Aside from Sunday morning services.....

[DaveW]

It seems to be common problem where I am that Sunday morning is the biggest service by numbers, but no matter what your actual numbers are, Sunday evening is about half or less than Sunday morning, and Prayer meeting (Wednesday night for us) is about half again - so only about 25% of the morning service.

Thoughts people?

How can we (biblically of course) find a way to help people see the importance of the other services?

I struggle to understand it personally, because pretty much from the day I got saved I was in every service I could be. It just seemed to be what I should do, but that is apparently not "normal".......

(How surprising is that? I am not normal!!!!!  )

[Pastor Matt]

The stats that you mentioned seem to be the same across the country in our churches. It seems we have become so entangled with the affairs of this world that church has become just a tradition for many Christians. 

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

I wish I had an answer for you, if I did it would not be a problem in our church.

[DaveW]

34 minutes ago, Matt Souza said:

 

I wish I had an answer for you, if I did it would not be a problem in our church.

I know what you mean - If I had the answer I wouldn't be asking.

[Pastor Scott Markle]

Ahhh, but generally speaking this issue is not about attendance and the recognition of its importance.  Rather, this issue is about commitment to the priority of the Lord in an individual's life.  Generally you will find that those who are Sunday morning only attenders also have the Lord and His Word at a lower level of priority in their daily lives, and have the world and its "things" at a higher level of priority.  In such cases, the attendance issue will not change until the priority of heart changes.  This is the FOUNDATIONAL issue - the priority of their hearts.

(Note: Sometimes the numbers difference is contributed by a ministry program difference, such as a bus ministry on Sunday morning, but not for the other services.  Also, sometimes the Wednesday night lack is contributed by a work schedule difference, such as 2nd shift workers that are not affected on the weekends.)

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

Then there is the old saying: "Those that attend Sunday morning love the preacher. Those that attend Sunday night love the church, and those that attend midweek services love the Lord!"

[2bLikeJesus]

In our small church where I take the attendance last week would be typical.  Sunday school Adults/Teens only for this count = 52  Sunday 11am service = 78  Sunday evening 6 pm = 69  Wednesday service 65.  Our bus ministry overloaded our church building capacity and we have to take the children off site and across town to another facility.  There are approximately 45 in those services. Our "core members" rarely miss any service and we seem to have about 60 - 70 core members.

[Jim_Alaska]

In my limited experience those are admirable numbers Bro. Gary.

[DaveW]

5 hours ago, 2bLikeJesus said:

In our small church where I take the attendance last week would be typical.  Sunday school Adults/Teens only for this count = 52  Sunday 11am service = 78  Sunday evening 6 pm = 69  Wednesday service 65.  Our bus ministry overloaded our church building capacity and we have to take the children off site and across town to another facility.  There are approximately 45 in those services. Our "core members" rarely miss any service and we seem to have about 60 - 70 core members.

That's great to hear - when I was first saved it was like that at my church - most people came to most services.

 

[Pastor Matt]

I personally never understood the Sunday morning only Christian (not talking about our elderly and those who really can't make it out at night for legitimate reasons). In the world we live in, I need to be in church as much as possible. I need to hear the preaching of God's Word constantly in my life. I need the fellowship.

We get so entangled with the affairs of this world, that God and His church seems to be something we fit into our schedule rather than work everything around God and His church.

 

[Pastor Scott Markle]

1 hour ago, Matt Souza said:

I personally never understood the Sunday morning only Christian (not talking about our elderly and those who really can't make it out at night for legitimate reasons). In the world we live in, I need to be in church as much as possible. I need to hear the preaching of God's Word constantly in my life. I need the fellowship.

We get so entangled with the affairs of this world, that God and His church seems to be something we fit into our schedule rather than work everything around God and His church.

 

Indeed, Matt, you reveal the answer in your response:

1.  You feel that you NEED God and His Word, because the Lord and His Word are a priority in your living.  Thus you also feel that you NEED a Biblically faithful church, its Biblically faithful edification, and its Biblically centered fellowship.

2.  Others, however, hold the world and the things of the world as a priority.  Thus they allow the world to entangle them and choke out their relationship with the Lord and His Word.  They are thorny ground believers.  As long as they remain entangled with the priority of this world, they cannot and will not bring forth spiritual fruit unto perfection.  As long as they love this world and the things of this world, a true love of priority for the Lord is not in them.  As long as they walk in such a loving friendship with this world through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, they ARE walking at enmity with the Lord their God.  There is NO middle ground with this matter.

Remember, it is spiritually impossible to serve two opposing masters.  Spiritually it is impossible to serve both the priority of our Lord and the priority of the world in our lives at the same time.  We love the one (whichever one it is), and HATE the other.  We hold to the one (whichever one it is), and DESPISE the other.  No light matter spiritually according to the word usage of our Lord.  

(Sorry if I came on a little strong there.  Having completed a book entitled, "In the World, Not of the World: The Believer's Relationship to the World," this subject is much on my mind at the moment.)

[Miss Daisy]

It’s not always a low priority or affairs of the world either. When I first attended my church, I was a lot healthier and mobile than I am now. I did as much as I could. And attended every service. I don’t need to list everything I have done with my church.

I’m now married and he’s not in good health either. Especially this year, winter has been brutal in northern IL. The cold is very painful for both of us.

Our Wednesday service is not until 7pm. Which for us is late. We go to bed between 8-9pm. Services are recorded and we can watch the next day.

A lot of our members are elderly and can’t drive at night also.

We need to quit judging so much and assume people don’t love God or isn’t a priority. We don’t know the dynamics of every family.

 

[DaveW]

On 3/1/2019 at 10:44 AM, Miss Daisy said:

We need to quit judging so much and assume people don’t love God or isn’t a priority. We don’t know the dynamics of every family.

Miss Daisy, not judging, seeking answers.

Brother Matt actually mentioned your points of the elderly or unwell, and although I did not mention it in my post I am fully aware of these matters.

But it doesn't address those who choose not to attend.

These are the ones I was speaking of. 

Those whose vision does not do well at night, those whose health drops with the cold night air.... these are legitimate reasons.

But there are many who choose not to attend for the sake of their own convenience. And of course, as some mentioned, it is because they love the Lord less than whatever keeps them away, but that doesn't address the question.

How does one help those who CHOOSE not to attend the other services to love the Lord enough to change that?

[Jim_Alaska]

12 hours ago, DaveW said:

But there are many who choose not to attend for the sake of their own convenience. And of course, as some mentioned, it is because they love the Lord less than whatever keeps them away, but that doesn't address the question.

How does one help those who CHOOSE not to attend the other services to love the Lord enough to change that?

My own personal opinion on how to change that scenario is through prayerfully and scripturally addressing this situation during the times when they are actually there. If God's Word doesn't change them nothing will.

In my experience trying to address it one on one with them in a personal setting usually doesn't work. They will  most likely be offended and think of it as a rebuke against them.

[DaveW]

Yep, I agree Jim, but it still burdens me.

[Pastorj]

These numbers were exactly right in the two churches that I pastored. I spoke with individuals who only came on Sunday (morning and night). Interesting responses.

One person said that they didn't come on Wednesday because there was no Biblical mandate to go to church midweek. They understood the importance of the Lord's day Biblically.