When I was employed as the technical director and coordinator for the production team at a large church in Florida, it was my responsibility to determine what elements would enhance the spirited worship experience of our church. I asked myself some questions:
- Will this addition appear to make it too much of a show?
- Is there a point when those who gather for church will feel it is more of a concert than a fellowship?
- When do you cross the line between entertainment and ministry?
I felt responsible to the pastors, the congregation and also to my own integrity to generate the kind of sound and sight that would welcome faith instead of criticism.
I felt responsible to the pastors, the congregation and also to my own integrity to generate the kind of sound and sight that would welcome faith instead of criticism.
This is certainly a situation many of you deal with on a weekly basis. When is it production and when does it become distraction?
It is important to realize that your church, with its style, ideals and sensibilities, is not out of step or out of line simply because it requires a particular climate. Even within a denominational affiliation, there can be incredible differences in the essence of each individual church.
So the task falls to the technical director, production team, audio engineers and lighting designers to discern the energy and choose the appropriate level of enhancement.
When asking yourself, “What is the best thing for my church on a technical basis?” realize that the answer is always—KNOW.
Know your church
Know your team
Know your budget
1. Know your church.
Where we generally get in trouble is when we program based on what we “wish” or “want” our church to be and not on dealing with the reality of what it actually is. In knowing your church, it is important to realize the heart of the congregation and the soul of the message while dealing with the reality of the tools available. In other words, if you’re working in a more traditional church, a concert environment during the worship hour is going to be problematic. Generally speaking--strobes and hymnals don’t go together.
Generally speaking--strobes and hymnals don’t go together.
Being aware of the mindset of your church body enables you to communicate with your team in leadership the best path to tread, and then make that journey in incremental steps.
2. Know your team.
Being realistic is not negative. It is critical to make sure that your team members can execute their jobs on a weekly basis without stress or intimidation. This is why I counsel to “build the team before you buy the gear.”
Always remember—equipment can be replaced, displaced and switched out. People are invaluable.
In today’s church, we often invest in major production elements (i.e., moving lights, LED walls, etc.) before a well-trained volunteer team is in place to operate them. You certainly don’t want to be “that church” that I have come across that invests in a huge LED wall which needs custom-formatted content, and ends up abandoning the excellent equipment because the personnel cannot run it or is finding it difficult to set aside the time to generate the content necessary. Always remember—equipment can be replaced, displaced and switched out. People are invaluable.
3. Know your budget.
All too often in church we are trying to create Disney-level production on a street-carnival budget. In an attempt to have the most impact and see our vision come to pass we buy the cheapest version, which often can create more problems and repair.
The Good Book says, “It is accounted in a steward that he be found faithful.” But being a good steward doesn’t mean just getting the cheapest thing. It means being wise with the expenditures, wise with the relationships you cultivate, and looking at the long-term use and needs.
The answer for every good steward is: Know—knowing your church, knowing your team and knowing your budget.
Whether you are in a contemporary church looking for a concert-level experience in every service or a traditional church seeking to create a sacred atmosphere for the congregants, it can all be achieved. And there are a myriad of technical solutions available in today’s market to enhance these environments. Our task is to be aware of the style and flavor of where we are and build a “Goldilocks Experience” that is not too much, not too little, but is the “just right” level of production for YOUR church.
