As a technical director you are trusted to keep current on trends and new technologies that help your church to communicate the message. In some ways this is easy. There is nothing that we love more than learning about some new technology, or opening that new box containing the latest gadget.
In other ways, staying current can be difficult because most of us have very limited budgets, and we work with senior leaders who are often far less tech-savvy as we are. Sometimes they don't see the value in some of our suggestions.
For this reason, it is very important for learn how to win the trust of your church leadership. They need to realize that you are not just chasing the latest shiny object, but that your goals are to reach people in the most dynamic and effective way possible. It is important for them to understand that you have the church's best interests in mind.
Whenever you are looking to make a new equipment purchase you should first make sure that the leadership understands why the new equipment is needed. They will probably ask you a lot of questions about why you want this, how much it will cost, and so forth. Remember that their main goal is to effectively reach people with the Gospel, so make sure you put it in that context if possible. Instead of saying, “We need to purchase an in-ear monitoring system because it's awesome!” You may want to put it in the context, “Our singers will be able to hear themselves much better and they won't hit as many bad notes as before.”
Don't bog them down with all of the technical details of a purchase unless they specifically ask for it. Imagine that you are trying to pitch your idea to a group of eighth graders. Do not do it in a condescending way, as the leaders are certainly wise in many areas, but they may not grasp all of the nerdy details as well as you do. That is why they have you. Your job is to be the “technology interpreter” for your leadership. Speak their language, not geek-talk, and they will appreciate you for it.
Another thing that is worth considering when making any kind of tech purchases is if this piece of equipment will make your team's job harder or easier. Maybe that new video mixer seems really amazing and all the major networks use it, but how will your volunteers like it? Will it overwhelm them? Will it be easy for them to learn, or will it they need to get special training in order to operate it? Keep in mind that most of your team members are not professional techies. Most of them are carpenters, insurance brokers, lawyers, teachers and you may get a software engineer if you're lucky.
Always remember that the equipment that you choose needs to serve the church and your ministry. As you look and evaluate technologies and equipment, always ask yourself if this purchase will help your church spread the Gospel in a more effective way, or if it will help to make the volunteer's job easier. If you just want it because it is cool and shiny, then it may be best to pass.
