Did you remember to minister to your team?
You take your position. The camera op's are awaiting your cue. The sound tech is reaching to turn on the first microphone of the morning. Your production team will soon minister to the congregation, in a way only techies can do. Did you remember to first minister to your team?
My wife couldn't work anymore. The nerve pain, originating in her neck, was shooting down her left arm rendering it useless. She could barely drive without feeling sick to her stomach; a side-effect of having a pinched nerve. We were anxiously awaiting an appointment with the neurosurgeon. So there I am, substituting for a camera op with my headset on and trying to maintain my focus when the voice of the production director comes over the headset. "Let me start us with a word of prayer," he began. And over the course of several minutes, praises were brought forth and prayers were lifted up, including one for my wife. It was at that moment I thought of Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
I'm not saying you must become the team's pastor. I'm not saying it's your responsibility for caring for every spiritual need of your team. But, consider what it means to lead your crew. You aren't just leading sound techs and camera operators and lighting folks. You are leading the camera guy who suffers from chronic pain. You are leading your lighting tech who always comes in after working third-shift. You don't just have a team, you have individual people.
"Do I really need to minister to my team?"
There are two points I always keep in mind about a production team; it's a ministry and it's going to be the place of spiritual attack. You and your team are ministering primarily to the needs of the pastor, the worship band, and the congregation. This should drive your mindset of serving others. And, if you want to disrupt a church service, the best way to do it is through the production elements. Does your team need to be covered in prayer and feel like they are part of a Christian ministry team? Most definitely!
But we're a bunch of introverts. I'm sorry, but that excuse doesn't work anymore.
"But we're all introverts!"
There are three primary reasons (excuses) you might not be ministering to your team:
1. You are a bunch of introverts. I'm sorry, but that excuse doesn't work anymore. I attend tech conferences filled with church tech people and once we start talking shop, the only thing that stops us is when we have to leave.
2. You are too busy. Now that I've finally turned 40, I have realized that saying I'm "too busy” to do important things is often an excuse for "I don't want to do it" or it's a sign I need to say no to other things. Bill Hybels wrote a great book called, "Too Busy Not to Pray." It's a great place to start if you're stuck in that mindset
3. You don't know how. Ok, I'll give you this one. Leading a team is a tough job. You have to deal with training, scheduling, dealing with issues, and getting the job done. How do you minister to your team as well? I'm glad you asked.
Tech is a ministry, and it's going to be the place of spiritual attack.
"Where do I start?"
1. Lead the team in prayer. Find the right time to do this such as after the morning's sound check. Start by asking for prayer requests and updates. Then start praying. Lift up the prayer requests of your team. Lift up praise for answered prayers. And pray for protection over your team and the church service.
2. Be willing to listen. Life is hard and sometimes a person needs to talk. No matter what the issue, make time for them. Fred Rodgers, better known as Mr. Rodgers from the children's television show, was known to be a wonderful listener. One author said of talking with him that when you talked, he gave you his complete un-divided attention.
3. Get to know your team members as people. Twice a month, I meet one-on-one with my pastor and a question he always asks me is, "how can I pray for you." And when he next sees me, he asks me about those topics of prayer. As an added bonus, working on a production team can be very stressful and when you're tight with your team, they will give you their very best.
Wrapping it up
Your team's work is ministering to the needs of the pastor, the worship team, and the congregation. As the leader of a production team, you must also minister to your team members. You have pulled them out of the worship position and placed them into the work position. Therefore, you need to minister to them.
