Worship Hosts Meet to Review Role in Worship

Beginning in 2015, we moved from having clergy lead the majority of our worship services to congregation members in leadership. We call these volunteers Liturgists (read prayers and scripture) and Worship Hosts. Each Sunday, volunteers open worship, share announcements and offer prayer. Our opening prayers and offering prayers are written by church staff members (clergy and Susan Snow, Music Director), and our Congregational Prayers are written by the Worship Hosts.

At a recent gathering of Worship Hosts, we discussed worship leadership responsibilities and ways that we can improve the worship experience. It is the goal of our Worship Team to create worship that is relevant, transformative and transcendent.

Bruce Stark serves as a
Brighton First Worship Host.

The group determined that Liturgists, who read scripture each week, could be invited to write opening prayers and offering prayers that reflected their study of the scripture. I agreed to set a date for a prayer writing workshop for all who are interested. (The term liturgist is an ancient word that refers to the person in a worship service who leads the congregation in the regular prayers of worship and reads scripture.)

The Worship Hosts also talked about the movement of worship, the most effective way to share announcements, the introduction of worship leaders at the beginning of the worship service and prayer content. After discussing the format of the new band-led worship service that will begin in the fall, the group decided that Worship Hosts will not volunteer to lead in all three worship services on one Sunday. They will either host 8:00 and 9:30 worship or host 11:00 worship.

The group was excited to welcome our newest Worship Host, a high school freshman. We plan to grow the ranks of our Liturgists and Worship Hosts in the coming months and to offer training. Recently, six members of the newly formed 11:00 band led congregation expressed interest in serving as worship hosts.

Brighton First has had rich, effective ministry through the years
because the congregation values service. It is a blessing to have talented, committed people of faith offering service to God through worship leadership.