How Church Has Changed in Last 45 Years

Campmeetings that lasted all week! Including the weekend. Now a lot of them don't even go Mon-Fri

Singing songs about the Second Coming that would convict you to the point that if you knew you were not ready then you just KNEW that Jesus was coming before the song was over. ,...Sermons used to be that way too.

We used to never see denim in any form in church, except for may the sinners and even then it was rare.

Handkerchief Praise Offerings. The service leader would say, everyone wave your handkerchiefs in the air. Of course, now not as many carry them anymore. The church provides tissues for everyone!

Still thinking, I am sure there are more.....

[Parson]

Youth Rallies changed, at least in my neck of the woods, from Youth skits to a service that featured a young minister....and perhaps a youth trio that would sing.

Interest waned and eventually the services were dropped.

An annual event was THE ALL DAY SERVICE and DINNER ON THE GROUND. Usually, this fell around the pastor's birthday. Preachers were given 10 minutes to preach. Someone would strum on a guitar to signal the preacher that his time was up. There would be special singing....usually Blue Grass Gospel or Southern Gospel.

And the food....a pot luck dinner that would make a Baptist church green with envy.


I haven't heard of one of these services in many a year.


Blessings


Parson

[Thad]

Originally Posted by Parson

Greetings All!

Have you noticed how church has changed in the past 45 years?

Here are some differences that I have experienced. (and I do realize that some changes were due to the culture I was raised in--rather than a possible similarity
in every church nationally.)

The church service started with everyone coming to the front to the mourner's bench for prayer.

Everyone in the congregation stood together on the platform as a church choir during the "song service".

All songs, save for the SPECIALS, came from the Pentecostal songbook.

Everyone--but EVERYONE was expected to testify or affirm their faith during Testimony Time.

There were skits or some type of program that the youth presented during a section wide YOUTH RALLY which were held once a month. A banner was given to the Youth Group voted to have the best program.

There were FELLOWSHIP MEETINGS once a month wherein preachers were given 5 minutes (but usually took 15) to deliver a sermonette.

You must have a fever of 104 degrees and speak incoherently before you were excused from being at a church service.
Homework was NOT an excuse.
Family coming in for a visit was NOT an excuse.
Ice, snow, and tornadoes were NOT an excused. (As a young preacher, I was asked to preach during a horrible storm--all the while a tornado destroyed another church about 250 yards away)
Being horribly mangled in a car wreck was NOT an excuse (ok maybe I'm stretching that a bit)


All activities had to be planned around church services.

Revival services usually lasted at least 6 weeks and a rest night was considered blasphemy.

Saturday night services were as important as Sunday and Wednesday night.

The average offering from an individual was usually ONE DOLLAR per service. (ok....maybe THAT hasn't changed.......)

Flannelgraph and slide projectors were considered HIGH TECH

A preacher's anointing was measured by how red in the face he got. If the preacher did not get all red in the face--he was only teaching.

It was a different world then.


Blessings


Parson

Parson, my church was still doing a lot of this stuff in the 70s. finally started dying out in the 80s.

I cleary remember Testimony service. it seemed to have went on FOREVER sometimes. our services lasted till mid night and up until the mid 70s we had revivall every night. they finally gave us monday night off and even at that they thought we were getting a little worldy

you are right, we had to be Dead or dying to even think about missing church. now people miss if they have a runny nose.

I do not know how we did it lol

[Jann]

I remember when Sunday Night was THE MAIN EVENT!
The clothes that we use to wear to church was VERY important.
BUT I must confess that I do enjoy some if not most of the changes that have transpired in the past 20 - 25 years!

[Sept5SavedTeen]

I went to a Testimony Service for the first time this Wednesday before Thanksgiving. And I've been Apostolic for a little over 3 years! My first Testimony Service... good times...

GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex

[freeatlast]

Originally Posted by Sept5SavedTeen

I went to a Testimony Service for the first time this Wednesday before Thanksgiving. And I've been Apostolic for a little over 3 years! My first Testimony Service... good times...

GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex

I'll occasionally ask someone to testify during a service, bu ti ask them ahead of time.

Testimonies can be a "humorous" time in church.

Several years ago an older brother had just come back in from the rest room and testified how he had been bound up for a week and "glory to God, he just gave me such a wonderful movement."

We all tried real hard not to luagh to hard.

Then there will always be that sister that testifies, " ya all pray for me, the devil's been on me all week, bless his holy name........

[Blubayou]

Remember footwashing and communion on New Year's Eve, called Watch Night Service.
Singing "Look What the Lord Has Done" over and over during altar service.
Friday Night Youth services at the local church.
These are just a few that come to mind.

How about how much "church" has changed in the last nearly 2000 years...

[Sept5SavedTeen]

Originally Posted by Ronzo

How about how much "church" has changed in the last nearly 2000 years...

Go 'head brother ... that's what no one wants to talk about. Being Pentecostal (100 years back) seems more important to most than being Apostolic (2000 years back)... But I'll save it for another thread, lol

GOD BLESS!
Bro. Alex

[commonsense]

Originally Posted by Carpenter

Denny Perdew's church is close enough.

I just miss the fellowship of other churches. I think the UPC takes themselves too seriously. I know, guys have given their entire lives and every lasting calorie of energy they have to the movement and to their churches and they will do their best to protect what they have sacrificed for, but I don't believe for one second that most pastors trust most saints.

Carp, very true. You don't see much interaction except for camp.


I remember the fellowship meetings and the every night revivals.
In the north, we didn't have ""the everyone on the platform for song service"
or the mourners bench.
I do remember altar call every service and if there was no one to "tarry" or repent, everyone went forward and prayed. The pastor would go from saint to saint and pray over each one. I miss that!

We had testimonies, usually someone led this portion of the service and they would just allow anyone to get up and speak. Some were long, or perhaps not really glorifying the Lord, but it was a chance to give a "word". I doubt it was more than 10, maybe 15min. If no one got up, they would try to guilt people into testifying.