What to Expect

A typical Sunday service format at Westgate Baptist might look something like this:

  • Our service begins with the public reading of Scripture in order to honor (1 Timothy 4:13)
  • We then engage in congregational prayer in order to elevate our Lord’s words that “My house will be called a house a prayer.” (Matthew 21:13 cf. Isaiah 56:7)
  • We sing traditional and modern hymns all with a care towards having a “distinct sound” and not sound like the music of the world. (Romans 12:1-2; I John 2:15-17)
  • We publicly confess our understanding of “The Gospel,” read aloud by all in attendance.
  • We celebrate the Lord’s Supper each week, as instructed by the Lord in I Corinthians 11:26 and as illustrated by the early church in Acts 2:46.
  • We worship through giving tithes and offerings which are received voluntary in offering plates at the rear of the auditorium. (I Corinthians 16:2; II Corinthians 9:6-7)
  • Our Sunday morning preaching primarily consists of verse-by-verse study through a book of the Bible by a qualified elder/teacher.
  • After the morning service we all share a meal together and enjoy fellowship after the meal.
  • We have a brief second time of teaching and conversation after the meal.

One important difference you will find in the Sunday morning experience comes from our convictions to keep families together during the service. This can be quite different for many visitors.

While we are welcoming and encourage togetherness, we wouldn’t want to be misunderstood as child-centered. We do encourage all families to train even their littlest ones to learn to sit quietly, and in that way be a blessing to the entire body.

A key phrase to keep in mind is that “age-integration means active parenting.” Because of our commitment to have our children be a part of all that we do, we also share a conviction that parents are never “off-duty” but instead are constantly shepherding their children’s hearts either with intentionality, or by abdication. None of us are perfect parents, nor do any of us have perfect children. But, we are all striving by grace to be a conduit of God’s goodness to our children.