Gathering Sundays at 10AM

For most of us, church is a Sunday thing. Sunday is the day we gather to sing, pray, and listen. It’s been this way for as long as we’ve known it, or has it? The influence of church and Sunday led to many business and cultural habits for most of our country’s history, but times are changing. Is church just a Sunday thing?

A quick survey of church history reveals some important truths to us about the way we gather. Initially, the church met daily (Acts 2:46) to encourage one another. This was especially important in the early days because the church was seeking to understand the new realities of Jesus’ resurrection and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. As the identity of the church was established, daily gatherings became less common, especially as the church spread geographically and began to build “houses of worship.” As the years passed, Sunday became the prominent day in the week of the Christian. It was recognized as the day of celebration for the church because it was the day Jesus rose from the dead. As the Protestant Reformation shaped the newly developing region known as North America, Sunday became sacred.

The lives of the early pilgrims, pioneers, and settlers looked forward to Sundays as a day of rest from the regular work and as a day to connect. Farmers, hunters, and towns people would gather at the building in the center of town, the church building. As Manifest Destiny played out in the brave individuals moving west, the separation between families became greater and the need to connect for encouragement increased. Sunday became even more important.

As Sunday became a “free day” in the society, church leaders seized the opportunity to add additional gatherings and instruction periods to the day so that a congregant might spend a significant portion of his or her day with the church. The emergence of Sunday School and Evangelistic Services created a full schedule for Sundays, further establishing it as the day for church.

As townships and cities embraced Sundays, they sought to protect it as a free day by limiting businesses and behaviors through “Blue Laws.” Since the 1960’s there has been an increasing repeal of Blue Laws as well as an increasing number of activities occurring on Sundays. As businesses began opening up on Sundays, it provided opportunity for individuals to expand their income, squeeze in shopping, and slip into their favorite restaurant.

Today, we live in a different culture than that of the 1950s and 60s. Our Sundays are filled with games, parties, work, and sometimes church. More and more we find ourselves looking for an opportunity to rest, catchup or even just relax on Sundays.

How can church remain relevant when it no longer holds exclusive rights to a day? What can be done to help people connect for celebration, encouragement, and relationships? What should we do for the growing number of people who don’t have an option of going to church on Sundays because of other responsibilities? If greater than 80% of a town’s population is not participating in church on Sunday, should we just accept this and move on or is there something we can do?