Red Rocks Church is a multisite that started in Denver, Colorado in 2005. It currently has four campuses in the Denver area, with sites in Belgium, Texas and a handful of campuses inside prisons called “God Behind Bars” campuses. Red Rocks Production Director John Clark says each of these campuses has an amazing God story behind them, where doors were opened and opportunities presented themselves. “We like to remind ourselves we’re not just building buildings; we’re building the Kingdom!” he says. We take Five Minutes to find out more about John Clark.
CPM: What is your personal background? How did you get interested in technical arts?
Clark: I actually started out in ministry as a worship leader. My dad is a pastor and has been one my entire life, so I grew up in the church and therefore carry “ministry” in my DNA, along with a bunch of Pastor’s Kid baggage. :) As I grew up, I was deeply involved in church playing instruments on worship teams and leading for my dad’s church and others. As I discovered what it meant to build worship environments, I learned the importance of using production and technology to come alongside of the movement. I love to problem solve and found that production and technology blends creativity, art, science, math, and worship together. I was almost instantly hooked and called to the field of church technology.
CPM: What job path led to your current role?
Clark: I’ve had a handful of jobs that lead me into my current role. While being exposed to ministry my whole life and constantly engaged in it, I put my drive and ambition to work on the corporate side of the job market and found myself in some high-level jobs at a young age. Thing is, my heart kept tugging me to full time ministry and specifically at Red Rocks. It was one of the easiest decisions ever to give it all up to do something I was called to do.
CPM: How has the pandemic changed your role at Red Rocks?
Clark: Honestly, the pandemic hasn’t changed my role at all, but it did change a lot about the way we reach our church. Our production team got incredibly busy as the “delivery” changed. Luckily our church already had a substantial online presence, but we still made some large pivots and our values shifted a bit as our viewers shifted to only online.
CPM: What would be your advice to someone just starting in church tech?
Clark: Stay humble! God doesn’t need you; he doesn’t need me; he doesn’t need any of us. We just get to be used by Him. Since church tech people are always in the background, it’s human nature to want to be noticed and seen. Since it’s rare to receive that behind a console, so many of us love to at least be ‘needed.’ Only problem is, when you find your identity in being ‘needed,’ you’re finding it in something other than Jesus. God’s the one who builds his church. We just get to be used. You don’t need to be perfect; you just have to be humble and available. After all, look what Jesus did with a loaf and fish and boy who humbly offered it to him.
