Photo by Kevin Ianeselli on Unsplash
My title is “Production Director.” But in actuality, I’m not really the production director. Our senior pastor is. I may think that I get to determine our stylistic approach to services, but I don’t. I don’t get to determine how loud the music is or how much the lights move. I don’t get to decide how thick the haze is or how heavy the bass is. I don’t get to make the call on what camera shots we use or how fast we cut them. The senior pastor does.
Psalm 133:1 (NIV) proclaims, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.”
For many of us, this can be not just a shock, but also a great source of frustration. After all, if I was hired into a role because of my skill or experience, why would I not be able to use those things to shape the direction of the service?
But, it’s not about my particular style, preference, approach, or experience. Because at the end of the day, I must understand that the ultimate responsibility for creating an atmosphere of worship and stewarding the spiritual health of the congregation lies with the senior pastor.
So how does that work? Does that mean I need to always keep my mouth shut? No! In fact, there are many senior leaders that would freely admit they don’t know (or perhaps care) enough about production to have an opinion one way or another, and are perfectly comfortable deferring to their tech lead’s experience and judgment.
On the flip side, there are plenty of other leaders who do have opinions or preferences, and that’s where there can be tension. When that pastor has a perspective contrary to my own, whether valid or not, that’s often where the “us vs. them” mentality comes into play. Because he wants something different than me or is making a decision that I might not agree with, I sometimes feel entitled to play the blame game, suggesting that the clueless, narrow-minded leaders (“them”) are making the wrong call and will screw something up, simply because they wouldn’t listen to the advice of the experienced tech person (“me” or “us”).
... the ultimate responsibility for creating an atmosphere of worship and stewarding the spiritual health of the congregation lies with the senior pastor.
This approach is unhealthy and wrong on so many levels. Not only am I sinning by disrespecting and dishonoring the spiritual authority that God placed over me, I’m also cutting myself off from opportunity for blessing and advancement. As Psalm 133:1 (NIV) proclaims, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” And Romans 13:1 reminds us that there is no one in a position of authority (even the authority of leading a tech team) that God hasn’t placed there. I may not always agree with my senior pastor when it comes to the worship environment, and that’s fine. But I still need to honor his or her decisions and model for my team what it looks like to gladly serve under the vision of the church.
I’m not the Production Director. I’m just here to serve.
