Successful ministries have several things in common. One is a commitment to a vision. A well-communicated vision is a unifying element to any organization, be it a family, a company or a church.
Lance LeBlanc, executive director of the Healing Place Church (HPC) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, speaks of the importance of vision, planning and "marrying the two worlds of budget and desire" in a feature article beginning on page 68. He emphasizes that the more time spent in the decision-making process up front, the less painful the process is.
Rob Connelly affirms much of what we learn from Healing Place Church in his article on gospel stewardship beginning on page 40. Connelly is a former church technical director, who works as an A/V systems integrator while studying for a doctorate in divinity. He writes of the importance of a church's vision statement as a unifying element in the church's activities. In the Church Production Magazine context, this means A/V equipment planning and purchasing decisions. He says, "The lowest price is often not the best decision, as gospel stewardship involves the long-term just as much as the short-term."
At Healing Place Church, LeBlanc reminds us that the most important factor to remember is that gear remains gear; it's people who count the most.
Which people? It may be more than just your congregation. Jerry Garner, general manager of Technomedia Solutions in Orlando, Fla., - the firm that installed the audio and video projection systems at HPC says, "Working with The Healing Place was 100 percent different than any other experience that we've ever had. It wasn't a contractor-type atmosphere; it was more of a family atmosphere - even for the subcontractors like us that were on site. This is probably one of the jobs that will stick out in my mind the most."
Congratulation so Healing Place Church for successfully integrating their vision onto the process, not just the end results.
Correction and Amplification:
An article in our July issue called Digital Audio Consoles From Our Readers' Perspective has been revised to include comments from a Presonus StudioLive user. You can view the revised article online at www.churchproduction.com/digitalconsoles-july2010
