Questions: |
| 1) |
Why are we going to back-to-back services and eliminating the middle hour?
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| 2) |
Will this new format prevent my family from worshipping together?
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| 3) |
Will the two services be the same?
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| 4) |
What is available for my children?
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| 5) |
What if I want to attend the 10:30 worship service but want my child to attend Sunday School? |
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| 6) |
Shouldn’t we encourage parents to have their children attend both a worship service and Sunday School?
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| 7) |
What opportunities are available for my junior and senior highers?
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| 8) |
What if I want my high schooler to attend the 10:30 service with me?
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| 9) |
How will Adult Education work in the new format?
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| 10) |
What if I want to take an Adult education class that meets during the worship service I attend or during the time that I am working in the nursery or teaching Sunday School?
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| 11) |
Where can I find fellowship opportunities on Sunday mornings?
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| 12) |
Will this back-to-back service format create congestion in the parking lot?
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| 13) |
To which worship service should I invite my friends?
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| 14) |
How long will the worship services be? |
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| 15) |
Will we make adjustments if this format does not work as well as anticipated? |
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Answers:
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| 1) |
Why are we going to back-to-back services and eliminating the middle hour?
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We can offer a more effective ministry on Sunday mornings by scheduling everything in two time blocks rather than three. For example, our nursery and children’s ministries can do a better job when they are able to concentrate on planning and staffing for two time blocks instead of three. Also, 9:00 and 10:30 a.m. are more optimum times for newcomers than 8:30 and 11:00 a.m. We encourage you to “worship one, serve one.” That is, please come early or stay later to serve as a children’s ministry volunteer, a greeter, a prayer warrior, a Sunday School teacher, a parking lot attendant, or a volunteer in a variety of other ministries.
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Return to Question 1 / top
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| 2) |
Will this new format prevent my family from worshipping together?
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With a little bit of planning, you should be able to worship together. For example, if you attend the 9:00 service together, there will be something available for each family member at 10:30, whether a class to attend or a service opportunity. This works the other way, too. If you attend the 10:30 service, there will be a class or a service opportunity available for each family member.
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Return to Question 2 / top
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| 3) |
Will the two services be the same?
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Yes. The services will be identical in style and content. Our musicians can be at their best when they can concentrate on the same set of songs for both services rather than doing something different in each one. Also, with the services being the same, it will be easier for you to switch services occasionally if you need to serve or to attend an Adult education class during the service you usually attend.
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Return to Question 3 / top
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| 4) |
What is available for my children?
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If you have children, you will receive detailed information from our children’s ministry about the Sunday morning schedule. For infants and toddlers, there are nurseries that provide child care during both services. For pre-school and grade-school children (age two through grade 5), we offer Children’s Church during the 9:00 service. Your child can either attend Children’s Church for the entire worship service, or he/she can attend the worship service with you and be dismissed during the sermon for Children’s Church. Then, during the 10:30 service, we offer Sunday School classes for your children.
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Return to Question 4 / top
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| 5) |
What if I want to attend the 10:30 worship service but want my child to attend Sunday School? |
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You will have to make a choice! If you want your children to participate both in a worship service and Sunday School, you will have to attend the 9:00 worship service. Another alternative is for you to attend the 10:30 worship service while your children attend Sunday School.
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Return to Question 5 / top
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| 6) |
Shouldn’t we encourage parents to have their children attend both a worship service and Sunday School?
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This is a decision each family must make. As your children grow older, it’s great for your entire family to sit together and worship together. Sometimes, though, it may make more sense to allow your younger children to attend a Sunday School class while parents attend a worship service. An age-specific Sunday School class may do a more effective job of meeting your child’s need to worship God and learn the Scriptures than a worship service. Also, you may do a better job of teaching your children the Scriptures at home if you can concentrate on the songs and the sermon instead of on keeping your child in line! Again, the decision is yours. We want you to have the freedom to make the choice that will work best for your family. What makes the most sense for your family may not work the best for another family.
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Return to Question 6 / top
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| 7) |
What opportunities are available for my junior and senior highers?
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Both our junior high students and senior high students will meet in small groups during the 10:30 worship service. The junior high small groups will focus on what the Bible teaches about practical life issues. The senior high small groups will be based on the sermon.
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Return to Question 7 / top
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| 8) |
What if I want my high schooler to attend the 10:30 service with me?
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If this is best for your family, we will certainly respect your decision. Your junior or senior high student may want to serve as a volunteer during the 9:00 service in our children’s ministry, parking lot ministry, etc. Teens who attend the 10:30 service and miss the small group time can still find good teaching and fellowship with their friends at our midweek programs: Gateway (for high school students) on Tuesday nights and SaltCo (for junior high students) on Thursday nights. Here is another approach. As your teen transitions into adulthood, you might allow him/her to attend the 9:00 worship service even if you need to attend the 10:30 service. You can both be in the same ‘place’ on Sunday morning even though you may not be in the exact same ‘space.’
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Return to Question 8 / top
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| 9) |
How will Adult Education work in the new format?
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Our Adult Ministry Pastor, Rick Chalupnik, has recently designed a Mission Training Institute (MTI) to equip you to live out our church’s mission. The Adult education classes which are part of MTI will be offered on Wednesday evenings and on Sundays during both worship services. Typically, there will be a couple of Adult classes offered during each worship service.
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Return to Question 9 / top
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| 10) |
What if I want to take an Adult education class that meets during the worship service I attend or during the time that I am working in the nursery or teaching Sunday School?
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Many classes that are offered at one time will be offered again at another time. For example, if a class you want to take is scheduled to meet for two months in the fall during the 9:00 service, it may be offered again the next spring on a Wednesday night or during the 10:30 Sunday service.
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Return to Question 10 / top
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| 11) |
Where can I find fellowship opportunities on Sunday mornings?
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There are several options. Friendships can develop with others who attend the same Adult education class you choose to attend. Also, serving together in a parking lot team or in the nursery or in any other ministry provides a fantastic setting for building relationships. There will still be some time between services for coffee and donuts in our entry area. Of course, fellowship is much more than coffee and donuts. But sometimes, that is where it begins. Finally, your LIFE group may decide to meet during one of the services. You can send your children to Sunday School and then head to an empty classroom or to a local coffee shop! Remember, though, that we need a significant number of people to “worship one, serve one.”
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Return to Question 11 / top
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| 12) |
Will this back-to-back service format create congestion in the parking lot?
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Possibly. Since we are encouraging you to “worship one, serve one,” the parking lot may stay crowded the entire morning. We’ll watch this closely, though, and try to solve whatever problems the new format creates.
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Return to Question 12 / top
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| 13) |
To which worship service should I invite my friends?
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Either. Both services will be the same in content and style. We will work hard in both to communicate in a way that makes sense to non-believers and non-churched people. This means explaining what we do, giving page numbers in the blue-covered Bibles, and addressing their questions or concerns. The 10:30 service might be the best one for newcomers who have children since our children’s Sunday School classes meet then. A children’s Sunday School class will probably be a better entry point for a non-churched child than a worship service.
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Return to Question 13 / top
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| 14) |
How long will the worship services be? |
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Officially, the first service runs from 9:00-10:15, and the second service runs from 10:30-11:45. We will aim, though, for 70 minute services. By ending the first service at 10:10, there will be a 20-minute transition time between the two services.
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Return to Question 14 / top
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| 15) |
Will we make adjustments if this format does not work as well as anticipated? |
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Of course. We want to do whatever it takes to accomplish our mission! That’s the bottom line! We expect that some tweaking and adjusting will be necessary as we move ahead.
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Return to Question 15 / top
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