As we enter the Christmas season and begin to prepare for the additional projects and expenses soon to be added to our weekly schedules, it also becomes the season of “no” for many tech leaders. The feelings of already being pushed to the limit don’t mix well with the added ministry requests that fill our inboxes. This is where the “we can’t do it because… [no time, no budget, no labor to pull it off right]” begins to creep in. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Fast, Cheap, or Good: Pick Two,” if not even used it ourselves in a handful of planning meetings. The idea is, if you want it fast and cheap, it won’t be good; if you want it cheap and good, it won’t be fast; if you want it good and fast, it won’t be cheap. That may indeed be the case for certain construction or service industries, but it should not be true for church tech. We have a biblical imperative to encompass all three aspects in our daily practice.
Nothing demonstrates this better than Joel chapter 2. Joel compares the future anticipation of the coming of the Lord with that of an army preparing for battle and the return of God with vindication and rejoicing for his people. The army is prepared for the battle they do not see the final reconciliation of, but because of their endurance God rewards them with his Spirit among the people. In this way, the soldiers do not do what is easy, but what is necessary for God’s victory. In this way, modern church techs ought not do what has an easy excuse but what is prudent, because the result is the Spirit working within the congregation.
For church techs… Fast: We are not to procrastinate or be lazy; we must be fully aware of the situation at hand and act accordingly. Cheap: We are to be good stewards of the resources provided and needed; cheap is a determinate of value, not price. Good: We are to perform our craft in excellence as unto the Lord; a heart aimed at serving God’s people won’t settle for poor quality. All three of these have applications both during service and in our standard work week.
Fast: I would argue that the current land-speed record is truly held by a church tech director. No one can move faster from the coffee station to the sound booth faster than a tech director hearing a crackling of feedback over the loudspeakers or seeing the lobby display flash black for a split second. During service, the pastors and congregation demand our full attention, because we are their catalyst for receiving the Word. During the week, we have a responsibility to ensure the weekend service is prepped no matter what that entails, whether it is set-change week, repairing broken equipment, managing our email inboxes, planning meetings, overseeing multiple rehearsals, and routine systems checks. It is not about adding more hours, it is about managing our time so that we are fully prepared for Sunday service. Letting issues drag on week after week or blaming long work hours is simply a time management issue. Prioritize: efficient work creates fast work.
Cheap: If you’ve been in production long enough, you have a service horror story. You have a power outage, equipment failure, stage flood, or gremlin-in-the-console story. It always happens with only five minutes left before service, after you have had the last hour completely free. You know in the limited time that there is no way to get “x” replaced or repaired in time but you find a work around. With one minute to spare, service is a “Go.” How much did it cost you? Zero. By nature, church techs are intuitive, problem-solving people. We know our systems inside and out. In this way, we all can learn to repair equipment during the week. Just because something stops working does not mean we have to add a line item to the church budget. Likewise, planning for unexpected failure by having spare cables and parts on hand is the best way to save money in the long run. When scoping new equipment, church techs do not always need the latest and greatest, they need what fits their use. Finding cheap equipment does not mean that you purchase whatever is the least expensive, it means buying exactly what fits your needs and church demands. No more, no less. This saves money in both the short run by not wasting, and in the long run by not under-planning. Just as much as our pastor’s do not want us buying the Cadillac when we just need the Toyota, they equally do not want us to purchase the Pinto and come back six months later saying we should have bought the Toyota.
Good: Bringing our best to the service of God is not a one-time action, it’s a life dedicated to improving one’s craft, as well as developing our teams. Good is qualitative, not quantitative. It’s about being able to make the best out of any situation because we have prepared for it. It means remaining in control even when control isn’t in our hands. Every church has its own definition of “acceptability.” Bringing what is good means that we are sufficiently trained to take any situation and reach that level of production. Our training is in our own hands. Some churches may have budget to invest in training and travel; some do not. Yet, manufacturer trainings, online tutorials, podcasts, and meetups with other local church techs are often free or minimal cost. Attaining “good” means investing in ourselves because it is an investment in our ability to present Christ to our congregations. For the Christian, this goes beyond learning the intricacies of the craft to ensuring our hearts are aligned with the mission of Christ and of our church.
When we say that we cannot have all three—fast, cheap, and good—we are saying that we are not bringing our best in service to God. We are saying that there are excuses for poor service. Some techs may like the saying because when something goes wrong, there is something to blame. I propose that a tech leader in full alignment with their purpose will not find excuses for any of these. They don’t need to move the fastest, but with authority and purpose. They don’t need the cheapest, just the best value for the economic situation of the church or project. They don’t need the best, only what meets the needs and projected demands of the situation. All three are not only possible, but should be carefully balanced in order to ensure that the tech ministry becomes a valuable asset to the church operations as a whole. Treating our ministries in this way will go a long way toward the church leadership seeing our value as an asset and not a liability.
