If you've been in church production for any length of time, there is a pretty good chance this has happened to you: You're sitting in a service planning meeting and whoever is in charge starts throwing out crazy ideas of what they want to happen on the weekend. For example, a friend of mine had his pastor ask to be able to have graphics appear in the air, then sweep them away and bring new ones on. You know, like in Iron Man. My friend had to explain to him that the technology he was referring to doesn't actually exist. It's a movie, not real life. The pastor then asked how much it would cost to do something like that. He was serious.
Grumpy Old Tech Guys
It's easy to see how tech guys can get the reputation for being grumpy. Someone comes to us with an idea like that and the full expectation that we can pull it off. This weekend. With no budget. Or staff. Our natural reaction is to get upset and start explaining to them how clueless they are and why it can't work.
Now, I understand that those kind of requests can be frustrating. But getting upset and telling everyone off won't help you or the church in the long run. What we have to do is find a way to bridge the gap between expectations and reality, between what our creative directors want and what can actually be accomplished within time and budget constraints. Doing that and making everyone involved feel like they are being listened to and appreciated can be a challenge, but it is possible. There are several things to keep in mind when something like this comes up.
It Happens to All of Us
Many times, we can feel like no one else has to put up with these crazy requests. We're pretty sure no one has ever asked for two huge crosses on the stage for this weekend. And it's already Thursday. You might think that no other worship leader has ever asked for a band that requires almost twice as many inputs as we have on the console. Trust me. They have.
So take courage in knowing that this crazy stuff comes up in many churches. If nothing else, know that other technical leaders are dealing with the same kinds of weird requests. I find just knowing that makes it more tolerable.
They Don't Know How Hard This Is
One of the downsides to what we do is that we often make it look easy. And our church leaders really have no idea how hard and time-consuming even a normal weekend is. It doesn't occur to the average pastor that the technical team working that big conference he went to last month was probably larger than the entire staff at your church. They also had several months to plan and prepare, along with a sizable budget.
But remember, their job is not your job. So when they come up with a crazy-creative idea that would make for an amazing sermon illustration or special service, they are not trying to make your life miserable. They simply don't know how hard it is. I say this not as criticism of them, but for your benefit. If we fly off the handle at them for coming up with this idea, it creates unnecessary tension.
People tend to think that others are like them. And you may not have noticed this yet, but you are not like other people. We technical types will start working out in our heads all the things that it will take to pull off one of those wild, out-there ideas before we even hear the end. Most people don't do that. They just have a cool idea.
No one likes being around someone who says, “No,” to everything. My friend Van Metchske says we are sometimes labeled as “dream killers” because we are always saying no to our pastor's dreams. It's no wonder there tends to be an undercurrent of distrust and tension between the tech team and the rest of the staff.
Find Out What the Real Goal Is
If we accept the premise that simply saying, “No,” or, “Yes, but…” every time is not the best response, what then shall we do? I've found the best way to respond to a request like that is to hear them out. I learned to love to start thinking about the possibilities. Usually, they are very excited when telling us about it, so I try to respond with, “Yeah, that would be cool!” After hearing them out—and it's important to hear them out…all the way—then we can start asking questions.
Our tendency is to begin telling them all the reasons why that can't happen. We don't have enough time/people/budget/talent. The technology doesn't actually exist. But remember, most people aren't like us. They don't want to know why something can't be done. They want to see their dream realized. So try to figure out what they actually want to accomplish. In the aforementioned example, the pastor who wanted Iron Man-style air graphics, really just wanted to be able to put some words up in front of people then add to them. Rather than just saying, “No, that was a movie, it doesn't actually exist…” my friend added, “…but I can come up with something that will get the point across.”
Find a Solution That Accomplishes the Goal
Again, we have to keep in mind that your pastor doesn't want to know why something can't be done. They simply want to get across their idea. If we can help them unpack what it is they are trying to communicate, we can figure out a way to accomplish it without killing ourselves.
Before telling them all the reasons why we can't mic a 50-piece orchestra that won't even fit in our room that only seats 350, and besides it's only three weeks before Easter and we don't possibly have enough time to pull this off (deep breath…), find out why they want a 50-piece orchestra in the first place. Maybe they just want a more full, classic sound for Easter. There are ways to make that happen that are possible.
If your pastor wants an Andy Samberg-style video every weekend, you need to have a conversation about the process that it takes to produce it. Invite them along on a shoot and edit so they can learn how time-intensive it is. Find out what they want to communicate and find a way to accomplish it without killing yourself.
All this advice is based on the idea that we don't start with, “No,” but that we're finding a way to have a constructive conversation that ends with everyone feeling like they win, including you.
Remember, this is the fun stuff. This is why we do what we do—to pull off the impossible; to make things happen that most only dream about; to create something from nothing. Give the ideas a chance, and work together toward a solution.
