The issue is whether or not the "passing of the peace", the "everybody stand up and greet the person next to you" during the worship service is appropriate. Most are saying that this "greeting" should be done either before or after formal worship, which is meant to be communion with God, offering praise, prayer, hearing His Word preached and participating in the sacraments. Worship should not be a social event. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
My church is small, 80-90 is the average attendance. We greet and talk with one another before the service, and we spend 15-30 minutes after the service in fellowship with one another. We do not race out after the service.
John Chaney
"having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith . . ."Colossians 2:7
The issue is whether or not the "passing of the peace", the "everybody stand up and greet the person next to you" during the worship service is appropriate. Most are saying that this "greeting" should be done either before or after formal worship, which is meant to be communion with God, offering praise, prayer, hearing His Word preached and participating in the sacraments. Worship should not be a social event. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
In His Grace,
I understand what the subject is Pilgrim and I'm going to have to disagree with the rest of you with idea that worship needs to be such a spartan affair. Speaking only for myself the greeting, music, etc... all focus me on the worship of God not distract from it. The familiarity of the forms allows me to focus not distract from it. And speaking frankly it seems to me that the comments given make me think we suffer from attention deficit disorder if music or greeting of people cause us to lose focus from our primary goal of worship.