Is Your Church Open on Christmas?
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, December 05, 2005
- Viewed 98
- (68) comments so far
Many large churches have decided to not have services on Christmas Sunday morning:
Willow Creek Community Church (South Barrington, IL)
Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX)
Southland Christian Church (Lexington, KY)
Mars Hills Bible Church (Grandville, MI)
North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA)
All of these churches have decided to hold multiple Christmas Eve services instead.
Of course... there's controversy; as stated in this article from Kentucky.com:
Megachurch officials around the country consulted with each other before deciding to take the day off.
The decision makes sense in today's hectic world, said Willow Creek spokeswoman Cally Parkinson. "It's more than being family-friendly. It's being lifestyle-friendly for people who are just very, very busy," she said.
Many evangelical churches don't hold Christmas day services, except when the holiday falls on a Sunday.
For some evangelicals, it's the day of the week -- not the day of the year -- that's sacred. To them, closing the doors of the church on the Lord's Day is unthinkable.
Others, troubled by the holiday's increasingly secular tone, lament the change.
While admiring the emphasis on family, Fuller Theological Seminary professor Robert K. Johnston worries that another Christian tradition is fading. Fuller, in Pasadena, Calif., is one of the nation's premier evangelical schools.
"What's going on here is a redefinition of Christmas as a time of family celebration rather than as a time of the community faithful celebrating the birth of the savior," said Johnston, a professor of theology and culture. "There is a risk that we will lose one more of our Christian rituals, one that's at the heart of our faith."
At Southland, the decision hasn't generated much controversy. "We've probably had maybe half a dozen (complaints), which is understandable," said church spokeswoman Cindy Willison. Southland members are encouraged to attend one of three Christmas Eve services instead. A Dec. 23 service has also been added.
Willison says attendance dropped significantly the last time Christmas fell on a Sunday, in 1994. Her church's decision was made "based on analysis of the number of people who attended in previous years and just a desire for us to emphasize family time on Christmas Day," she said.
"It's not anything unique to us," she said.
At least one other major Lexington congregation, Crossroads Christian Church, will close for Christmas.
Crossroads Pastor Glenn Schneiders says Dec. 25 is no longer considered sacred by many Americans -- especially those who are not regular churchgoers. "It's viewed more as a holiday than a holy day," he said.
The unchurched are more reachable on Dec. 24, said Schneiders, who leads a church with average weekend attendance of 1,900 people.
"Studies would say the best opportunity to invite people is Christmas Eve. It's, for whatever reason, the least threatening service of the year to attend ... so what we do is really point all of our energy in that direction," Schneiders said. "We don't think we're compromising. We're actually reaching more people by doing that."
Lexington Theological Seminary professor Bill Turner says it's difficult for some congregations to hold multiple Christmas Eve services and then return the following day.
"You're talking about a lot of volunteers and a lot of logistics to make Sunday happen in a lot of those megachurches," he said. By the end of Saturday's services, "you're pretty well wrung out."
Some churches are scaling down their Sunday schedule on Christmas.
At Louisville's Southeast Christian Church, where 18,000 people worship each weekend, they'll have one service on Christmas in the fellowship hall. Fewer than 1,000 people are expected to attend.
Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, where 1,650 people typically worship, will also have one service on Christmas.
"We want to be here to worship Christ on his birthday," pastor Bill Henard said.
At a time when some corporations and government agencies are shying away from even using the word "Christmas," Henard said, "We want the world to know that it's okay to celebrate Christ."
Meanwhile, Roman Catholics will be as busy as ever, Lexington diocesan spokesman Tom Shaughnessy said. "It's a holy day of obligation, which means for the faithful, Mass attendance is required."
At First United Methodist Church in Lexington, the pastor will perform a "blessing of the toys," and the congregation will sing Christmas carols, church spokeswoman Marsha Berry said.
"Even if there's a small group ... we'll be there to worship," she said. "What better day than Christmas to experience God?"
What do you think?
It only happens once a decade or so… Christmas Day actually falling on a Sunday. If you and your staff are like many, you had to determine what your schedule of services would be this Christmas weekend…
Comments
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Peter Hamm on Tue, December 20, 2005
David,
Thanks for the balanced nature of your comments. You said [If excellence in worship is being defined as what is outward, then someone has missed the worship boat entirely.]
Well, maybe not ENTIRELY… Psalm 33:3 “3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” I think skill is outward, but I absolutely see what you are saying.
You know, it’s also a balance thing. We want to, as pastors, model the importance of the family above and beyond the ministry we do. As busy as we are preparing for a celebration like Christmas, for me to tell my wife that I’m working both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which have been set aside as a family time (let’s face it, it’s an artificial holiday in a sense, since we are pretty sure it’s NOT when Christ was born, and Christmas’s origins what they are… unlike Easter), it’s not a very good model for our congregations, who I think have a right to expect us to hold our families in high regard…
...just another point to consider,
Peter
David S on Tue, December 20, 2005
Peter,
Thanks for the quote in Psalms. I’ll remember that one. I do agree that we need excellence, it’s just when our conception of excellence becomes an obsession and a reason to not do something for God that it disturbs me.
I agree that Christmas is a day that we are not commanded to observe in the Bible. It IS a made-up day. Many Protestant churches, including mine, do not hold a Christmas Day service if it falls Monday thru Saturday. And I guess that’s what disturbs me the most. Matt said above that there is even no mandate in Scripture for us to worship on Sunday. I agree, too. However, that has been the day that Christ’s Church has decided to formally worship. And this is what saddens me, and confuses me - to call off our *regular* worship day for a secular celebration seems completely contradictory. We would certainly criticize a church for calling off Sunday services if a NASCAR event came to town - what’s the difference here?
You say it’s a balance thing - and I understand your point, and agree with you. Balance is hard to achieve in a situation like this. We’re having Christmas Eve and Day services, and I’m the only staff member. However, because of the way things fall, this year, we’re going to hold our “Christmas” at home on Christmas Eve day with the kids and then again on Christmas afternoon with the rest of the family when they all get here. I’m not judging, but I think I’ve found a balance showing my family that they are important, but also setting an example that God is a priority in the life of our family as well. He takes predecence in our family over a secular celebration.
Once again, I’m not trying to judge, but before I was a pastor, I worked for many years as a Paramedic. There have been plenty of Christmas Day’s that I’ve had to work. Someone has to be there when 911 is called. I didn’t work an 8 hour day, either. They were 24 hour shifts - so I missed the WHOLE DAY! I guess that’s also why I have such a hard time when I hear pastors and staff say they want a day “off work” at home with their families on Christmas Sunday. I did, too, but I still worked my regular shift - and it had no eternal significance in the lives of people. Pastors who have to “work” on Christmas Sunday can celebrate with family in the afternoon after church - when I had to work on Christmas, I never had that chance. Once agian, I don’t want to sound condesending, but it just sounds like alot of whining about “self” to me. Just another thought….
BeHim on Tue, December 20, 2005
[hmmm… I guess I don’t know why I’m a “case in point”. I guess my point was that I can Love God AND Love Others (as I’ve been commanded to do by Christ) at the same time. The greatest commandment and the second greatest, from Luke 10:26-28. It’s not an either/or. It’s a both/and]
I would suggest the reason we -love others- is because He first loved us.
The real reason we serve others, is Him! We do not serve two masters, men and God…
We don’t serve men and God, we serve God and mankind benefits from this service!
Do it for and serve those He brings and don’t be concerned about those who did not or will not come (which is one of the “reasons” for not opening on Dec 25 - ‘because they don’t come anyway’).
Peter Hamm on Wed, December 21, 2005
BeHim,
Love God and Love others… I think our argument over that one would turn out to be merely semantics. I agree with you on what you say, of course.
Merry Christmas! Whether you’re at home or at church!
webharvest on Fri, December 23, 2005
Here’s some excepts from a press Release that Harvest Pointe Christian Church wrote about this subject. We also put an article on our website saying why we are open. You can read that article here http://www.harvestpointecc.com/News/2005/051219_WhyChristmas.asp
While many churches in the area are closed on Christmas Sunday, Harvest Pointe Christian Church in Milford OH is open for business. Harvest Pointe Christian Church is well known for playing a vital role in the lives of families in the community and Christmas Sunday will be no exception.
Christmas this year falls on a Sunday. This is something that hasn’t occurred since 1994. This time around many churches have decided to cancel their Sunday morning services to give families time off. Harvest Pointe Christian Church in Milford Ohio has decided to stay open on Christmas Sunday. Harvest Pointe believes that they are here for the community and while putting together a service on Sundays requires work it is well worth the effort for the families in the community. James Carwell, a member of the leadership committee, said “I have heard so many families in the community ask, in confusion, why would a church close their doors on Sunday when they should be celebrating Jesus as they do every other Sunday of the year?”.
While Sunday morning will be a busy time for families, Harvest Pointe feels these families want and need to hear about Christ and celebrate this gift together. One member of Harvest Pointe said that when she was a child “the only time I attended church was on Easter and Christmas and what if something that was said or done on that day changed my life and caused me to be a Christian today? If the church I went to as a child had closed their doors maybe I wouldn’t have a relationship with Christ today.” This is a scary thought. The church is not a building but it is the people that make up the congregation that are the church. What if the one person that was planning to attend church on Christmas Sunday couldn’t because the church doors were closed? What if that person never finds a relationship with a local congregation because they missed church that Sunday? Harvest Pointe is compassionate for every single person that walks through the doors and doesn’t want to take away the opportunity for anyone to discover what each member of Harvest Pointe already has. That is the knowledge that Jesus loves them and was born of virgin so that all of us can be saved. Most people think that the Sunday services just “happen”. Each Sunday requires a large number of people to prepare the services and prepare the building. Some of the mega-churches have said that they volunteers and staff are thankful for having the day “off”. The volunteers and staff at Harvest Pointe have said they are excited about working to provide an excellence time of worship for the people of the community on Christmas Eve and Christmas Sunday. Harvest Pointe will have a Christmas Eve candle light service at 6:00p.m and a will have a Christmas Day service at 10:30a.m. Harvest Pointe is dedicated to the community and would love to invite anyone who needs a place to worship on Christmas Sunday to visit us. John Robinson’s message for Christmas Sunday will be entitled “All I want for Christmas is Someone to Call me - Prince of Peace,”
Harvest Pointe is a new Church in the Milford, OH area that has a goal to “Bring families closer together and to Christ”.
HPCC is a new church in Clermont County. The Church meets at the Teen Challenge Ranch Gym (1468 US Route 50) each Sunday at 10:30 A.M. You can find out more at our website http://www.harvestpointecc.com.
Contact:
James Carwell or
John Robinson
Phone: 513-683-6798
Harvest Pointe Christian Church
1468 US Route 50
Milford, OH 45150
http://www.harvestpointecc.com
Daniel on Fri, December 23, 2005
Wow!
Amazing the spectrum of thoughts in the blog!
Each church has to decide what they feel is best and right for their congregation and church family. And I think size and leadership both will play a key factor in the ultimate decision.
As my father has so well expressed over the many years of my life… Christmas should not be celebrated only on the 25th of December, but EVERYDAY! Commercialization has really taken a toll on this, even in the Christian realm. While I have heard that commercializing saved the holiday many years back (long before we were even a speck of a speck of a speck in great-grandpa’s eyes), I feel it has gone to extreme today now having the Whitehouse tree called a “holiday tree.” And while the celebration with an evergreen tree originated through pagan rituals, Martin Luther’s transformation has brought a wonderful tradition into the American family life as we can now use the tree as a “reminder” of who Christ is (the “ever-living” Saviour) and to help us recall the price of salvation as Jesus Christ died for us on the “tree” on Golgotha roughly 2000 years ago. And praise the Lord HE rose again - that brings us to the memory of Easter (or resurrection Sunday).
We can’t have a Christmas celebration without recalling the whole story! Why did Christ come in the first place? HE came to die… to bring salvation to all of mankind. He was born with one main purpose in sight, to be our kinsman redeemer. And we celebrate the memory of that every month with communion! Why can’t we celebrate the truth about Christmas in a similar fashion?
Our church has a wonderful perspective on Christmas this coming Sunday. If you can make it, join us! Our doors will be open. We will keep it a bit more simplified than the normal Sunday, because of the holiday and all. But we will have open doors non-the-less. And if you are with your family, and can’t make it, then praise the Lord for what you have, and enjoy the time with your loved ones! We look forward to seeing you again when you can return back. If you have family in for the holiday’s, feel free to invite them to the morning service. The options available for everyone on how they see best for their “family” under their responsibility and care.
Me personally, I can not attend church on Christmas day. I serve in the Armed Forces of the United States, and war takes no holiday. I will be hard at work to keep everyone safe Christmas morning! But my heart belongs to the lord, and I will still have my fellowship with HIM, and I will be grateful for the job I have as it pays the bills, feeds and clothes my family, and brings peace and safety to my loved ones. And this is a job my Lord has allowed me to have - so even on Christmas day, as I serve our country, I serve my Lord and remember what Christmas is about and give thanks for the salvation I have…. I will have a Christmas morning service, in that sense, as I celebrate and remember my Saviour and Lord while defending your freedom and right to have church or not on Christmas day!
Merry Christmas to all… and to all a great Sunday (services or not)!
Daniel on Fri, December 30, 2005
I am curious if the same churches that closed down for Christmas will also do the same for New Years??? Since Most people stay up late New Years Eve and welcome in the New Year and say farewell to the old…. The church I am a member of will definitely have open doors and a welcome heart - even though they will also be staying up late New Years Eve.
Peter Hamm on Fri, December 30, 2005
We were closed for Christmas Day, but we will be open for regular Sunday Services tomorrow.
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