I made a big mistake during a staff meeting. I went into too much detail when asked how our internet live broadcasts were going. I failed to connect with my pastor so severely that my response became part of our 2022 staff “joke” calendar. Ugh.
It’s frustrating when your pastor has no clue what we, as church techs, do and need. However, we must learn to move beyond just talking to our pastors and genuinely connect with them.
My pastor loves sports and cars. So, I speak to him about our technology needs and issues using cars and sports analogies.
In John Maxwell’s book, “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect,” John talks about how important it is to connect with people. John defines connecting as “the ability to identify with people and relate to them in a way that increases your influence with them.” Why do we, as church techs, fail to connect with our pastors? We’ve made communication and connection about ourselves and not others.
When you focus your communication on your expertise, experience, and point of view, you experience the frustration of disconnection. How? Have you heard your pastor say, “I have no idea what language you’re speaking.” This is a sign of communication disconnection. But as John Maxwell writes, “connecting is a skill that can be learned.” Connecting involves taking the initiative, keeping it simple, and communicating in a way your pastor understands.
Think about what you’re going to say before you say it. Write a simple outline on your phone, notebook, or sticky note and take it to your meeting.
Take the initiative and connect with your pastor’s personality and experience – find common ground where the two of you have beliefs, interests, etc., that all intersect. The way you do this is to get to know your pastor’s interests. Does your pastor like sports or cars? How about cooking? Now you may be thinking, “I know my pastor likes “x,” but I have no idea what’s involved with that! What do I do?” My advice… if you want to connect with your pastor, start learning about their interests to communicate with them effectively. I’ll explain why in a moment.
The second thing you’ll want to do to connect with your pastor so they can understand you is to keep it simple. Don’t be long-winded and detailed like we, as church techs, can do. Keep your communication concise and to the point. This means you must think about what you’re going to say before you say it. Write a simple outline on your phone, notebook, or sticky note and take it to your meeting. Be able to present these notes in about five minutes or less. These notes will help you during the conversation to keep your words concise.
Finally, communicate with your pastor in a way they understand. For example – my pastor loves sports and cars. So, I speak to him about our technology needs and issues using cars and sports analogies. If I’m talking to him about our slow internal network to explain new switches, firewalls, bandwidth, etc., I’ll use something like a clogged carburetor in a stock car engine. Suppose I’m trying to explain the merits of a new IMAG video system. In that case, I might describe the different solutions, their capabilities, and costs by comparing high school, college, and professional football teams. The key is to present our complicated world in a way your pastor understands, which leads us to connection.
It takes energy to connect. Be willing to put forth that energy. Make that wise investment, and you’ll be able to take those seeds and reap a harvest of connection with your pastor that will be a blessing you’ll be grateful for.
