I’ve been wrong about church changes before.

Pastors without ties? I was against it. Praise songs instead of hymns? Hated the idea. Coffee in the sanctuary? Borderline heretical. Now, though, I can’t imagine going back to any of the “old ways” I once defended so passionately. So when I started getting bothered by people consistently showing up late to worship services, I had to ask myself if I was being a cranky traditionalist again.

I don’t think I am. This time, it’s not about my preferences but about something deeper.

I’m not the only pastor wrestling with this issue. Last summer, J. D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church and TGC Council member, addressed this problem with his congregation. In a sermon that went viral, Greear expressed his concern with members who come to worship services late or leave five minutes before the congregation is dismissed. His concern wasn’t primarily about people missing part of the service but about how such behavior reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what church is. As he put it, “You treat church like it’s a religious show instead of a welcoming family that you’re a part of.”

Greear’s observation about treating church like a “religious show” hits at the heart of the issue, and it raises crucial questions about how we understand corporate worship. When we consistently arrive late to our worship services, what message are we sending about the nature and importance of what we’re gathering to do?

Problem We’ve Created

Imagine your congregation is an orchestra. Every week, the members gather to play and God himself is their audience. Picture the conductor raising his baton to begin the music, but a quarter of the musicians haven’t even shown up yet. While the first movement is being played, three violinists are trying to squeeze past others to get to their chairs, and the woodwind section is walking in and saying hello to the percussionists trying to keep the beat.

What would such actions reveal about how we think about our fellow musicians? What message would that send about how we view God and the concert we’re supposed to perform together?

This scenario might sound absurd in a concert hall, but it perfectly captures what happens in many churches every Sunday morning.

When we consistently arrive late to our worship services, what message are we sending about the nature and importance of what we’re gathering to do?

There are legitimate reasons, of course, why some people might be late on occasion. Parents may struggle to get their kids ready on time, traffic might be heavier than normal, or public transportation might run behind schedule. Life happens, and grace should abound in these situations.

But when large segments of our congregations show up right when service begins, that’s not a series of individual emergencies—that’s a church culture problem. And it’s not just that people arrive a right on time; many arrive several minutes late. Some people seem to treat the first 15 minutes of the service like the previews at the movies, as an optional part that isn’t essential to the main show.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: We might have unintentionally communicated that the first 15 minutes of the worship service don’t matter, so it’s probably fine to show up late. Over the years, some of those newcomers have become members, and because “it’s just the way things have always been,” it’s what we all keep doing. We’ve collectively created a culture that undermines what we’ve gathered to do.

What Corporate Worship Is

When we consistently show up late, we’re treating Sunday morning as an individualistic spectator event rather than as a corporate, participatory gathering of God’s people.

Embodied presence is necessary for us to worship corporately. The church’s singing, praying, and preaching depend on the congregation being present to participate. These are the primary reasons we need to gather rather than just worshiping God on our own in private. But embodied presence requires that we gather intentionally rather than just eventually show up.

How do we know when and where to gather? We schedule a time and place to meet. But we’re not just scheduling a time to meet together; we’re scheduling a time to meet together with God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” We have a standing appointment on our calendars to meet every Sunday morning with each other and with the God of all creation.

Unfortunately, it’s often the case that our members keep God and our congregation waiting.

Theology of Showing Up

If we believe the service is primarily about what we can get out of it—uplifting music, an encouraging sermon, fellowship with friends—then arriving late makes sense. After all, we can still catch most of the “good stuff.”

But if you understand corporate worship as something we do together as the body of Christ—if you see it as our collective offering of praise to our Creator—then showing up late takes on a different meaning entirely. We’re not just showing up late; we’re missing the opportunity to fully participate in something the Lord has designed to form us as his people.

When we treat the opening songs as optional warm-up acts, we’re misunderstanding their purpose. These aren’t entertainment to help us transition into a “spiritual mood.” They’re our corporate declaration of God’s worth, our unified voice lifted in praise. Every voice matters. Every presence matters.

Our punctuality—or lack thereof—also affects our witness to visitors and newcomers. When people visit a church and are among the only people in the sanctuary at the stated start time, what are we teaching them about our priorities? About the importance we place on corporate worship? About our respect for one another and for God?

We inadvertently communicate that this shared practice which we claim is central to our lives—gathering to worship the living God—isn’t important enough for us to show up on time. That’s not the message we want to send, but it’s the message we send nonetheless.

Move Forward Together

If we truly believe corporate worship is a vital expression of our faith and that gathering in Christ’s name matters, then our actions should reflect those beliefs. This isn’t about legalism or creating burdens. This is about aligning our theology and our practice.

We’re not just showing up late; we’re missing the opportunity to fully participate in a practice the Lord has designed to form us as his people.

The good news is that this is a problem we created together, which means we can solve it together. It starts with each of us prioritizing punctuality as an expression of our commitment to corporate worship and to one another.

The God of the universe has scheduled time to meet with us each Sunday. The least we can do is show up on time.