How Church Has Changed in Last 45 Years

[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