my library a book entitled
"Towers to Eternity".
It is about the building of Trans World Radio.,
a world wide shortwave Christian radio station broadcasting the Gospel in dozens of languages.
One chapter was telling how a small group of people would meet in a then-communist country and listen to the radio broadcast.
It would come on at 3 am and only last 30 minutes in their language, (and the only pgm for the week in that lanuage). Since it was Sunday, the adults would dress up as for them it was their Sunday worship service.
They would be blessed to even have one Bible between them.
I wonder how many Christians in America would do that!
My sister and brother in law are involved in a church that plays video tapes of the pastor preaching in areas where they want to plant a church. The response has been overwhelming. One they have enough people to hire a pastor then they do and he continues on. The agreement is that each new church which is planted agrees to plant another church.
30 churches have been planted in the past 10 years since it began.
I think it's the habitual late-comers that I find the most distracting.
I am sure there are some people that don't know what happens in the first 5 minutes of a service.
First 5??
That's on time for us, I have several who come in 10 to 15 minutes late on a regular basis, that is annoying.
Texting in church is an agitator and people who answer their phone in church.
I've even forgotten to put my phone on vib and had it go off while I was preaching, now that was embarrassing.
Ladies with crossed arms and red faces are a sign I am doing my job, so I usually hammer the point several more times for good measure!!
The ushers do just that.
And our people know not to come into the sanctuary during prayer.
But it's still distracting.
One day I'm going to give into my temptation to announce the 2nd hymn just as they are walking in with, "Let us close with Hymn # ___"
There was a time during one of my sermons just at the start of the invitation when one of the deacons came near me on the stage and said, "The steaks are ready."