I started working in church production back in 1989. Chances are, some of you reading this weren't born then. We were in a small church meeting in a cafeteria with an eight-channel powered mixer and two speakers on sticks. I had been doing corporate production for several years at that time, but working in the church was new to me. As the years went on, we built a building and I designed my first church sound system. Those early years were fun; I found a few people who also wanted to mix, and I developed training to help them.
Fast-forward about 15 years and I found myself on staff at a church; my first part-time TD role. I was completely unprepared for what that meant. While I had travelled the country putting on huge productions for major corporations, working in a church had challenges I had never encountered. And it was quite lonely.
In 2007, I started ChurchTechArts.org. At first, it was a way to get my name out there. But very quickly, it became the center of a support group for church techs.
As people found the site, started reading and commenting, relationships started to form. Some of my best friends today were fellow bloggers and readers back then. As the site grew, I discovered that not only was I not alone, I was not alone in feeling alone. I began to meet other church techs—dozens at first, hundreds now— who have felt discouraged in their work at church. We began to support, encourage and build each other up. We started swapping ideas, sharing stories and production techniques. Then an amazing thing happened: A community developed.
Suddenly, instead of each of us being isolated in our individual churches, we were part of a tribe. Fellow technical artists, paid and volunteer, were doing our best to advance the Kingdom using technology. Social media, blogs and forums enabled us to develop relationships with people on the far side of the country. If we got stuck on something, we could reach out to the collective tech community and get help. And it was good.
Working in a church as a technical artist can still be a lonely task. Especially if you're the only one there. But it doesn't have to be as lonely any more. I encourage you to join us in this tribe if you're not already part of it. Visit www.churchtecharts.org, and grow your skills. Join Church Tech Leaders at www.churchtechleaders.com and start posting your questions. Get on Twitter and join the conversation.
We don't have to do this alone. Even if you're the only staff tech, you have literally thousands of fellow church techs who are willing to stand with you in this great calling. It's impossible to know everything or be good at everything. Use the power of community, leveraged by technology, to expand your knowledge base. And along the way, be encouraged as you encourage others. This is a great thing we get to do. And there's no longer any reason to do it alone. Join us in the journey!
