I recently shared an interview with Pastor John Elmer, The Vineyard Church, about some of the new approaches to church that have really been taking off. Churches are getting really creative with non-traditional service times to help people connect with Jesus and with each other.
Another church having great success with this approach is Cowboy Junction Church. This week I connected with Pastor Ty Bean to talk about how non-traditional service times have been working for them:
TONY: What prompted you to start a service on a day other than Sunday?
TY: Our original service was actually on a Monday night. We were trying to reach the American Cowboy, a very specific demographic. Cowboys are typically not able to attend weekend services because they are active in 4-h, FFA, rodeos and animal sales and shows. Once we defined this target market, we knew it would be illogical to schedule weekend services.
TONY: What was the biggest obstacle to overcome?
TY: We quickly realized that people respond very differently during a weekday than they do on a Sunday morning. They just got off work so they can tend to show up and just absorb. Once we addressed the issue, our people started becoming active participators.
TONY: Who attends these services? Is it a person who would not normally attend a Sunday service?
TY: Originally, it was people who would not normally attend a Sunday service or who did not have a home church. When we opened our Sunday service (we now have Sunday and Monday services), our Monday service actually got larger. On Mondays, we started seeing more than just cowboys. People who hunt, fish, race motorcycles and cars on the weekend started showing up.
TONY: What encouragement or caution would you share with other churches considering this move?
TY: You can’t expect your weekday crowd to be anything like your weekend crowd. They have their own personality, likes, dislikes, their own type of humor and ways to be reached. We are always looking for new ways to improve our weekday service.
I would also encourage others considering this change not to burn out their staff. Sunday is over but you are just beginning. Staff need to be encouraged to duplicate themselves. Our staff are not expected to attend all three services.
Church plants should consider starting on a weekday. If a new church is already in a community with a strong church presence, then starting on a Sunday could actually work against them.
It really is a golden opportunity. The weekday crowd is a fun group of people who are up for anything. They are not stuck in a church rut. In fact, they are a shot in the arm for our church and they make our mission to reach the community possible.
