I don’t wish to be dogmatic. Nor do I embrace traditionalism for its own sake. But, I do believe there are legitimate reasons for churches to offer Sunday evening services. Sunday is the primary day of worship for Christians – it is the Lord’s Day. Churches should offer multiple opportunites for believers to worship, pray, fellowship, and receive instruction in the Word.
First, let me be clear – this isn’t a rant against SMOs – Sunday morning only churches. If your church is offering multiple Sunday morning services, then I fully understand why you’re not offering an evening service – exhaustion. It’s hard work offering two or three Sunday AM services. So, take Sunday afternoon and chill.
Even so, there are good reasons for some churches to offer Sunday evening services. First, people need multiple opportunities for worship, fellowship, and discipleship. In the New Testament, it’s evident that Christians met in the morning, throughout the day, and evening. The early Christians favored worship services on early Sunday morning for two reasons: (1) Jesus was raised from the dead early on the first day of the week; and (2) most had to work through the day as Sunday was not a holiday. Furthermore, Paul taught the Word “from morning until evening,” suggesting many opportunities for worship (Acts 28: 23; cf. 20:7ff).
Several years ago, I was approached by leaders in our local church about canceling Sunday evening services. I hesitated, but agreed that we would do so on a temporary basis through the summer months. When I announced the decision, an elder approached me and said, “Pastor, if this is what you want to do, I support you. But, because of my job, that means that I won’t have an opportunity to be in church.” This elder was a prison guard who was regularly scheduled to work on Sunday morning and Wednesday evenings. I immediately rescinded our decision and we continued offering Sunday evening services.
One of the reasons many pastor’s favor canceling Sunday evening services is because they are exhausted. Many are bi-vocational. Others are emotionally exhausted because of the expectations of the churches they serve. Bi-vocational pastors need to guard their time and care for the needs of their families. Overworked pastors will burnout if they don’t practice self care. Pastors and churches need to be reminded that the primary responsibility of the pastor is prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). Therefore its imperative that deacons be properly trained to assist the pastor in the care of the people of God.
Several years ago, I was traveling through Bulgaria and noticed that many small stores and gas stations posted a sign that read “Non Stop.” I thought that meant don’t stop here, or closed. But my Bulgarian host pastor explained that it meant “never closed.” In other words, “Non Stop” meant “Open 24 hours.” If the local grocery store remains open to better serve the community, then churches might need to revision their schedules to make the bread of life available at opportune times.
