Top Ten Reasons to Attend Evening Worship

Herein lies that which all the beauty of the world fades before, and becomes as a thing of nought,—which brings all the outward pomp of ceremonious worship into contempt;—I mean the glory and excellence that lies in the spiritual communion of the soul with God, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, in that heavenly intercourse which is between God and his saints in their worship, by this means.

 That’s how John Owen (1616–83) expressed “The Nature and Beauty of Gospel Worship” for us in the New Covenant (The Works of John Owen, 9:73). Christians would say “Amen!” to this as they enter and depart their Sunday morning services. If it’s true that the Triune God of grace meets with us on Sunday morning, why not on Sunday evening?

Why attend Sunday evening worship? Over the years here at Oceanside United Reformed Church, I’ve taught God’s people publicly and privately (Acts 20:20) to worship the Triune God of grace every Lord’s Day morning and evening. As a pastor in a federation of churches that is rooted in the Dutch Reformation, having a second service (most commonly held in the evening) is “just what we do.” As the character Tevye sung, “Tradition!” It’s a part of our ethos and practice of faith. In fact, the second (evening) service is so important that the document that regulates our life together as churches—our Church Order—requires every United Reformed congregation to hold a second service (article 37). Only the time of this service is left to each congregation. As a pastor of such a church, I have read lots of articles and listened to lots of sermons on this subject. One example is Kevin DeYoung’s, “Don’t Give up on the Evening Service.”

If you live in Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista or anywhere in North County San Diego, here are my Top Ten Reasons to Attend Evening Worship with us. These reasons are not exhaustive and they apply to our particular context, but the principles should be applicable to any who may read this.

May God move his people in our time to sanctify the Christian Sabbath, leading to a renewal of evening worship.

1. God’s Presence in Worship

God promises to be present in our midst in public worship unlike anywhere else. Christ is “in the midst” of the gathered church, addressing us by his Word and ministering to us by his Spirit (Matt. 18:20). It’s here that we may “draw near” with confidence (Heb. 10:19–22) and experience God, as he promises to be found.

2. Bookends

Evening worship is a practical help for us to “bookend” the Lord’s Day in a distinctly Christian way—beginning and ending the day as a delight with God rather than treating Sunday as merely a morning obligation (Isa. 58:13–14).

3. Teaching Our Children

When we attend evening worship with our children, we lay a foundation for them to sanctify the Lord’s Day and be evening attenders as well when they grow up. King Solomon told his son to guard his heart so that from it would flows abundant waters (Prov. 4:23). Evening worship is a simple, weekly reset for the heart and antidote to our habits that are shaped more by fatigue, entertainment, or busyness than by Christ.

4. Going Back for “Seconds”

Since the Word of God is the food for nourishing our faith and strengthening our souls, we devote ourselves (Acts 2:42) to returning in the evening like going back for seconds at the Father’s table. Check out our recent 2025 evening sermon series with Pastor Danny entitled “Sunday Seminary.”

5. More Bible, More Christ

We also read through the inspired Old and New Testaments together in both morning and evening services, sometimes with whole chapters from each (2 Tim. 3:16). We can read the Bible on our own, but doing so together is an intentional rhythm that presses Christ and his promises more deeply into the mind and heart.

6. Psalms as the Church’s Prayerbook

In our evening service, we especially emphasize singing through the biblical Psalms together to allow the word of Christ to dwell in us richly (Col. 3:16). Regular psalm-singing trains our emotions and language in Scripture, giving God’s people words for joy, lament, repentance, and hope that endure beyond Sunday. We do this buy singing and praying through the Psalms in order, with several Psalms every Sunday evening.

7. Reclaiming Historic Practice

Gathering twice on the Lord’s Day is not a novelty, but the practice of the historic church, Our evening service is based on the historic liturgy of evening prayer from the Protestant Reformation, which goes back to the ancient church. Assembling in this way gives us a sense of the communion of the saints through the ages, and with those we rejoice with today (Heb. 10:24–25).

8. Prayerful Liturgy

An evening service shaped by biblically-saturated, ancient prayers teaches us to bring the whole world before God and to learn, over time, the steady vocabulary of reverent petition and praise (1 Tim. 2:1). When we pray together at evening worship, it gives us a sense of transcendence.

9. Bearing Burdens

In evening worship, we also spend time bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). We lift up prayer requests and prayers for each other in each other’s midst. By naming needs and lifting them to our Father together, we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Rom. 12:15). Shared prayer turns private struggles into congregational care, reminding each member that they are not alone.

10. Deepening Fellowship

Finally, since there is no Sunday school afterwards, returning in the evening quietly strengthens congregational unity: the same people, again, aligning their week around one confession and one Lord (Phil. 1:27). This gives us more time to fellowship, encourage, and enjoy each other’s presence after the evening service while our kids run around.

Is there a church near me in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Vista, and North County San Diego that believes Sunday is the Lord’s Day and seeks to practically honor that by having morning and evening services? Yes! And you’re invited to join us at both of our services here at Oceanside United Reformed Church—Sundays at 10:00am & 5:00pm (12:00pm in the summer months of June–August).