Church Anniversary Sunday

Definition and Meaning

Church Anniversary Sunday is a Sunday that commemorates the day a local church was first established. It is also called a "church founding anniversary." It is not a common observance of the church year; rather, it is an anniversary that each church sets and keeps according to its own history. Typically, on the Sunday closest to the founding date, the church holds a "Founding Anniversary Service" marking the number of years since its establishment.

Churches also differ in what they count as the founding date. Some use the day of their first worship service; others choose the day their establishment was recognized by a higher body such as a presbytery or a district conference. Still others use the day the sanctuary was dedicated.

Biblical and Historical Background

Scripture contains no command to observe the founding date of an individual church. Many churches, however, explain the significance of this Sunday by connecting it to several biblical motifs.

• The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2 is commonly understood as the beginning of the church.
• Samuel's setting up of a stone to commemorate a victory and naming it Ebenezer ("stone of help") (1 Samuel 7:12) is often cited as a model for confessing that the path traveled thus far has been made by God's help.

Historically, liturgical traditions such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church are known to observe the custom of commemorating each year the day a church or chapel was dedicated. Church anniversary Sundays in Korean Protestantism, by contrast, often place greater emphasis on the day the community of faith began than on the church building.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, Church Anniversary Sunday is marked chiefly by thanksgiving and reflection. The following commonly take place in connection with it:

• A commemorative thanksgiving service is held, and a thanksgiving offering is given.
• An ordination and installation service for elders, kwonsas (senior deaconesses), ordained deacons, and others, or a church dedication service, is scheduled to coincide with the day.
• Longtime senior members, former pastors, and daughter churches that have branched off from the congregation are invited.
• Photographs from the church's history are displayed, or a commemorative booklet is published.

In milestone years such as the 10th, 50th, or 100th anniversary, the events tend to be larger in scale. Churches founded in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries have sometimes compiled and published histories of their congregations upon reaching their centennials.

Differences among denominations are minor. Because the major denominations have not designated this Sunday as a common denominational observance, the date and format are determined by each church's governing body. In Presbyterian churches, the decision is often made by the session. In Baptist and other churches that emphasize congregational decision-making, it may be decided at a congregational business meeting. Meanwhile, church plants often regard their first-anniversary service as an occasion of special significance.