Two Services Experiment FAQ

We will embark on a nine-week two-service “experiment,” with two identical worship gatherings at 9 and 11 a.m, starting March 31 through May 26, 2024.

We’re making this decision for reasons that are both biblical and practical.

Biblically, we believe we have the freedom to think creatively about our gathering. The Jerusalem church in Acts had tens of thousands of people in it - literally thousands of them came to know Christ in a single instance. It’s very likely, then, that when they gathered to worship, they would have been in separate venues or meeting times, whether they were in homes or public places, simply because of the limitations of space.

Practically, we want to be faithful in welcoming those who are yet to join us, and in serving those who are already attending.

For those who are already attending, you’ve likely experienced some of the tension and tightness of our accommodations at Tallahassee First Seventh-Day Adventist Church (TFSDAC). Trouble parking and difficulty finding somewhere to sit have become regular occurrences. Having two services will alleviate some of this logistical pressure.

It will also allow our volunteers to participate in an entire worship gathering, rather than missing church to serve in the nursery, or missing the sermon and communion because they are serving in Kingdom Kids. This is a sacrifice that many have made for some time now, and we are so grateful for that. But with two services, they will be free to serve for one service, and attend another service.

For those who are yet to come, we want to make room to welcome them. Imagine going to a church where you might know a friend, but you walk through the door and can’t find that friend because it’s so crowded, or you have no idea where to sit. This can be an alienating and uncomfortable experience. Some of you have experienced this! This feeling is compounded when the guest is a non-Christian or someone who hasn’t been in church for a long time. By having two services, we will create space for these people to experience hospitality.

The elders have been monitoring our attendance and considering this issue prayerfully since around October of last year. It’s been our general assessment that around 200 men, women, and children is more or less the limit for how many people can comfortably fit into the worship space at TFSDAC.

By October of last year, we were hovering around the 200 mark, but not frequently or consistently enough to merit testing the waters with a second service. After some prayer and deliberation, the elders decided to wait until early 2024 to see how the growth was trending. Every Sunday this year, we’ve had about 200 in attendance, with the lowest Sunday being 186. So, it seems like an appropriate time to give strong consideration to a second service.

We are beginning at Easter because we were already going to hold two services. That day seems like a good day to hit “start” on our experiment since attendance often bumps after Easter as well.

We use the language of “experiment” because despite our awareness of how our growth is trending, how tight the space feels, and how full the parking lot looks, we don’t know with certainty what will happen when we make this change.

It’s entirely possible that at the end of this “experiment,” we will see that it’s not quite time for us to move to 2 services, either because of our attendance, or because of the demands it puts on our staff, leadership, and volunteers. We also have a relationship with our landlord that will need to be taken into consideration.

Ultimately, we’re using the “experiment” language as an expression of our values of stability and sincerity. We want to be honest about what we don’t know, but also acknowledge that there is no need to rush. We want to pursue this in a way that is unhurried and attentive to God and our members.

Our Service Plan and Time: Instead of one 10 a.m. service, services will be from 9 to 10:15 a.m., and 11 to 12:15 p.m.

Children’s Ministry: Instead of Kingdom Kids happening during the latter part of the service, Kingdom Kids will gather for the entirety of the service. The catechetical children’s lesson, which we have been doing in the worship gathering, will now take place during Kingdom Kids time. This means elementary-aged kids will be in Kingdom Kids for the entirety of the service, rather than being dismissed during the Passing of the Peace. We will continue to regularly schedule Big Church Sundays (with no Kingdom Kids) and occasional All Together Sundays (with no Kingdom Kids or Nursery). On these days, we will do the catechetical children’s lesson in the main services.

Youth Ministry: Our youth Bible study will now take place during the break between services, from 10:15 to -11 a.m. Parents are encouraged to use that time for fellowship as their kids attend (see “consider coffee hour” below).

Volunteer Needs: Adding a second service will have a tremendous impact on our volunteers. For starters, we’ll need many more! Many more workers will be needed for setup and breakdown, as we will break this into two teams each Sunday. We will need some children’s ministry workers to serve more regularly. We will be sending more detailed information concerning our specific needs in the coming days, and in the meantime, we’d love for you to take some time to consider what the Lord may have for your service prayerfully.

Church Experience: Things will be different. Not worse, just different. Corporate worship may “feel” different. We pray for and expect the Spirit to meet us in powerful ways, as he has done so faithfully. We also expect the culture of our gatherings to continue to feel - as one sister recently described it - “like a warm hug.” However, we want to acknowledge that you won’t always see the same people you have seen week in and week out. This kind of change can be uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing. If that’s your experience, don’t feel bad! Change is always scary, even good change. Feel free to reach out to any of us if we can serve you or pray with you about any of this. For all of us, this is an invitation to trust the Lord, to follow him into new territory, and trust that his goodness will meet us there.

Attendance: We will continue monitoring our attendance, as always. In addition to monitoring the total attendance, we will look at the attendance of each service to see if one service or another is disproportionately attended and the potential reasons for that.

Logistics: We will pay attention to whether and how the time and liturgical changes affect the flow of worship and the various kids/youth ministries.

Volunteer Team Dynamics: We will monitor the burdens, benefits, and challenges this change creates for our various volunteer teams and we will seek to be attentive to how we can better serve and equip our volunteers to minister joyfully.

Unanticipated Factors: Anytime you enter new territory, a host of unanticipated factors tend to arise. We will be paying attention to these challenges and questions and thinking through ways to wisely address them. Thankfully, each of the other Four Oaks congregations (Killearn and Midtown) already hold two services, so some of our leaders have experience with this sort of structure. We will draw on the wisdom of our brothers and sisters, and we won’t be alone in our thinking.

Our Culture: We want to continue being careful cultivators of gospel culture. We want to prioritize an atmosphere of welcome, safety, joy, and integrity as we make much of Jesus together. We want to make sure that continues and will be watchful with regard to how this change may affect these things that are so precious to us.

Your Feedback: In late April, we will send out a survey to our members to get specific feedback on what you’re seeing. We want to ensure we have all the relevant data possible to make a wise evaluation. We will also have a “town-hall” style meeting after the second service on a Sunday around that same time for key volunteers and leaders to give specific feedback and consider the blessings and challenges we are experiencing.

We anticipate making a final decision about how to approach our summer and fall planning during the second week of May. We will communicate any decisions, along with the anticipated implications, as soon as possible.

Volunteer Service: There will be a greater time demand for many of our volunteers. Our music team will lead two services and have a longer Sunday. Our Kingdom Kids teachers and volunteers will have the kids for the entirety of the service. Set-up and music teams will arrive earlier; breakdown teams will stay later. This will be a challenge.

Vibes/Feel: Right now, for many of us, coming to church feels like a massive family reunion. There are people you are used to seeing who you won’t see as much on Sunday (although you may see them in groups). At the same time, you will probably see people you aren’t used to seeing, and have the opportunity to get to know the people who attend your service more deeply.

Space: The practicality of space in the pews and parking lot occasioned the need for a second service to begin with. It will be easier to park, and there will be more space to welcome people.

Vibes/Feel: “Wait, you said this would be more difficult!” We did, but one of the upsides of a second service is that the service you attend will be smaller, and there will be a greater opportunity to get to know others. We are starting to get to a size where not everybody knows everybody, and now there will be an opportunity to get to know people you haven’t noticed or had a chance to speak with.

Attendance: More people will likely be attending due to the creation of an additional opportunity to gather.

Pray. This is both the least and the most you can do. Insofar as East has been a blessing to your soul, it has happened because the Spirit has been at work in our church. We don’t want to assume that our plans will prosper, or that our church culture will flourish, just because of what we do or say. We need the Spirit’s blessing. Well, good for us, the Father “gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask” (Luke 11:13). So pray for volunteers, for unity, for wisdom and discernment, and most of all, for Christ to be exalted in our words, worship, and deeds.

Consider serving as a volunteer. This will not work without more volunteers, so consider serving! Here are the people to reach out to if you wish to help:

Hospitality: Erin Kraeft

Set up/Breakdown: Greg Hutchins

Music: Kyle Kraeft

Kids/Nursery: Katherine Folkert

Audio/Visual: Greg Hutchins

Consider coffee hour. If you’re attending the 9:00 service, stay after for coffee. If you’re attending the 11:00 service, come early. This 10:15 - 11:00 a.m. (aka coffee hour) time block can serve as a way to maintain the relational depth and unity of our church across the service times.

Live on mission. Part of the reason we want to hold two services is so we can have space for the friends we invite to worship with us. So continue inviting friends to worship with us. And continue living in a way that makes worshiping with us look appealing.

Practice patience. There will be bumps in the road, unanticipated difficulties, and perhaps an annoyance or two along the way. We are so grateful to serve a church who blesses their leaders with patience and grace, and we would ask for extra measures of that patience and grace as we navigate these weeks.

Practice sincerity. We know this will not go perfectly. We also know that you will see things that we may miss. Please, don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need help thinking through this transition or if a concern arises. We don’t know everything or see everything. And we want to be “one spirit, one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27) as we move forward. That requires sincerity. So feel free to be honest with us. Thanks so much for taking this step of faith with us. East is a special place, and there are no other people with whom we’d rather step into this experiment!