By Anthony D. Coppedge

You're the only staff or volunteer person who shows up week in and week out. Every rehearsal, every service, every event, every Easter, every Christmas–you're the one making the tech happen. Oh sure, others help out occasionally, but if you're not there, things go wrong. You have to be there, right?

Anthony D. Coppedge

Or maybe you're in a church where the demands and expectations from the leadership are unrealistic. You have some gear, so they think you have all you need. You have a few volunteers, so what's the problem? They change things on you last minute, but that's why you're the expert–you're supposed to know how to fix things and make it work, right?

And quite possibly the aggravation of working with people who don't understand what you do, nor what it takes to do things well while walking on eggshells around ego-centric musicians or leaders has you stressed out. Suck it up, right?

Wrong, on all three counts!

I was asked a question recently about burnout:
"I have heard tech folks at churches use the term burnout frequently. How would you define burnout? What are its symptoms? What are its remedies, both for the 'burnt out' individual and for the church that 'burns out' people?"

Wow, is that a terrific set of questions or what?! I'm going to answer his question in hopes of helping out the folks in the trenches of technical ministry.

What is 'Burnout'?

Dictionary.com defines burnout like this:
"Physical or emotional exhaustion, especially as a result of long-term stress or dissipation." I'd add to that spiritual exhaustion, because I think that it's the main reason that media personnel experience burnout.

Understanding Burnout

Spiritual Exhaustion
The technical ministry is often one filled with people who don't want to attend a Sunday school, small group meeting or Bible study. Many of these folks would rather click a mouse, spin a knob or push a button than talk with people about God's Word. "Hey, no one asks me to quote Bible verses when I'm mixing sound," say people I've talked to before.

The technical ministry is perhaps the one ministry where it's easy to hide from spiritual discussions. Yet this is robbing us of personal growth, a closer relationship with the God who loves you, and a stronger sense of mission and purpose for the tech team. We can no longer afford to ask our volunteers to serve unless we serve them with spiritual food, too! Any tech leader should read this, memorize it and print it out:
The technical ministry is not about the tech. It's about the people behind the tech.

Emotional Exhaustion
Volunteers are often set up to fail, and fail spectacularly. Churches–even large ones– rarely provide adequate or consistent training for their staff and volunteers. Instead, it's simply assumed that we'll somehow get better without knowing exactly how to get from where we are to where we need to be. This puts a real toll on media technicians who feel the pressure to make everything work flawlessly week in and week out but who do not have the proper training, planning, or practice to produce effective results.

The result? People get tired of sitting in the booth when the audience turns around because of feedback. They get tired of being told by a frustrated music minister that there's not enough monitor volume even though the monitors are creating more volume in the room than the PA system. They are emotionally spent when the pastor makes a snide remark about the problems with the technical team on a Sunday morning during service.

The stress of having to perform without the right tools, the right training, and the right amount of preparation wipe out volunteers who are under appreciated, and not shown the love they need.

Physical Exhaustion
If you're serving more than twice a month in a volunteer capacity, you're serving too often. We need a break. We need to experience corporate worship. We need to unplug from the matrix of tech volunteering and focus on the message, not the medium.

"But we don't have enough technical volunteers, so I have to be here," some try to explain. You have not because you ask not. Every person in your church has a sphere of influence. That is your starting point: asking those who you know are not serving regularly (or at all). And I'm not just talking about pew-sitters, either. We all have unchurched friends who share some of our same interests. We can invite them to come and observe the tech operations and see if it piques their interest. In addition to growing your ranks, you also get people involved in church, as attendance outside of volunteering should be required for every member of the tech team.

Anthony Coppedge provides consulting to churches for developing and growing a media ministry, building teams, casting vision and even choosing the right equipment. He lives in Bedford, Texas and can be reached at anthony@anthonycoppedge.com.

AKG Acoustics introduces the WMS 450 wireless system, available with AKG microphones C5, D5, and C555 MicroMic. This patented technology offers a clear sound quality particularly useful for live sound, house of worship, and conference applications. The WMS 450 offers auto setup of up to 12 channels per frequency band and a programmable status display with two-color backlight.

“The WMS 450 system represents the latest in AKG wireless microphone technology,” explained Klaus Hitzenberger, product manager, AKG Acoustics. “Offering the option of C5 or D5 capsules, mesh cap, and a road-tested finish, the WMS 450 delivers audio transmission and sound quality in a reliable unit. The WMS 450 system simply sounds better.”

The complete WMS 450 wireless system consists of the SR 450 stationary receiver, HT 450 handheld transmitter, and the PT 450 pocket transmitter. Featuring a rugged finish metal case, the SR 450 provides the widest frequency range, and highest S/N ratio in its class. The HT 450 handheld transmitter is available as a D5 dynamic microphone or C5 condenser microphone version. The HT 450 also offers a spring steel elastic wire mesh cap for safe protection of the capsule element.

Both the HT 450 and the PT 450 are configured through infrared data download from the receiver. They also feature a new hardwearing finish for professional applications. Additionally, WMS 450 provides a patented battery status display with an operating time up to eight hours on one AA battery.

The WMS 450 is available in five packages: the Vocal Set D5 featuring the D5 dynamic microphone element; the Vocal Set C5 available with the C5 condenser microphone element; the Headworn Set featuring the new C555 MicroMic headset; the Guitar Set optimized for portable instruments; and the Presenter Set for professional presentations as well as broadcast and theatre applications.

All packages are compatible with the CU 400 charging unit for plug-in charging with two universal charging slots for the PT 450 and HT 450 transmitters. The CU 400 offers a full charge in less than two hours. For multi-channel applications the WMS 450 can be complimented with the accessories of the WMS 4000 System.

URL: www.akg.com

ELATION EWDMX WIRELESS DMX SYSTEM

Elation has brought DMX control into the wireless realm with the introduction of the EWDMX system. Consisting of a transmitter and one or more receivers, the wireless DMX control system eliminates the need for DMX cables at a range of up to 3,000 feet.
 
The EWDMXT wireless transmitter connects to a DMX-512 controller via 3-pin or 5-pin XLR plugs. The transmitter sends all DMX data from the controller to the EWDMXR wireless receiver, which can be linked via XLR directly into the first light fixture in the DMX daisy chain. One EWDMXT transmitter can be used with up to 1,000 EWDMXR receivers, so user can expand or slim down their wireless DMX control systems to fit virtually any lighting setup.
 
Thanks to its advanced Adaptive Frequency Hopping Technology (FHSS), the EWDMX system will perform in environments where other wireless products are being used. This is because, using FHSS, the system changes frequencies up to 1,000 times per second, jumping to channels that are not in use by other wireless systems or products on the 2.45 GHz band. Together with Time Division Multiple Access, this technology allows users interference-free operation.
 
Director of Sales for Elation Professional, Eric Loader said, “The EWDMX system was recently used at the 2007 InfoComm Show Awards Ceremony, and even though there were 10 wireless microphones in the room, the DMX signal remained strong, clear and uninterrupted.”

“And since the system has full 512-channel DMX capability, it’s capable of doing anything that you can do with your regular DMX light board,” added Loader.
 
The EWDMXT wireless transmitter and EWDMXR wireless receiver come with mounting brackets and safety cables for easy installation on lighting truss or in the lighting control area. Each includes a user manual. In addition, a 120-volt power supply comes with each unit.
 
The EWDMXT wireless transmitter measures 5-inch x 6.5-inch x 1.5-inch and weighs 1.6 pounds. EWDMXR wireless receiver also measures 5-inch x 6.5-inch x 1.5-inch and weighs 1.6 pounds.
 
For more information, contact Elation Professional at (866) 245-6726 or visit their web site.

URL: www.elationlighting.com

Designed to add high-end A/V capabilities to any classroom or conference room, the VSA-31 integrates A/V switching, projector control, video transmission over UTP, and audio amplification in one package. The VSA-31 is comprised of a transmitter, configured as a 4-gang wallplate, and a small receiver. The transmitter provides individual buttons for selecting among two PCs or a TV (S-Video or Composite) source. It sends the selected input signal to a receiver via 2 Category 5 cables up to 750 feet (230 m) away. The system features a built-in stereo audio amplifier with volume control to drive 4 or 8 Ohm speakers directly. The VSA-31 also issues control commands to projectors or LCDs for power on/off and source selection.

The Model VSA-31 supports resolutions up to 1600 x 1200 and features automatic long-cable compensation for any length of UTP cable to 750 feet (230 m). No power supply is needed for the wallplate since power is supplied via the Cat5 cables from the remote unit. In addition to the 12 watt amplified stereo outputs, the remote receiver provides line-level audio for connection to an external audio amp if required.

For additional information please contact Hall Research Technologies at (800) 959-6439 or visit their web site.

URL: www.Mini-Cat.com

BULK Duracell & Energizer BATTERIES for Church Wireless Mics. Alkaline 9V as low as .93 cents; Alkaline AA as low as .31 cents. Batteries are IN STOCK and SHIP FAST. Visit www.medicbatteries.com and check out our VOLUME DISCOUNTS. See why we are the most popular church battery supplier.