TUCSON, Ariz. — As a first-time lead pastor who formerly served as a worship pastor, Aaron Petre is bringing both experiences together to the benefit of small churches in his city and state.

Petre’s background spans that from large congregations to his current role leading Enchanted Hills Baptist in Tucson, which averages 50-70 for Sunday worship. He has led cross-denominational worship conferences for 500 attendees as well as similar, smaller gatherings on behalf of the Arizona Mission Network (AMN).

On July 27, Enchanted Hills will host a one-day worship workshop for local churches of similar size.

“We’ve invited six to seven churches to attend,” said Petre, 48. “This is for anyone on the worship team, not just the leader.”

The importance of worship became apparent to Petre as a student. Youth Sundays meant a different energy and guitars making an appearance on stage. He had taken piano lessons as a kid, but Petre added the guitar to his repertoire in high school. He continued playing his junior and senior years when his parents became missionaries and moved the family to South Korea.

That time brought opportunities to lead worship. By 1998 his family had moved to Tucson where Petre helped with a church plant through 22nd Street Baptist Church. After accepting a call to the ministry, he went on to a Florida church as a full-time worship minister. That church grew from 120 to 300 before Petre moved back to Tucson as 22nd Street’s youth and worship pastor from 2012-2019.

Enchanted Hills has a worship pastor in Jason Boley, whose leadership Petre supplements with his own experience.

“When I serve on team at my church, I’m under the worship pastor,” he said. “Our church is led by a group of three elders. Two are also pastors – one worship and one youth – alongside a lay elder. Ever since COVID, I’m the only paid staff member. All the others have jobs and volunteered to stay on without pay.”

Petre’s background includes working with other denominations and evangelical groups. It wasn’t until taking a Baptist heritage class at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary that his desire to be a Southern Baptist pastor was ensured.

“It made me want to be more involved in our convention and our state,” he said. “My prayers changed to asking God where he wanted me to plant a Southern Baptist church in Arizona.”

It also opened the door to realizing how the Cooperative Program benefitted his and others’ ministry.

In Florida, Petre had attempted establishing a worship training network but it was unable to get off the ground. Support from the AMN as well as Catalina Baptist Association helped establish the Tucson Worship Conference, where attendance reached 500. Foothills Baptist Church in Arizona called Petre in to lead a training event for its team late last year. Desert Pines Baptist Association and First Baptist of Pinetop funded another training event this winter.

Arizona Baptists and Catalina Baptist Association are funding the upcoming event hosted by Enchanted Hills Baptist Church.

The goal of Saturday’s training is to “amplify excellence and collaboration in worship,” said Petre. Areas that may be addressed include unity as a team and with the church, pursuing excellence in worship, guiding others into an encounter with God and understanding that each person involved – even tech – is part of leading worship.

“We want to encourage other worship pastors through this,” Petre said. “Quality is so important. It’s better to have one or two taking it seriously than a band that isn’t connected to God.”

This story has been republished with permission from Baptist Press.

Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.