Your mixer just kicked the bucket during this morning's service. You are the chief tech volunteer in a small church that has a total annual budget of $100k or less, and now you have to find a solution: pronto. A quick internet search Sunday afternoon reveals that you can buy a similar mixer to your last one for a few hundred dollars with free shipping. What have you got to lose?
On the surface, stewardship in church technology seems like a straight-forward principle: get the most bang for your buck. This often translates into finding the cheapest way to accomplish a given goal. Many times this mentality is compounded in smaller churches by a genuine lack of funds. Stewardship, the caring for and best utilizing of resources, should be evaluated based on how well a given decision will support the mission of the church – which is not likely going to be the cheapest initial price-tag, or the quickest shopping option.
In smaller churches especially, there is in many cases a unique sort of pressure to be thrifty. Usually there is quite little money to be spent, and so every decision is under the microscope. Unfortunately, this often results in the cheapest solution being chosen, with little thought given to the long-term. However, if stewardship is defined as that decision which will most effectively facilitate the accomplishment of the mission of the church, then much thought must be given to the long-term implications of any purchase. Resources that will not be usable in two years – either because of growth or quality issues – will have to be purchased again making the total price: 1st purchase price + 2nd purchase price + time, heartache, downtime, etc. That initial price-tag may not accurately represent the total cost.
Sometimes smaller churches simply do not have the knowledge necessary to make these decisions well – they trust the very well-intentioned person who has been faithfully serving as “the tech person” to know enough to make a good decision. This is where smaller churches usually end up saving money by having a relationship with a qualified consultant, or by working with an integrator who actually cares about small churches. Most small church tech volunteers don't have time to research what is out there, and don't have the breadth of experience to know when the “price for the features” ratio is simply too good to be true.
In addition to the “actual cost” factor, the decisions you make need to be able to support the real needs of the application. A common example is in fact with the audio mixer. Many smaller church audio volunteers are unsure about the exact function of all of the features on their current mixer – so it is nearly impossible to make an informed decision on a replacement should the need arise.
In short, cheaper is not always better, and practicing good stewardship involves knowledge, foresight, planning, and often getting outside help. Are you a small church tech servant? We would love to hear about your “adventures in stewardship” – leave a comment below and join the conversation!
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Mistakes Small Churches Make: Making Unhealthy Comparisons
Equipment Planning and Purchasing...without a Crystal Ball
