Shaun Miller’s church roots are deep, and that’s a good thing because now he’s deep in church. As the technical director for Rolling Hills Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee, he’s doing new construction tech planning at one campus, renovation tech planning at two other campuses, and keeping weekend services and weekly events going at the same time. We are very thankful (honored even) that he took the time to answer a few questions.
CPM: What got you started in production and what lead to doing church work?
Miller: When I was around 10 years old, I ventured into the "tech booth" at my childhood church (where my dad served on the pastoral staff) and instantly fell in love with the idea of technology. The volunteer sound engineer at the time encouraged me to dig into it all. Trace the wires and figure out how it all worked. After some time, we had to have a piece of gear serviced. The local company that came to do that, also provided PA systems for concerts around town. I was invited to come to a show and see behind the scenes and I've never left. I toured for a while with various Christian artists, which put me in countless churches. But from that very young age when I first discovered my love of production, I knew it would be in the church, using technology to further the mission of the church.
CPM: What are some of the unique challenges you face at Rolling Hills Church?
Miller: We are growing fast which is a huge blessing and can be a pain point. We have had the great opportunity to merge with two other churches, which has given two of our campuses a permanent home - a huge answer to prayer. The crazy part, (that causes us to remind God He says he won't give us more than we can handle) is that both of those mergers happened within two weeks of each other. So, while managing a new build with AVL at our Franklin Campus, we're also embarking on renovations at these locations. Meanwhile, maintaining services and community events that are happening non-stop. As I write this, there is an auditorium full of youth here for a LifeWay Girls Conference. I joke that we're Rolling Hills Community Church and Convention Center. I say that in jest, because I would much rather be busy and making a community and kingdom impact than bored and stagnant.
CPM: You recently demo'd the K-Array Muggello Loudspeaker System at your church. Tell us about the experience with their steering technology.
Miller: We have an interesting room at RHCC - Franklin. The church moved into this facility a little over 10 years ago. It was, at the time, a giant manufacturing plant and warehouse. Concrete floors and support columns pepper the auditorium. It’s a great feel, but creates some interesting mixes. The steerability of the K-Array system was impressive. For example, the hang points for the PA system are 4 feet behind the downstage edge. This was because there was an addition thrust added onto the stage years after the PA was hung and nothing was ever adjusted for that. So when the K-Array went up in that same spot, with it having a wider pattern than our existing system, it caused a decent amount of feedback. Before we could reach for an EQ, the K-Array team went into the software, added a "Hard Avoid" area over the stage and pushed it out to the speakers. I kid you not, we never had another incident of feedback the entire four week demo.
CPM: You’ve held numerous positions like tour production manager, a design engineer with a contractor and a church tech director. How do each of those experiences help with your current job.
Miller: Each role I have held uses a version of the same skills set for the craft and loving on people. I interact with every single ministry our church has at one time or another throughout the year. I can also talk with a group wanting to rent our facility and understand what they want to do, how we need to be designing our next renovations for more flexibility, and then just how to limit distractions on a Sunday morning and create an environment for people to release their troubles and worship. I have thought about venturing out at times into other interests like IT, but God keeps reminding me, that I was made for this.
