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HOLMAN WORSHIP TIME DISCERNMENT TASKFORCE RECOMMENDATIONS

�PRESENTED 5/3/2025

Task Force:

Lead Pastor, Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin

Associate Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oliver

�Michael Peters, Church Council, Witness

Debbie Bell
Sheila Faulk
Sandra Gray

Fitzroy Younge�

Exodus 18:20-27

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��THE CHALLENGE�HOW TO REVIVE SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE AT HOLMAN UMC

Could shifting to ONE worship service put Holman on a path to revitalization?

This included a survey distributed to ministry leaders on February 1 to gather what the potential impacts would be to (help or to hurt) the ministries of the church. The survey questions were:

What are the most significant aspects of Holman worship for your ministry area?
What could the church gain in ministry by moving to one Sunday worship service? What opportunities for ministry would one service create?
What could the church lose in ministry by moving to one Sunday service? In what ways could one service hurt the church’s ministry?
What faithful step is God calling the church to take with regard to the church’s worship services?

at its February 2025 meeting, the Church Council began a discernment process on worship times.

Some church attendees observed lower worship attendance in-person with access to joining worship online, while others expressed cost-saving possibilities and potential for growing church school and small group gatherings. Others have expressed the priority for growing worship attendance as having two services is important to accommodate and meet the needs of worshippers who best worship at either 8:00 or 11:00 am on Sundays.

The lead pastors believed such a decision should only be made with the input of the church membership and discernment of the Church Council. Church Council leaders were charged with getting feedback from members in their ministry areas as preparation for prayerful deliberation of the church leadership for our next most faithful step in worship

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HOLMAN UMC ATTENDANCE FROM 2000-APRIL 2025

Average Holman worship attendance since the year 2000.

2000 (825 persons)
2010 (845 persons)
2019 (536 persons)
2023 (200 in-person, 1500 online).

Holman Worship Attendance - (January - April 2025)

	Avg In-Person (8 am)	Avg In-Person (11 am)	Avg Online	Weekly Avg In-Person
January - February 2025	54.7	108		188.7
January - April 2025 (includes Easter)	72.7	121.5	488.33	195
Avg 5th Sunday �(12/29/24 & 3/30/25)				229

Congregation	1st Service	2nd Service	Notes
First AME Los Angeles	9:00 AM	none	Adult Sunday School @ 745am; Children’s Sunday School @ 9am; https://www.famechurchla.org/
West Angeles COGIC	10:00 am	7:00 pm (Weds.)	https://www.westa.org/
Faithful Central	7:00 am	9:30 am	https://www.faithfulcentral.com/

Faith UMC Torrance	8:30 am �( replay of prev. Sunday) 9:00 am (Japanese)	10:30 am �(English language)	Sunday School during 10:30 am service https://www.faithsouthbay.org/about-us/worship-with-us/
Pasadena First UMC	10:00 am	none	https://www.fumcpasadena.org/join-us
San Diego First UMC	9:00 am (Traditional/Sanctuary)	11:00 am (Non-Traditional/Chapel)	https://www.fumcsd.org/worship

At its Saturday, March 1, 2025 meeting, the Holman Church Council shared the results of the surveys from their ministry areas. The council also reviewed data (that is publicly on the church website at www.holmanumc.com/churchcouncil) including:

Any Questions Thus Far? Any observations anyone would like to discern?

After prayerful discernment, the Church Council voted in favor of (1) shifting to one Sunday morning service and (2) for a task force to be assembled to recommend a time that would serve the needs of Holman and community. As selected and appointed by Lead Pastor, Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin and Associate Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oliver, Task Force members were:

��Michael Peters, Church Council, Witness
Debbie Bell-music ministry
Sheila Faulkp-music and education ministry
Sandra Gray-music ministry and education ministry
Fitzroy Younge-audio visual ministry-all key components of executing worship

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TASK FORCE AGENDA�EXODUS 18:20-27

PURPOSE: Discern place/space for worship/discipleship

Plan a better way to build community/belonging
Discern how to grow as a church (spiritually/numerically - we will not grow numerically if we aren’t growing spiritually.)
Determine recommendation for single worship time

OUTCOMES: One recommendation with list of options
Recommend ministries need to build out worship (with Sunday time frames)
Recommend structure for worship /rebuild worship committee
Communication strategy/recommended start date

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MEETING PROCESS�BASED ON PERSONAL DISCERNMENT AND FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS, THE TASK FORCE DISCERNED THREE TIMES AS MOST FEASIBLE FOR ONE SERVICE. �THE GROUP THEN EXPLORED THE BENEFITS OF EACH PROPOSED WORSHIP TIME, THE RISKS OF SCHEDULING EACH TIME AND THE CONSIDERATIONS�THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED IF THAT TIME WERE CHOSEN BY THE CHURCH COUNCIL. ��

Time	Benefits	Risks	Considerations (Factors)
9:30a.m.	Between 8:00a.m. and 11:00a.m. Early enough for broadcast recording Ministries can meet after service Rehearsals Church School Coffee Hour	Some people won’t come early or late Current church school groups (Book Talk, Adult Sunday School, etc.) would have to change times Could disrupt schedule for online worshippers at 8a.m. & possibly 11a.m. (pre-recording vs. live)	Media/streaming coordination for radio broadcast
10 a.m.	More time for Christian education to meet 8:45a.m.-9:45a.m. Sunday School Close to 8:00a.m. and 11:00a.m. Time for after worship activities (after 11:30a.m.) Early afternoon coffee/social hour	8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. members may not come Potential conflict with radio broadcast live recording. Could disrupt schedule for online worshippers at both 8a.m. & 11a.m. (pre-recording vs. live)	Radio broadcast, earliest submission 10:50a.m.? May create a time crunch.
11 a.m.	Maintain live radio broadcast Established time for one crowd 9:15a.m.-10:45a.m. Coffee Hour	Losing 8:00 a.m. crowd Trend is earlier worship times for other UMC churches and other denominations.	Could have early chapel service; Rebroadcast service from week prior for 8 a.m. YouTube viewers (Faith UMC)
	9:30a.m.-10:30a.m. Sunday School More flexibility for Christian education Potential cost savings utilities/personnel Collaborative flexibility with other churches and ministries (musicians, preachers, presenters, etc.) Opportunity for more partnerships

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FINAL TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATION FOR ONE WORSHIP SERVICE TIME: 11:00 am or 9:30 am�

11:00 am could be the least disruptive option and preserve continuity of most ministries on Sundays. While this change will impact precious members of our community, preserving care and continuity for other Sunday ministries (including current church school classes, live KJLH radio broadcast and Sunday pattern for YouTube worshippers) is important to consider.

9:30 am could be an opportunity to invite new commitment for all. Possible with coordination between various ministries and teams.�

Recommended Start Date: July 1 was discussed but not decided. The new conference year begins on July 1. Also, there is a pattern of lower worship attendance throughout the Summer months. Church could pilot one service in preparation for the Fall. August 1, 2025 was also mentioned as the Holman Choir takes sabbath for the month.

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ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS�

The Worship Committee needs to be reorganized and relaunched. The task force discerned that the worship time is not what is most important for younger generations, but the content, substance and spirit of worship must be more meaningful. A reorganized and relaunched worship committee would lead in exploring and discerning what God is calling worship to become grounded in our heritage yet open to new possibilities. ��The membership of the worship committee must include all worship related ministries including choirs, liturgists, greeters, ushers, security, audio/visual team, etc. To grow toward more Sunday worship services, we must grow in Holman members who are serving in all worship related ministries for recruitment, training and serving.�
A renewed focus on Nurture and Outreach Ministries. Pastor Victor shared his conviction that worship alone will not grow the church. Individuals and families who visit Holman for worship must be introduced to relevant ministries (small groups, community engagement opportunities, etc.) that are life-giving. If those ministries are not there, then people who find meaning in worship will visit and join worship online or by radio but will not become apart of the church as a community and not join.

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ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS�

The radio broadcast needs to be assessed and updated to best relate to the audience. Assessment of feasibility of broadcast is best with revamping of its production. For the community to know Holman is going in a new direction, we must update our media footprint online and on radio.
Holman must discern and strategize regarding ministries for the rest of the week, everything may not need to happen on Sunday.
Another service on a weeknight should be explored. Pastor Victor mentioned that to do so, we need more than one activity happening. For instance, in the past, when the Jazz services happened, there was also choir rehearsal, Disciple Bible Study and recovery groups meeting the same evening. Curating options makes having weekday services and programs cost-effective and more powerful for participants.

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THANK YOU

Lead Pastor, Rev. Victor Cyrus-Franklin and Associate Pastor, Rev. Dr. Jennifer Oliver,

Task Force members

Michael Peters, Church Council, Witness

Debbie Bell
Sheila Faulk
Sandra Gray
Fitzroy Younge