I love production. I love live event production. I love post-production. I might even enjoy preproduction. To me, there are few things better than the thrill when a mix comes together—or a beautiful lighting look or a sweeping jib shot. I love it when we can collaborate with creative artists to make something from nothing.
Our team had an evening where we gathered our production volunteers from all around the church to celebrate all that they had done and all that God had done through them in the past year. In preparation, I wanted to make sure that the night was worth coming to and that our amazing volunteers knew how much we valued them and their contributions. So, I started wracking my brain to figure out a way to communicate all this. I came across a verse in 1 Corinthians that I have read a hundred times, but felt I had never seen it before.
Check out 1 Corinthians 12:4-7:
4 there are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit distributes them.
5 there are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 there are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same god at work.
7 now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good.
I love that God created each of us uniquely, and that the way I am created was for production. Like I said earlier, I love production. But this isn't all that this verse is saying. Not only has God created us each with unique gifts, but he is calling us to use those gifts to accomplish a particular task.
That particular task is the common good. God created the church to be his body on this earth. Collectively, we are his representation of Christ to the world. So the way that God gifted me is for building up his body … his church. He didn't create you or me so specifi cally because he thought it would be cool for us to have something to do, although that's a part of it. God created you and me this way so that we could leverage those gifts for his kingdom. He wanted all of us to be fully who he created us to be for the benefi t of the world through the local church.
Being a production person by itself isn't enough. It isn't enough that I love being a production person. God has called us to step up into being production people for the common good of his body, the church.
Here's the other amazing thing about the way God designed his church to function: the church isn't fully what it needs to be without your part. Without you bringing all of yourself to the table, the church is less effective. Your church will not reach its full potential without you stepping into your full potential as a technical artist in your church.
God designed for all the gifts to be collected together in this thing called the church, and that he would leverage all the gifts to help change the world.
Are you using your gift because you love production stuff and your church is a good outlet for that? Or are you maxing out your gift at your church because you know that God has chosen to need it for the greater good of his body functioning properly?
What we get to do is cool. The equipment we are privileged to work with is pretty awesome. Those things alone aren't the fullness of what God has called us to. Use your gift beyond your own fulfillment—and help make the body of Christ reach its maximum potential.
So what is enough? Be fully who God created you to be and leverage it for the greater good of your congregation.
