The ideal time for worship is…

Anytime.

Or no time.

Or I haven’t got the slightest idea.

Here’s what I do know. That maybe Sunday morning is ideal, and maybe it’s not. Maybe 8am is great for your congregation and maybe it’s terrible. The same could be said for 11am. Or 9:30am or any other time for that matter. Or maybe 5pm on Saturday. Or 5pm on Sunday. Or 5pm on Wednesday. I don’t know.

I say a post on Facebook by Mark Tidsworth that got me thinking about this. Here’s what he wrote:

“Worshiping at 11AM on Sundays made good sense in agrarian America, becoming “the sacred hour” over time, but wildly disconnected with the way people live in 2023. Culture and habit are really strong drivers when it comes to religious practice. Surely we have “baptized” many other beliefs and practices, yet being so immersed in them, we may not have the eyes to recognize them for what they are. Reflecting on a Sunday evening.”

The comments on this post have been really interesting. People have been engaging in good conversation about the topic. Healthy conversation actually, which is great to see. Exploring possibilities and considering challenges.

Here’s what I added to the conversation:

“There is no ideal time. We have to get passed that notion. Just like there is no ideal time for anything else. And we have to ask ourselves this — what is church? If it’s a committed community of believers, then that community will figure out what the priorities are and commit resources towards those priorities — the resources of time, money, and people. That’s what you do when you are committed to something. It’s not going to be perfect. And we aren’t looking for perfection. We’re looking for commitment to each other and to God. Because of what we also receive from each other and from God.”

A simple and imperfect reflection on an interesting topic.

I wonder what it would look like to have asynchronous worship throughout the week? I don’t even fully know what that would mean in practice. Would that mean small groups gathering? Maybe then there would be a larger gathering of those smaller groups? I don’t know. And what would the small groups be doing? Good question. Is this model ideal for all congregations — probably not. Again, it depends on the congregation.

And that’s the key. What’s important to the congregation? What are they called to? How are…