Big Sunday

Few days draw a crowd like Christmas and Easter, but GracePoint Church of the Nazarene in Shawnee, Kansas, aims to change that.

Dave Thornhill and his congregation are trying to recreate the holiday experience on a monthly basis.

“The Big Sunday Principle” developed as Thornhill noticed that people attended the church in cycles.

GracePoint, formed in 2001, was made up of people who attended only a couple of times a year, those who came monthly and for special events, and regular attenders who missed very few Sundays. Thornhill decided to plan one Sunday each month that would cause all the attendance cycles to hit simultaneously.

This day was dubbed “Big Sunday.”

At the beginning of each month, Thornhill tells the congregation when Big Sunday will be so they can start planning. Big Sunday often falls on traditional holidays, such as Thanksgiving weekend. But GracePoint also makes use of more unusual days.

In fact, last February 29, Big Sunday commemorated Leap Year with a sermon called “Leap of Faith,” as well as a moonbounce for the kids.

“[Big Sunday] opens up the door for new opportunities and new ideas,” Thornhill says. “It lends itself to creative thinking. It’s different all the time. We want people to come back to see what else the church does. “

Big Sundays have included plays, a homemade movie, and a staged radio show. Others have addressed pop culture issues and current events.

GracePoint urges the congregation to invite friends and provides invitations. As many as 100 new people come to GracePoint on Big Sundays. Because so many guests attend the services, sermons are often evangelistic and the church begins its class for new believers on that day. According to Thornhill, of those who have attended the class, nearly 100 percent regularly attend the church and are fully engaged in ministry.

But for those who already call GracePoint home, Big Sundays also create a chance to learn about ministry. On most Big Sundays, GracePoint adds an extra service, creating the need for more volunteers.

“It’s like a football stadium,” Thornhill says. “There are people on the playing field and people in the stands. We want to get people out of the stands and onto the playing field. And we want to get new people into the stands.”