What Is A Sunday Service Like?

Recently we were given some really encouraging feedback by a friend of our congregation on the preaching and Sunday services at Mercy Hill and thought it would be helpful to post it here:

The message was excellent! My friend and I were commenting on the way home that at Mercy Hill there is the perfect blend of teaching and explaining so well the Christian faith and all of the Christian vocabulary that are familiar to us more seasoned Christians, yet not to new believers.

These kinds of explanations make newcomers feel so welcomed instead of feeling "ignorant" and not a part of the Worship. And then the sermons are well-illustrated in an easy to understand way, yet the sermon itself is meaty, not fluff!  

Each Sunday we worship with Mercy Hill we are truly blessed.         

A few points that this friend of Mercy Hill makes are worth highlighting, because they relate to some important values our church has for the Sunday worship service:

• explanations are offered that help make visitors and newcomers feel welcome rather than ignorant; they feel "part of the worship" rather than mere spectators or foreigners.
• the sermons are well-illustrated yet they aren't fluff but "meaty." In other words, the Bible is taught in such a way that it is made practical, understandable, and clear; but the messages aren't dumbed down or made "seeker friendly" just for the sake of trying to draw a big crowd.

Both of these values are the fruit of two basic commitments we hold as a congregation, and as elders:

1. we are committed to preaching the Gospel, the good news of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. This good news is the very thing that a seeker needs to come to faith in Christ, and a believer needs to grow in his or her faith.
2. we are committed to preaching the Bible, the whole counsel of God. Not just the pleasant parts, or the easy parts, or the parts we like. But we will preach the Bible in such a way that makes the hard parts clear. They may still be difficult to live out, or to apply. But it shouldn't be confusing. Nor should it be set aside for "story time" or silly (trite) illustrations ("Once upon a time there was...")