Subscribe to Christianity Today
Subscribe to Christianity Today
Donate to Christianity Today
login | my account
February 12, 2012

Home > 2000 > July 10Christianity Today, July 10, 2000
Trends Church Guarantees 'Express Service' for Busy Believers

The old hymn says that God's eye is on the sparrow, but at the Family Bible Church in Eustis, Fla., Allen Speegle's eye is on the clock.From the pulpit of his nondenominational congregation, the 43-year-old minister has a clear view of the second hand sweeping the clock that hangs on the wall of the sanctuary. Speegle knows all about the competing pressures of modern life, and he is determined that his church will not be left behind: "So many people are in a time crunch, but they don't want to leave the Lord out."Earlier this year, Speegle and his staff noticed that Sunday work schedules and family plans were keeping some regular worshipers from the church's 10:30 a.m. service, which runs about 90 minutes. "A lot of people do not like a service that long," Speegle says, adding that he was also looking for a way to attract the unchurched. So he took out ads in local newspapers and changed the sign outside the church to read, Express Worship, 45 Minutes, Guaranteed!The new 9 a.m. service usually includes three upbeat hymns, an offering, and a quick reading of announcements. Sermons run 23 to 25 minutes."It's a condensed version of the larger message, with a service that is not as long in preliminaries, announcements, and connections," Speegle says, and since the service started in early March, the formula has been a growing success. "I saw a lot of new faces, a lot of people who were out of touch because of work schedules. It's working out real well."Members of Family Bible Church, a congregation of about 450, seem to agree. "You don't feel like you're spending all day in church," says Joy Easton, a regular worshiper. Another regular, Ernie Quinton, concurs: "Some people don't want to spend an hour, an hour and a half in church."Speegle ...

This article is currently available to CT subscribers only. To continue reading:




Christianity Today


  


Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.


Click here for international orders2-for-1 Gifts!

You must be a Christianity Today subscriber or have created a FREE registration to post comments
[Browse More Christianity Today]



Search
Search
Search
Scripture Search
Go Deeper

Books & Culture
Christianity Today
Church Law & Tax Report
Church Finance Today
Leadership Journal
Men of Integrity
Kyria.com
ChristianityTodayLibrary.com
PreachingToday.com