Church Service Times

[Bro K]

Came across this from one of the Churches list under "Church Directory":

Service Times

Sunday

• Opening Devotional9:30 AM
• Sunday School 9:45 AM
• Morning Service 10:30 AM
• Afternoon Service 12:30 PM

Wednesday Evening Service 7:00 PM

 

I haven't encounter these "times" before; especially the 12:30 PM Afternoon Service. I can remember the Opening Devotional being done; but haven't seen it in quite a while. 

 

Is your Church's service times the norm? Our Church service times are:

    Sunday School:     9:00am till 9:40am

   Morning Service:    9:50am till 12:00pm

   Evening Service:    6:00 pm

   Wednesday:          7:00pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John81]

We have an early service at 8:00, followed by Sunday school, then the "regular" service at 10:30.

[HappyChristian]

Ours are

Sunday school 9:45-10:40

Morning service 10:45-12:15(ish)

Evening service  5:30pm

Thursday 7pm

[OLD fashioned preacher]

SS 9

AM 10 (or a little later if SS runs over -- no, I'm not teaching it) till done (roughly 11:20-11:30)

PM 6:30 till approx 8:00

 

Wed 7 till about 8:30 

 

When in Ga, we had mid-week on Thurs and visitation on Wed. We also saw churches whose various Sun Eve services included such start times as 4:30; 5:00; and 5:30

[mkrishna]

Out of curiosity, why do churches have an evening service where you have to come back instead of having all the services back to back in the morning/afternoon time?

[HappyChristian]

Out of curiosity, why do churches have an evening service where you have to come back instead of having all the services back to back in the morning/afternoon time?

There's nothing in the Bible that commands that we must meet at certain times of the day on certain days of the week.  It's an American tradition that has been established by just doing it and accepting it.  Is it wrong?  No.  Is a church wrong if they decide to have a morning service, lunch, and then an afternoon service?  No. 

 

There needs to be set times of meeting so things can be done decently and in order, but each church sets its own times.  As noted, tradition has dictated the current commonality. Tradition is not always bad (as in this case - morning/evening services aren't wrong), but not abiding by it isn't sin.  

 

The Church of England (Anglican/Episcopalian) held two services - morning and afternoon - up to at least the 1600s. Puritans set two services as mandatory (and it really was mandatory...), only they were morning and afternoon (while it was still light out). The non-Puritan churches normally had only one service. They were disparaged by the Puritans for that and for allowing recreation on the day.  Presbyterian church records show that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the second service was moved to evening ( with the advent of gas lamps).  Around the same time, Dutch Reformed (typically in Canada) went to three services.

 

 

By the late 19th century - especially in larger cities - the Sunday evening focus was on young people.  And then electricity and the automobile made it possible to bring evening services to smaller areas (which tended to be for the whole church, not just the young people).

 

Just a little bit of the history of Sunday evening services here in America...(sorry, I love history and it's the teacher in me that tends to give lessons... )

[John81]

Out of curiosity, why do churches have an evening service where you have to come back instead of having all the services back to back in the morning/afternoon time?

I don't if any still do so, but in years past some churches used to hold morning services, followed by a meal and then another service.

 

Our church has two morning services. In the late afternoon/early evening (5:30-7:00) our church has AWANA and youth groups.

 

During the week our church has one college age Bible study in the evening, one men's Bible study at 5 A.M., and three other adult Bible studies (two in the mornings, one in the evening).

[Invicta]

Our church has morning service at 11.00 and evening service at 6.30pm.  Except for our harvest thanksgiving service and baptisms, where we have a 4pm service instead of the evening service followed by a meal, also for our carol sevice, but at 4.30pm.

[Invicta]

I don't if any still do so, but in years past some churches used to hold morning services, followed by a meal and then another service.

 

Our church has two morning services. In the late afternoon/early evening (5:30-7:00) our church has AWANA and youth groups.

 

During the week our church has one college age Bible study in the evening, one men's Bible study at 5 A.M., and three other adult Bible studies (two in the mornings, one in the evening).

 

When I looked into the old minutes of a church I used to attend,  In the early 20th c, they held an 8.00am service, an 11am service, a 1.00pm open air service and a 6.30pm evening service.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Out of curiosity, why do churches have an evening service where you have to come back instead of having all the services back to back in the morning/afternoon time?

On 5th Sundays we have AM / dinner on the grounds / afternoon (1-4 preachers) and no PM.

I know a church that has AM/dinner/afternoon every Sun and one that does that during planting and harvest (lots of farmers).

[Salyan]

Wow / that's a lot of services! Ours has SS at 10, morning service 11-12:30, evening service at 5:00, and Wednesday night at 7.

[ASongOfDegrees]

I've heard that the evening service were originally added for farmers who couldn't make the morning services because of their work. 

[MountainChristian]

10 to 12ish Sunday morning

6 to 7:15ish Sunday evening

7 to 8:15ish Wednesday Night

 

Our Church is odd, at the start of singing IF the Holy Spirit gets strong they keep singing. We have lots of shouting, praying, testifying, when that happens. I've seen people get saved without preaching. The drawing power of God takes over and they go up to the alter to get saved. Normally we have Sunday school where all the kids go to class rooms and the adults stay in the pews. Or church is too small to have rooms for all the adult age groups. Preaching would normally start about 11 am.

[Miss Daisy]

10 to 12ish Sunday morning

6 to 7:15ish Sunday evening

7 to 8:15ish Wednesday Night

 

Our Church is odd, at the start of singing IF the Holy Spirit gets strong they keep singing. We have lots of shouting, praying, testifying, when that happens. I've seen people get saved without preaching. The drawing power of God takes over and they go up to the alter to get saved. Normally we have Sunday school where all the kids go to class rooms and the adults stay in the pews. Or church is too small to have rooms for all the adult age groups. Preaching would normally start about 11 am.

 

Is this a IFB church? Sounds charismatic to me.

[woolysheep]

Is the Sunday School Service before the Morning Service an adult Sunday School?  If so I have only heard of it as something that was many years ago.