Some time ago, I visited a church where something unusual happened right in the middle of the sermon. A woman in the front row stood up, raised her hands, and started praising God. She then continued praising God by doing a lap around the sanctuary, hands raised and saying "Praise the Lord". After she did her lap, she sat down and the pastor continued with his sermon.

Nothing was done to try and stop her and nothing was said. At the time, I kind of thought the leadership should have done something. Thinking back, I'm wondering what should have been expected of the leadership then, if anything. Maybe one of the elders/deacons should have jumped up, chased her, tackled her, hog tied her, and escorted her out.

Hopefully nothing like this has happened in your church. If something like this did happen at your church, how do you think the leadership would/should respond? What is the proper way to handle the situation?

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Bob - what type of church was this?

In our church a person may get up and decide to run, but it would most certainly be for the exit!

Seriously, if that happened in my church we would carefully, put firmly, put and end to it. We'd ask her to refrain from such outbursts. If she disagreed we would escort her out.

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Bill Brown
Elder
Grace Baptist Church
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

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I don't know; sounds like it worked out and nothing had to be done during the service. But if this were a presbyterian church I'd have a plan to have a lot of ambulances called if this happened because of all the anxiety attacks it would cause.

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Chris Coldwell, Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Member
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The Regulative Principle: Samuel Miller gives a succinct statement of this principle when he writes that since the Scriptures are the “only infallible rule of faith and practice, no rite or ceremony ought to have a place in the public worship of God, which is not warranted in Scripture, either by direct precept or example, or by good and sufficient inference.”

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We would probably do the same thing that I did yesterday when someone dropped a cup of coffee all over the floor. You love people with patience and then you talk to them afterwards to try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Or the time when my son, after I baptized him, ran for the restroom to change, slipped on the tile and slid into the wall, while I was baptizing someone else! Or the time a strange man entered the church during the sermon and proceeded to the bathroom, came out and then left. What can you do at the moment other than deal with it and then try to make sure it does not happen again.

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http://www.villagecommunitychurch.org/

This happened to be a congregational church.


That sounds like what I was expecting should have happened. With the unexpectedness of it all, and the size of the congregation (the embarrassment factor), the leadership may have just been caught off guard and unsure how to react. In previous sermons there was mention of people being encouraged to be active participants in the worship - I'm not sure if this was within their acceptable bounds.

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Start watering down the wine?

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For the sake of the Name,

John Hill
Faith Community - Woodstock, Ga
Adopted. Husband for 12 years. Father of 5 children.
http://faithcommunitychurch.org- My home church
Rocky Top, you'll always be, home sweet home to me.

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Once in our church in Ithaca, NY, a guy showed up in a cow suit - literally, a cow suit. He sat quietly in the back row and then left without so much as a moo.

We decided as elders that we'd better be more diligent at the front door in the future.

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://semperubi.rtrc.net

"Many men, after a long conversion, see more of the workings of sin in their hearts than ever they did before or at their first conversion. Now, such men have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light" (Christopher Love)


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Reminds me of a video (can't recall where I saw it) where a baptizee lept off the side and cannon-balled in. The pastor in that case showed an awful lot of grace, but I surely hope the young man got a sound thrashing afterward.

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Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://semperubi.rtrc.net

"Many men, after a long conversion, see more of the workings of sin in their hearts than ever they did before or at their first conversion. Now, such men have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light" (Christopher Love)


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That is hilarious.

...left without so much as a moo...

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

__________________
Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

That sounds like a good way to handle it.

...some of your anecdotes sound like good material for America's Funniest Video

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Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Baptism Cannonball Encore Performance

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole

First, I would check the bulletin and make sure it wasn't a part of the order of service/liturgy. Next we would implore the person to run decently and in order in the future by submitting the act ahead of time so we could include it in the liturgy. And lastly, everyone would have to make the run together. It is corporate worship afterall!

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Chris Rhoades -33
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church (PCA) Nashville, TN-Under Care

Vera theologia non theoretica, sed practica est; Finis siquidem eius agere est hoc est vitam vivere deiformem. - Martin Bucer
""True theology is not theoretical, but practical. The end of it is living, that is to live a godly life."

Todd - I was dressed as a Holstein to be exact. See? That is what bothers me about some churches. Just lump me in with all bovines. Don't think to say, "Here is a Holstein." And you'd probably offer me oats, hay or corn for the fellowship meal afterwards. Would you even care if I told you I like flour tortillas and osso bucco?



P.S. Oh, and very funny with the moo comment.

__________________
Bill Brown
Elder
Grace Baptist Church
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

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See if you could outrun her? We are called to run the race as to win the prize.

Did the pastor exclaim "Goose" in the sermon (ie. duck-duck-goose) and she somehow got confused?

Seriously, depending on how large the room is there isn't much you could do except someone getting in her way. Someone should have a little talk with her afterwords. Like Guido or someone that drives a car with a LARGE trunk.

__________________
For the sake of the Name,

John Hill
Faith Community - Woodstock, Ga
Adopted. Husband for 12 years. Father of 5 children.
http://faithcommunitychurch.org- My home church
Rocky Top, you'll always be, home sweet home to me.

Uff da - then we'd really have a problem. Have to deal not only with a
Holstein (actually it was a Guernsey) in church, but a cannibalistic one at that!

Now about your avatar - was that YOUR baptism?

__________________
Todd K. Pedlar
member, First Congregational Church, (CCCC) Cresco, IA
http://semperubi.rtrc.net

"Many men, after a long conversion, see more of the workings of sin in their hearts than ever they did before or at their first conversion. Now, such men have not an increase of sin, but an increase of illumination and light" (Christopher Love)


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I wish!

I was playing up the stereotype. I actually had better form. I did a half-gainer from 10 meters and hardly made a splash.

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Bill Brown
Elder
Grace Baptist Church
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Hmm . . . not sure what we would have done. The last time we had a drunk guy come in and sit in the front row & make lots of exclamations, we waited a bit - but eventually some of the officers took care of the guy (i.e. got him to leave . . . funny thing is, I just noticed that it had gotten quiet there again).

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Jessica H.
Church: www.eopckent.org (OPC)
Work: www.uwmedicine.org/Facilities/Harborview/

Oh make this heart rejoice or ache; / Decide this doubt for me; / And if it be not broken, break -- / And heal it, if it be. ~William Cowper

She was going at a pretty good clip, so...


I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on the leadership. Afterall, I WAS sitting in a middle aisle seat, and I COULD have stuck out my foot as she went by...

__________________
Bob Howes
Framingham, MA

A reoccurring thought:

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.