Greg Baker, Central Support Technical Director, Saddleback Church, Orange County, CA
Leadership is about building into other people and empowering them to do their best work. This is the type of leadership ideal put into practice at Saddleback Church of Orange County, Calif., where Greg Baker is Central Support Technical Director.
Through his office at the Lake Forest campus, Baker gets a chance to hone these leadership principles on a regular basis, visiting all 19 of the church’s campuses about once each month. His job, he says, is to support, train and let Saddleback’s local technical teams thrive.
CPM: What advice do you have for other technical leaders in creating strong teams, whether they are with large multisites or medium-to-small churches?
Baker: Leadership starts with you. Be available to whoever you put in a technical position, either staff or volunteer. Also, replace yourself, find someone you can build into. They then can lead teams and you can multiply tech teams for the growth needed.
CPM: How has the "tech" overall changed within the past five years or so, and what is it allowing you to do in terms of getting out the message that wasn't possible only a short time ago?
Baker: The tech part is constantly changing. It’s not so much about what we can do now, the most difficult part for me is to not let the tech get in the way of the message. I need to remember, we (the Church) are not here for the technology, but we are here for the message. Regardless of how tech changes, or what new fancy piece of gear may have just been released, I want it to be invisible and let the message be told clearly.
CPM: Any final words of advice for tech directors--anything God has put upon your heart to share?
Baker: Don’t try to do it all yourself. It is easy to fall into the trap of doing it ‘my way’ or ‘more quickly’ if I just take care of everything. But you cannot multiply that. Take time to learn from others that have gone before you, and pass on the things you have learned to others that are with you now. That way, you will be less likely to burn out and can spend more time on other more important things, like your own personal relationship with God and family.
