I don't care how long you've been serving in technical ministry, at some point you are going to have a disaster. It may not be of your making—a power outage or volunteer meltdown. Or you may bear responsibility—a cable wasn't checked, a mic misplaced, a light not plugged or focused. Whatever the reason, the gaze shifts to you as the Tech Director. At the next staff meeting, the heads at the table turn to you, and the question rattles your Starbucks cup. “What happened, and how do we fix it?” As a church leader, let me give some suggestions to make those “morning after” meetings go more smoothly:
Treat the situation with humility. When something doesn't go right, be quick to admit failure and take responsibility. Humility means we don't point fingers and assign fault. Adopting a buck-stops-here attitude lets you move on to important questions. Too many teams spend more time fixing blame instead of fixing the problem. I have great respect for a staff person or volunteer that says, “That was my fault, sorry. I have a few ideas for avoiding that in the future.” The person who accepts responsibility when things go wrong and works to resolve it is the person that will bear the weight of leadership, and thereby earns his or her place at the table.
Treat it seriously. Work diligently to correct or fix failures, versus deflect or minimize them. If the sound volume is on the table every week, then you need to pursue various avenues to resolve it. We're serving the God of the Universe and supporting corporate worship and the preaching of His Word. So even if your congregation is fifty people, it's a big deal. Don't resign yourself that leaders simply don't understand (“they don't know the tech involved”), or play the victim (“nobody understands what I do here”).
Adopt an attitude that, whatever it takes, you want to “get it right”, to the very best of your ability. The team leader that begins the conversation, “Okay, about that issue we had last week, here's what I did to fix it. How do you think that worked?” is going to have my ear. More than that, he's going to have all the leaders around the table working with him or her to find the solution, versus “managing” him or her with a series of instructions from on high.
Treat it with practical suggestions. “We need a new sound system” is not the answer to every tech problem. Most problems can be solved or at least minimized without purchases. You are part of a larger picture. As a leader I'm balancing tech needs with preschool, staffing, that air compressor that needs replacing. Sometimes the new sound system is the solution, but giving up on a problem because of limited funds doesn't work. Adopt a “MacGyver” mentality. Before you propose buying your way to success, see if it might be solved with duct tape and paperclips. This is where networking with other tech guys is of benefit.
Treat it as an opportunity to grow relationships. Don't let a tech failure become “us versus them.” Look for ways the issue you are working can grow trust in you and your team. The key is to communicate clearly. Find the right time to share your concerns, but in the context of trying to solve the problem. And don't let failure be the first serious conversation you have with your church leadership. Talk regularly, encourage one another and get to know the people you are working with and for.
Failures are going to happen in ministry. Our tendency is to immediately look for ways to minimize them. Instead, look for ways to maximize the opportunity failure affords to build responsibility, find innovative solutions, and strengthen relationships in your ministry.
