I Heart 6:00

I was struck this past Sunday by just how loud, engaged and energetic the 6:00 service has become. The past six months especially has shown growth in this service, both in numbers and “heart”, but it was a far cry from where we began.

For those who are unaware, Vintage21 Church began as an evening service. It had an extremely laidback feel in the production (partly due to being a DIY church plant), and was treated by many as either a. youth group on Sunday nights or b. a “hip” service to attend at night after their “real” church on Sunday mornings. Switching to Sunday mornings was one of the wisest moves we’ve ever made as a church, and it forced those who were going to two church services a day to make a choice. Several years later, we added several additional morning services to alleviate growth, but were still in need of space. In addition, we missed the crowd of people in the service industry who worked Saturday nights, so with these two factors we added an evening service.

In the beginning of the added 6:00 service, it seemed that no matter what we did, the congregation, band and even Pastor Tyler were all a bit more laidback. Perhaps it was that it was evening, but in general the congregation felt a bit more reflective at best, sleepy in the worst case. This was frustrating to experience after energetic morning services. But somewhere along the way, our approach to this service changed. We now say “This is our fourth service, and with three under our belt we should be able to go out there and play, teach, lead, and tech with little to no mistakes. And with only more service left, let’s give all our energy, all our heart to this. Leave it all on the field.” This has begun to change the feel of the service, and it’s now become as energetic as the 10:00 am, which is twice the size and twice as caffeinated. To those who attend the 6:00 service, I look forward to worshiping with you every week. Let’s continue to abandon our reservations and worship God with the heart and soul he deserves.

Hey 8:30? Watch your back – you’re next.