Making The Case for Rethinking Sacred Time and Space
As American church culture has changed and churches abandoned their Sunday night service, I feel that we have lost a more intimate opportunity to gather as a faith community. Sunday morning worship has become just one option among many for people’s final weekend morning. The rush of life the other six days causes some to need a slow morning to reset. Families with children see community activities taking their attention. And others would rather meet friends over brunch for those informal social connections we all crave.
Sunday Morning Is Newer Than You Think
When we look back farther in time, we see that churches in the 19th and early 20th century gathered differently. The Methodist church grew exponentially in the early 19th century with circuit preachers and congregations who may have met only when a minister was available — which was not always Sunday morning. It was not until the post-WWII era that solidified Sunday morning as the time for the primary gathering of the church. The Blue Laws limiting business on Sundays further supported this until the 1960s when those laws slowly began to be repealed.
The COVID pandemic proved churches can adapt quickly. In 2019 only 19% of congregations offered online worship; by 2022 that number was 85%. What if we applied that same adaptability to when we offer our primary congregational gatherings?
Churches Proving It Works
In 2013, Rev. Dr. Katie Hays established Galileo Church in Fort Worth, Texas, specifically designed to reach “spiritual refugees.” Recognizing that many in the service and gig economy work Sunday mornings or have unpredictable schedules, they chose 5 PM Sunday evenings as their weekly worship time and offer at least nine weekly gathering opportunities. In a blog post, Hays noted that over 40% of part-time workers know their schedule only one week in advance, making traditional Sunday morning commitments nearly impossible.
Bloom Church in Denver first gathered in 2007 in homes and became a congregation that meets in various home groups and gathers as one community for worship on Sunday nights in downtown Denver.
Ideas for Established Congregations
Sunday Sanctuary — Sunday Evenings in Winter. Not a duplicate of Sunday mornings, but a more contemplative and simple service with weekly communion, reflection, and music. The Sunday scaries are real for many working-class people, and a small moment of retreat before the start of the week could be the spiritual and social nourishment they need — particularly for shift workers in retail, hospitality, and healthcare who often work Sunday mornings but have Sunday evenings free.
Summer Flexibility. When families opt for a day at the beach or at home instead of the routine of church, consider alternative outdoor gatherings — worship in a local park or hiking trail, vesper services in the cool of the evening if your campus has outdoor space. What if instead of limping through June, July, and August with half-empty sanctuaries, a congregation intentionally shifted to one significant monthly gathering paired with alternative connections the other weeks?
Midweek Daytime Gathering. A Wednesday or Thursday midday service offers practical access for those who prefer not to drive after dark, community connection through pairing worship with a fellowship meal, and intergenerational opportunity. When churches only add opportunities to accommodate 9–5 workers, we inadvertently make church harder for those who’ve spent decades showing up faithfully to Sunday morning.
The question at the root of these considerations is: Are we building the church for the people, or requiring people to conform to the institution? That is a deeply theological question every congregation should ask regularly.
The same Spirit that empowered the historic American church to gather in homes, brush arbors, and civic halls — whenever and wherever they could — is still at work today, inviting us to meet people where they are, when they can come.
Is your congregation facing a similar decision?
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