Once, I was in one of those escape rooms—you know, the kind you go to with friends or family for a fun challenge. The game was simple: we had one hour to solve all the puzzles and escape the room. We thought we were cruising along, making solid progress, and after about 45 minutes, we managed to open a door. We were excited and thought we were almost done.

But when the door swung open, we realized that we were only halfway. Behind the door was an entirely new room, filled with even more puzzles. We all felt that sinking feeling of, oh no, we’re not as close as we thought.

That’s the feeling I want to help church leaders avoid when they launch a third service. You might go through all the work of adjusting schedules, recruiting more volunteers, and promoting the new service, only to find out that it didn’t solve your deeper issues. Launching a third service can sometimes feel like opening that extra door in the escape room: you think it’s the solution, but it might only reveal how much more work there is to do.

• The Optimal Inviting Hour: When a church starts with one service, it’s often scheduled at the best possible time for the congregation and for inviting guests. This ‘optimal inviting hour’ is typically when most people are available and more likely to come to church, especially if they’re invited by friends. It’s convenient, familiar, and attracts the largest crowd.
• Going from One to Two Services: When you add a second service, you can no longer have both services at that ideal time. While you maintain one service at the optimal hour, the second one must be earlier or later, which is less convenient for some people. Now, only fifty percent of your service offerings are at that prime time for inviting guests. Attendance patterns also tend to shift unevenly, as people either stick with the original service or move to the other option.
• Going from Two to Three Services: The logic becomes even more strained when you add a third service. Now, only one-third (or 33%) of your services are at the optimal time, while the others are less convenient—early in the morning or later in the afternoon. As a result, fewer people are likely to invite guests to those less convenient times. The perceived capacity increase doesn’t materialize as expected because the number of attendees won’t spread equally across all three services.

In essence, adding a third service shifts more of your services into less desirable times, creating the illusion of added capacity, but it doesn’t encourage new people to attend as much as it redistributes the existing congregation.

Of course, there are times when launching a third service is the right move for your church. Growth is a good problem to have, and adding services can help alleviate space issues and provide more options for people to attend. However, before diving in, it’s essential to approach this decision with a clear understanding of the challenges ahead. This is a cautionary tale but not a call to avoid expanding services entirely. Instead, I want to equip you with five key questions to ask and issues to consider as you prepare to launch a third service, so you can set your church up for success rather than frustration.

Are You Spending Too Much Time on Service Times?

Church leadership teams often get bogged down trying to find the perfect service times, spending months agonizing over every possible option. The truth is, no matter how much time you spend debating, you’re only going to have one service in that ‘ideal’ window—the rest will be compromises.

You must decide whether you want people coming to church over breakfast or lunch. Essentially, this boils down to asking: do you want to have an early service (like 8 a.m.) or a later one (something in the 12 p.m. hour)? There’s no universal answer here, but you must make a clear choice about what works best for your congregation.

One practical tip is to shift the times of your existing two services when adding a third. This forces everyone into new service rhythms, rather than allowing people to settle into their usual time slots. When no one’s in the habit of attending a certain time, they’re more likely to explore the new options.

Do You Know Where Your Pinch Points Are?

Churches decide to add a third service because they’re bumping up against a capacity limit, a ‘pinch point.’ But before you make that jump, it’s essential to clearly understand where those pinch points are and whether you’ve truly maximized the current space you have.

Typically, the pinch point falls into one of three areas:

• The main auditorium: Is your adult service packed to the point where people are standing in the back or squeezing into the last rows? Before you add a third service, think about whether you can optimize your auditorium space. Could you add more chairs or change the seating arrangement to increase capacity without needing another service?
• Kid space: Often, the pressure point is in the kids’ ministry. Are there ways to reimagine the programming or rearrange the space to accommodate more children? Could you make spatial changes that do not compromise the kids receiving a high-quality experience?
• Parking: Believe it or not, parking can be the silent limiter of church growth. If you’re running out of parking spots, you’re running out of room to welcome more people. Consider having a civil engineer perform a parking study. With some adjustments to layout or traffic flow, you might find that you can increase your parking capacity by as much as 15%. Additionally, explore whether an adjacent business or school might offer overflow parking and move your volunteers to that space with a cross-use agreement.

Before launching a third service, ensure you’ve truly maximized the capacity of your current spaces.

Are Your Volunteer Teams Ready for the Shift?

Adding a third service impacts your volunteer teams differently. Ministries like Kids Ministry and Guest Connections will need 50% more volunteers to cover the additional service, which presents a recruiting challenge but also a great opportunity to engage more people in your church’s mission.

Other teams, like Music and Production, won’t necessarily need more volunteers—they’ll just need to serve for a longer period. These teams may be around for the entire morning, so consider providing breakfast or lunch for them as a way of showing your appreciation for their extra sacrifice.

Remember, adding a service affects a number of teams in a multitude of ways, so think carefully about how to prepare each one for the workload ahead.

How Will Your Lead Communicator Manage Their Energy?

One crucial but often overlooked factor in adding a third service is how it will affect your lead communicator. Preaching three services in a row can take a significant toll, and it’s important to have an honest conversation with your main communicator about their energy levels and how they’ll manage the increased load.

Some communicators feel energized after preaching, while others feel drained. Either way, it’s important to plan how they can maintain their energy across all three services. Consider how they can manage their voice and take breaks in between services to avoid burnout. This is a key discussion to have before making the jump to three services.

Have You Chosen the Right Launch Window?

Timing is everything when it comes to launching a third service. You’ll need at least 10 to 12 weeks of planning to organize your teams, promote the service, and ensure everything is ready for the transition. Rushing this process can lead to burnout and missed details.

Churches often find success launching a new service in the fall or at the start of a new year, as people are already adjusting their routines during these seasons. Aligning your launch with these natural times of transition can make it easier for people to adjust to new service times.

Launching a third service is more than just a solution to a capacity issue—it’s a sign that your church is growing, and with growth comes the need to look beyond your immediate horizon. Now is the time to ask, “What’s next for our church?” There are at least four potential next steps that God may be calling your church toward as you continue expanding your mission and reach.

• Church Planting: Healthy things grow and multiply. Perhaps God is calling your church to start planting new churches, creating a network that reaches into your community, your region, and even beyond. Church planting is an incredible way to multiply your impact and extend the Kingdom beyond your current walls.
• Multi-Site Launch: It may be time to take a portion of your congregation and plant them in a new location. Multi-site strategies allow you to extend your church’s reach while maintaining the same vision, culture, and leadership. Since you’ve already differentiated your congregation based on service times, transitioning to differentiating them by location can be a natural next step.
• Facility Expansion: Another potential step is expanding your existing facility. If your current building is bursting at the seams, it may be time to consider a capital initiative to raise resources for expansion. Whether it’s adding seats in the auditorium, creating more space for kids, or improving parking, facility expansion allows you to grow right where you are and increase your capacity in the areas that matter most.
• Relocation: Finally, God may be calling your church to move into a completely new facility. Relocating can give you the opportunity to create a larger, more effective space for ministry. A new location could be what’s needed to host more people, create a more welcoming environment, and increase your church’s ability to reach your community.

As you move toward launching a third service, it’s important to keep these options in mind. The growth you’re experiencing may be a stepping stone toward something bigger—whether that’s multiplying through church planting, launching a multi-site, expanding your current facilities, or relocating altogether.

Launching a third service is an exciting step for any growing church, but it’s also a moment to pause and look further down the road. By asking the right questions and planning carefully, you can ensure that this transition not only addresses your immediate needs but sets the stage for what God has next for your church.

Remember, this isn’t just about adding more services—it’s about preparing your church to expand its mission and impact in ways you may have not yet imagined. So, don’t just launch a third service—launch a vision for what comes next.

Launching a third service should be seen as the first step toward a larger vision for your church’s future, not just a solution to short-term growth challenges.