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Find time to get fresh air between weekends and find prayer time in a place of solitude. It must be a recurring practice, not simply an anticipation of a time-bound event.
You did it. You survived the Christmas season. But before we know it, Easter and then VBS will be upon us once again. The cycle continues. Just as we recover from our important annual calendared events, planning for the next is just weeks away. For many church techs, this can be draining and discouraging. Yet, the Bible offers profound wisdom on the necessity of planning personal time and managing our workloads to maintain spiritual, physical, and emotional health throughout the year.
Setting aside regular periods for rest, is the single most important aspect to prevent burnout and maintain passion for service.
The concept of rest, as highlighted in Exodus 20:8-10, is not just a command but a divine gift. The Sabbath principle teaches us the importance of purposefully dedicating time to both recovery and to God. We know that isn’t easy in an ever-connected world. It is a reminder that even during our busiest seasons, we need to carve out moments for spiritual refreshment and rest. While it is a time of not working, more than that, this sacred pause is not just a physical break from doing the tech stuff but a time to reconnect with God, rejuvenate our Spirit, and reflect on his goodness. Setting aside regular periods for rest is the single most important aspect of preventing burnout and maintaining a passion for service. We often think this means unplugging for weeks—which is nice but often not even possible—or taking a vacation away, but it doesn’t have to be. Find time to remove yourself from the production booth and attend a service from the pews. Find time to get fresh air between weekends and find prayer time in a place of solitude. It must be a recurring practice, not simply an anticipation of a time-bound event.
Rest is about breaking routine as much as it is about taking a break.
In Mark 6:31, Jesus himself exemplified the need for rest and solitude. In his ministry, amidst healing, teaching, and serving, Jesus found time to retreat, pray, and rest. This is a powerful lesson for us who often get caught up in the moment, thinking that everything will fail if we are not 100% present and available at all times. The truth is, we make ourselves more effective through the act of resetting. In the relentless cycle of planning, organizing, and executing our weekend productions, it is vital to follow Jesus’s example. Personal time is not a luxury but a necessity. It’s during these quiet moments away from the hustle that we often hear God's voice most clearly and find our strength renewed. Notice, likewise, in the verse, Jesus does not command his disciples to be alone, but to find solitude. You don’t have to lock yourself in a room to find rest; in fact, it was the disciples finding solitude together. Maybe join a church pickleball league, invite your volunteers out to dinner away from the church, or reconnect with others you keep meaning to call but just don’t. Rest is about breaking routine as much as it is about taking a break.
Diligent planning enables us to foresee busy periods and prepare accordingly. Wise planning and balance, as advised in Proverbs 21:5, are crucial for effective ministry. In this verse, we are told that planning generates profit and haste leads to poverty. This is as much a spiritual warning as it is a monetary one. Proper planning of needs in the between times allows for a distribution of tasks in a way that doesn't overwhelm us when the actual event is upon us. Too often we are working 24/7 right up to “go time” on things that could have been taken care of weeks earlier: installing new gear, introducing new production routines, and training new volunteers. Service is a marathon, not a sprint; pacing ourselves ensures we can serve effectively without sacrificing our well-being when the normal stress of a high-profile service is upon us. Create checklists of needs and share them with your upper leadership. Create deadlines for deliverables. And explain the consequences—physical, emotional, and spiritual—if these don’t happen as planned. We must “manage up,” set expectations, and keep continuous communication so that the busy seasons of ministry aren’t as overwhelming as the prior time. Having standard operational procedures can make services like Christmas and Easter feel like just another weekend from a functional point of view.
The number one thing we neglect in busy seasons is our physical health.
The number one thing we neglect in busy seasons is our physical health. That’s normal for everyone, regardless of their line of work. When our schedules are crammed, we often forget to stop to even eat. Now, add the extra ministry events, cookies, parties, and catered food, the “Christmas 15” is a real thing. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Neglecting our physical health dishonors this temple. Adequate rest, a balanced diet, and regular exercise are not just good health practices but are true acts of worship. By taking care of our physical health, we equip ourselves to serve God and our community more effectively. This doesn’t mean we have to start running marathons or say no to the plate of cookies dropped off at the sound booth, but it does mean that we need to maintain our good health through proper nourishment and physical exertion throughout the year so that when these times come, we don’t experience the added “sugar crash” stress on our already overworked bodies. Just like the previous points above, try finding other outdoor and active ministry events to keep yourself sustained throughout the year. This stamina will help ease the additional physical taxation during the busy seasons.
People are naturally quiet with their struggles—especially introverted tech managers—but building strong relationships over time allow others to see in us—and us see in them—our times of need.
Emotionally, the support we both give and receive through the church community is invaluable. Galatians 6:2 encourages us to bear one another's burdens. But let’s be honest, who has the energy to carry other people’s burdens when we barely have the power to carry our own? And that’s the point. We shouldn’t be carrying our own burdens. We should all be helping each other’s. As we invest in our brothers and sisters in Christ, we help them to maintain peace and strength. In turn, when the busy seasons come for us, they are there to carry our burdens, to lighten the load, so we can continue to be effective for ministry. This mutual support is particularly important in times of high demand. Sharing responsibilities, offering encouragement, praying for one another, cooking a meal, and providing a listening ear are ways we can uphold each other. This takes intentionality. We must be able to release ourselves from the shackles of the tech booth and check in, connect, and trust. People are naturally quiet with their struggles—especially introverted tech managers—but building strong relationships over time allows others to see in us—and us see in them—our times of need.
Lastly, the biggest misnomer is that physical rest, emotional sustainability, and spiritual recovery, are either-or propositions. We treat them like we are either working and serving or we are resting and recovering. Proverbs 11:1 teaches the importance of balance. In context, this verse is about cheating others, but metaphorically, it can apply to us cheating ourselves. In our passion to serve, it’s easy to tip the scales towards overworking. That’s natural. We work the weekends. We work during our men’s and women’s Bible studies. We work special events. We work to repair and plan during the week. Even our “ministry time” is viewed and acted on as employees in action, because we are. However, this imbalance can lead to burnout, which is detrimental not just to us but to the ministry we care so much about and invest in daily. Thus, we must practice not just work-life balance, but work-life integration. As the verse denotes, the Lord finds “delight” when we manage both our professional and personal lives effectively. Integration of our daily personal care routines into the ebbs and flows of ministry is essential in maintaining our well-being and serving the Church.
As stewards of God's work through tech arts, let us embrace the biblical wisdom of rest, balance, and wise planning as a regular practice. By doing so, we not only preserve our spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being but also model a sustainable and fruitful way of serving in God’s kingdom. Let’s remember, our service is first and foremost unto the Lord, and in taking care of ourselves and sustaining our Spirit, we are better equipped to care for others and fulfill the calling he has placed on our lives.
