Patience should flow into our dealings with our pastor, worship leader, team members, and every other person we come in contact with.
There are certain qualities that every good tech director needs to possess. And they probably need them more than ever right about now.
They need to have the ability to process large amounts of information quickly. They need to be able to stay up-to-date with the various trends and technologies that affect the church. They also need to be able to put together various pieces of equipment into one seamless system.
For most tech directors all of this comes quite naturally. In fact, many of us enjoy these things immensely, and that's a wonderful thing. The bottom line is, we are gifted in what we do.
There is another quality that is just as important but probably doesn't come quite so naturally. And it is something that is often overlooked and even ignored. It is patience. The dictionary defines patience as: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Our brains are always running at full speed and for us to slow ... down ... and ... wait ... is ... painful.
Yeah, I know this sounds like a real barrel of laughs and you just can't wait to dive in. If we are really honest with ourselves though, none of us really want to be patient. For most of us, if we ever mutter a prayer for patience, it is something like, “Lord, give me patience ... and give it to me NOW!"
Our brains are always running at full speed and for us to slow ... down ... and ... wait ... is ... painful. This is why many tech directors would rather do things themselves than take the time to teach someone else how to do it. After all, why would I want to waste all that time teaching someone how to do something when I already know how to do it? And do it well....
Out of self, into others
Do not make the mistake of neglecting one of the most important aspects of your ministry: Training others to do the work of technical ministry. We may think that our job is simply to do the work, but I challenge you to think broader than that. Your job is also to equip others to use their gifts to serve. But doing that takes a fairly large dose of patience on your part.
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. - Ephesians 4:2
Go read that verse again ... you read it too fast the first time. Seriously. Read it again. This verse is kind of like the noise of fingernails scratching on a chalkboard. It sort of grates against us. We want to breeze right over it, ignore it and forget about it. But we need to let it sink in.
Be humble. Be gentle. Are you humble and gentle with the people that you work with? Or do you get so busy that you forget to do that? These are good questions for all of us.
Be patient with each other. Are you willing to take your time with someone who doesn't learn as quickly as you? Don't forget that the people you are working with aren't thinking about these things 24/7 like you are.
Don't forget that the people you are working with aren't thinking about these things 24/7 like you are.
Make allowances for each other's faults. Wow, this is huge. It doesn't say “roll your eyes and tolerate their inferiority.” Make allowances. Take your time with them. Don't rush them and don't rush yourself. Expect that they won't figure it out on the first try. Honestly, we didn't figure out what we do on the first try either.
This patience also should flow into our dealings with our pastor, worship leader, and every other person we come in contact with. We love it when people are patient with us, but so often we forget to be patient with them. So, take a deep breath. It's gonna be OK. Just be patient.
