... while this has clearly been a wake up call for society as a whole, I feel that this has also been an eye-opening experience for many churches.
I doubt any of us could have foreseen the global impact caused by the recent virus pandemic that has been sweeping the globe.
But while this has clearly been a wake up call for society as a whole, I feel that this has also been an eye-opening experience for many churches.
With restrictions on public gatherings now in effect, churches across the nation are now being forced to rethink how to do ministry on a weekly basis.
For decades, there has been a common perception about church, in that it’s generally slow to respond to society and is more willing to “do things the way we’ve always done them” instead of being open to try new things.
I believe that this pandemic has opened our eyes to the importance of embracing and pursuing new methods of doing ministry, and my hope is that this can lay a foundation for how to approach things moving forward, even as we regress back to whatever the new “normal” will be.
So, instead of just being reactive to what’s happening around us, how can we as church techs work to be more proactive in our planning? How can we work to expect the unexpected so that we can be ready “in season and out of season” for whatever may come our way?
Here are three concepts to remember:
1-Research
Sometimes it gets easy to just focus on the daily aspects of my job--what I need to do on a week-in, week-out basis to keep our current system functioning.
And while it’s important to ensure that the current operation always works smoothly, I also owe it to myself and my ministry to be constantly stretching and growing to learn more about what’s happening in the broader industry.
... I need to be on a constant path of self-education.
To the extent possible, I should find time on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc.) to just educate myself on what else is out there. Whether it’s through blogs, magazines, forums, or simply watching online archives of other churches’ services, I need to be on a constant path of self-education.
At some point, my church’s vision and operation will grow. And I don’t want to be in the position where those things can’t expand because I don’t know how to achieve something.
So I need to be learning about how to do multi-site church before our pastor ever presents the vision for making that happen. I need to have an understanding of how to do live streaming before a committee ever discusses it. I need to know how to get a video feed to an overflow room long before it’s a mission-critical situation.
There are numerous ways for me to educate myself about industry trends and opportunities. I owe it to myself, my team, and my ministry to ensure that I’m always exploring new (and potentially more effective and efficient) ways of doing my job, so that when the time comes, I’m always ready to take a step.
2-Relationships
I once heard the saying, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”
How true. When we collaborate with others, we bring an infinite amount of energy and brainpower to the table to present ideas and solve problems.
When we collaborate with others, we bring an infinite amount of energy and brainpower to the table to present ideas and solve problems.
If you’re anything like me, a natural introvert, it’s sometimes hard for me to disengage from my daily routine and connect with other people. Sometimes I’m “too busy,” sometimes I may feel insecure about not being able to solve a problem by myself, and sometimes I just may not have the energy or interest in trying to talk to somebody else.
But as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 4:10 (NIV), “pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
I don’t think anyone of us wants to be in that boat. But in order to avoid the problem, we must put intentional time and effort into building relationships.
We all need to have others in the industry we can lean on for help and advice, whether that’s helping solve a problem, assisting with a project, or even being a source of last-minute gear when ours isn’t working.
There’s an old adage, "You never want to meet your neighbors for the first time when it’s the middle of the night and your house is on fire."
How true is that for us in ministry? I need to have relationships that are already developed so that when a problem arises, I already have plenty of trustworthy, reliable people I can go to for help and guidance.
Pity the church tech who has to do things alone.
3-Readiness
Obviously, I can’t predict catastrophe. I can’t predict a lighting strike. I can’t predict a power outage, and on and on.
However, as John Maxwell says, “When opportunity knocks, it’s too late to prepare.”
As a leader of a critical ministry area, part of my job is to be proactive so that I can help the church avoid issues and be prepared for success.
So, while I can’t prepare for every eventuality, I can already be thinking about backup plans and alternative options.
I can keep spare equipment on hand so that it's easy to find in an emergency. I can label my cables so that troubleshooting is quick, easy, and efficient. I can document critical systems and processes in case key team members are unexpectedly absent.
I can train my team on how to operate in a “what if” scenario instead of only showing them how to repeat the same basic, predicable functions of a standard weekly service.
I can have backup devices ready in case a primary playback source fails. I can have battery-powered equipment on standby in the event of a power outage. I can train my team on how to operate in a “what if” scenario instead of only showing them how to repeat the same basic, predicable functions of a standard weekly service.
I’m reminded of the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. Some planned ahead and had enough oil to light their lamps, and they were able to enjoy the banquet. But others didn’t have reserves planned and missed their opportunity because they ran out of resources.
I’d hate for any of us to end up in that boat.
Whether good or bad, many ministries now rely on healthy and effective production teams to deliver their messages on a weekly basis.
It’s our job to be ready for the possibilities that may come our way, to the fullest extent that we can.
Learn, grow, build, research, meet.
Preparation is the key to success. And when I’m actively working to expect the unexpected, I'm expanding the probability of success for my whole ministry.