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What are your thoughts on the importance of starting church right on time versus 5 or more minutes late as a regular practice? Do you feel it is important or being legalistic? Personally, I think we should start on time for the following reasons. I appreciate you input as to whether you feel it matters, have more reasons to start on time or not worry about it.-New visitors are usually on time and uncomfortable waiting around for a late service to start.-I believe we should respect other people's schedule who discipline themselves to be there on time.-When a church regularly starts 5 minutes or more late people who would normally be punctual show up late too because they know there is no need to be on time.-In smaller churches if a new visitor pulls up 15 minutes early and sees very few cars he or she will probably not park and come in but leave. I believe most people feel that he or she will be smothered when they arrive due to others not being there then too much eye contact in the message because few options are there for the pastor.I do regularly teach the importance of coming in early and being prayed up for the service, Several regulars and I have talked about this and they agreed to make it on time. However, I recently had the discussion on why this is important with a key leader who is a tremendous blessing to all of us but did not understand why it matters on a Sunday when new visitors are not there.

On time...

Always.

I agree. In my second pastorate, I had a music minister who liked to wait for the crowd to arrive before starting. It emboldened people to come even later because they knew the show wasn’t going to start without them. Of course that was not the only issue he and I had but that’s another thread for another time

When I was in business we had a saying that if you weren't at least a minute early for the meeting, you were late.Being habitually late says God's time isn't valuable. I'd rather He not be thought of like that “Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”

Start on time.If you want it to go longer due to folks coming late...fine.If musicians are late - you have a problem. Either have a long devotion - or some pre-recorded music ready to be broadcast

That's exactly right. It's a problem that will make itself worse.

Also state meetings

There is a very large church building in our area, it used to be the flagship church of the AG here. I visited a few times and they run about 40 now. One reason, I think, is that as a visitor, I felt very awkward getting there at 10:30 and it not actually starting until nearly 11.

I was saved in 1983 and don't remember many people arriving late to church at that time. If you go back before then was it common for many people to arrive late in the 60s and 70s? Did you ever have services where nobody was late? Is the late for church thing much.more.common now?