Will those serving in Kids Ministry only be able to attend main service once a month?

With the mirrored service model, Kids Church will be held twice on Sunday mornings (during First and Second service) and Kids Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings. The working model will be to form three separate Kids Church Teams that rotate each week. When it is their week to serve (approximately once a month when factoring in “All-In” Sunday) that team will serve both services. The Family Ministry and Calvary Kids leaders have been working hard on the best ways to accomplish this change. More information will be provided over the coming weeks to individuals involved in Calvary Kids Serve Teams.

What should the kids of Volunteer / Staff Families do if they are there for both services?

Ultimately, it is up to you as the parents. We encourage kids to go to Kids Church for First Service, then join the adults in the Main Sanctuary for Second Service. Or vice versa.

When will kids have the opportunity to hear Pastor / participate in Main Service?

With this model, once a month we would have “All-In Sunday” where the only classes would be Nursery and ABLE Ministries. This would allow kids to attend service in the Main Sanctuary with their parents on a regular basis. Also, for volunteer and staff families serving during both services, we encourage them to go to Kids Church for First Service, then join the adults in the Main Sanctuary for Second Service. Or vice versa.

How will we have enough volunteers to pull off this model?

A key element for how other Apostolic churches have been able to succeed in this model is by allowing their youth to be heavily involved in serving on Sundays. We foresee our youth (specifically senior high) serving in capacities they haven’t done to this point including in Nursery, Pre-K, Kindergarten and Kids Church. With the mirrored model, the Senior High Youth will not be in breakout classes on Sunday mornings which will afford them the opportunity to serve.

Will the Worship Team be the same for both services?

The worship team will be the same for both services. The Music Department has been working hard and will present a more detailed plan in the coming weeks for how this will be achieved in a way that honors our volunteers and guards against burnout.

Will there be different speakers for both services? What about the worship team?

This model will be to have two “identical” services. Whoever speaks at the First Service will speak in the Second Service as well. And the worship team, songs, and other service leads will be the same as well.

Will we be assigned to attend a specific service?

Everyone will have the opportunity to choose which service time they attend each week. There is no expectation for people to attend the same service time each week. It will be totally up to each individual and family to decide.

Will there still be Sunday School / Teaching Hour?

For the upcoming Sunday mornings, we will continue with what we have been calling “Summer Schedule” where we have Teaching Hour at 10am and Main Service at 11am. Once we make the switch to the Mirrored Service Model, we will no longer have a Sunday Teaching Hour. The target date for the change is September 10th but any changes to the schedule will be communicated well in advance.

How would this affect some of the Serve Teams? If scheduled, would we be volunteering at both services? Or scheduled for only one?

Most Serve Teams will be scheduled for both services, but there could be some variation depending on the specific nature of the team. For teams that serve before services (such as Tower Coffee or Greeters) you would be able to serve before First Service, attend First Service, serve before Second Service, and then leave once you have finished. You would not be expected to attend the Second service if you had already attended the First Service.

How can we maintain the feeling of “one church” and avoid the feeling of two congregations?

Based on feedback from many pastors and churches using this model, we are confident that through intentional transition periods, active volunteering, and non-sunday connection opportunities, we will be able to maintain great unity. One thing we have heard from others is that once you grow to a certain size, it is impossible for everyone to know each other well.. We believe that by creating space, we will actually allow for more connection opportunities between members, staff, and guests.

If people continue to hang around after the First Service will we be back in the parking predicament before the Second Service?

Based on the research and feedback from other churches with similar (or more significant) parking challenges, we are confident that the natural variance in arrival times and movement patterns will alleviate our most critical parking challenges. With that said, we will be actively monitoring the flow of traffic and overall egress as we begin and will be open to increasing the transition time if we determine that it is necessary for maximum success.

When will Mirrored Services begin? What is the plan this Sunday?

The target date for the change is September 10th but any changes to the schedule will be communicated well in advance. For this Sunday and upcoming Sundays, we will continue with what we have been calling “Summer Schedule” where we have Teaching Hour at 10am and Main Service at 11am.

Will we still have Sunday PM services?

Once a month, Indiana Bible College will host a Sunday evening service that is open to local youth as well as any Calvary members who wish to attend. This will be totally “IBC-led” from a service and behind the scenes volunteer perspective. Based on counsel from many Apostolic pastors and churches who have seen great success with mirrored services, we understand that it would simply not be sustainable for staff or volunteers to hold mirrored services and Sunday evening services.

How will IBC Students be shuttled? Will this create additional work for our Parking Team?

Calvary has secured an ongoing contract with Longfellow Middle School that allows us to utilize their parking lot on Sundays and for special events. The Calvary and IBC Staff are working to secure two shuttle vans that will allow for quick and safe shuttling for IBC Students. IBC will be overseeing the logistics and scheduling of this student service completely and will utilize IBC students and staff volunteers for driving the shuttles and monitoring the parked vehicles during services.