10 Hints for Overcoming Distractions at Church

I am convinced that the devil speaks at church too – not out of people’s mouths, but in little distractions. Ok, this weekend, one big distraction –HEAT. As our church visits another church for the month of July, we must endure services with no air conditioning. So as Mother Beth gave a wonderful sermon on the parable of the sower, I noticed a drip of sweat slowly trickling down my right leg. I made sure that the window was really open. I felt pity for women from the 1800’s that probably attended services in long gowns with petticoats and stockings. I longed to be back in my own church. . . . Oh, oh I’m supposed to be listening. I must have had to remind myself 100 times to focus.

Now I will admit that this is not the first time that I have been distracted in church and it doesn’t just happen in other churches. It happens in my own church too. It certainly helps to keep Satan at bay if the speaker has written a good sermon and can deliver it well, but truthfully the onus of paying attention is on me. Sometimes I am distracted by others; sometimes by something physical like a tickle in the throat, and sometimes by things left undone – notes to write, groceries to buy, bills to pay. This is definitely an area that I need to work on. And I have begun adapting some strategies to help me, as I think it is very important to my growth to learn and listen to what is being said.

1. Consciously focus – Make the sermon your focus and actively tell yourself to listen. Engage. This should not be a passive exercise.

2. Change your Body posture – Sit upright. Lean in a little. Keep your back straight. Make not just your ears listen, but your whole body.

3. Box away distracting thoughts – If a thought comes into mind, visualize packing it away in a box and refocus yourself. You may find yourself doing this one more than once.

4. Write it down – As an absolute last resort, jot a quick note to yourself. This will allow you to put away the idea, secure that you will not forget it. Caveat: Notice the word “quick”. Don’t write out your grocery list or pen the Declaration of Independence just write one or two words that will job your memory.

5. Change your seat – Clearly this should be done before the service begins. If you notice that part of the reason that you get distracted is because you can’t hear or some people in the pews near you are not making the sermon their priority, find a new area to sit.

6. Join a committee – If some of your distractions do come from being unable to hear or from uncomfortable seats, join a church committee to make a change. Can you put in a sound system? Get new cushions?

7. Talk about it – Talk about the sermon when you get home. If you know that you are going to face questions about what you’ve heard, you are more likely to pay attention to what you hear.

8. Take notes – Look at the sermon like a college lecture. People may wonder what you’re doing at first, but if it helps you to focus, then it is worth it. Be discreet, but jot down notes. This is another way to make your listening change from passive to active.

9. Practice – Active listening is a skill. It needs to be practiced. You will find that as you employ some of these ideas, you will become a better listener and be able to focus at church better.

10. Change churches – If despite using all of these ideas, you still cannot focus. Perhaps the problem is not with you but with the speaker. The Lord has blessed us all with talents that we should us to glorify Him and perhaps the person speaking is not using his or her real calling. Don’t think that you are at fault for not understanding or being able to focus on God’s word. I will garuntee you that if you try other churches, you will find a preacher that will appeal to you and keep your interest.


By following these 10 strategies, you should be able to focus on the message. As for me, I’m on step #9 practice. I’m definitely much more attentive than I was, but every once in a while the devil whispers in my ear.


Read Matthew 13: 3-8 & 18-23