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Copyright 2012 Church Growth Associates, Inc.
How Much Space Do I Need?
Adding a Second Service
Church Growth and Visitation
The Unchurched In Your State
Growth Rates
Church Growth Basics
How do you start a second service and what are the effects of what some may consider to be a radical change? No consultant should presume to tell you when to add a service, God's wisdom overrules the wisdom and experience of man or the mass amount of statistics that are available today. I want to help inform you about this process because facts can be a great tool, but you must get your direction from God. Remember that the best book ever written on church growth is the Bible, and the best consultant is Jesus Christ. There are many reasons to consider an additional worship service, but the motive must be reaching out to a greater number of people for Jesus Christ. God blesses and confirms His word as He works with us.
Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.
One question you may have about starting another worship service is, “Do we start
another identical service, or should they be different?” That depends on your strategy.
Pertaining to the churches in American that have multiple services, about forty-
Another big question pastors ask me is, “When should I add a second worship service?” Many churches decide to add an additional service because they are out of space. When your church is eighty percent filled during worship, an additional service will likely help you reach more people for Christ, and you should do it. I recommend you have a growth strategy before that critical eighty percent ratio is reached. Some consultants believe you should have about fifty people before adding a second service that will work. I have seen a church with less than twenty people start a second service and now they have well over one hundred people in worship. The decision was made first to reach more people for Jesus. They prayed for God to work through them and added the early service in advance as an act of faith. Now they are praying about adding a third service. That is what I call taking Isaiah 54 seriously, and applying it to the church today. Don't let your numbers be the final answer for action.
Some consultants think the traditional church is too ineffective to revive. The statistics they use as proof do not say, "quit" to me, they just reveal we need a renewal of God in our hearts. It is our hearts that need change more than our traditions. That is the passion behind The Church Experience Project you will find on this website. During our consultation process we use a tool we call "Thoughts & Perceptions" surveys. These surveys include questions that refer to adding an additional service. This gives us a good idea what type of receptivity there would be to the concept while we are discovering your growth mix. We ask these questions because you may want to use an additional service as part of a new growth strategy even if you are not out of space. There are many variables in your growth mix that contribute to the growth of your church and adding a service is only one idea.
Matthew 28:19-
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus said "go" and not that we should just expect them to "come" to us. He also
said we are to teach them, not simply make them feel comfortable with how they live
just now. Think outside the box without forgetting what's inside the box. It's all
about making disciples, not just growing in attendance or even gaining converts.
As a Mormon, I persuaded plenty of un-
If adding a second worship service is expected to increase attendance by fifteen percent in the average church, does it make sense that the devil will want to fight such a significant decision? Each church will have a different set of objections that will present themselves to confront any change. Some of the most common objections to adding an additional worship service are:
Most churches do not have enough people that feel this way to stop the excitement of reaching new people. I have found the biggest barrier to adding an additional service is the pastor and staff having a willingness to commit to the additional time required. This is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Adding a second worship service can be advantageous for many reasons:
This goes back to the heart of your people. Our iConsultation will help you discover and deal with emotional and spiritual barriers effectively. Church Growth Associates can help you grow your church with a clarified vision and hope for the future.
To see how Church Growth Associates can help your church, click or call and tell us your story.
813.920.0586
ADDING A SECOND WORSHIP SERVICE
Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; lengthen your cords and strengthen your pegs. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.
Isaiah 54:2-
WHERE THE COMPLEXITY OF CHURCH GROWTH INTERSECTS WITH THE SIMPLICITY OF THE GOSPEL
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…upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
— Matthew 16:18