Making purchasing decisions while working for a church ministry may require a more unique decision-making process than just about any other industry. Knowing that a church’s income is derived from people willingly giving their tithes and offerings, there is an incredible emphasis on making wise stewardship decisions when purchases are made.
Certain pieces of infrastructure, like audio consoles, main room PA systems, video routers and switchers and lighting consoles, should be seen as longer-term investments that should have a functional life for at least seven to 10 years.
However, to steward money well doesn’t necessarily mean that the cheapest purchase is always the best option. Sometimes, resources are more effectively stewarded when a higher investment is made up front, simply because that may allow for greater durability or support than a lesser-priced item would provide.
So, how does a church make the most effective purchasing decisions? When is the right time to buy something that has a lower cost, and when are the times that equipment is worth a higher price tag? When is the high cost of a certain brand “worth it” as compared to something that’s a “knock-off” or generic substitute?
“Stewardship isn't about saving money, it's about not wasting it.”
—John Williams, the Experience Director at central Florida’s Action Church
As John Williams, the experience director at central Florida’s Action Church, is fond of saying, “Stewardship isn't about saving money, it's about not wasting it.” He added, “There is definitely gear that we stay away from and others we gravitate toward based on the brand's reputation for build quality, reliability, ease of use and customer support.”
With any technology purchase, several factors are critical to consider as part of the price point: manufacturer (or integrator) technical support after the sale; warranty repair/replacement options; service; durability; ease of use; and reliability. Sometimes these items can be part of the clear difference between a “name-brand” higher-cost item and a cheaper alternative.
For Danny Dagher, having a checklist approach to gear purchases has been critical as the senior director of production for Christ Fellowship Church, a ministry based in south Florida that has 14 locations. For a church of that size, when any gear purchase can quickly become expensive when scaled globally, it’s critical for him and his team to ensure they’re making the best possible decisions about what gear to purchase and what manufacturers to lean into.
“This year, we took the time to flesh out most of the questions and considerations we ask when evaluating products for purchase,” he explained.
As he expounded, those questions include, “What is the quality of customer support? Is the manufacturer responsive when you have an emergency? Do they have 24/7 support? How long do repairs take? Is it safe? If it's weight bearing, are you buying the appropriate load rating for the application? Does it have 30% more capacity than the current need? We want to make sure we’re planning for future growth. Will it require recurring expenses? Is it subscription-based? Will it need batteries? Make sure those expenses are known and approved! Does it fit in the budget? The age-old limit. What is the lead time? COVID has changed the game. How long will it take to arrive? How quickly can we purchase another? Do we need a spare(s)? Is it going to stand up your broadcast location? Do you have multiple locations with the same product? Make sure you have a spare! Is it sustainable? Does your team possess the technical capability to operate it and train others on it? Is it stable? Which version of the firmware does it ship with? What is the manufacturer’s list of known issues with that firmware? Is there a firmware update coming? Is it volunteer friendly? The smartphone has changed the game. How intuitive is the user interface? Can a volunteer apply smartphone navigation muscle memory to use this product? Can it be supported remotely? Another game changer. Make sure your technical staff can remotely help others over the web in a pinch. Multiple locations? Save the travel costs! Where is the product in its lifecycle? Know when it’s scheduled to go end of life and end of service to get the most value from the purchase.”
Thus, very rarely should a technician solely focus on the price tag of two similar looking items. There is often much more that needs to be considered beyond just the sticker price, because cost may not always be a firm indicator of whether the item is the best fit for an end user.
“You may find the higher price tag comes with a list of features you won’t need now, and won’t support you in the future.”
—Danny Dagher, Senior Director of Production, Christ Fellowship Church, South Florida
Dagher continued, “Don’t buy something just because it has a higher price tag and assume that it comes with more reliability because it’s more expensive. That’s an easy assumption to make, but in practice it doesn’t always pan out that way,” he explained.
Sometimes there is still a caveat attached. “You may find the higher price tag comes with a list of features you won’t need now, and won’t support you in the future,” he said. So, while he noted that it’s wise to plan purchases with some long-term margin included (for future growth and expansion), it is definitely possible to over-engineer a purchase and pay for features that are not necessary or part of the church’s vision strategy.
On the flip side of buying “too many features,” there can be intentionality involved with choosing to buy something cheaper for a specific instance.
Valley Creek Church is a four-site ministry based outside Dallas, Texas. Chris Kozen, the church’s live production director for the last 17 years, has been able to hone a strategy for “situational purchases” during his time at the church.
“There is not a price point where I feel personally comfortable trashing something under a certain amount,” he stated. “However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time when buying a low-cost item isn’t a bad option.
He continued, “For us, environments with a high wear and tear factor may dictate that because whatever device we choose is likely going receive a lot of wear, we will intentionally choose a product that we can simply throw away if it gets broken. VBS for example, is an application where a cheap throwaway headset makes sense because I can buy a dozen of them that are going to get put through the ringer throughout the week and not have to worry if they get damaged like I would with the headsets we use on our weekend communicators.”
Kozen added as a word of advice, “If the product is going to be an item that is only going to get used a handful of times, buy the cheaper product that will still accomplish the need, or, if an expensive product is the only option, consider renting it.”
To Kozen’s point, sometimes a side effect of purchasing cheaper equipment is a greater necessity of having multiple replacement units on the shelf are spare stock in case of failure. This may not be feasible with higher-dollar items; but on the same hand, typically end users purchase higher-priced items expecting a certain level of durability and usability that may reduce the need for readily available replacements.
Ultimately a ministry must often decide whether the trade-off of a lower equipment price is worth more than the cost of time spent working on it. Something cheaper may require more energy and effort to fix or maintain, resulting in an additional cost of man-hours and energy. Is that an effective compromise versus the peace of mind that may come from the higher price tag of a more reliable product from a manufacturer with a better history of service and support?
For Jeff Watkins, the production director of Arizona’s Without Walls Church, the answer is no.
Watkins explained, “I would much rather spend three times the price on Option A vs Option B knowing that it’s going to last me three times longer, and when I do have issues, I will have the support from the manufacturer.”
“Don’t step over a quarter to pick up a penny”
—Jeff Watkins, Production Director at Arizona’s Without Walls Church
“I used to try and salvage or ‘make do’ with something or repair [it],” he continued, “until I figured out that many times it’s costing more in time and labor to put a Band-Aid on something than it is to just replace it. I have a saying, ‘Don’t step over a quarter to pick up a penny’ to help in those instances. Does it make sense to repair or Band-Aid it for a time?” he asked. “If yes, then let’s do it, but the bottom line is, if it affects quality in a significant way or will require a significant amount of time and labor [to fix] then we just replace it.”
Unfortunately, the idea of “affecting quality” can be quite subjective and unclear, and there’s no easy way to define a hard and fast rule of where that line is. It’s up to each ministry to determine where they can’t compromise on something for the audience’s sake or where they can’t afford any possible distractions.
Valley Creek’s Kozen said, “If we purchase the boutique product over the value product, who will notice? If it is just the staff, worship, and production teams, we will nearly always choose the value product.”
Certain pieces of infrastructure, like audio consoles, main room PA systems, video routers and switchers and lighting consoles, should be seen as longer-term investments that should have a functional life for at least seven to 10 years. If the expectation is that these are the skeletal components of a system that need to remain stable and unchanged, then a church could more readily focus its investment into these foundational elements, knowing that other ancillary pieces can be added, upgraded, and changed over time as technology improves and budgets expand.
But ultimately, it’s up to each individual ministry to determine where they feel their investment is most urgently required, and that may need to change as vision expands and as staff resources are available to provide support.
While there’s no right or wrong regarding where to draw the line on price points, it is important that each ministry adopt its own values as to why certain decisions are made.
As CFC’s Dagher pointed out, “In my experience it’s best to create your own organization-specific version of the manufacturer’s reputation using your context as the primary filter. Not every high-end product will fit your unique challenges and use case. Don’t be afraid to take the road less traveled. What you find may surprise you.”
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