Photo courtesy of Johanne Gonzalez
“Being a part of the broadcast team has changed my life in so many different ways. I consider Jose and his wife Emily my second family." – Ariana Perez, 17 years old
When Church Alive’s Video Director Jose Torres came up short on camera operators one Sunday, he did what any good leader would do—he looked around the Lyndhurst, New Jersey church for warm bodies. And on this day the first one he saw was James, his 12-year-old son—but he had to ask Production Director Lucas Coutinho first.
“As an adult, you're always hesitant about giving a 12-year-old, an expensive camera. What if they drop it or something like that?” he says. “I was the hesitant one at that point, but Lucas' answer shocked me. He told me to give it to him,” explains Torres.
Photo courtesy of Johanne Gonzalez
“And I'm sitting there as I'm directing, you kind of get emotional sometimes because I never expected these kids to operate at this level,” says Jose Torres, video director at Church Alive.
From that day forward, Torres’ son stayed on the church’s tech team as a camera operator. Next, the pastor’s son, Ben Fleming, who was 10 years old jumped on the team. Then one day the church was hosting a conference and they came up short-staffed again. “There were no camera operators around anywhere and we needed to record it,” says Torres. “At that point, my nine-year-old son was like, ‘I'll do it.’ And I said, ‘Josh, you're nine! I don't know if you can.’ But he said, ‘I want to try.’ So, I reached out to Lucas and with all the confidence in the world that I was not expecting said, ‘Okay, done. Have him do it.’”
Mentoring with an open mind
Coutinho worked four years at what was Faith Fellowship Ministries World Outreach Center, a megachurch in Sayreville, New Jersey, which is now Epic Church International. After that he started his own production company and did some work for Church Alive, coming on staff about a year ago. He’s been around church production long enough to know the value of the equipment and his responsibility for it. He says what made him say yes to the kids was that he remembers being a kid who was not allowed to serve.
“The kids that we have running the cameras, they probably wake their parents, like, ‘Hey, come on! It’s time to go!’" –Lucas Coutinho, Production Director, Church Alive, Lyndhurst, NJ
“I remember I was 12 years old and I could play guitar pretty much better than the guitarist from the church, but I couldn't serve. They didn't allow me to serve because I was 12 years old. And that was a little frustrating for me,” says Coutinho. “So, when Jose brought his son I said, ‘Can he carry [the] camera? Let’s make sure there’s a strap so it doesn’t fall.’ It’s better for them to be serving and be around us and grow—not just technically but spiritually—than running around and doing whatever they want to do.”
For many years now, Church Alive has been growing at what both men describe as a “scary pace.” There were so many new jobs to do and then they added the broadcast element, with so many more new positions to fill. They now have 85 people on the tech team and 27 of them are kids under 18.
Photo courtesy of John Castillo
Jose Torres (center left) and Lucas Coutinho (center right) are leaders of the 85-member tech team at Church Alive. 27 of them are kids under 18. Here are just a few.
Micro perspectives
Nine-year-old Nathaniel Chape is one of them. He encourages other kids who are thinking about serving. “God places you where you need to be, he is always right beside you, he never leaves you. There is no need to be nervous at all, it is a great place to serve and he put you there for a reason and to make amazing friends. Also, serving on a team at church is so, so fun, and they also have good food for everyone who serves at our church!” he says.
At first Torres was just hoping to get a steady shot he could grab from the kid cameras once in a while, but he says their passion for the art has grown at an astonishing pace. “They've actually been watching other churches like Bethel and Hillsong. They’ve been saying, ‘Okay, what else can we do?’ And now, the kids in live service, they're going from still shots to all of a sudden whipping from the guitar then to the piano focusing back up. And I'm sitting there watching and directing them while getting emotional sometimes because I never expected these kids to operate at this level.”
“They’re totally different. They come with a different processor. They got things so fast. But I expected it because they were born with phones and TikTok and cool shots came naturally.” –Lucas Coutinho, Production Director, Church Alive, Lyndhurst, NJ
Ariana Perez is 17 and says serving has been an amazing learning experience for her. “I never knew how to work a camera or even take any good pictures,” she explains. “I never had experience but some of our experienced camera operators taught me how to use a camera and do all these amazing shots, now I feel like I’m a pro! I’m so glad I’m on this team and I plan on staying on it for as long as I can.”
Coutinho says, like Ariana, the enthusiasm these volunteers have is phenomenal. “The kids that we have running the cameras, they probably wake their parents, like, ‘Hey, come on! It’s time to go!’ They're so excited to do that when we get together.” And he says they learn tech faster than the adults. “They’re totally different. They come with a different processor. They get things so fast. But I expected it because they were born with phones and TikTok and cool shots came naturally.”
Social media smarts and pro tech tools
The team is currently broadcasting all three services on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the website using Resi. Camera operators are using two handheld Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K with Teradek units for wireless operation and four Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Cameras for tripod shots. Torres uses an ATEM switcher, also from Blackmagic Design, to cut the mix for the live stream. These kids are learning a lot about professional production equipment, but Torres says they’re also learning the art of worship.
“I always tell them, as an operator your job isn't just to capture shots,” Torres says. “Your job is to lead people online to worship, and the way you're going to do that is by having them feel like they're here with us, having them feel the presence of God, the same one that we're experiencing here at church is the same one that they're feeling at home … and how are you going to do that? By being a bridge.”
Danny Santana is 14 years old and believes he’s making a difference. “Being a young video operator for Church Alive means that the future of our church is thriving. We get to broadcast the gospel using cameras and technology to people who cannot make it to our church because they are far [away] or impacted by the pandemic,’ Santana says.
“Some of these kids that struggle with homework, they'll call me and they're like, ‘Hey, I don't get my math homework.’ And I'm like, 'Let's jump on video and let's figure it out.'” –Jose Torres, Video Director, Church Alive, Lyndhurst, NJ
The end game
Torres says the goal isn’t just to fill positions and get the job accomplished. He says the goal is to help raise up Godly men and women. “I want to make sure that they just don't remember the times that they served, but they remember that we were all a family,” he says. “We all look out for each other. I want to know that their foundation in church is strong. I want to know that I made a difference in their lives.”
Photo courtesy of Johanne Gonzalez
He says you accomplish that by being involved and caring about what goes on in their lives outside of church. “The church is very big on winning goals. Like, they want to know, what was your win this week and what's your goal for next week? And we chat about it, even with homework. Some of these kids that struggle with homework, they'll call me and they're like, ‘Hey, I don't get my math homework.’ And I'm like, 'Let's jump on video and let's figure it out.' That's because I want to be a big part of their lives.”
Any hesitation Torres felt about children volunteering when he first handed his son a camera is gone. “Lucas and I break more equipment than the kids do,” he says with a laugh. He believes the rewards of watching these young people learn and grow, technically and spiritually, far outweighs the risks.
To see what he means, you just have to ask one of the young volunteers who has been serving for a while. Ariana Perez sums up her experience. “Being a part of the broadcast team has changed my life in so many different ways. I consider Jose and his wife Emily my second family. They always ask how our days are and how we are doing. It’s always nice to know someone cares for you. Every time I see them it puts a light in my day. I’m just so glad that I am able to help others see our service and hopefully draw them closer to our Lord and Savior.”
