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Midweek services


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I was recently asked my thoughts on midweek services for a starting church.  Should midweek service begin immediately or should they be a goal at some point.  So here are my thoughts. 

 

Midweek services were not a requirement that I can tell in the first church, though they met daily in the temple and house to house that was not the mandate but the example of going into all the world beginning with Jerusalem. 

 

Having started a church out of bible college I can tell you it is no picnic the hours spent knocking doors and the energy to be everywhere and do everything places a major strain on your ministry and your family.  Many times, our first two years it was just my wife and my children in our living room on a Wednesday evening and what I needed was not to present another message to my family but be fed myself. 

 

I suggested to the young pastor that he knock doors, that he prepare his two Sunday messages.  Concerning Wednesday evening services, I suggested he go with an informal bible study in his home and make it interactional and have a few refreshments and keep it casual.  As the attendance grows the people themselves can be hinted to about making it more often or even every week. 

 

I encouraged him to attend an IFB or IB church a few times a month so he and his wife can have fellowship and bible teaching.  Plus, this gives a friend in the ministry for tough questions that will inevitably come his way.  I became friends with a local pastor when I started our church and he and I have shared a 35-year friendship and in the beginning, he was a great encouragement to me and my wife. 

 

So, what do you think of new works not being too hasty about getting in a structured mid-week service but to allow the church to come to that point over time.  My wife almost never got into a service because she was always in the nursery or toddler room for all the services in the beginning.  Us going to another church on Wednesday evening would have given her a much-needed spiritual break each week.  

 

What are your thoughts?

 

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1 minute ago, Orval said:

I was recently asked my thoughts on midweek services for a starting church.  Should midweek service begin immediately or should they be a goal at some point.  So here are my thoughts. 

 

Midweek services were not a requirement that I can tell in the first church, though they met daily in the temple and house to house that was not the mandate but the example of going into all the world beginning with Jerusalem. 

 

Having started a church out of bible college I can tell you it is no picnic the hours spent knocking doors and the energy to be everywhere and do everything places a major strain on your ministry and your family.  Many times, our first two years it was just my wife and my children in our living room on a Wednesday evening and what I needed was not to present another message to my family but be fed myself. 

 

I suggested to the young pastor that he knock doors, that he prepare his two Sunday messages.  Concerning Wednesday evening services, I suggested he go with an informal bible study in his home and make it interactional and have a few refreshments and keep it casual.  As the attendance grows the people themselves can be hinted to about making it more often or even every week. 

 

I encouraged him to attend an IFB or IB church a few times a month so he and his wife can have fellowship and bible teaching.  Plus, this gives a friend in the ministry for tough questions that will inevitably come his way.  I became friends with a local pastor when I started our church and he and I have shared a 35-year friendship and in the beginning, he was a great encouragement to me and my wife. 

 

So, what do you think of new works not being too hasty about getting in a structured mid-week service but to allow the church to come to that point over time.  My wife almost never got into a service because she was always in the nursery or toddler room for all the services in the beginning.  Us going to another church on Wednesday evening would have given her a much-needed spiritual break each week.  

 

What are your thoughts?

 

I think that your advised approach, and the reasoning behind it, shows a practicle wisdom that is not often seen in many of today's planters of new works. In the long run, any new church will be only as successful and as strong as the new pastor's family, and the families that eventually join him. That familiel bond can never be strengthened IN Christ if the family is too busy in their service FOR Christ to ever be alone together WITH Christ. It's a powerful paradox that must never be forgotten by the man of God.

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It sounds fine. Things like that seem to really depend on the area and the speed of growth. When I began my first church, for the short time I did it, we only had Sundays and I attended my sending church on mid-week, (being about 30 miles away in another town.) Where I preach now, it sometimes seems we have MORE attendance on midweek lately than on Sundays. Odd. We do a Thursday midweek, by the way, as the big job out here, the Army base, has a 4-day week, so with Fridays off, most are more willing to come, knowing they can sleep in Friday. It also opens it for us if my wife and I want to attend a Wed service in one of the adjacent towns, (40-60 miles away).

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I started with all four. Mainly because I wanted it to be as much like a real church as possible and also because of the various work schedules people have today it is nice to have a service for those who have to work weekends or evenings, etc. However, the service format is entirely up to that church and can be flexible depending on the people who they are reaching. Saturday Thursday or any other day is just fine for services too. The Sunday Wednesday simply works the best. 

Another good church I like also has a Thursday service that we can go to if we want. So if fellowship is needed you can have the midweek service either on Wednesday or Thursday depending on the sister church you wanted to fellowship with. Another church I liked had different hours than us as well so that if no one showed up within the first half hour of our start time, if we wanted, we could jump in the car and be in time for some of their service.

Sermon wise for the services was not too bad because in Sunday School we taught our "Articles of faith" and are now in "ABC's of Christian Growth" by Robert Sargent, which were already done. And for the three sermons (one each from O.T., N.T., Wisdom books) going chapter by chapter, they practically write themselves; Read the chapter, explain the chapter, make it relevant, exhort the people to follow the main principle.

The services need to be simple as well, that is why we went with the "family integrated" model. In other words, no other classes or nursery, one service for everyone and the parents care for their children as needed. 

The only other activity would be soul winning and church awareness advertising.

The nice thing about this setup is that it can be done by just the church planter (or any other qualified person if he is sick) or split up as people are able to help but is not dependent on a bunch of people trying to fill the gaps and getting worn out.

Edited by John Young
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