For another perspective on Christmas Sunday services, read “Why Our Church Is Having Christmas Day Services” by Dustin Messer.
I’m not normally one to refuse the advice of Kevin DeYoung.
Last time Christmas fell on a Sunday, DeYoung wrote an article titled “A Plea to Pastors: Don’t Cancel Church on Christmas.” He states many reasons why churches might be tempted to cancel services on Christmas Day, and he pleads with pastors to stay the course and plan a Christmas Sunday service. While we respect DeYoung and the argument he made, the pastors at our church ultimately decided to refuse his plea.Why?
Our context makes a Christmas Day service uniquely difficult. And though we won’t be having service on Christmas, we participate with sister congregations in a joint Christmas Eve service that allows us to gather and create a space for nonbelievers in our city. We believe there’s biblical freedom to cancel a church service under these conditions.
Context Is Key
Context is the primary reason we canceled our Christmas Day service. I serve as the lead pastor of a church plant of about 100 people just outside Boston in the urban city of Somerville, Massachusetts.
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