Peacefulness of prayer in the church sanctuary is violently interrupted by the rapping, hip-hop sounds of “Party Like a Rockstar” by Shop Boyz.

As parishioners begin to question the church’s choice of special music, someone reaches for their cell phone to stop the clashing ringtone noise.

Worse yet, they take the call in the middle of the meeting, talking loudly over the speaker while leaving.

Think it’s just make-believe? Situations like this are becoming more common as ringtones command attention at the most inconvenient times.

With the increased reliance on technology in daily life, cell phone coverage has extended into places most sacred and revered — houses of worship.

But even with all of the reminders — visual signs and slides or audible declarations — many churchgoers neglect to silence their cell phones.

Maybe churches should apply roaming charges.

“I’ll say, ‘Unless God is calling, please set your cell phones to silent,’ ” the Rev. Larry Elder, pastor at Open Door Church, said. “Most people in our congregation are immediately embarrassed if theirs goes off.”

The awkwardness of ill-timed calls can also plague ministers who forget to power down the devices.

Elder said his own cell phone once stopped him in the middle of a sermon because it was left on — needless to say, he’s sympathetic to the situation.

“It goes with me everywhere I go,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who have to be on call all the time so they have to be reachable.”

The Rev. Jon Harrington, pastor of St. Stephen’s Charismatic Episcopal Church, said he makes a habit of turning his phone off first thing on Sunday morning.

While he doesn’t purposefully embarrass anyone, Harrington said he does make announcements about the gadgets at church services, weddings and funerals.

“It’s just a reminder to people to be very sensitive to the environment that they’re in,” he said. “You can’t criticize a person who hasn’t been taught.”

Even though common courtesy would suggest that church attendees be respectful and focussed on worship, there are many problems with today’s church etiquette, the Rev. James Bridges said.

Pastor of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Midland, Bridges said there are many manners broken in church, including showing up late, not taking a noisy child to the nursery, refusing to move for others from that “reserved seat,” making that “tearing-the-check-out” sound, plus the cell phone fallacy.

With his own phone fastened to his belt, Bridges said he has forgotten the turn-off procedure before, so he tries to be light-hearted about the issue.

“Sometimes I say, ‘Now that could be God, let’s wait and see,’ and that usually gets a chuckle,” he said. “It gives me a little more empathy with people, because it can happen to anyone — it’s just one of those things.”

Loud ringtones are not only distracting to those in the pews, but the speaking minister as well — losing their train of thought and developed idea with the listeners.

“The people are with you until then,” Bridges said. “A lot of times you’re just trying to get back to the point — you sort of have to reshuffle.”

In a sense of urgency, many people are so consumed with the phone life and who could be reaching them, that they are wrapped in self-centeredness, Bridges said. He even stopped a wedding one time to address a disruptive attendee taking a call.

When it comes to church and Sunday worship, Bridges said the cell phone problem is a reflection of people’s attitude toward the gathering.

“They are entirely focussed on what’s happening to them at that moment — they live in the shell of self,” he said. “Give to the church the respect that even a ballet demands and act accordingly.”