Photo by Edmond Dantès: https://www.pexels.com/photo/businessman-man-people-woman-4347021/
Should audio front of house be a paid position in a church? What about paying a non-Christian to mix audio, direct video, or operate a lighting console? I have heard of both successes and failures regarding this practice, and I recognize that for many church leaders on both sides, the decision seems obvious. But the reality is that this is a very complicated issue.
Both the scriptures and the history of the church are full of examples in which church leaders and servants have been paid for their services to the church.
Production technologies require a certain level of expertise. They also require time to operate and oversee well. Both the scriptures and the history of the church are full of examples in which church leaders and servants have been paid for their services to the church. It seems that the primary factors regarding whether or not they are paid are the value of their types of service, and the degree to which they need support (pay) to fulfill their area of service. For example, if the church has a large campus, it will be necessary to have either a large number of very well coordinated volunteers, or a paid person to keep up with the scheduling, operation, and maintenance required. Certainly, this type of argument is most often applied to the service of pastors/elders (who are directly mentioned by Paul as needing to be paid), pastoral staff, and office-centered staff whose service to the church clearly prevents them from holding another job to support themselves. In this line of thinking, the importance and the time requirements of the job dictate whether the person should be paid.
Sensible distinctions
I think it is important to make a distinction between those serving in technical roles on Sundays (the operators of all of the equipment) and those who oversee, cast vision, and generally lead the AVL in the church. This argument certainly supports paying a staff member to oversee these areas. However, what about the systems operators? While some larger churches pay many or all of their weekend operators, most churches do not. A few more pay the FOH audio operator since this position this is usually viewed as the single most important tech role during a worship service. I believe this practice could be helpful or it could be harmful, depending on a number of factors.
If there are members who are capable of serving in these capacities and can do so within the scope of their lives, the church should equip them to do that.
The first principle in play here is that of the service of church members. If there are members who are capable of serving in these capacities and can do so within the scope of their lives, the church should equip them to do that. This is part of the gifting of the body of Christ to serve its needs (Romans 12). The complexity of equipment and setups may complicate this, but I think it's worth fighting for, in most cases, by considering those who serve and contribute time, energy, and input when designing and purchasing decisions are made.
The second principle deals with the role of corporate worship in the church. If the Sunday services are viewed primarily as outreach, with the style and composition of the services directed towards creating a concert-like environment, then perhaps the greater complexity and technical requirements of the position would require a true professional that is not part of the current church body. If, however, the technical requirements are less intense, then ideally there will be members who can be trained to serve well within the scope of their role in the life of the church.
And the third principle is the practice of hiring non-Christians. Many churches view this as an outreach opportunity--a chance to bring people into the family of God. There are certainly instances of this happening. Few would be willing to say God could not use that type of situation for His glory, and we should all be interested in bringing people in. However, there are perhaps a few worthy considerations. Is the role a leadership position? Is there the potential for the person's exposure to the church and gospel to be negative? How might someone who is not a believer affect team dynamics?
Whatever you decide about paying techs, it should be consistent with the mission of your church.
Whatever you decide about paying techs, it should be consistent with the mission of your church. There are people I respect on both sides of the debate. What experiences do you have with paying techs, or with hiring non-believers? I invite you to join the conversation by commenting below.