Staff Meeting: Leadership and Embracing the Essentials - Pastor Tom JJ Wood (07/01/2025)

·25 min·2 clips

Pastor Tom JJ Wood reveals why prayer, worship, Bible reading, and fellowship are the unchanging essentials for church leadership.

The episode begins with Pastor Tom JJ Wood introducing the church's core values, specifically 'embrace the essentials,' and how it applies to leadership. He identifies four consistent elements throughout church history: prayer, worship, Bible reading, and fellowship, tracing them back to first-century synagogue practices. Wood explains that these elements remain unchanged in modern churches worldwide, forming the foundation of church identity. On prayer, he emphasizes dependence on God, noting that human talent alone cannot produce life change or revival, and leaders must seek wisdom and opportunities through prayer. He references A.W. Tozer's quote about desiring revival without neglecting prayer, comparing it to Solomon prioritizing his palace over the temple. Wood shares that retired pastors consistently advise spending more time in prayer. On worship, he defines it as care for the soul and an act of humility that affirms God's supremacy, leveling differences between people. He cites Jesus' teaching that leaders lead from the abundance of their hearts, shaped by worship. On Bible reading, Wood discusses Matthew 22, where Jesus summarizes the Scriptures as loving God and loving people, noting these commandments can 'hang' the entire weight of the Scriptures. He stresses the importance of approaching the Bible to learn how to love God and people. On fellowship, he contrasts church ministry with workplace environments, highlighting the emotional challenges of correcting loved ones. Wood shares a story about a leader who stepped away due to the toll of dealing with unrepentant people and references John Maxwell's experiences with closeness and hurt in ministry. He concludes by listing non-essentials like charisma and organizational skills, warning against prioritizing them over the core essentials, and prays for leaders to focus on what truly matters.

As heard by us

A staff devotional on worship's role in a leader's inner life.

This Word of Life AG devotional takes the church value "embrace the essentials" into the inner life of leadership. Prayer, worship, Bible reading, and fellowship are framed as enduring essentials, but worship receives the closest attention.

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Why you'd press play

When leadership starts feeling heavier than discipleship, press play for a worship-centered reset.

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