Adding a New Worship Service

(Charles Arn, "Multiple Worship Service and Church Growth," Journal of the American Society of Church Growth, 1996)

When to add a new service?

• About half of all churches are good candidates for adding an alternative-style worship service.

• Eight out of ten churches adding a new service will experience a measurable increase in total worship attendance, total giving, and number of Christian conversions.

• Don't try adding a service if the church's...

1. top priority is "community," correct theology, or survival;
2. primary pastor is planning to leave in the next year or so;
3. only service is averaging fewer than 40 people each week;
4. only service's attendance has been plateaued at 60-80% of the seating capacity (unless you accept the fact that the new service may draw off some of the original service's strength).

• It's a good time to consider adding a new service when...

1. the worship space is less than 40% full;
2. the worship space is 80-100% full (start a new service with the same style as the original's).

Potential for frustration and resistance?

• A blended approach often ends up frustrating everyone and undermining the financial stability of the congregation in the process.

• A pastor will typically encounter the least resistance when initiating the new service in either his/her first two years ("honeymoon" period) or after his/her sixth year.

• A pastor will encounter the most criticism for a new service, whether or not it's succeeding, in

1. the period between the first public airing of the idea and the formal vote;
2. the first three months of the new service; and
3. the 8- to 12-month period after attendance at the new service exceeds attendance at previously existing services.

For whom is the service designed?

• Possible new-service targets:

1. Generations...Senior (Builder) or Baby Boomer or GenX (Baby Buster)
2. Faith...Believer-focused or Seeker-Focused
3. Culture...Same or Multi-cultural or cross-cultural

• Most churches' services (96%) are designed for persons on the far left side of the above (targeting those in the senior generation of the same culture who are believers).

• A church is most likely to succeed in starting a new service if its target is no more than one of the options away on just one of the above variables from where it already is.

How many people will you need?

• It is perfectly normal for a new service's attendance to decline 20-50% in its first few months.

• Make sure at least 50 people or 35% of the largest present service (whichever is greater) attend during the first six months. (Churches starting out with fewer than 50 usually don't survive the first year.)

• At least 35% of those in attendance should be unchurched. (Churches designing their new service to reach a new target group and that adequately promote the service generally will reach 65% or more who are either unchurched or inactive.)

• The meeting room should be filled to at least 50% capacity.