Question #43

When and why did Sunday night and Wednesday night services begin?

When and why did Sunday night and Wednesday night services begin?

The Answer:

No historical facts have been found that relate when and why Lord’s Day evening and Wednesday evening services began. However, some conclusions may be drawn from what is known. Lord’s Day evening services may have sprung from disagreement over whether in Acts 20:7 “the first day of the week” is based on Roman time or Jewish time. Whichever time standard was used, it is certain that the disciples met on what they considered to be and what Luke recorded as “the first day of the week.” The fact that Paul continued his preaching until midnight leads some to conclude that Jewish time was used and thus the first day of the week began at 6:00 P.M. when Sabbath ended. Others argue that evening communion was practiced in the evening even under Roman time because 1) the Lord’s Supper was instituted in the evening and 2) the evening was the time of meeting because many of the early Christians were not their own masters and they could not control their days. Today’s preachers may long for days of old when worship hours were not controlled by the clock. Most likely, however, it was at the urging of the brethren who wanted to take advantage of the presence of the great apostle Paul that stretched his discourse until midnight.

Wednesday night meetings were originally called “prayer meetings,” most likely arising because brethren felt the need of more congregational prayers. It was, and still is, intended as a time to “recharge spiritual batteries.” The time was selected by elders or, in their absence, the congregation. The day was likely chosen because it was in the middle of the week, half-way between Lord’s Days. It gradually turned from a prayer service to a bible study hour, usually preceded or followed by a time of singing, praying, and a brief lesson from the Scripture.

Many “main-stream” denominations have eliminated not only Wednesday evening meetings, but Sunday evening as well, because their members would not attend. It is striking that as their members demonstrated greater and greater need for spiritual edification, their leaders responded by providing fewer and fewer opportunities. Some mega-churches are trying to correct waning Lord’s Day morning attendance by having services on Saturday night, as one mega-church advertised, for those who don’t want to mess up their Sundays. Our world is in sorry shape because it has kept lowering the standards of truth and morality so that more and more people can live up to it or down to it depending on your point of view. It is sad to see some churches becoming more and more like the world.