Every Tuesday morning the West Bradenton staff gathers for a short time of worship before we begin our meetings. There is nothing elaborate about Tuesday worship. We follow a simple structure each week.
- Our worship pastor leads a song from the upcoming Sunday setlist.
- We pray for each other. Then we pray for our church requests and mission partners.
- I share the direction of my sermon for the upcoming Sunday.
Don’t let the simplicity fool you. These times are critically important. Tuesday mornings are when we find alignment as a staff through worship.
They happen every week. Worship requires discipline and preparation. The weekly rhythm of worshiping together helps our staff stay unified. Our worship time always comes first, before all our other meetings. The priority of worship helps us keep our souls in check as we lead others in the church.
We intentionally pray for a specific mission partner. We not only celebrate the work of our church locally, but we also share the celebration of God’s work globally. To be a church for all nations you must pray for all nations.
We sign notes to those who have asked us to pray. Throughout the week, our church receives many prayer requests. Our prayer team prays for these requests, but our staff also prays for them. Each time we receive a new request, we send a signed card via snail mail to the person who asked us to pray.
Our worship pastor explains why he selected certain songs. The process of selecting songs each week is highly intentional and strategic. He will explain his reasoning and teach us through the worship songs.
I explain why I’m preaching a certain text or topic. It’s good for the staff to have a heads up on the direction of a sermon. I will walk through my sermon briefly and explain my main points. The staff can then communicate to their ministry areas what to expect for the next Sunday.
When the staff is passionate about worship, often the church follows this lead. I cherish the weekly worship with our staff. Staff worship does not need to last long. Our time together is under an hour, but it’s usually one of the most important hours of the week.
Posted on June 2, 2021
As President of Church Answers, Sam Rainer wears many hats. From podcast co-host to full-time Pastor at West Bradenton Baptist Church, Sam’s heart for ministry and revitalization are evident in all he does.
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2 Comments
Bear in mind that the congregation has no one teaching them through the worship setlist.
Now that most churches have quit hymnbooks, the congregation is limited to whatever’s on the screen. Unless it’s a song they know well, they have no idea what words are coming up, or what’s the melody and meter.
If the congregation looks confused, aren’t singing, checking their phones, reading the bulletin it may be because they’ve given up trying to make sense out of what’s going on and are waiting for the sermon.
Hey Nick,
Nothing wrong with hymn books if it is what is best for your people and the demographics of the people you are reaching for Jesus.
BTW- Obviously, you know that this post was about staff meetings, but remember, if you use a hymnbook you can still do the things shared in this post. Don’t miss the point – this can be very powerful for your staff and congregation!