Our Wednesday night service for the summer is going to be a very informal gathering Dan Hawley dubbed BBFP or "Breaking Bread, Fellowship and Prayer." This is our summer replacement for WOW ("Worship on Wednesday") which was a replacement for Wednesday Night Class... which was a replacement for Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting. I suspect that Prayer Meeting was a replacement for something, but I'm too young to know what that might have been.
What is BBFP? We eat, pray and hang-out together. OK, it's a little more formal than that; there is a short class in the Family Room. The kids will probably play together while we pray together. The whole thing may die a horrible death, but it kinda started out pretty positively last night. I'm looking forward to seeking how it ends up.
There are two truths that we more or less accept as true. First, our church leaders believe that we need a "peak of the week" meeting in the middle of the busy workweek to center our people back on God and to provide balance to the competing voices that seek our attention. Second, it is becoming more and more evident that our church members don't necessarily agree with that. We have well under half of our Sunday morning attendance here for Wednesdays; sometimes we have about one-third. At some point we let people think that they wouldn't go to hell because they miss Wednesday night... so they miss. What does out declining interest in Wednesday night services show?
This is one of many things that I don't know.
What is BBFP? We eat, pray and hang-out together. OK, it's a little more formal than that; there is a short class in the Family Room. The kids will probably play together while we pray together. The whole thing may die a horrible death, but it kinda started out pretty positively last night. I'm looking forward to seeking how it ends up.
There are two truths that we more or less accept as true. First, our church leaders believe that we need a "peak of the week" meeting in the middle of the busy workweek to center our people back on God and to provide balance to the competing voices that seek our attention. Second, it is becoming more and more evident that our church members don't necessarily agree with that. We have well under half of our Sunday morning attendance here for Wednesdays; sometimes we have about one-third. At some point we let people think that they wouldn't go to hell because they miss Wednesday night... so they miss. What does out declining interest in Wednesday night services show?
- Our people don't have their priorities straight? (True if going to the building is the priority)
- Families are just too busy? (So they solve that by cutting back on church?)
- Families need more time together? (Which usally means watching more TV)
- What we do on Wednesday doesn't seem spiritually significant?
This is one of many things that I don't know.
5 comments:
I claim to believe that the church building is just that, a building. I even use intentional language ("auditorium") to distinguish myself from those who believe the structure is God's dwelling ("sanctuary").
But my actions sometimes betray me. If I really believe the building is just a building and that people are God's dwelling place, then I ought to be able to make the transition from an attractional church model to a missional church model. But I have to confess, tradition is so comfortable. I sometimes wonder if confining God to a building is nothing more than another way to domesticate Him.
I am glad you are thinking through all this, I eagerly await the solutions you will discover long before I even fully understand the problem.
Does Lynn remember what midweek program was replaced by the prayer meeting?
I'm sure Lynn would love for you to tell her all about your memories of the prayer meeting to bible class transition. She of course is much too young to know what you are talking about.
no commment
It appears that bob claims to have very clear vision of what church is and isn’t.
God’s house is God’s house, who can fully contain Him, will He not overflow into the lives of others as is His mission.
Many are repealed by the smell of Him, all the way to the grave.
There are those who will find their temporal comfort in the traditions of men, not fully understanding that all that will change and pass away.
Discovering solutions to problems not yet fully understood. . . is like. . . really, nipping it in the bud.
may Grace be with you forever
Bob, you misunderstand me. I wasn't attempting to be "thinking through all this." I was just complaining!
Actually, the only solution I've come up with is just canceling Wednesdays completely... just go straight from Tuesday to Thursday. Don't just get rid of Mid-Week Bible Study; get rid of mid-week completely!
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