Some of the volunteers in my high school ministry have recently expressed their concerns about students who are texting during our gatherings. When I’m up front teaching I can easily see their glowing faces in the dark room. I’d like to think that it’s some sort of Jesus-esque transfiguration glow going on but… probably not.
Here’s the tricky part for me: I do think that texting in church is a bit uncouth. It sometimes comes across as rude, and even a little bit offensive at times. It usually means that the person isn’t paying attention.
I have a confession though: I’m a church-texter too.
Not only that, but I texted all day long in my classes at ASU, and I fully intend to text during my classes at Fuller Seminary (where I start next month!!!).
If you go to an online service at LifeChurch or NewSpring you are encouraged to join in the ongoing chat room. Is that the same? It can be if the students are texting about what’s going on in the room. I think that sometimes the students might NEED to text (moms and dads might be texting them).
I would rather my students didn’t text, but I understand that sometimes they might need to.
The bottom line for me: I’m absolutely thrilled that my students choose to come to hang out with us every week. Texting, while it can be a distraction, is probably the least of my worries.
So… do YOU text in church? Do church-texters make you angry? Do you imagine yourself running across the room, snatching the phone out of the texters hand and smashing it on the ground? Do you need counseling?
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