What should church do? What's expected of me? Am I involved enough?
At some point, every person who attends a church asks these types of question in one way or another. For the most part, it's been our experience that this question can go unanswered, for whatever reason. We'll try to answer some of those in as brief a way as possible, hopefully giving you a better snapshot of Bay West.
What is a church and what should a church do?
A "church" is not a building. To call a church a building would be like calling your family a two-story, brick house. The house may house your home, but your home is wherever your family resides...the house just is a building. In the same way, the church is a group of people.
As to what a church does, a "church" is a body of believers that help people to love God, love others and learn to serve the world around you to bring honor and glory to Christ. That's our aim and how Bay West is purposely constructed.
What's expected of me?
This answer is found in our name, Bay West...or just the Bay part, to make it easy.
B - Be here.
When you are in town, be as consistent with our worship services as possible. Why? Because the songs, Biblical teaching and experiences we plan in that hour are all designed to help you learn to love God more.
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Heritage High School, 10am on Sunday mornings, that's the time of our worship gathering. Click here for directions
A - Among friends.
Small group bible studies are crucial. You can't really develop strong community in a large group setting. Our small groups, or LifeGroups, are designed for you to get to know friends in our church, people that you know are trying to live for Christ that you can be honest with and through the group, support each other in this tough task. The Bible studies aren't lectures, they are designed for you to share what God is telling you, allowing you to help others along as they help you. These groups are really designed to help you learn to love others more.
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Click here to learn about our Lifegroup choices.
Y - Your part.
We expect EVERYONE who attends to lend a hand. We believe that like a sponge who soaks up water and is never squeezed out, those who attend church can become sour and bitter if they never learn to put into practice the life-giving truths from God's Word. One way we do that is expecting everyone to lend a hand first in the administration of our church. Whether it's being a greeter, a part of our early setup team, a hero in KidZone or part of our worship team, everyone is expected to plug in and not just for the practical reasons of accomplishing tasks. We believe that habits are transferrable, and when you develop the habit of serving others, for the cause of Christ, that spills over into the rest of your life, helping to accopmplish God's purpose in the world and to accomplish God's purpose in you. Here is the training facility of church, you develop your habit of serving the world.
After Jesus had served his disciples by washing their feet
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
John 13:12-17
Here are a list of Ministries and leaders that you can contact to serve
Onstage Worship Team ()
Media & Tech Team (r)
KidZone (Bevan Brennan, Children's Leader)
First Impressions (Rhonda Lackey, FIT Leader)
Lifegroup leader/host ( - Adults 35 & over)
Setup Team (John Lackey, Bob Osterholm - setup team leaders)
Community Impact Team (Justin Alston, CIT Leader)
Am I involved enough?
Our aim is not to create a culture where people spend all their time at church, but all their lives being Christ followers, wherever they are.
The goal at Bay West is to send people out of the church into the world, prepared and mature to take the message of Jesus to those around them. We've tried to streamline things...worship, small group and service are the expectations of involvement here...the rest is as you have time. In the interest of being good stewards of our influence that God has given each of us, we want you living and speaking to others about the truth of Christ, in your jobs, hobbies, leadership roles, teams, recreation and your neighborhoods.
