As in two services, as quickly as possible. Just not too quickly. Move too quick and you may end up with two mediocre services. You want to avoid that. So, you wait until you’re filling up seventy to eighty percent of the chairs in your auditorium before you make the move.
Not only do you need to pay attention to the number of chairs you’re filling up each week, you also need to get buy in from your key leaders and volunteers.
This was something we failed to do early on in our church. We were packing out our Sunday morning service and we, as in the pastor and a few others, knew we had to add a service. There was only one problem, not everyone wanted to go to two services and that included key members of the worship team.
We added a Saturday night service anyway and added a new worship leader for that service. It certainly wasn’t ideal, and the Saturday service suffered because of it. But it did free up seats on Sunday morning, which was the main goal.
When we were able to move from renting a facility to building one, once again the subject of multiple services was brought up. Some people thought that a new facility and more seats would mean we would go back to one service, however that was never the plan.
Multiple services create multiple benefits that are too good to ignore. For example:
- More Times = More Options
The more service times you offer, the more likely people are to show up. When you’re moving to two services, I would suggest you offer an early Sunday morning service for those who like waking up early, and a service following that one for those who like to sleep in a little later. Saturday and Sunday nights can work as well, but I’ve found that services are better when offered in pairs, specifically for the next benefit.
- More Times = More Opportunities
Multiple services give people multiple opportunities to serve without having to miss a service. Multiple services eliminate one of the most common reasons people give for not wanting to serve in kids’ ministry. With two services, they can serve in one and sit in the other. It essentially doubles the number of volunteer opportunities at your church, which is a very good thing.
- More Times = Less About Me
Perhaps the biggest pushback you’ll get when trying to move to two services is this idea that everyone needs to be in the same service. Moving to two services will cause people to not know everyone who attend the church. This is a good thing because it shows your congregation that it’s not about them; it’s about reaching those who don’t know Christ.
Here’s something else about adding a service: it costs you little to nothing, and yet it can double your effectiveness. Some churches would be wise to shrink their sanctuary down, just so they could add another service.
So, what are you waiting for? This fall would be a great time to add a service. Let me know if I can help.
How many services are you currently offering? What is holding you back from adding another service time? Let me know in the comments below, and let me know if I can help you get started.
