Mega Churches to Close Doors Christmas Sunday

The Christian Post ^ | 12/07/2005 | Elaine Spencer

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Unbelievable.

>>to accommodate to the lifestyles of their congregants.<<

Yes, because no one should have to change their lifesytle in any way in order to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords on His Holy day. /sarc

The excuses they're offering are a cop-out. Shame on them.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Pinging the GRPL,

Are any of your churches closing on Christmas morning?

[lightman]

This is at least the third such article posted.

Please see http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1535068/posts

[mtbopfuyn]

It used to be churches were unlocked 24/7, then they started locking people out between services, and now they'll be locked Christmas??? That's just ridiculous.

[HamiltonJay]

This speaks to the dilapidated state of evangelical faith today

Ding Ding Ding... we have a winner... of course I have to question the "today" portion of that statement, but that's just me.

[netmilsmom]

In defence of this, Most of these churches have Saturday evening services and that techically is Christmas.

However, if anyone would like to go to Church on Sunday, check out a smaller church. I'm sure they're open.

Or y'all come for Midnight Mass at any Catholic Church. They are beautiful!

[nevergore]

Geez...I though the Catholic Church was the worlds largest mega-church.......

Everyone of them are open for business on Christmas day......

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Forgive me, I searched, but it seems the article you linked combined the words Mega and Church. I searched for the terms seperately.

It's a different article though, so it's still valid.

[PAR35]

Megachurches cancel services on Christmas
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1535632/posts

Some Megachurches Closing for Christmas
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1535258/posts

[Psalm 73]

"Are any of your churches closing on Christmas morning?"

Thanks for asking - I'm curious, too.
Ours (Evangelical Free Church) will be open for one 10:00 service instead of the regular 8:30 and 11:00.

[cricket]

Interesting convulution of accomodation. . ..

If I were a member and wanting to celebrate Christmas some time of the day on Sunday; I would find another Church. . .and perhaps, just stay there and not come back to the 'family friendly' version of worship.

[highlander_UW]

"At first glance it does sound contrarian," said the Rev. Gene Appel, senior pastor of Willow Creek, to the Chicago Tribune. "We don't see it as not having church on Christmas. We see it as decentralizing the church on Christmas-hundreds of thousands of experiences going on around Christmas trees. The best way to honor the birth of Jesus is for families to have a more personal experience on that day."

They can close their church or not, but I do find the cover-up to be offensive. So he's saying that the family going to church together on Christmas morning is not a personal experience? Just tell the truth guys. You don't get enough people that show up and donate to make it worth your while. That's the truth, isn't it?

[reagandemo]

I am a member of Southland Christian Church in Nicholasvlle, Ky which is one of the churches that Fox News and the other national media entities have been speaking of. I look at it this way. First I do not need a building to display my faith to God. Second, it takes litterly hundreds of people to run all the services we normally have on a Sunday. We cannot accommodate all members in one service so the staff would be away from their families all day. Finally, The money which we will be saving on keeping the buildings closed can be spent on things like our missionary and outreach programs. Call me frugal, call me secularists. However, I ask myself what would Jesus do and I have to think he would be in agreement with us.

[MineralMan]

Hah! It sounds to me like they're worried that not enough people would show up on Christmas Day to fill the collection plates.

They might not make their nut for that day, so they're closing up. How hypocritical of them!

[ark_girl]

My church moved services to Saturday night and is encouraging everyone to worship as a family on Sunday morning. It's not bowing to secularism. It's acknowledging that Christmas morning is family time to celebrate together.

The word legalism comes to mind for the critics.

[alpha-8-25-02]

TRUE REFORMED CHURCHES WILL BE OPEN TO CELEBRATE THE KINGS BIRTHDAY! 5 SOLAS!

[The_Reader_David]

Well, for us (New Calendar) Orthodox, since we usually serve a midnight liturgy on Christmas Eve anyway, in many cases, the answer will be 'yes' if by Christmas morning you mean after sunup. On the other hand, our churches that don't serve liturgy on Christmas Sunday at their regular time will be having liturgy on Christmas morning, just happening to end at about 1:00 AM.

If the protestant 'megachurches' have a service at midnight, well-announced to their faithful, I don't see anything wrong with letting their parishioners and clergy sleep in and get up to their family exchange of gifts. On the other hand, if there is not service on Christmas at all, then they should be ashamed of themselves.

By way of precedent, the one Sunday of the year when you can't find any Orthodox church serving liturgy in the middle of the morning is the biggest feast of all: on Pascha (Orthodox Easter for those of you in Rio Linda) every parish has its liturgy in the dead of night--very splendid and followed by a big party--and everyone sleeps until afternoon.

[PAR35]

Business decision. Marketing surveys probably show that the income flow would not cover the additional marginal costs of opening that day.

When you're purpose driven, you have to conform to the culture.

[devane617]

OK, so they are closed -- and I disagee. However, what is wrong with YOU opening your bible with the family and having prayer meeting in your living room?

[Lee N. Field]

Are any of your churches closing on Christmas

NO!