Yes, there are some churhes doing an effective Sunday night service but not many.  The key in my opinion is to do something different than Sunday morning.  Discipoleship training, small groups, ect…

Our church has never had a Sunday PM service.  We are in what used to be a farming comminity and these churches never had Sunday PM services, Sunday afternoon and evening was family time and realxing time as they all worked 6 days a week.  We do our youth group on Sunday evenings and we have different actvities from time to time.

We continue to have great success with our Sunday pm service. We ask ourselves on a regular basis if it is still meeting a need. So far it is. Some on our staff would love to have Sunday night off but they also see the positive things that happen because of it. A man told me just last week that it is his favorite part of his week.

What makes it successful? Like others have said it has to be different than Sunday morning. Our pastor goes deeper into exposition on Sunday night. We have a long praise time after the message as a response to everything we have taken in throughout the day. And with two morning services our people feel like family in one evening service. After-service meals, parties and activities are great community builders too. We love it but we are by no means married to it forever and ever Amen.

Although I’m not entirely sad that we don’t have Sunday night services anymore, I’m just wondering if they are practical nowadays.  To be honest...with 4 services already...there’s no way our staff could handle another without dying.  I’m just kind of curious as to the basis for a Sunday night service other than tradition.  (I’m not saying it is wrong to have one even if there was no scriptural or cultural basis to beging with.)

On a day of rest, it is anything but for church staff and I am hard pressed to find another day off during the week.  I believe in my church’s personal situation, it is actually more biblically wise to refrain from having one.

Besides...it gives the youth time to have their service...and screw up all my expensive equipment!

kidding.

A side note on how the sitter service started: The ‘mature’ ladies in the women’s ministry came up with the idea… they didn’t find “Ladies Night Out” very appealing or “The Bad Women of the Bible” study so they came up with they’re own way of servicing and specifically designed for their generation (probably 50+ or so - Most had grown children) to do and still be of great and valuable service to the growing church.

They usually had between 10 and 15 women (sometimes the single high school and college women would help too) on Saturday night from 3-10p.m. with $20 late fees starting around 10:20 or something like that.

They found it a wonderful way to reach out to the younger families and open doors to “disciple” the “younger” women in the things of God (like the “S” word).

The church I attend worship at now has Awanas class on Sunday and Wednesday evenings that do very good at training Children in Scripture.

I too pastor a Pentecostal church and have struggled for several years over Sunday night services.  At one time we were averaging about 50+% of our Sunday morning attendance and over the past few years we’ve been averaging less than 20% while the Sunday morning services have maintained it’s size.  I too have had to ask myself, “why are we really doing Sunday night services if it is simply a repeat of Sunday morning?” Many people who attend the church drive 10+ miles or 20+ minutes to the worship service.  They also work 45-50+ hours a week and are simply tired by Sunday evening.  Since the year 2000 I have seen most people’s schedules become extremely busy and hectic. We are living in and reaching out to a different culture.

I have tried discipleship, small groups, worship only services, prayer services, traditional services, etc… and nothing at this time has really brought what I would consider a valued return on the resources being used to have Sunday night services.  I have found that most of those who do attend on Sunday night do so out of obligation (staff), tradition, habit or it’s the “spiritual” thing to do but very few out of genuine desire to be there. I say genuine because if you are genuinely there to worship God or get deeper into His word it will show in your demeanor and attention.

Jesus was considered, by the religious folks, a radical because He didn’t adhere to the “traditions of men”.  If we are going to use God’s resources of money, people and time then it had better be accomplishing its worth and value.  I have heard the argument, what if someone wants to get saved on Sunday night and you don’t have church?  My response is, what if they want to get saved on Monday night, or Tuesday night or any other night of the week you don’t have services? 

We must be careful that we don’t make are “traditions” sacred and judge our level of spirituality by how faithful we are to those “sacred traditions”.  Oh there are true sacred traditions that the Apostles gave the church, which were established by Christ’s commands, i.e. water baptism, communion, fellowship, collective worship services, discipleship… and those we must maintain whole heartedly.  There is NOTHING in Scriptures that mandates WHEN OR WHERE you have worship services just that you have them.  If it is not something that Scriptures mandate then it is not sacred, and to somehow equate whether or not you have Sunday night services as a measure to the level of your spirituality is just plain wrong. 

I appears that I am at the point to where I am not going to have Sunday night services.  I am sure some who hold traditions sacred and equal to spirituality will cry foul and God love them I pray that they will see the truth.  I am not saying that I will never again have Sunday services because at some point in the future it may be the right thing to do to accomplish what God is doing and wants to do but at the current time I believe we need to take a break from it.

At my last congregation, we “did away” with evening services by implementing home church groups meeting on Sunday evening..  It was reasonably successful.  My new congregation is still in Sun. eve. service mode and we’re getting the expected 30-40% return.  It’s simply tradition and, for many, an important part of the spiritual and social life.  We’ll keep it up here until we see an need to make a change.

Phoenix First Assembly in Phoenix has a great Sunday PM service.  In fact it was voted by a secular publication in Phoenix as one of the ten places to be on a Sunday night in Phoenix.  They have gone to a more high energy type of a service and they pack out their huge auditorium.  We are in the process of doing something similar and are expecting great things.  I’ m sure if you wanted more info you could find it on their website or e-mail one of the staff.  I have been to a few services and have a friend that is a volunteer pastor so feel free to ask me any questions.  Their website is http://www.phoenixfirst.org

Jeremy

Dear beloved in Christ
Greetings to you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ.
God has given to me to be in touch with you in this way.
We have been doing the ministry by faith only. .
.Please check my ministry web site: -
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Please pray for our church building in ponnur
and kindly request you to arrange a small gift
We are all praying for you and your ministry and who are with you all .
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With personal Regdards .
your brother in His service
Pastor Jesuspadam Kancharla

Tel phone no ---091 8643 243053

As well be an atheist.