\u201cWe were there every time the doors opened \u2014 Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.\u201d So goes the conventional every-time-the-doors-opened saying of many a churchgoing family. But in some churches today, if you were there every time the doors opened, you wouldn\u2019t be doing much but going in and out of doors.<\/p>\n
Many churches have a wide variety of programs, meetings, groups, and activities. Every day of the week, and sometimes every hour of the day, is filled with some type of thing going on.<\/p>\n
Some churches have chosen to hold a service on Saturday evening. Traditionally, Saturday evenings were times when the church was closed up and quiet. Why would a church have a Saturday evening service? Should your church do the same?<\/p>\n
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For those who are unfamiliar with the Saturday service model, I know what you might be thinking right now. Let me try to explain.<\/p>\n
\u2022 This is not about the Seventh Day Adventists. If your church is not part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I\u2019m not suggesting such a switch. As an editorial side note, I hold the belief and practice that Sunday (not Saturday) is the day that is to be set apart for worship and gathering.<\/p>\n
\u2022 This is not about neglecting Sunday. Though I\u2019m suggesting that you be open to the idea of a Saturday night service, I\u2019m not suggesting that you abandon Sunday!<\/p>\n
\u2022 This is not an excuse to get church out of the way to have a \u201cfree Sunday.\u201d In a day when some churches shunt services to make way for ball games, I\u2019m not proposing Sunday as a service-free time for Christian mallgoers, lakegoers, or football gamegoers.<\/p>\n
So, what is this all about?<\/p>\n
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In the mid-1970s Willow Creek Community Church was instrumental in pioneering the \u201cseeker\u201d model of doing church.\u00a0The idea was that church is to be an instrument of evangelism, rather than simply a gathering place for believers. Thus, in their viewpoint, church should be conducted in such a way to make it inviting to those who are \u201cseeking\u201d the truth. Everything \u2014 musical styles, architectural design, seating, sermon topics, and other details \u2014 was carefully planned to avoid offense to the unbeliever, and to welcome them into the service.<\/p>\n
One such adaptation was the Saturday evening service, designed to welcome those who may not be inclined to attend a traditional Sunday service. Thus, the Saturday evening service was started in some churches to welcome those who are interested in learning about church or the Christian faith (just not on Sunday).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Many churches today hold Saturday evening churches. The churches that do so are mostly those that follow the megachurch model, or who are interested in reaching out to the unchurched in the community. Here are a few of the reasons why a church might be interested in starting a Saturday evening service.<\/p>\n
\u2022 You\u2019re aware of an interest in your community from nonbelievers for such a service. If you as a church leader have been approached about this from non-Christian people, there is a chance that there could be community reception. The Saturday evening service doesn\u2019t need to be anything elaborate. It can be a simple Bible study or discussion group centered around the Christian faith. The idea, again, is not a Sunday worship replacement. It is, rather, an evangelistic tool.<\/p>\n
\u2022 You\u2019re interested in launching a community evangelistic effort. The Saturday-evening model is, or should be, evangelistic in nature. That is, the service on Saturday isn\u2019t for believers who gather for corporate worship, edification, and instruction. It is, instead, for ministering to those who do not hold to the Christian faith. Though most churches want to do \u201coutreach,\u201d some don\u2019t quite know how. The Saturday evening service may be a great start.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Something as significant as a Saturday evening service needs to be thought through carefully before it\u2019s launched. Here are a few suggestions if you are considering the start of your church\u2019s Saturday service:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Do you need it? The churches resources should be leveraged in order to render them as useful as possible. Time and money will be expended upon a Saturday evening service event. Will this Saturday evening event serve a need in your community? Does it fit with your evangelistic strategy? Do you have personnel to help in the leadership of the event? Consider the needs of your community and the support of the church as you make your plans.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Make your purpose clear. Go into things with a well-defined sense of purpose. Be sure to remind your people that this service isn\u2019t to let them check church off their to-do list a day early. It\u2019s not a provision for Sunday sleep-in. It\u2019s for evangelism. Evangelism is for the purpose of reaching those who do not have faith.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Make it different. The Saturday evening service is not a dress rehearsal for the Sunday service. In fact, it\u2019s almost wrong to call it \u201cchurch,\u201d since church is the gathering of Christians. This service, if carried out with a clear purpose, is not for the gathering of Christians. It is for the proclamation of the gospel among those who are not Christians. For that reason, it\u2019s going to look different from Sunday worship. There won\u2019t be an offering. There might not be \u201ccongregational\u201d singing. There might not be a \u201csermon\u201d as such. Evangelism looks different than edification.<\/p>\n
A Saturday service isn\u2019t for every assembly, and it may not be for yours. Nonetheless, it may be that God can use this as a tool in your community, to allow for the greater spread of the gospel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWe were there every time the doors opened \u2014 Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.\u201d So goes the conventional every-time-the-doors-opened saying of many a churchgoing family. But in some churches today, if you were there every time the doors opened, you wouldn\u2019t be doing much but going in and out of doors. Many churches […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4154,4135,4141,4145],"tags":[1960,2005,939],"class_list":{"0":"post-11671","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-church-resources-church-resources","8":"category-church-leadership","9":"category-church-ministry","10":"category-church-resources","11":"tag-evening-service","12":"tag-saturday-service","13":"tag-worship-service"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/750-sat-serice.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n