How many times per week should a local church gather?

[Santiago DO]

What has the Church been doing historically and how can it be supported the numbers of meetings we opt with the Bible?

 

[beloved7]

Three seems to be the gold standard; corporate prayer meeting on Wednesday nights followed by AM and PM worship on the Lord’s Day. We know that we should gather on the Christian Sabbath and pray regularly as a church. Wednesday seems to be pretty common amongst many churches, as it makes logical sense that we get together in the middle of the week. This is what my church does.

 

[Taylor]

Three seems to be the gold standard; corporate prayer meeting on Wednesday nights followed by AM and PM worship on the Lord’s Day. We know that we should gather on the Christian Sabbath and pray regularly as a church. Wednesday seems to be pretty common amongst many churches, as it makes logical sense that we get together in the middle of the week. This is what my church does.

This is exactly what my church does, as well.

 

[Afterthought]

See around minute 13 for historical information followed by biblical explanation: https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=1120182140402

We have three meetings each week (a Wednesday prayer meeting). We also have an extra meeting (or more) appointed for preparation for or in connection with the Lord's Supper.

 

[Edward]

A definition of "gather" is needed. The entire body corporate? Subgroups of the body corporate?

 

[Jake]

I don't have any resources handy, but weren't there reasons the Scottish church moved away from daily services and emphasized family worship? As I understand it, pre-Reformation most churches had daily mass and daily services of some sort were maintained in Geneva and Church of England.

I tend to see it that once per Lord's Day is priority one, preferably in the morning. A second Lord's Day service should be done as soon as is reasonable possible. Other opportunities throughout the week are good but not necessary. Sabbath morning and evening is a pattern going back to the Old Testament (see Psalm 92 for example).

 

[Joshua]

The session -by God’s command and authority- may compel the people of God to services on the LORD’s Day. As for [lawful] meetings, those may not be compelled, though they may be encouraged and beneficial to the people of God when not drawn off from six-days duty.

 

[KMK]

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:” (Exo 20:8-10)

I don't see how a congregation can do all their work in six days if they are compelled to gather mid-week on a regular basis. Maybe in situations where all the members live in the same neighborhood? Or live on a cruise ship together?

 

[Rom]

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:” (Exo 20:8-10)

I don't see how a congregation can do all their work in six days if they are compelled to gather mid-week on a regular basis. Maybe in situations where all the members live in the same neighborhood? Or live on a cruise ship together?

I have found it strange to see the 4th commandment applied so particularly as to banish other corporate meetings... I never have understood the 4th commandment to mean that the only thing I must do is labor on the other six days. Just labor? Can I do family worship and secret worship on the other six? Can our church courts meet on the other days and pray? Is there no room for recreation on the other six days? I do not think the commandment can be interpreted to forbid corporate acts of worship on the other days. Lots of congregations have midweek meetings and their members are fine.

Now, I do not believe midweek meetings should be made required, BUT I think it is a good expectation that communicants should be at corporate meetings insofar as they are available to go to them. I have never found congregations with midweek meetings to have fostered an oppressive environment in this.

I think Rev. Matthew Winzer made some good remarks in this thread: https://www.puritanboard.com/threads/the-non-importance-of-prayer-meetings.86652/

Besides, I have not found that most of God's people today are so lacking in their ability to get work done that they cannot come to more meetings. Plenty of them seem to have loads of time for the world's amusements.

 

[Santiago DO]

A definition of "gather" is needed. The entire body corporate? Subgroups of the body corporate?

What are the theological/practical reasons for establishing groups within the local church?

 

[Edward]

What are the theological/practical reasons for establishing groups within the local church?

Well, one could start with scripture:

"Older women ... are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled"

 

[aaronsk]

What are everyone’s thoughts on church gatherings that are occurring during family worship time - say 6pm? Ive been invited to a mens study at that time but I dont attend because It seems my duty is to my wife & children in the home at that time.

 

[GulfCoast Presbyterian]

Most every (r)eformed church around here of which I have knowledge meets Sunday a.m., and Wednesday p.m. Probably 40% of those also have a Sunday p.m. service.