LCBC (Lives Changed By Christ) started with a few people meeting in a Marietta, Pa., garage. The church has grown to 14 campuses across the eastern half of Pennsylvania, with each location experiencing a unifying teaching message broadcast to each site. Leading the Central Production Team is LCBC Production Director Sean McDermott.
CPM: How did you find your way into technical ministry?
McDermott: I had a mentor in high school who asked me to consider serving in the tech booth at our student ministry. That then led me to attend Bible college and get connected with a local church in the area. Through an internship with that church, I realized God wired me for leadership and involvement with technology. Following college, the church asked me to join the student ministry team to help create environments. That was a step in a 15-year journey, in five different roles with the same church I am at today, all with various touches with technology.
CPM: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
McDermott: There are so many rewarding elements of my job. I’m honored to serve God with my vocation, using the gifts He has given me in a role that feels right. I love when several teams come together to pull off something where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And I love that our Central Production Team gets to be a part of supporting over a dozen churches across Pennsylvania, to pull off gatherings that point people towards following Jesus.
CPM: What’s your biggest challenge in your role within the church?
McDermott: There is the practical challenge of keeping equipment up-to-date and operational, but the biggest challenge is people development. In a growing organization, as a leader I need to make sure I am growing myself. If next year I haven’t actually grown any of the needed skills for my role, I’ll be behind the curve. I’ve realized as the leader of our team, my goal is to spend less time focusing on the tech and much more time on my influence and character.I also get to help our team develop to handle the challenges we’ll face months and years from now. That development isn’t always up and to the right, either. There will be mistakes, accidents, and failures along the way that can provide the opportunity for the greatest growth, if we focus on building a learning posture.
CPM: What does the future look like for LCBC’s live production teams?
McDermott: Our Central Production Team has a broad goal of continually refining our systems to support more locations across the state. There are many people in our region who have given up on church or think Christ isn’t relevant to their lives. We feel like opening more locations enables our community to invite their friends, family and co-workers to experience the life-change that happens when we orient our lives towards Jesus. So, we are constantly evaluating the how, what and why of our systems to make sure we are setting up our local teams for success. I am expectant towards the growth that will come through church online. God is doing some cool stuff through several groups that are participating with our gatherings in their homes. The preparation and work to make that experience excellent each week is worth it for people to experience life-change through Christ outside of our buildings.
