Sunday Night FAQ

As mentioned in the previous post, "Growing Pains", we are just weeks away from launching a brand new Sunday Night Service at Emergence. A number have questions have come our way about the new service, and we wanted to answer some of those things. If you have any other questions, please email us! Below is the FAQ, with contributions by Dave Gustavsen, Senior Pastor of Jacksonville Chapel as well as Bob Travis, Executive Pastor of the Chapel.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

In March of 2008 Emergence will be launching a short term solution to our continued growth.  The short term solution is to launch a Sunday evening (6:30 pm) service inside of the current All Purpose Building.  Below is a list of frequently asked questions people may have about the Sunday night service.

 

1. Why are we launching a Sunday night service?

 

Over the past year we have aggressively grown by more than 100 people again.  In January 08 we averaged close to 400 people in attendance per week at Emergence.  Currently our building at maximum capacity holds 200 per service.  In order to keep up with the rate of growth over the past two years Sunday night is imperative.

 

2. Why Sunday night and not Saturday? (Dave Gustavsen)

 

There are several reasons we believe Sunday night is the better option.  First of all, we want to be sensitive to the demands we’re making on our volunteers. Emergence volunteers already give so much of their time, and for many of them, Saturday evening represents much-needed time to be with family and friends. Serving on Sunday nights will be a better fit for our volunteers. In addition, there is at least one other church in our region which offers a progressive worship service on Sunday nights, and it has been highly effective.

 

3. Why not just expand the APB? (Bob Travis)

 

There are number of reasons that a 6:30 pm move is probably better than APB expansion.

  1. An evening Emergence service is less expensive and can be done much faster than an APB expansion.
  2. Expansion of the APB has several limitations that may not fit with overall chapel   long-term ministry plans.

 

4. Other than alleviating growth what are other potential benefits of Sunday night service? (Steve Hawthorne)

 

The Emergence Sunday PM launch is more than just a solution for overcrowding. This launch is in line with the mission of Emergence and the mission of the Church.  The mission is extended on Sunday night in many ways, below are two of the most exciting:

 

First, it provides a new opportunity to invite your friends. Many people would never set foot in a church on Sunday morning because they are not “religious”. Sunday night may be an entirely different story. Making the sacrifice of rising up early on Sunday may be too much of a stretch for some. Sunday evening gives the Saturday night owls a chance to sleep in, without limiting their options for checking out Emergence.

 

Second, it provides a resource for people from other churches. Other churches? Yes. If you know people who wouldn’t head to church on Sunday morning, chances are people from all around the area in different churches do, too. A Sunday night launch gives them an opportunity to invite their friends to Emergence as well, knowing that they wouldn’t come to their own church on a Sunday morning. Local pastors may join us as well, giving them a chance to worship and be fed without the responsibility of “working”.

 

5. Why 6:30pm and not another time?

 

We are hoping to give parents an opportunity to attend Emergence who drop students off at the student ministries.  Rather than drive home and turn around in 40 minutes some parents may chose to attend the Emergence worship service.