As we quickly approach the end of the year, with the crunch of Christmas now in full swing, churches and ministers will be looking ahead to the weeks after the festive season.
To be completely clear, ministers - like everyone else - deserve time off. Holidays, if you’re going to survive in ministry, are an absolute must.
But, for some churches, this absence of staff will result in the cancelation of church services, particularly in the evening.
On some years, when Christmas and New Years are particularly close to the end of the week, then some adjustment may be more understandable. But, what about this year when the last Sunday of the year is the 29th and the first Sunday the 5th of January?
I wonder if churches are aware of the messages they may be sending if they outright cancel Sunday services.
To start, closing the doors must be advertised to avert people turning up when the service has been cancelled. Is this what you want to be displayed on your church sign?
Furthermore, with Summer being a time when many people will be travelling and visiting different churches, is a closed door the message you want to send?
At a more concerning level, what does your closed door say to those who may be wanting to investigate Jesus, potentially inspired by Christmas? Is a closed door the evangelistic message you want to send?
The reason which bugs me the most is the message a cancelled service sends to the congregation.
You can’t do it.
We don’t trust you.
Either, those in change don’t think the members of their congregation are capable of running a church service in their absence or they don’t trust that whatever they’re congregation does will be a “good enough” job.
No matter, both are an indictment on those in ministry.
Sure, if your congregation is unusually small, immature in their faith or young, then some caveats can be made.
But, for a congregation in excess of a few dozen members, including mature faith professing adults, then the excuses to cancel are pretty thin.
Do they not also have the Holy Spirit?
Are they not also empowered with Spiritual Gifts?
Does the minister not believe in the priesthood of all believers?
Unfortunately, the question at the forefront of the minister’s mind is this...
Who will do the sermon?
Frankly, this is a small minded question.
First of all, the church service should never be all about and completely dependent upon the minister or other one person.
Second, this question is deeply uncreative. I can think of more than half a dozen options for a church service which don’t revolve around a sermon.
Focus your service around song.
Have a time of expected prayer instead of a sermon.
Do something involving the arts in response to a bible reading.
With the Sunday’s wrapping up the end of the year, do a reflective exercise looking at where God has been at work or looking forward to what you want God to do in the year ahead.
Do a group bible study.
Do a lecto divina reading of a small book of the bible.
If there absolutely must, for some reason, be a sermon then train people up to give one.
Invite someone else you come.
Watch a DVD or YouTube clip.
Whatever is decided, could a minister not plan something while they are gone? In theory, they should be absent for at least four Sundays per year while on holidays. Do they always just shut down the service because the minister is in another suburb?
Finally, these messages are amplified if only the evening service is scrapped.
What does this say to them as a congregation?
That they are less capable?
That they matter less?
That the morning is the only service worthy of having something planned for them?
I realise that I’m going pretty hard on something which many churches won’t give a lot of thought to, but, when a church considers cancelling a Sunday morning church, a lot more concern is given to the “message sent.”
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