Evening services did not arise until the advent of gas lamps, which readily allowed lighting of night meetings. This began primarily in cities, first in England, then spreading to America. With the gas lamp it became easy for businesses and entertainments to be open in the evening, certainly a draw for people on a Sunday evening. The evening service's chief purpose was to provide a beneficial alternative to these other secular Sunday evening activities. Many considered it a prime opportunity for evangelism. By the late 19th century, still primarily in cities, the focus of these evening meetings was sometimes narrowed to young people in particular. For example, the Bible studies and discipleship training of these meetings grew into the Baptist Young People's Union (subsequently the Training Union and Baptist Student Union).
Widespread use of electricity, especially combined with the automobile as an easier and faster form of transportation, provided the catalyst for bringing the evening service to rural churches. In fact, some isolated circuit pastors now started holding a morning service in one church and then an evening service in another. Evening meetings, in rural settings, tended to be for the whole church, without the initial evangelism or the youth emphasis found in metropolitan areas. As such they echoed another unspoken aspect of the popularity of these services, regardless of where they were held, namely their alternative social aspects. Prior to our era of modern media, commuting, day cares, children's programs, dual income parents, etc., families tended to have a lot more "together" time. An excuse to have social interaction outside of the common daily circle was another compelling motive for an extra church service.
