Coming to Central in
2011 . . . Traditional AND Informal Services
ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REGARDING UPCOMING CHANGES TO
CENTRAL’S SERVICES AND SCHEDULE
Q.
What
are the changes to the services?
A.
In
addition to keeping our Traditional Service, we will be adding a Informal
Worship Service on Sunday mornings.
Q.
Why
are we adding a Informal Service?
A.
Most
importantly, the mission of the Church (and, therefore, of Central) is to make
disciples. We believe that this provides
us with a new opportunity to reach those not part of the Church, and help to
fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Studies have shown that many people in the
community (young families, those new to the faith, and those exploring the
faith) are more comfortable in an informal setting. Many times the informal setting allows for a
more expressive type of worship and typically includes Informal Christian
music. A survey of our own congregation
showed that there is significant interest in such a service. Adding this type of service is important to
retain our youth members, college students, and young adults. We also hope that this service will encourage
some of our inactive members, particularly those of the younger generation, to
return to Central.
Q.
Will service
times be changed?
A.
Yes. Effective January 16, 2011, the new worship
schedule will be as follows:
a.
Traditional
Service – 9:00 a.m.
b.
Sunday
School – 10:10 a.m.
c.
Informal
Service – 11:15 a.m.
Q.
What
was the decision-making process for these significant changes?
A.
Throughout
the process, we as church leaders have continually submitted ourselves in
prayer to God, seeking His wisdom and discernment and His will for
Central. The Worship Committee, under
the Board of Deacons, spent many months researching the concept of adding a new
service. The addition of a Informal
Service was presented at the 2010 Congregational Meeting. Countless discussions took place, including
meetings following 10:30 a.m. services, discussions within Boards and
committees – with Sunday School teachers, music leaders, and others who might
be affected by changes in time slots and other logistical changes. Many of the decisions made were guided by the
results of the congregational survey in Spring, 2010, as well as feedback from
the two Informal preview services in Fall, 2010. In accordance with Central’s by-laws, a
proposal for the changes was unanimously approved by the Board of Deacons. This proposal was then unanimously approved
by Church Council in October, 2010.
Q.
How
was it determined to have one Traditional and one Informal Service?
A.
Having
one Traditional Service and one Informal Service was the clear preference
in the congregational survey. Respondents
also generally expressed that this approach gives us the best opportunity to
reach out to our community and, hopefully, bring in new members.
Q.
How
was it determined to which service would be first or second?
A.
This
decision was also primarily based on the congregational survey. It was determined that a later Informal
Service would be most effective for reaching out to youth, young adults, and
parents of young children.
Q.
Why is
the Traditional Service time changing to 9:00 a.m.?
A.
Based
on our current schedule, a need was felt to balance between the current 8:00 a.m.
and 10:30 a.m. times. It was determined
that 9:00 a.m. is a good compromise, as it is not too early and not too
late. There are a number of advantages
to a 9:00 a.m. start, including:
a.
There
should be better attendance with a later start than 8:00 a.m. (Attendance has always been better later in
the morning.)
b.
Those
who currently attend both Sunday School and the 10:30 a.m. service , which is a
large part of our congregation, will be at church for about the same period of
time.
c.
Sunday
morning choir rehearsals for the service can take place between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00
a.m. This also will eliminate the need for
choir members to leave Sunday School early for rehearsal.
Q.
Why is
Sunday School moving to 10:10 a.m.?
A.
We
recognize that on many special Sundays – such as Communion, baptisms, new
member receptions – the service can run long. The 10:10 a.m. start for Sunday School accommodates services running
late. This also allows congregants time
to visit and/or pray with the minister following the service and to drop off
children at Sunday School. In fact, many
Sunday School classes that are now scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. don’t get
started until 9:10 a.m. This gives us a
firm starting time at 10:10 a.m. and a solid hour (until 11:10 a.m.) for
teaching.
Q.
Why is
the Informal Service schedule for 11:15am?
A.
It
is important for the health of Central's Christian Education program to have a
full hour for Sunday School. The
consensus was that 11:30 a.m. is too late to start services. The Informal Service will most likely
start with several contemporary songs as preludes that will begin at either
11:00 a.m. or 11:15 a.m. This shortens
the extra time between Sunday School and the start of the Informal Service. The hope is that people will come to the Informal
Service and IMMEDIATELY enter the Sanctuary to get involved with singing along
with the preludes.
Q.
How
was the congregational survey conducted?
A.
The
Board of Deacons' Worship Committee prepared a detailed survey to collect
feedback from the congregation. The
survey included different scenarios for adding a Informal Service,
including different days of the week and/or different times. The surveys were distributed to all members
with church mailboxes on Easter. Responses from approximately 200 members were collected over a 2-month
period. The data were statistically
analyzed and the reviewed with the Deacons, Church Council, the Director of
Music, and other church leaders.
Q.
Will
the preaching or message be different at each service?
A.
The
intent is for the message to be identical at both services. However the pastors may likely choose to present
the message in different ways or styles.
Q.
Who
will be in charge of music for these services?
A.
Sally
House will continue to be the overall Director of the music program. She is
fully supportive of the Informal Service. Sally’s wisdom and leadership during this process has been invaluable. Wayne Wurtz will direct the Worship Team and
music for the Informal Service.
Wayne
will work with
Sally to coordinate music and musicians. We do envision opportunities for Central’s existing music groups to
participate in the Informal Service. Pastor Bill is providing pastoral leadership for the Worship Committee.
Q.
What will happen to events typically held
AFTER the late service (Taste of Fellowship, meetings, etc. )?
A.
Some
of these events (or similar activities) could take place at 8:00 a.m. so they
can include people who attend the 9:00 a.m. service. Some of these events will continue to be held
after the 11:15 a.m. service. We will
have more flexibility to schedule events for different times and different
audiences. We also hope that you would
feel comfortable attending another service on occasion, depending on your
schedule or the church schedule.
Q.
What
if I only want to attend our current Traditional Service?
A.
Please
understand that the 9:00 a.m. service will be the SAME Traditional Service that
currently happens at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Nothing will change in that service, except for the starting time.
Q.
What if
I am feeling uncomfortable with all this change?
A.
We
understand. Change can be uncomfortable. But for our church family to grow, we must be
open to and embrace change. That means
new people, new music and new ways of expressing our faith in God and our love
for Him. We hope the Informal Service
will bring new energy to our worship. As
someone said, no matter what we do or how we worship, GOD WINS!
Q.
What should I do if I have concerns with
these changes?
A.
First
and foremost, we recommend that you bring these concerns before God in
prayer. Ask Him to guide your heart as
you process these changes. Also, please
know that your church leadership is available and wants to talk with you! We hope that by open and honest dialogue we
can help alleviate any concerns you may have. You can find all the contact information in Central’s new Informational
Directory.
Q.
What
will happen for "special" Sundays like Easter and Christmas?
A.
These details will be addressed as we move
further along in the process. Major decisions
will be discussed by the Worship Committee and reviewed by the Board of
Deacons. We ask for your patience as we
continue to address all of the details regarding this change.
Q.
But have you thought
about__________________?
A.
We
recognize that there are many details that need to be considered as we
undertake these changes. However, if
there is something you feel should be considered, please contact a member of
the Board of Deacons.
Q.
What
other changes might be in store?
A.
At
this time, we will need to be very flexible with schedules and Informal
Service format. There will inevitably be concerns and issues that arise. We are open to adjusting and tweaking things
as needs arise. The most important thing
is for our congregation to be positive and supportive of this effort through
prayer.
Click Here to read the announcement from our Moderator
