5 Necessary Qualities of a Church Tech
1. Big Picture.
I know I know, the gospel is the big picture here. But when I’m looking for volunteers - keeping the “talent” happy and relaxed through preparation IS the big picture when it comes to setup. Nothing has the potential of train wrecking the day as much as making the leader feel nervous because you simply didn’t have him ready first. I can’t tell you how many times our worship pastor has been part of setting the rest of the band/singers at ease because of some technical difficulty, simply because he was put at ease by knowing his equipment was the priority and it was working. If they know you have a history of prioritizing their needs, they will be in your corner when things come up that are out of your control. You need to get the worship leader and pastor for the day taken care of before you do anything else. It is excusable to get behind in setup on just about any reason, but if you don’t have the signal chain for the worship leader connected and tested by the time the rehearsal starts, you are not building any trust. It really doesn’t matter how systematic you are in your setup, or how neat and tidy those cables are wrapped, or even there is the academic understanding of technical things on the level of a college professor. If you don’t have that pastor or worship pastor ready as soon as they walk on the stage, there is no amount of tech savvy that will make up for that. So, if you get that, and you make that your number one priority each and every time, then all else will be forgiven. Because, even if nothing else is working, if the worship pastor can talk to the stage and get them through the rehearsal because HIS signal chain is all working, then the team will be at least prepared enough from hearing him, and that leader will not be in a panic.
I know I know, the gospel is the big picture here. But when I’m looking for volunteers - keeping the “talent” happy and relaxed through preparation IS the big picture when it comes to setup. Nothing has the potential of train wrecking the day as much as making the leader feel nervous because you simply didn’t have him ready first. I can’t tell you how many times our worship pastor has been part of setting the rest of the band/singers at ease because of some technical difficulty, simply because he was put at ease by knowing his equipment was the priority and it was working. If they know you have a history of prioritizing their needs, they will be in your corner when things come up that are out of your control. You need to get the worship leader and pastor for the day taken care of before you do anything else. It is excusable to get behind in setup on just about any reason, but if you don’t have the signal chain for the worship leader connected and tested by the time the rehearsal starts, you are not building any trust. It really doesn’t matter how systematic you are in your setup, or how neat and tidy those cables are wrapped, or even there is the academic understanding of technical things on the level of a college professor. If you don’t have that pastor or worship pastor ready as soon as they walk on the stage, there is no amount of tech savvy that will make up for that. So, if you get that, and you make that your number one priority each and every time, then all else will be forgiven. Because, even if nothing else is working, if the worship pastor can talk to the stage and get them through the rehearsal because HIS signal chain is all working, then the team will be at least prepared enough from hearing him, and that leader will not be in a panic.
2. Caring
This is closely related to the first point. But it carries over into all your relationships with the other talent on the stage. Here are a few specific things you can do to show you care.
a. Learn their names (and spell them right on labels for mics!)
b. Tell them they sounded great (specifically when you really think they did).
c. Make sure they understand how to use the equipment – and be NICE about it. If they are having a consistent problem, don’t just fix it & leave, explain it to them,
d. Smile. You hear the choir director asking his choir to smile while they are singing so the congregation gets the message that they are enjoying what they are doing. Same goes for us!
This is closely related to the first point. But it carries over into all your relationships with the other talent on the stage. Here are a few specific things you can do to show you care.
a. Learn their names (and spell them right on labels for mics!)
b. Tell them they sounded great (specifically when you really think they did).
c. Make sure they understand how to use the equipment – and be NICE about it. If they are having a consistent problem, don’t just fix it & leave, explain it to them,
d. Smile. You hear the choir director asking his choir to smile while they are singing so the congregation gets the message that they are enjoying what they are doing. Same goes for us!
3. Teachable.
Teachability is one of the quickest identifiable qualities of a potentially awesome tech team member. How good you are at what you do reveals itself in action. And people who are REALLY good at what they do are willing to take instruction and sponge information from any source, no matter the education, experience level, or age of that source.
Teachability is one of the quickest identifiable qualities of a potentially awesome tech team member. How good you are at what you do reveals itself in action. And people who are REALLY good at what they do are willing to take instruction and sponge information from any source, no matter the education, experience level, or age of that source.
4. Dependable.
The rest of this doesn’t matter if you don’t show up, or you show up too late to be properly prepared. The people that are really excited about serving as tech volunteers show up on time (usually early), and if something comes up that is going to prevent them from being there, they make the effort to call or find a substitute. They also are just ever so slightly nervous about doing something the wrong way. So much so, that they are usually methodical about putting things back in their place each time they are done using them. This is just as important as being on time. Cause if you get there on time, but you can’t find what you need cause someone else didn’t put it back…
If you a person has only this one quality, plus the desire to serve, we can find SOME place for them to serve in tech ministry. Seriously.
The rest of this doesn’t matter if you don’t show up, or you show up too late to be properly prepared. The people that are really excited about serving as tech volunteers show up on time (usually early), and if something comes up that is going to prevent them from being there, they make the effort to call or find a substitute. They also are just ever so slightly nervous about doing something the wrong way. So much so, that they are usually methodical about putting things back in their place each time they are done using them. This is just as important as being on time. Cause if you get there on time, but you can’t find what you need cause someone else didn’t put it back…
If you a person has only this one quality, plus the desire to serve, we can find SOME place for them to serve in tech ministry. Seriously.
5. Desire to SERVE
We are serving the Lord in Tech Ministry, and most folks get that. The disconnect is often with the fact that we are serving and supporting the talent on the stage. We are. Its really simple. Our speech, attitude and actions should reflect this.
We are serving the Lord in Tech Ministry, and most folks get that. The disconnect is often with the fact that we are serving and supporting the talent on the stage. We are. Its really simple. Our speech, attitude and actions should reflect this.
Good stuff man. It's so important that as volunteers or staff that we're there as a team all serving towards one goal. Love it!
ReplyDeletePreach it!!
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