The cost of omitting the rituals in the evening

Last Sunday I went to my first morning service at the church I usually attend in the evening. And it was… fine.

Nothing unexpected.

In fact, it was a far more generic morning service than I was anticipating.

But, the more traditional structure of the service - and rituals sprinkled throughout the service - did get me thinking.

Sure, many of these rituals are put aside because they are seen not to connect “with the youth.” But, does the church lose something when they keep their rituals away from the evening service, and thus, also the younger generation of believers?

What kind of rituals am I talking about? Fundamental liturgy. The Lord’s Prayer. A time of confession and declaration of forgiveness. Passing the peace. A time of preparation for the sermon or bible reading. A structured blessing and dismissal.

But, if the rituals omitted from the evening are not replaced by anything, do those in the evening then miss the important functions of these rituals?

Furthermore, does this make the integration of the youngsters into the wider congregation more difficult because the service functions in a manner that excludes them from their rituals?

Now, this doesn’t mean that the evening must be an carbon copy of the morning. That would be a mistake. But, surely, some of the rituals - if they are actually important and impactful - then they should still be included once the sun goes down.