The reality for smaller churches is that their resources (regarding both finances and expertise within the church) tend to be very limited. One result of this is that when a piece of gear fails, there is a level of panic that ensues among those who either formally or informally are responsible for the technology elements of the Sunday services. This panic often leads to a short-term, wasteful fix: The "Panic-Driven Band-Aid". It is not that larger churches never make mistakes in purchasing and implementing technology. However, their larger budgets tend to mean mistakes can be corrected, whereas in smaller churches bad decisions often stick around for years or cause a huge financial burden.
Usually this approach is quite well motivated by a desire on the part of leadership to exemplify good stewardship (which needs re-defining), and a desire to not let technology get in the way of Gospel ministry (in other words, we need this fixed now so we can carry on our ministry). Regarding the understanding of stewardship, and this is a foundational principle for the use of technology within the church, the cheapest fix likely does not represent good stewardship. There are certainly some products on the market that are extremely inexpensive and represent high performance and reliability. However, even if you are able to identify them, they will not be the right purchase unless they fit in with a long-term vision. Often, especially in smaller churches, technology elements such as audio, video, lighting, IT, and web are viewed as necessities that must be maintained, but not as a toolset in the life of the church that facilitates its mission and vision. For more on this concept please read this article. To summarize, "Gospel Stewardship" involves evaluating every use of money in light of how the purchase facilitates the mission and vision of the church. Viewing stewardship as merely the cheapest solution usually ends up in more money being spent in the long-term on non-solutions that cause heart-ache and distraction.
Another related issue that leads to the "panic-driven Band-Aid" purchase is a lack of cohesive vision for the use of technology. Technology must not be viewed as merely a necessary expenditure, but something that is a long-term tool for the church and is worthy of theological reflection and vision-driven planning. Of course any vision for the use of technology in the church must be designed around facilitating the vision of the church. So if the church's vision is not clear, it will be quite difficult to develop vision for the use of technology. Decisions that are urgent are much more likely to turn into expensive dead-ends without long-term vision in place. For example, consider a scenario in which a smaller church's audio console becomes unusable. Obviously there needs to be a working console in place for the next Sunday's services. The temptation, if there is not a long-term vision in place, is to merely replace the broken console with the most readily available one that can be acquired inexpensively. However, it is possible that the current board was not even truly adequate for the churches needs. Therefore, if more channels, better EQ, more outputs, or other upgraded features are needed, or are likely to be needed in the foreseeable future, would not the purchase of a console that can fill those future needs better exemplify "Gospel Stewardship". Too often, after only a couple of years or less of service, gear bought in a pinch becomes useless because future vision was not taken into consideration. If there is a vision in place before the gear breaks, the gear purchased to replace it can fit into that vision, making it a much better example of stewardship.
A third underlying cause that leads to the "Panic-Driven Band-Aid" is a lack of expertise. One does not have to be an industry expert to serve the Lord faithfully in technology ministry. The vast majority of people who serve in local church technology are volunteers who serve in that department because of general interest, aptitude, or need. In smaller churches, these volunteers are given oversight over the elements of technology used within the church such as audio, video, and lighting. It is appropriate and important to give leadership and responsibility to those whom God has provided within the church, however, it is also important to have the necessary knowledge and perspective when making any purchase. Between industry developments of new products, best practices for integration and installation, and overall knowledge requirements, it is frankly unfair to expect most volunteers to be equipped to make a good decision, especially on short notice when there is great urgency.
A godly man of faith that I respect often reminds me that is unhelpful to point out issues without also providing solutions. In this case, it seems that the best way for smaller churches to work against the "panic-driven band-aid" scenario is to think ahead about all of the issues mentioned above. A likely conclusion for many smaller churches is that some help is needed from outside the church. This should take the form of a strong and trusting relationship with either a technology professional from a larger church who is willing to help the smaller church think through some things (paid or unpaid), or from a design/build integrator or consultant who works with churches often and understands the questions of long-term vision and stewardship. Ideally this person would be willing and able to help a small church create a vision, evaluate needs on an ongoing basis, and regularly interact with the volunteers in the ministry. Small churches should try to stay away from most retail-only gear sources (although once again if there is solid customer service that is church informed, this scenario can work out). The best case scenario is always to have someone involved who does not sell gear and has nothing financial to gain from the decision being made. Another advantage of these types of relationships is that often a piece of gear can be borrowed or rented in the short term to take away the panic element of the decision while issues of vision and stewardship are being thought through.
While all churches run the risk of making mistakes in purchasing, especially when the situation is urgent, smaller churches are more likely to lack the key elements that lead to a good decision and are more likely to be unable to fix the problem once it is present. Seeking theologically informed assistance from outside the church can fill the gap of expertise and facilitate both vision and stewardship.
