WORSHIP LEADERS
THE GIFT OF A FIFTH SUNDAY | Matt Miller
Photo by Pedro Lima on Unsplash
MAKING ROOM FOR YOUR WORSHIP TEAM TO REST— AND WORSHIP WITH THEIR FAMILIES. September has a way of filling every empty square on the calendar. School is back. Fall ministries are launching. Christmas planning is somehow already a conversation.
For worship teams, all of that happens while Sunday keeps showing up right on schedule. We love serving. We believe in what we do. But between rehearsals, early arrivals, soundchecks, and the last conversation before leaving, our families can experience a very different Sunday morning than the people we’ re leading.
Sometimes, the person helping everyone else worship with their family rarely gets to worship beside their own.
That deserves our attention.
And the calendar gives us a simple opportunity to do something about it: the fifth Sunday.
GIVE THAT EXTRA SUNDAY A PURPOSE Many churches already use fifth Sundays for something different— a family service, testimonies, or a special gathering. Typically, there are four each year, although some years have five.
What if we intentionally used those Sundays to invite a guest worship leader and give our entire platform team the morning off?
Our vocalists. Our instrumentalists. Our music director. And yes, the worship leader who insists everything will fall apart without them.( Preaching to myself here.)
You know who you are. You may even be reading this while updating Planning Center.
A fifth Sunday can become a predictable gift: a morning when the people who regularly lead the church can sit among the church and receive.
MAKE IT A REAL SUNDAY OFF There’ s an important detail in this idea: bringing in a guest worship leader doesn’ t automatically give your team a break.
If the guest needs your regular drummer, bass player, keyboardist, and vocalists, you’ ve changed who’ s leading, but most of the team still has the same responsibilities.
Plan for complete coverage.
That might mean inviting a guest leader who brings a small team. It might mean a trusted acoustic duo. It could be a partnership with another church that has enough depth to help.
The music doesn’ t have to sound exactly like your normal Sunday. A simpler arrangement may be what makes this possible.
And“ off” needs to include the responsibilities surrounding the service. No required rehearsal that week. No early arrival to help the guest get
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