Church Growth Featured

Three to Thrive No Longer

I’m often asked if our church still has a Sunday evening service and a Wednesday evening service.

I grew up in a Christian tradition that scheduled Sunday morning services, Sunday evening services, and Wednesday evening prayer meetings.  This custom was established by visionary men in the 19thCentury who desired to give their congregants more opportunity to study the Scripture, pray together, and minister to one another.  By the mid-20thcentury a clever catchphrase had been added to this schedule of services.  THREE-TO-THRIVE.  

Essentially this meant that Christians who were able to congregate in Christian fellowship under the study of the Word of God more often than once per week would be more likely to thrive in their spiritual walk.  

As society has changed, all around the world, we believe that the church must not lessen our availability to those in need.  Instead of canceling weekly services, we’ve started to add as many as possible.  

We are Three-To-Thrive no longer!

We are now Like-Heaven Going-For-Seven!

That’s right!  We desire a weekly church schedule that offers Bible study, prayer, fellowship, worship, and ministry opportunities 7 DAYS A WEEK!

Currently our schedule is…

Sunday

8:30a – Sunday Morning Worship Service

10:00a – Sunday Morning Worship Service

10:00a – Discipleship Classes (Connect, Grow, Serve, Share)

11:30a – Sunday Morning Worship Service

2:00p – Korean Worship Service

4:00p – Spanish Worship Service (Launch Date January 2021)

5:00p – Adult Bible Studies (Launch Date January 2020)

6:00p – Ascent Youth Service (Ages 12-18)

6:00p – Adult Bible Studies

Monday

Multi – Small Groups throughout the Day & City[1]

6:30p – THE HILLSIDE Service (Ages 18-29) (Last Monday every Month)

Tuesday

Multi – Small Groups throughout the Day & City

6:30p – AWANA & Many Small Groups on Campus

Wednesday

Multi – Small Groups throughout the Day & City

6:30p – AWANA & Many Small Groups on Campus

Thursday

Multi – Small Groups throughout the Day & City

6:30p – Music Practice for Band & Praise Team

Friday

Multi – Small Groups throughout the Day & City

6:30p – Special Events for Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, & Family Ministry

Saturday

Multi – Small Groups throughout the Day & City

Noon – Memorial Services, Weddings, & Special Celebrations

Though we have not arrived at our ultimate goal, we are excited to be well on our way to utilizing the current church facility 7-days-a-week, 14-15 hours per day!  As the return of Jesus draws ever closer, we desire to see even more people come to know Christ as Savior and choose the path of discipleship than ever before.  We must remember what the Scripture says… 

Hebrews 10:24-25And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

I’m so thankful for the generations who have gone before us, who lit the pathway through innovative ideas like three-to-thrive.  We now take up their cause and carry the torch into future generations with even more ministerial and evangelistic offerings than ever before!  Though a few of the traditional services have had to restructure, and other Bible teachers have had to be utilize beyond me (the senior pastor), we’ve noticed exponential spiritual growth due to these minor changes.

What innovative ideas has your church implemented recently that has helped you bring more souls into the kingdom of God?

Comment Below:


[1]We’ve seen that Small Groups are so much more conducive for genuine and authentic prayer meetings than what we previously attempted in large corporate settings.  These prayer meetings have helped our church grow spiritually like few other things could have.

You Might Also Like

4 Comments

  • Reply
    Mark Joy
    September 24, 2019 at 2:17 am

    I agree that nothing has been more impactful than small groups. We are a young church, but we have 3 small groups running at different days & times throughout the week, the impact these have had in developing a community of love, care and prayer for each other is second to none. It also provides a platform for discussion and practical application of the teaching received on Sunday mornings. Our church would not be where it is today without small groups. I appreciate the coaching I received at Idea Day Summit that helped me see the importance of this integral part of the church. As we continue to grow, I hope to see small groups available every day of the week in several locations.

  • Reply
    Steve Watson
    September 24, 2019 at 3:26 pm

    I love the facility utilization and stewardship. The problem with the old standard is that it often results in churches owning the least utilized square footage in their geographic area. We have to find ways to use our space more productively to reach our communities. Good job in doing just that.

  • Reply
    Stephen Houk
    September 24, 2019 at 6:26 pm

    Great article! Totally agree!

  • Reply
    Christine Basil Marek
    September 24, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    Josh, Heather and family, I’m SO impressed with the addition of services at the church! I lol and almost cried with encouragement and motivation. I fully support your ministry and wish you all the best !

Leave a Reply to Mark Joy Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.