Today after church was our annual church business meeting. We tried it at a different time (old time: Thursday nights) and I think we had a little better turnout ... nothing dramatically better ... but at least we got it done without having to come out an extra night, so that was cool.
We have a great atmosphere among our people and that feels really good. We launched a survey this morning about a proposed new service in our 750-seat H20 Youth Auditorium that would run concurrently with our present second service. It would feature hot, live music from a worship team/band, be shorter than our main service, have a live pastoral host in the room, and use the teacher from the main auditorium via DVD for the weekly message (recording of first service talk).
We are getting so full in our second main service that it's time to make a move. Plus, we want to reach new people in our community who might find a shorter, more casual, video-style service appealing.
In addition to that, we're proposing new starting times for our main auditorium weekend services -- 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. We've hit a wall at the 8:30 a.m. time - and we understand that services that start with an '8' are tough to gather a crowd for. We've done OK with that, but we're at a ceiling now. So we're asking EVERYONE to be involved in these changes by making a new choice. We'll see what happens but I'm excited about the future.
If you're part of our church, you can take the survey at http://www.kfaog.org/.
And be blessed.
3 comments:
Did the survey.
We were home with a bug - so I was happy to do this online. Thanks for the option.
;-)
I'm writing in response to the following statement on your blog.
"We are getting so full in our second main service that it's time to make a move. Plus, we want to reach new people in our community who might find a shorter, more casual, video-style service appealing."
If people are led of God (for God is sovereign over every soul that comes into a church), and anything comes out of it (a conversion from a non-Christian to a born again believer), it will be because God did a supernatural work in His heart, and trust me, the "shorter services and casual environment" will have had nothing to do with it. God, I believe, will not honor your decision to do this. True Christians will draw people to church by the power of the Holy Spirit, because God is in it. To lessen church and accomadate for the world is not seeking the power of God to move on your church, but that "your" church, times, casual services, & such will be the drawing. If being casual, and the fact that they get to sleep in is what draws them to church, then GODS NOT IN IT. Yes, God works in ALL situations, and could/will He still work through the church, He just may, but I believe more so...DESPITE your decisions. Realize just who your God is. He created those sinners you wish to draw. And if He chooses to save them, HE Will. "For there is none who seek God." "For we did not choose God, but rather He chose us." But be careful to change for the world. Preach the gospel. Pray. Get rid of the worldliness in your church. The sensuality on your stage. Preach Christ crucified. Then see what God does. It will be more than changes times and new fancy services will do, I assure you.
DEAR ANONYMOUS:
Thanks so much for weighing in on the blog post. I appreciate it so much. I wanted to publish your post because I didn't want to be committed only to views that support my own.
Having said that, I respectfully disagree with you. There are all kinds of people in our world. Believers take all sizes, shapes and forms and have all kinds of preferences. The fact that one may wish to worship in a certain kind of setting does not make them less valuable or less worshipful-in-their-spirits or less Christian or less 'deep' than those who prefer a more longstanding form of worship that we have all been used to for decades.
We still believe God does the supernatural work thru the power of the Holy Spirit, so I'm totally with you there. It isn't US, it's God. All the time. More people are coming to Christ in our services every single weekend than have ever come to Christ in the 13 years I have been part of the church. That's happening thru the preaching of the Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit combined. Isn't that Awesome!!??
But that doesn't mean it has to be done in a 90-minute service or a 2-hour service or any other time element. In fact, the new service we're proposing in the H2O hall is going to be MORE focused on Word and Worship -- cutting out some of the peripheral things that sometimes take the time in the main auditorium services. It isn't church 'lite' at all!! So we're real excited -- and hope you will pray for God to bless the efforts He's leading us toward. Thanks again for responding.
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