Why We Are Adding a Second Service
At our congregational meeting this past Sunday we talked about our plans to add a second worship service in January or February of 2020. I want to expand on some of the reasons we believe this is the right decision for our church.
If you’ve been to Jordan Valley Church recently, you know that space is an issue. At our current attendance levels, we need about 65-70 parking spaces. We have 19. You all have done an excellent job of parking on the street, but we don’t think that is a sustainable solution. Street parking will be more difficult (and sometimes impossible) during the winter months. There is also a safety risk as we have more and more young children loading and unloading along Old Bingham Highway.
Seating is also an issue. We are over 75% full about half of all Sundays. On these weeks, if you arrive to church a little late, it’s hard to find enough seats. Typically a church will struggle to grow once 70-80% of its seats are used.
Most churches grow primarily because of transfer growth–people jumping from one church to another, or moving into a new city. This past year, more than two thirds of our growth came from people publicly professing faith in Jesus. God has graciously included JVC in the work of growing his Kingdom. The longer I’m in Utah, the more convinced I am that there are many people here whom God has marked as his own, but who have not yet heard the true gospel. I’ve never lived in a place where so many people are asking spiritual questions. I believe JVC is a great church for people to discover God’s love for them. We want to make room for people who don’t know Jesus yet, and we believe there are thousands of them all around us.
We take this step in faith. God doesn’t need our church to grow his Kingdom. He can just as well use any of the other Christian churches in the area. But this move seems to be the most responsible choice given what we do know. Adding a second service might not work out like we hope, and we might have to return to one service after trying it. But I trust that, whether or not our church grows in numbers, our church will grow in Christian maturity. We often embark on efforts like this thinking of how others will grow, but often forget that God grows each of us when we step out in faith. Christian growth is never a one-way street.
Over and over I’ve returned to Ephesians 4 as a reminder for why I got into ministry. Verses fifteen and sixteen say, “Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
I can’t say with certainty that two services will lead to more people coming to faith (I pray and hope for this), but I can say that God will grow us in this. This is something that neither I or the elders and deacons can do on our own. We need your help. And as we all serve one another, I believe God will mold our community into one that looks more and more like his body. I’m excited to grow in that way. Will you join us on this journey?
In Christ,
Pastor Jon
Common Questions
What time will the services be?
We haven’t officially decided, but probably around 9:00 and 10:45.
Will this split our congregation?
One of the biggest worries people have is feeling disconnected from half of the church. We hope to provide some events that will allow the church body to gather as one to help preserve unity, but the reality is that JVC has already grown to a point where most people don’t know everyone else in the church. With two smaller services, we think it will be easier for you to get to know the people in the service you attend. We also hope that the congregation will become more united, since we will need everyone to serve as they are able. As people serve together, we believe they will grow together.
What about _____?
We realize there are a number of questions that are still unanswered. We are working with key leaders to figure out many of the details and will be sharing them with you. Also, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the pastors or elders about questions or concerns you have.