Worship Time Change
Worship is the number one thing we do.
It’s where we meet the Divine while in the company of those we love as family. It’s the place where we gather around the Lord’s Table for the feast of love, Holy Communion. It’s also the primary entry point for people who are new to the congregation.
Worship should not be a “have to.” We can make it a “want to,” crafting an experience of God that draws others. But there are many impediments to people participating in worship: church burnout, church hurt, fatigue that requires rest, and schedules that scream for attendance.
The age of expecting people to attend church just because “it’s the right thing to do” is long over. Now, we meet people where they are, and what we have heard from many of our visitors, and even from long-time members, is that they would be much more likely to attend worship if it started later.
So, starting September 27, worship will begin at 10:00 am.
This has always been the Golden Hour for worship, the time when most people are likely to attend. Understand: I am well-aware of the anxiety that changing worship times can bring. Many of you felt this when FCC went from two worship gatherings to one. That’s how we reached our current worship time of 9:30, as a compromise between the early and late gatherings. I want to be sensitive to that residual angst. Changing worship time is like “touching the third rail” for ministers. It’s not something I do lightly.
Here are a few positives with worship beginning 30 minutes later:
So, beginning on September 27, we will give it a try. There will be a trial period stretching through the end of the year, and then we will evaluate whether to continue with the new time or revert to the old.
Not everyone will like this, but as was true with the Vision Statement and the new church logo, we move forward with what we think best fits God’s desires for the church. As Bono of U2 was once told,
“Stop asking God to bless what you're doing. Find out what God's doing. It's already blessed."
And that, my friends, is exactly what we are hoping to do.
Pastor Brad
It’s where we meet the Divine while in the company of those we love as family. It’s the place where we gather around the Lord’s Table for the feast of love, Holy Communion. It’s also the primary entry point for people who are new to the congregation.
Worship should not be a “have to.” We can make it a “want to,” crafting an experience of God that draws others. But there are many impediments to people participating in worship: church burnout, church hurt, fatigue that requires rest, and schedules that scream for attendance.
The age of expecting people to attend church just because “it’s the right thing to do” is long over. Now, we meet people where they are, and what we have heard from many of our visitors, and even from long-time members, is that they would be much more likely to attend worship if it started later.
So, starting September 27, worship will begin at 10:00 am.
This has always been the Golden Hour for worship, the time when most people are likely to attend. Understand: I am well-aware of the anxiety that changing worship times can bring. Many of you felt this when FCC went from two worship gatherings to one. That’s how we reached our current worship time of 9:30, as a compromise between the early and late gatherings. I want to be sensitive to that residual angst. Changing worship time is like “touching the third rail” for ministers. It’s not something I do lightly.
Here are a few positives with worship beginning 30 minutes later:
- Potential increase in worship attendance
- Keeping our Sunday School classes at 8:30, gives us an extra 30 minutes before worship, which will allow us to revive the Coffee Fellowship, something many of you have missed.
- Avoids the bulk of post-worship traffic from Church of the Highlands next door
So, beginning on September 27, we will give it a try. There will be a trial period stretching through the end of the year, and then we will evaluate whether to continue with the new time or revert to the old.
Not everyone will like this, but as was true with the Vision Statement and the new church logo, we move forward with what we think best fits God’s desires for the church. As Bono of U2 was once told,
“Stop asking God to bless what you're doing. Find out what God's doing. It's already blessed."
And that, my friends, is exactly what we are hoping to do.
Pastor Brad
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