At a time when most churches are relying on online streaming, tag team preaching can be a handy tool to add variety to a weekend service. But even in a live setting, two or more people preaching at one weekend service can have other advantages.

Tag team preaching is a nice departure from the ordinary. Your audience is used to seeing one person speak each week. When there are two or more main communicators, it can make it feel more special. It’s also a great way to get other staff members involved, other ministers invested or even church members a chance to share from the stage.

Here are some ways to spotlight tag team preaching the right way. When you are intentional about the delivery, the end result can actually be more effective.

Work Together with One Main Idea

It would be a mistake to think of a tag team sermon as just two or more sermons put together for one service. For tag team preaching to be most effective, think of it as one sermon preached by two or more people. That means everyone on the team needs to work together from start to finish.

Begin with a text or idea. Study and prep together, if you can. Work back and forth sharing ideas and inspiration. And then decide which parts of the unified message will be preached by each person.

It’s true what they say, two are better than one. And that goes for preaching too.

The best way to keep a tag team sermon one unified message is to preach from one passage. You can trade off expositing the text and sharing main points, illustrations and applications. But working together can go even further.

Choose one main idea that you want to convey. Make sure that each of you repeat that main idea, preferably more than once. The more you repeat that idea, the more your audience will retain it. You can also find a thread that runs throughout the sermon. Some idea or word picture that unites the entire message, even if two or more people are speaking.

Highlight Each Speaker’s Uniqueness

Now that you’re working together to write and preach one sermon, each person’s unique voice should start to come through. And that’s a great thing. When you highlight the uniqueness of each team member, you will set yourself up for success.

Think about the unique talents you each bring to the table. Who is the better storyteller? Make sure to give them the best illustrations. Who is the best at compelling altar calls? Give them the last say in the sermon.

If you are asking staff members to step in to help with tag team preaching, don’t let this opportunity go by without highlighting their individual ministries. A sermon series on parenting, for instance, is a great chance to have the children’s pastor or student pastor share their perspective. It’s also a time that they can share about what the church is doing for their kids.

One more thing to consider is the unique testimonies you offer. Each preacher will have a story to tell from their life experiences. And no two are alike. That’s another great reason to use tag team preaching, to give your church multiple points of view.

Highlight the individual testimonies of the tag team. For instance, if one speaker is a cancer survivor, maybe they should share about the power of faith. Another may have experienced a professional setback and can talk about resilience. As you prepare your message, see how each person can give their own personal take on the passage and main idea.

Share the Stage and the Clock

Just as tag team preaching is not two sermons taped together, you shouldn’t think of it as one main speaker hosting a guest on stage. As the lead pastor or main communicator, make sure to put your partner on even ground with you. That means you share the stage and the clock.

When the other person is preaching, give them the spotlight. Don’t hover over them. In fact, if it’s possible, clear off the stage altogether and become part of the audience until it’s your turn again. Never give the other tag team partner inferior sound equipment or seating on the stage either. Let your church know that you appreciate the individual and the message they bring.

Also, share the clock. Make sure that you give them enough time to share their portion of the message. That doesn’t mean your times have to be equal, but they need to be equitable. Giving them only a few minutes when they need more is not only short-changing them, it’s short-circuiting the message you both worked hard on.

If you normally preach for 40 minutes, for instance, and you tell the other preacher they have 15 minutes to preach, that means you can’t go longer than 25 for your part. Be honest up front and be consistent in execution.

I recently spoke with an associate pastor who was invited to tag team preach at his church. He was prepared to speak for 20 minutes, but his lead pastor went too long. By the time it was his turn, he had to cut his portion down to five minutes on the fly.