How many of you can relate to this? You’re heading over to the sanctuary for the final rehearsal for the Easter production. So far, things are going smoothly. The creative team has chosen to use a smaller band than normal, so your audio volunteer hasn’t been as stressed out trying to get a good mix down. The lighting volunteer is happy, because she hasn’t had to try and light too many people with too few fixtures. In fact, you can’t remember the last time a production went this smoothly.
You enter the sanctuary, walk over to the booth and – wait a minute – there’s a large string section set up stage-left on the platform! “Where did that come from? No one told me there were going to be strings at this production. This is the last rehearsal – we’re supposed to be done by now!” Good communications between the creative department and the technical department in the Church is often lacking. This can cause stress for both groups, particularly when the goal is a large special event like an Easter production.
As Mike Walker, technical director for Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas states, “There’s a technical side and an artist side, with two different ways of approaching the goal [of putting on a production]. You may be trying to get the same result, but how you’re getting there and how you’re communicating about it ends up being a grand canyon. In the end we’re all trying to achieve the same result – to reach people. We’re just speaking different languages.”
Walker has invested a lot of effort to get information flowing between the artistic, creative department and the technical department. When first thinking about obtaining the information the technical team needs, the more “administrative”, technical mind may think about putting policies, procedures and forms into place, feeling that this will satisfy the need. However, Walker has learned that good information flows not through forms and policies, but through relationships and trust.
Walker begins by looking at the technical director role a bit differently than many of us. “A good tech director may not be the most technical person, but he can live in both worlds. He can keep from getting snowed by his tech people, but he can also live in the artist’s world and have an appreciation for that. I usually call that person a ‘glue guy’.” Thus, the technical director is more of an ambassador than a technical wizard. Communications, relationships and trust are what the technical director focuses on, and the key is to figure out how to get each side to understand each other.
Building that relationship takes time and effort. Walker compares it to a marriage – if you want to have a good relationship, only talking to the people you work with when you need something isn’t going to suffice. “It’s a relationship you have to nurture. It is going to be, at times, a roller coaster ride. Just like in any good relationship, you have to invest in it to make it work, because that’s the point when communication really starts to flow. I spend time with both my technical team and the creative department, and just talk – sometimes it has nothing to do with work. That’s part of having a relationship.”
The busy-ness of ministry can also have a detrimental effect on relationships if you’re not intentional about building them. “We get so busy doing the business of church, sometimes we miss that relationship.” Be careful not to let the tasks hinder building those relationships.
Once the relationship is established, trust can begin to be nurtured. Sometimes the cause for communication breakdown is the lack of trust – thinking the other party will not have everyone’s best interests in mind when making use of the information you give them. As Walker explains, “Learn how to communicate with the creative people, but you also need to create trust so they want to give you information because they know you’re working on their behalf. Once you establish trust, then neither [the creative nor technical people] will have a problem communicating with you.”
How do you go about creating trust? As with many things, actions speak louder than words. Walker states, “If you tell your pastor that you’re going to do X, Y and Z – you better deliver X, Y and Z. Do what you say you’re going to do.” It’s also sound biblical advice – in Matthew 5:37, Jesus tells us to “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’…” (NIV). When you tell your pastors you’ll get something done, does it happen? Does your “yes” mean “yes”?
Walker describes another way trust is often breached. “Tech people sometimes like to use tech-talk to create a snow job so they don’t have to deal with something.” This isn’t honest communication – it’s lying, plain and simple. It doesn’t honor God, and it’s only going to hurt the church in the long run. If there are technical reasons why something shouldn’t be done, explain it in clear terms the creative people can understand. When confronted with requests he feels would be detrimental, Walker explains it to the requestor through describing the costs (not necessarily financial) and consequences. If there isn’t enough time being allotted for the pre-service rehearsal, explain that yes, you can make it work, but the first ten minutes of the service might not sound very good. If that’s unacceptable to them, they know what the costs are, and should be able to understand the consequences of going forward. Above all, don’t be defensive or emotional – just state the facts.
Walker expands upon this issue of trust. “I’d bet you if you go through most church situations, in 80 – 90 percent of them there’s a level of distrust between the artists and the technical personnel. Someone’s got to bridge that gap. And when you bridge that gap, it’s magic – it really is.” He has found that once trust has been firmly established, communication starts occurring naturally. “In the process of creating trust, we’ve gotten to the point where they now say ‘we want to do this – how does it effect you guys?’”
Of course, it will never be the case that the creative department will always provide the information unprompted. After all, as the tech person, you know what affects you – not them. Walker recommends always asking probing questions – and as you’re always working towards building the relationship and improving communication, you’re going have made sure you have plenty of opportunities to do so. When you have the opportunity, ask for specific details about the upcoming event or service. “So, is this going to be a typical weekend service?” “Yes, it will.” “So, a five piece band and four vocals?” “Oh – we were going to go with 10 vocals this weekend.” “I see – we can only give you eight in-ear mixes, though.” “Oh, that won’t work – maybe we should trim it down to eight then.” Don’t just accept a vague answer and let it stand – ask more questions to make sure you both know what’s being assumed. Make sure you understand what’s being said. Walker says “I try to get them to explain it to me in a way that I can understand. Once I have a grasp of what they’re telling me, I repeat it back to them in a different manner to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Some of you may be saying, “I understand that, but they just don’t listen to me.” When asked about situations where a pastor simply won’t listen to your recommendations, Walker suggests you first assess your own attitudes. “Do you feel called to your church? If you don’t feel called there, then you shouldn’t be there in the first place. Do you feel like you’re on board with the vision of your pastor? If not, you’re in the wrong place. It may be your worship pastor is looking down at you. If that’s the case, you need to understand why. Once you know why, you can start to work on that.”
The bottom line is being good at audio or lighting is only a part of the job. Building those relationships with the artistic side of the church is where you’re going to get the biggest payoff. Walker reflects, “It is going to take time, and it may take a long time. Making that investment – there’s no better reward out there.”
[ To discuss this article online, go to www.churchproduction.net/164 ]
Jim Kumorek is the Managing Editor of Church Production Magazine. He can be reached at jkumorek@churchproduction.com.
