If your church pews are getting crowded these days, you have a couple of options. You could have multiple services at your church to allow for more people to attend and make your church services more convenient for your church members. Or you could invest in more church pews, so that more people can attend a single service. The choice between these methods depends on your church’s physical limitations, your church services, and what church members prefer.

First, look at your church services. How long do they typically last? Would it be possible to fit in more than one service on Sunday morning? If your church services last more than an hour and often end in socializing with all of your church members, multiple services probably aren’t the best idea for your church. Shortening your services to fit in more than one might drive some of your members away.

Equally, if your services fit into the standard one hour time slot but they are surrounded by Sunday School, Prayer Shawl ministry meetings, youth sports, potlucks, and choir practices, shoehorning another service into the day’s events may be difficult.

Dividing your church into several different service times can also create large rifts in the church community. Once the congregation gets divided into the Early Service People and Late Service People, it can be hard to keep a sense of a united community.

On the other hand, take a look at your church members. There might be multiple groups of people in your church, like those who prefer a more quiet, contemplative service and those who love the rambunctious church services with a full choir and children. If you find that your single service can’t best serve large groups of your church and that multiple services with different styles could, expanding your church services can be a good way to better serve and grow your church.

Growth is always a multi-step process that requires strategic thinking. Committing to building a new building might also be the most appropriate option for your church. You might even find that multiple services grow and you members are too numerous for your church seating even with more than one service. The best way to take action is to survey your church and see what individual members prefer—whether the community aspect of church, more convenient times for services or possibly even more comfortable seating arrangements with a new building. Once you know how your church members feel, you can weigh through the options. If you find that you need more church furniture, contact us and we can help.