Weekly Staff Meeting
Over the years, I have been asked, “so what do y’all do during the week?” and in part, I think that comes from this misconception that my staff and I only work on Sunday or one other day of the week. So, I figured I would provide you with a little insight at what happens during the week when we gather as a staff. For us, the best day to meet and work through an overview of Sunday and weekly responsibilities is Tuesday morning.
Personally, this works best for me not because I take Monday’s off, but simply because I’m not at my best on Monday. I still work by addressing administrative responsibilities and getting started on the next sermon, but I’m not in the best condition to have meetings on Mondays. Additionally, my staff is either part-time or a volunteer so they have other work responsibilities that call their attention on Monday.
Once we get together on Tuesday and brew all of the coffee, we have a “launching pad” system that we work through. I say “launching pad” because we don’t always stick to it. On occasion, other things come up or our meetings may be much more brief depending on what our week looks like.
DEVOTION
The first thing we do is have a staff devotion and this is led by someone on the team. It’s usually based on whatever it is they’re reading in Scripture and if it’s their turn to lead our devotion, they come prepared with a few short questions and we engage the Word through discussion, encouragement, and prayer for one another. This is always a beneficial and fruitful time because it helps us draw closer to one another as we draw closer to Christ through His word.
SUNDAY OVERVIEW
The next part of our time together is walking and working through everything that went well and not so well on Sunday mornings. We will work through logistics within our team communication and liturgy. For instance, the last several months has consisted of a discussion centered around our Sunday morning liturgy, led by Eric, and we worked through purpose, planning, and execution for the Sunday gathering. And, in other areas, logistics regarding our communication with volunteer teams is always something we’re trying to improve or the experience parents receive upon checking their kids in for Storehouse Kids. All of these elements to the Sunday gathering are discussed, torn apart, and worked through each week.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
This portion of our time has everything to do with follow up or follow through. In other words, if there are work responsibilities that involve everyone and we need to put our heads together or simply and collectively work through classes, communication, or other areas of ministry that need attention, we hammer it out in this section. It’s all about taking ownership of your area of ministry and creating follow up with teams and volunteers or following through with whatever you need to get done.
CELEBRATION AND CALENDAR REVIEW
I must admit, we do a terrible job of celebrating and demonstrating thanksgiving when it comes to slowing down and praising God for His work and faithfulness in and through the life of our church. So, we take time to work through and praise God for all that He is doing or has done in specific areas of our church. Shortly after this time of praise, we look at our calendar and remind everyone of what we have coming up over the next 4-6 weeks. This keeps us all on the same page.
CLOSING PRAYER
Once we’re done working through everything, have our responsibilities for the week, and jump on the same page we break up into different areas of the office and get to work in our individual ministries, working together regularly while at the same time maximizing the time together. Our staff meeting lasts about an hour and a half, but we’re at the office all day for the most part.
As I mentioned, since the majority of the staff team is either part-time or a volunteer, we have all dedicated ourselves to Tuesday to be together, have a bunch of laughs, and also work in our areas of ministry. For some, Tuesday may be the only day (apart from Sunday) that they can put forth this kind of time due to their other job responsibilities.
We have worked through so many different forms of staff meetings in the last four years and it takes time to find a schedule that works for everyone along with a team rhythm and dynamic. When we first replanted the church, our staff team met on Saturday mornings, then we moved to Tuesday evenings, and then we tried Sunday afternoons, and finally after all of the changes we were able to land and commit to Tuesday mornings and that’s where we’ve been for the last year and a half.
I’d love to hear what you and your team do. And if there are any follow up questions or comments, I’d love to hear them. I’m always interested in what other churches are working through with their teams.
