Why two services on Sunday?

[shackleton]

What is the purpose of two services on Sunday? Is this something that is strictly American tradition? Or is there some biblical reasoning for it?

 

[Herald]

1689 LBC 22.8:

The sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering their common affairs aforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all day, from their own works, words and thoughts, about their worldly employment and recreations, but are also taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

If the sabbath belongs to the Lord, then we should avail ourselves to the gathering of the saints. I don't know why some churches have evening services and another don't. We don't have evening services and I freely admit that I miss gathering for evening worship. It's something that I greatly enjoy.

 

[Dearly Bought]

Read chapter 8, "Whatever Happened to the Second Service?," from R. Scott Clark's Recovering the Reformed Confession. Trust me, you want this book.

Also, I might suggest listening to audio of Dr. Clark speaking on this topic if you can't wait to get the book.

Finally, try these two blog posts: Why a Second Service?, More on the Second Service.

I'm sure many others have addressed this subject matter. I've just particularly noticed Dr. Clark's passion for this subject.

 

[Webservant]

We have two morning services. I am not sure why; the auditorium could handle everyone.

 

[dannyhyde]

Here are some online thoughts from various men on two services: http://www.oceansideurc.org/ - Pilgrims & Parish (Danny Hyde)

In a nutshell, it is a biblical pattern that was followed in the ancient church through the Reformation and that continues today.

As another has said, read/listen to Scott Clark's stuff on this.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

http://www.puritanboard.com/f47/sunday-night-service-15688/
http://www.puritanboard.com/f47/change-lords-day-14034/

 

[ReformedWretch]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

 

[JonathanHunt]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

I'd join you!

 

[ReformedWretch]

Sweet! I do wish the people of God would fellowship and worship in an all day kind of way. It would take some serious effort and planning but I'm convinced it could be done.

 

[VictorBravo]

So how many have three services? I thought that was sort of normal. We only recently went from three to two.

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

I'd join you!

We spend the majority of the Lord's Day at church. Our services start at 10:00 for Sunday School; Worship at 11:00 - 12:45 or 1:00; Fellowship Meal from 1:00 to 2:15; afternoon Worship at 2:30, which usually lasts until about 4:00. We then normally spend an hour or more in fellowship before everyone heads home. All in all, a very nice day. We do this every Lord's Day.

 

[ReformedWretch]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

I'd join you!

We spend the majority of the Lord's Day at church. Our services start at 10:00 for Sunday School; Worship at 11:00 - 12:45 or 1:00; Fellowship Meal from 1:00 to 2:15; afternoon Worship at 2:30, which usually lasts until about 4:00. We then normally spend an hour or more in fellowship before everyone heads home. All in all, a very nice day. We do this every Lord's Day.

That's pretty cool! Does everyone stay the whole time? What about those with very small children?

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

I'd join you!

We spend the majority of the Lord's Day at church. Our services start at 10:00 for Sunday School; Worship at 11:00 - 12:45 or 1:00; Fellowship Meal from 1:00 to 2:15; afternoon Worship at 2:30, which usually lasts until about 4:00. We then normally spend an hour or more in fellowship before everyone heads home. All in all, a very nice day. We do this every Lord's Day.

That's pretty cool! Does everyone stay the whole time? What about those with very small children?

We are a small congregation, 10 families, and 7 of those families stay regularly. There are a couple of mattresses in the cry room for the two youngest to nap on, when needed. The remainder of the small children find plenty to keep themselves busy either playing outside or in the "war room" during fellowship times. They are in the services, except during needed trips to the cry room, during worship and Sunday School. The older kids help keep an eye on the younger ones. A lovely time is had by all!

 

[tellville]

We have four services on Sunday, plus 2 youth services and 2 college services. We also meet every day of the week, Monday to Friday in the early morning. On Wednesday night we have an evening service and on Friday night is the Lord's Supper service.

I don't know if that's the most biblical model, but it is the model that allows the most attendance during the week. Our current building is much too small to contain everyone. So for us, it is purely an attendance issue.

 

[E Nomine]

In my home church it's logistical, as there are more parishioners than there is physical space. There is one worship service on Saturday evening, then four on Sunday.

 

[toddpedlar]

It seems some are confused about the original question. If I'm not mistaken, the original post was concerned with why churches have morning and evening worship services, both of which most of the church attends. This is an old practice - certainly no American innovation - that has its roots in the Biblical model of morning and evening prayers of the faithful.

Many of you seem to be answering the question "how many services does your church have", where what you're really referring to in your answer is a number of separate, mostly identical services that are necessary for some logistical reason or another, so that the whole membership is able to attend. Perhaps this is because the church sanctuary only holds 250 people, but there are 600 who attend on a given Sunday.

Two separate questions, and I'm pretty certain Erick was asking about the former, and not the latter, issue.

 

[raekwon]

Hey, our only Sunday worship service is in the PM.

 

[Galatians220]

Hey, our only Sunday worship service is in the PM.

Ours, too. We have a little family Bible and worship in the AM if nothing else is a possibility...

Margaret

 

[shackleton]

That's alright. Someone told me it was like putting a beginning and and end to the day. They also said that anytime there was a "call to worship" the believers should be there, barring some good reason not to.

I know when I went to a legalistic Pentecostal church it was an obligation to be at church every time the doors were open or else God was angry. I was assuming this was not the reason in the reformed churches and was just wondering was the reasoning was.

 

[Pilgrim]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

I'd join you!

We spend the majority of the Lord's Day at church. Our services start at 10:00 for Sunday School; Worship at 11:00 - 12:45 or 1:00; Fellowship Meal from 1:00 to 2:15; afternoon Worship at 2:30, which usually lasts until about 4:00. We then normally spend an hour or more in fellowship before everyone heads home. All in all, a very nice day. We do this every Lord's Day.

I have known of churches that have done this, in some cases because a number of the members travel long distances to worship.

 

[Kim G]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

At our church we have a morning service at 10, a potluck meal together (every week), another service at 1, and then people just stay and talk for half of the afternoon. It's easy to spend most of the day at church! I love it.

 

[Romans922]

This assumes you have a worship service in the AM:

Preserve Evening Worship Services! « Tchula Presbyterian Church.

 

[JBaldwin]

Historically, churches (at least in the Western world) have been meeting all day or twice a day for centuries. The Church of England has "evensong" and the RCC meets Saturday evening and Sunday morning. If I understand it correctly, the Saturday evening service in the RCC goes back to the idea that a day is sunset to sunset.

The protestant churches I attended in Europe in the 1980s met twice a day, though I don't think many do these days.

 

[jawyman]

I would suggest reading Psalms 92 - 97 for a biblical reason to worship the Living God day and night. Here is a good answer as to why we worship twice on the Sabbath.

How Great Are Your Works
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

92:2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,

92:3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.

92:4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

Psalm 92:1-4 ESV

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Thomas Doolittle also argues for sanctifying the whole Lord's Day on the basis of Psalm 92. The Young Man's Instructor, and the Old Man's Rembrancer, p. 292:

Do you not gather from Pfal. 92. which bears the title of a Pfalm or Fong for the Sabbath-day, that men fhould be employed early and late in religious duties on that day, when it is faid ver. 2 To shew forth thy loving kindnefs in the morning, and thy faithfulnefs (in the Hebr.) in the night? Yes.

 

[Calvibaptist]

I'd be all for spending the entire day in Church but I suppose I'd be there alone

I'd join you!

We spend the majority of the Lord's Day at church. Our services start at 10:00 for Sunday School; Worship at 11:00 - 12:45 or 1:00; Fellowship Meal from 1:00 to 2:15; afternoon Worship at 2:30, which usually lasts until about 4:00. We then normally spend an hour or more in fellowship before everyone heads home. All in all, a very nice day. We do this every Lord's Day.

We used to do this same thing. We stopped after about 1 year. It was interesting that we would have about 60 people (children included) on Sunday morning and only about 10 stayed for Sunday after the meal.

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

I'd join you!

We spend the majority of the Lord's Day at church. Our services start at 10:00 for Sunday School; Worship at 11:00 - 12:45 or 1:00; Fellowship Meal from 1:00 to 2:15; afternoon Worship at 2:30, which usually lasts until about 4:00. We then normally spend an hour or more in fellowship before everyone heads home. All in all, a very nice day. We do this every Lord's Day.

We used to do this same thing. We stopped after about 1 year. It was interesting that we would have about 60 people (children included) on Sunday morning and only about 10 stayed for Sunday after the meal.

We only have one family that sometimes leaves after the meal. Been doing it for going on 8 years now. It's a great way to spend the day, in my opinion.

BTW, nice picture in your avatar! Very adorable!

 

[Calvibaptist]

BTW, nice picture in your avatar! Very adorable!

Thanks. It is one of the best ways I could come up with to offset what the "evil" moderators have done to my name by making me seem like a Cowboys' fan.

 

[OPC'n]

2 services? Why?

If the whole day belongs to the Lord and we feel we can only accomplish giving it to Him by having worship services (this being the definition and the reason for the title "Why two services on Sunday?"), then the logical thing to do is have worship service all day long with short breaks in which people can eat or whatever.

I think this shows that either a) we don't have service for as long as we should Acts 20:7 or b) having two services is being legalistic because it doesn't fulfill the requirement of giving to the Lord the whole day as defined above.

 

[Southern Presbyterian]

BTW, nice picture in your avatar! Very adorable!

Thanks. It is one of the best ways I could come up with to offset what the "evil" moderators have done to my name by making me seem like a Cowboys' fan.