It's Really About Worship

A recent thread on the Church Sound Check forum has garnered attention from many members on the list.  The thread started with a post titled “Time for a Break” in which one church sound guy stated that he was calling it quits after 19 years at this particular church.  The main reason it seemed was church leadership would not heed his advice on technical matters.  This thread brought forth a hail of similar stories and complete understanding on needing to take a break.  

But one post changed all of that.  The post was titled “He Doesn’t Need Us” in which a passionate response was given that God does not need us.  This post went on to assert that it is our own pride that causes problems because we think we are irreplaceable.  That we believe that the church would cease to exist because we don’t show up to turn knobs and push faders.

The post had this to say, “We seem to be operating out of the basic assumption that "serving God" is necessary and desirable.  This is usually and easily extended to "God needs my service", which then leads to "the church couldn't make it without my service" - which has to be extended to "God couldn't make it without my service".Really?????Now, let's be truly honest.   Let's drop our religious masks and be real.   We all would reject the above paragraph - and say that "of course I know God is almighty and that He and His church can survive without me".   But, then we go and live as if we truly believe the opposite!   We let our families suffer, and rationalize that this is okay because we are truly "needed" (and that God and His church wouldn't be okay without my services).   We let our personal life and even our health suffer, and also rationalize that this is necessary and okay - for the same reasons.   Most important of all, we let our spiritual life, no - drop that religious jargon and admit that a real trusting and listening relationship with our redeemer and Lord is sacrificed for the sake of the "ministry" and the "serving".   Be truly honest - have you ever hid behind a sound desk or a computer screen?

OUCH!   I felt that one.   I believe that he is correct in his analysis for many of us; including me at times.  Jesus was talking to Peter when He told him that He would build His church and that the gates of Hell would not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)  Who do we think we are that the church in which we are serving would fail because we are not there?  If God is in it then there is nothing that we do that will stop it.  Therefore I agree with this post that God does not need us.  

This post goes on to speak about worship.  

“Do we really think that you can worship the God of the universe in spirit and truth while mixing or running PP, or otherwise working?   Oh, we may experience God in some measure, but you can't be lost in worship and still be doing your job.  You just can't!  I'm sorry, but I have come to take these two as mutually exclusive,…”

Although I can understand where the writer is coming from I don’t completely agree with this statement.  Many equate worship with singing and music and therefore many worship leaders are music ministers.  I believe that our offering is our worship.  Singing and playing an instrument is an offering to God and is worship.  Performing our best at the mixing console is our offering to God and is worship.  When we have the correct response to a trying situation at work that shows we are offering our life as a living testament to God that is worship.  Casting Crowns has a song titled Lifesong.  The first line goes;

Empty hands held high; Such a small sacrifice.
If not joined with my life; I sing in vain tonight.

Our entire lives should be an offering to God.  In everything we do we should be doing for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That is true devotion and that is worship.  If we are allowing our technical offering to become just a job or work then we need to examine our own hearts to see if we are there for us or for God.

Galatians 2:20 (NLT) 20I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Colossians 3:17 (NLT) 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.

The premise of the rest of the post is that God does not need our service and that if we believe that God needs us then we are being prideful.  God, absolutely, does not need us but He created us for a purpose.  That purpose is to bring glory to Him.  God yearns for a relationship with us.  He wants us to need Him.  Although it is the better thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship like Mary; Jesus did not say Martha was wrong for doing the work but for being upset because Mary did not choose service too.  Likewise I don’t believe that Mary was upset because Martha was serving and not sitting with Jesus.  Whether we are serving or just participating in a corporate worship service we are there for God and God only.  It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing.  We should be concentrating on bringing glory to God through praise, learning and serving.  I believe that we would be dishonoring God if we do not use the gifts and talents that He has given us for His service.  Once again I’m not saying that God needs our service just that He wants our service.  

The writer of the post wrote, "I heard recently that a study revealed that 85% of those that "made a decision for Christ" in today's churches are out of the church (any church) within a year."   I believe that we need to reach out to those that receive Christ and get them into service so that they do not fall away.  But with that service we must disciple.  I believe that is where churches fail.  The Great Commission is misinterpreted as "go and make converts" when what Jesus said was "...go and make disciples..."  It is a much greater thing to worship at the feet of Jesus but don't completely discount service to the church because as Paul said in Colossians 1:24 - 29 (NLT) 24I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church.  25God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles.  26This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people.  27For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. 28So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect£ in their relationship to Christ.  29I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

I also believe that God does not call us to just serve Him but to also serve others.  We serve in the technical ministry to facilitate worship.  We serve to help others hear and see what the Lord has laid on the heart of the worship leader or the pastor.  Jesus gave us this example,

John 13:12 - 17 (NLT) 12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?  13You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true.  14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.  15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.  16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.  17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.

We were created to serve.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We give of ourselves in service because God has given everything for us.

Romans 12:1 (NLT) 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 

Our service has meaning.

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT) 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.  
It really all comes down to worship.  Who are we presenting our offering to?  When we sing are we singing for the Lord?  When we play an instrument are we playing it for the Lord?  When we operate sound and video equipment are we doing that for the Lord?

I thank the writer for his passionate plea and for bringing to light areas in my life that I need to work on.  I pray that in all that we do we do with a heart to bring glory to God.  I pray that we do not let our own selfishness or pride get in the way of our worship or distract anyone else from worship.  Let us worship God with our praise, our service, with our lives.

Examples of Good Customer Service

I wrote recently about bad customer service (What Happened to Good Customer Service?). I wanted to recognize a couple of positive experiences as well.

I’m member of the Church Sound Check discussion group which I believe is the best forum for media ministry any where. If you are involved in media ministry then you need to be a member of this group. In this group is some of the most knowledgeable and wise people from churches, manufacturers, consulting firms, distributors etc. that you will find. One member of this group really stands out on a consistent basis. His name is Carey and he is design engineer for Allen & Heath. What distinguishes Carey from most is that he is about helping others regardless of whether you own an Allen & Heath mixing console or some other manufacturer’s mixer. He is a wealth of knowledge about audio and will share his knowledge with anyone. That is great customer service when you may not even be a customer. I would actually call that Kingdom minded. I applaud you Carey!

I next recognize the company Audio Ethics. We recently held a community wide evangelistic event at a local stadium. This event was the effort of 20 churches combined out of the local ministerial association. Unfortunately the knowledge of producing an event of this magnitude was lacking. I found out late in the planning what was proposed for audio and lighting and when I did my heart sank. I had to do something. I went into scramble mode and started taking bids from the limited knowledge I had of the event. The funding was not adequate to acquire the services of most production companies. In fact some would not even return my calls after I told them what we had for budget. Gordon Snyder in Production Services at Audio Ethics understood exactly what I was going through and worked with me to get the very best audio, lighting and stage for the money that was budgeted. We were able to procure a portable stage with more than adequate lighting and an awesome sound system for this event so that we could reach out to the community and share the gospel with excellence. Audio Ethics had the same understanding that the people we were trying to reach do not know Christ and do not go to church but they do recognize if you are putting forth a good production.

The “road crew” from Audio Ethics are very knowledgeable and hard working. Maybe the only fault I could see was that these guys were obviously tired from being stretched thin by working all day with various responsibilities and then working nights and weekends on these types of events and concerts. They knew every piece of equipment from top to bottom. Sam Trexler was the lead and not only did an excellent job of directing complete set up and tear down but produced some great mixes for the various praise bands, ensembles and the mass choir.

Audio Ethics did not skimp whatsoever on the sound system. For example they used QSC amps, D & B Audiotechnik array, subs and box speakers and to top everything off was the Yamaha MC7L digital audio mixing console. I was absolutely thrilled when I started to see what was being unpacked.

I extend a great big thank you to Audio Ethics for their example of excellence and good customer service.

Nothing But The Truth

I actually was able to visit a church this past Sunday. I can’t remember the last time I visited another church. I was afraid that I would be analyzing the place as to what was needed for audio, video and lighting and be completely distracted from being involved in the worship service. I did analyze the sanctuary at Elkin Valley Baptist Church in Elkin, NC but I was not distracted. The service was traditional and I was making mental notes of what was needed in media during each element including the sermon. Although I was doing that I was still able to enjoy the service and hear a great sermon from Pastor Johnny Blevins. I hear expository preaching just about every Sunday but it has been a while since I heard an exposition on just one verse. That one verse was Ephesians 4:25

Ephesians 4:25 (ESV) 25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

Pastor Blevins sermon was titled “Nothing but the Truth”. The three major points that Pastor Blevins shared with us were:

1. Lying is incompatible with the Christian life.


2. Truthfulness is characteristic of the Christian life.


3. Speaking the truth is essential for the body of Christ.

This sermon was the final straw in something I have been struggling with. I had been asked to give a description of my blog for an upcoming feature and I realized that I had started this blog as a place to rant and vent. That is why I used a screen name or an alias as it was. I was hiding behind that instead of being completely truthful. Of course the reason for blogging had changed really quickly from being negative to how I could help others and learn from the wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the blogosphere.

Therefore all pretenses are gone from this blog. No more not being totally honest with those that read this blog. The description of the blog has changed as well as my profile. I want to be completely truthful in all things as should be a characteristic of someone that loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with all I have.

I’m so grateful for the urgings of the Holy Spirit and Pastor Blevins being used as an instrument to show me how important complete honesty is to God and the body of Christ.

What Happened to Good Customer Service?

What has happened to good customer service?  Last month Anthony Coppedge posted Service With a Smile on his blog.  It got me to thinking about how I treat people in my day job and how I treat people at my church.  I guess it also made me more aware of how others treat me as a customer.  I have in the last two months been very busy with various companies to make things happen in our church productions.  I must say that overall I’m very disappointed in the customer service of most of these companies.  A couple I will probably never deal with again.  Let me give an example…

I was recently in the market for video distribution and came to the conclusion that video over CAT-5e would be my best option.  About that time I had received the latest catalog from my preferred distributor.  In this catalog they advertised a FSR Twister system and the description said that this kit included transmitter, receiver and hub.  I thought this is perfect.  I called up the company and ordered this kit among a healthy order of consumables.  Now this order is from their latest catalog of specials that I just received and I was told that the kit mentioned above was not in stock.  How could you advertise a special and then not keep it in stock?  Strike One!

I was hoping to have this kit in place for a youth conference that was coming up in a couple of weeks.  I received the rest of my order in 3 days but the FSR kit was on back order.  After a week went by I called and was told that the order was due in the next day and then I would have my kit a few days after that.  That time elapsed and I called back again.  I was told that the order had not come in and that it would probably be another week.  Well, that put me past having the system in for the youth conference.  But did you notice that no one could give me an exact answer.  Strike Two!

The week after the youth conference I finally received my FSR Twister kit minus the hub.  I called up the company and talked to the sales rep that I had ordered from and told him that I received an incomplete order.  He told me that he was not sure what happened and would find out and call me back.  OK I can deal with that.  He didn’t call back!  I called back and he told me that The FSR web site was inconclusive.  I’m thinking, “Call your supplier FSR!”  He said, “I call FSR and see what is up.”  Good call!  Once again he said that he would call me back.  He didn’t call back.  I waited two days and then called back again.  I asked for the same sales rep and I got the impression that he had not called anyone.  He told me that he was going to call FSR right then and put me on hold.  When he came back on the line he told me that FSR said that the hub was not part of the kit.  I told him that you are advertising it as part of the kit and I had ordered it with that intention.  Plus it was not cheap.  He said he would talk to his manager and call me back.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  That’s right…he did not call me back.  I had to call back once again two days later and receive their final answer.  I was told by the same sales rep that they had make a mistake in the catalog and this was his final comment, “You got what you paid for.”
Strike Three!  YOUR OUT!!!

I also receive this company’s e-newsletter and there has not been an explanation or retraction for the catalog error yet.  I also visited FSR web site and their description is misleading on the kit in question.  They continually show pictures of the transmitter, receiver and hub together and you have to really dig to find out that the hub is not part of the kit.  They may want to think about changing that.

OK End of rant!  I’m in the market for a new distributor of professional audio, video and lighting gear.  My former preferred distributor was a one stop shop and I liked it that way.  Who do you use?

I’m not naming the company above because I forgive them.  I was amazed at the touch of the Holy Spirit to keep me calm through the whole ordeal and not ruin my testimony because I really wanted to blast them.  

I give the above example to point out that in our dealing with others we need to be completely honest.  We need to have a complete understanding of what service or goods we are offering.  We need to follow through.    This correlates to sharing the gospel.  We need to give people we share the Word with just that…the WORD.  The absolute truth of the scriptures that they are dead in their sins but have the hope of eternal life only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.  We need to know the Word so we can share the gospel at any given opportunity and defend the truth of the Word when needed.  Once someone has accepted Christ our work is not done.  Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not converts.  We need to follow through with those that accept Christ as their Lord and Savior to help them to grow spiritually.

Let me leave you with this passage of what our service to others should look like.

Philippians 2:3 - 8 (RSV) 3Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.  4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,  6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  8And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 

Pray for Productions

Have you noticed the scarcity of posts on media and technology blogs lately?  This is the busiest time of the year by far.  The lack of posts tells me that my fellow ministers in media and technology are diligent in striving for excellence in all of their productions.  Let us remember each other in prayer!  During all of this it becomes easy to lose sight of exactly why we are doing this.  Take a moment to remember that we are celebrating and sharing with others the events of the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!  

OK I have to run and pick up a rack of wireless microphone systems I rented…

Check Out Agile Ministry

I discovered a new blog today that has some really great advice and wisdom associated with media and technology ministry.  Check out Agile Ministry.

Danley Sound Labs

I keep hearing about these amazing loudspeakers from Danley Sound Labs.  I keep reading rave reviews and articles just like this one; Danley Crosses The Bridge.

Also a recent thread on Church Sound Check discussion group revealed a heart for the Lord by this manufacturer and systems integrator partner dB Audio & Video president Mike Hedden.  

I can’t wait to hear a set of these speakers to experience for myself what I have been reading about.  Anyone else have any experience with these speakers?

New Tool for Evangelism

A great, fairly new tool for outreach and evangelism is podcasting.  I know there are many churches and pastors that are using podcasting to get their sermons out to whoever may want to download and listen.  What an awesome tool to get the message out that God has given you to many, many more people than your congregation.  This has also come to be known as Godcasting.  Every time I hear that term used I think of when Jesus was hand picking His disciples.  He came to Simon Peter and Andrew who were fishermen and had casted their nets many times for fish.  

Matthew 4:19 (NLT) 19Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 

Another technological tool that can be used to “fish for people” and for discipleship as well.

Check out this article from Sound & Video Contractor
“Godcasts” Hot New Tools of Evangelism

Also check out this series of articles on podcasting from Shure:
Podcasting 101: How to Get Started
Chuck Harris of East Bay Fellowship Church: Learning Curve
Dave Hopkins:Spires and Steeples: Podcasting & Godcasting

Web Ministry Kickoff

Last Sunday we finally had the kickoff meeting for our new Web Ministry Team for our church website.  The meeting was fairly informal.  We threw around a lot of ideas and vented some frustration on the design, maintaining, and using the previous website.  We all had ideas that we would like to see implemented.  We took some time and looked at several church, ministry and secular websites to determine what we like and do not like.  All and all I think it was an enjoyable time and we now have a clear direction.

We established the goal that first and foremost that our website would be honoring to God and that we would strive for excellence to bring glory to Him.  We also decided that our church website would be a tool for outreach as well as useful to the members.  These are broad goals and will become details in the months to come.

I’m very pleased that we are taking our time to do this ministry right.  I would much rather have no site at all than have a site that is in no way obtaining our goals.  Pray that we keep our objectives in mind on every decision about this website.

Next meeting we will start discussing layout.  

Microsoft Abandons PowerPoint

Recently I have been talking a lot about excellence in the way we present media in the church.  It never ceases to amaze me how many people think that PowerPoint is the greatest thing since sliced bread.  I almost wish the following article was true.  Check out Microsoft Abandons PowerPoint

Examples in Excellence

I recently wrote in my post “Suffering in Media Ministry” about mediocrity or settling for less in our daily walk with Christ and in our ministries. I wrote about striving for excellence in all that we do for the glory of God. There have been some other good posts concerning the same thing recently in “Dealing with Mistakes” by Anthony Coppedge and “Is EXCELLENCE a dirty word?” by Jeffrey Jones at Soundbooth.org (not to be confused with Soundbooth.com) Check these articles out when you get a chance.

I believe that many times when you start to talk about pursuing excellence then people have the perception that you want perfection. That is just not true. The definition of excellence is the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree and the definition of excel is to distinguish oneself or to do or be better than; surpass. The definition of perfection is the state of being without a flaw or defect. Well, we all know that we are not perfect. We are not without sin and we are going to make mistakes. What we do when we sin in our daily lives or make mistakes in the ministry determines whether or not we are pursuing excellence. I want to distinguish myself before the Lord. I want to surpass the old life of sin and I want to do better in the ministry in which God has called me to serve.

2 Peter 1:3 - 9 (NLT) 3As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! 4And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.
5So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin.

You can’t say it any better than God’s Word. I believe that as we are given everything to live a godly life that will produce a life of moral excellence we will also be given the power to produce a ministry of excellence. Like I have said before if God has called you to a particular ministry then why would He not give you everything you need to accomplish His will? I wish people would stop putting God in a box. God is able to do exceedingly more than we can think to ask. Let God be the determining factor in your pursuits and not your own limited thinking.

I had the great privilege of witnessing the pursuance of excellence this past weekend in the form of the recording studio. What a pleasure it was to watch a group of men not settle for mediocrity.

My worship pastor, Rusty Fleming, along with Donna Thomas and Marie Broome make up the singing group Surrender that are based out of our church. Last year when they were performing at a gig in the Raleigh, NC area they caught the attention of Winslow Stillman. He liked what he heard and wanted to bring them into the studio.


Winslow Stillman has over 40 years experience in the music business. He is an award-winning music and broadcast producer, having created highly successful syndicated radio shows, including NASCAR Country, and Thunder Road, and the internationally syndicated program, The Road. As a producer in Nashville, Winslow worked in the studio with artists such as Dobie Gray, Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, Bela Flek, Burl Ives, and Jimmy Hall. An accomplished songwriter and guitarist in several genres, he has performed with various ensembles and has appeared on national TV as a vocalist.

Winslow along with bass player Gene Barrio and drummer Karl von Gunten continued to impress me with their attention to detail, finesse and their pursuit of excellence. Gene amazed me with his ear for not only his bass part but for everyone else part as well. Karl’s determination to get it right was refreshing but even better was his humble spirit. I really enjoyed talking to Karl over a couple of days. His personality has him at a disadvantage in a room full of prima- donnas. :>)
Winslow’s ability to arrange on the fly, play lead guitar, record and provide overall leadership was a thing to behold. All of them are fine musicians. Did they have the best gear in a state of the art studio with the finest of instruments? No. Did they do the best they could with what they had? Absolutely! Did they make mistakes? Yes. Did they say "that's good enough"? Absolutely not! Let me clarify that what they have to use is better than anything I have ever had permission to touch.

Now, I don’t know where these guys are in their relationship with Jesus Christ but on a praise and worship recording project these guys brought honor to God by their attitudes and by doing the very best that they could possibly do before the Lord. You could consider this a ministry for these guys so what else was really great to see was that family comes before ministry. You have heard me say or saw my writings before in which I have stated that God is first then family and then ministry. These guys practice that very thing. This past weekend a couple of family obligations took precedence over recording and that is the way it should be.

I want to thank these guys for allowing me to hang out with them but most of all to thank them for the examples in excellence.

Wisdom in Ministry Leadership

There has been some great dialog in the last couple of days concerning the purpose of media in ministry. I pray for direction daily because the hardest part of media ministry is the ministry I believe. The technical side can be child’s play in comparison to the human factor in utilizing media and technology to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been searching and I present a couple of gems of wisdom to you.

Tech is merely a tool of ministry. Technicians are ministers, using their craft and gear to minister and that IS what our mindset
should always be. Tech is a means to an end, not the end itself.

As a church tech team leader, I have both paid and volunteer staff. They all are at different stages, of life, ministry, and spiritual growth. I spend a lot of time speaking into them the 'vision' and why we do what we do. I have found that patience is key. I can't change the attitude of my staff, I can lead by example and preach the doctrine of doing all we do with excellence and a servants heart. It is ongoing and something I have to be aware of all the time.

Being a tech in church is very complicated. Things happen, good things and bad things. Staff always looks to leadership for their reaction to both. We, as leaders, are responsible to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad. We must realize when
things go correctly that God is glorified and when things go bad that the most important thing we can do is to keep a good attitude and resolve the situation with technical excellence and a servants heart.

That excerpt was from a post titled Why and What at Soundbooth.com. Attitude is sometimes very hard to sequester and patience is hard to come by but they are a key to good leadership. This post mentioned “to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad.” Let me add to thank God in the good and bad times as well.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 (NLT) 16Always be joyful. 17Keep on praying. 18No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

Because we know that God is in all things. It doesn’t matter if it is good or bad. God is there.

Romans 8:28 (TLB) 28And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.

Now I’m usually the one that likes to whine first but then I realize that I have to eat the cheese too. I might not like what is happening and I might get frustrated that the same problem keeps popping up and sometimes I get down right angry. When it comes down to it I have been given the responsibility for media ministry at this church. I need to become the “solutionist” or I need to seek out “solutionist” from my team.

Anthony Coppedge had this to say in his post today titled Tech Leadership: “The Right Solutions”;

Become a solutionist and bring comprehensive options to your leadership. It won't get fixed on its own; you need to be the catalyst as a solutionist!

Anthony also had this to say;

As you can tell, what I'm describing is nothing more than open, honest communication without pretense. Hearing me say it is one thing: living it out is another!

“Open, honest communication without pretense” is what I have learned is a must with dealing with anger, frustration and other’s personalities. It is a key to resolving conflict, building relationships and getting the job done. Living it out is most certainly difficult.

Thank you very much gentlemen for your posts of wisdom. They have helped me tremendously and hope they do others as well.

Suffering in Media Ministry

I recently posted links to a series of articles by Anthony Coppedge on dealing with burnout which were excellent. I now want to explore a contributor to burnout and that is unfortunately sometimes your church family or a team member or two. We who have been called to be ministers in media and technology understand the importance of striving for excellence to enable us do things right the first time and we do that with prayer, planning, preparation and practice. Many times we do not understand why everyone else can’t see the importance of those steps or for that matter the importance of the ministry in which you have been called altogether. This can be a real, huge source of frustration and anger.

I’ve been asking myself over the last several weeks why are people content with mediocrity in media and technology when it comes to ministry? Of course immediately Philippians 4:11 popped into my head.

Philippians 4:11 (RSV) 11Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content.

I realize that as soon as I complain or make snide comments then I’m not content. This verse though is speaking of our physical needs in which God will provide. What I’m talking about is settling for less. I know many of us as Christians settle to just be saved. We don’t do anything that may require us to take a stand or maybe to suffer for Christ. We want the easy way. Well, Jesus doesn’t want us to settle. He said the way is hard. He wants us to be on fire for Him and His church.

Matthew 7:14 (ESV) 14For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Hebrews 2:2 - 3 (NLT) 2The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. 3What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on£ to us by those who heard him speak, (emphasis mine)

Revelation 3:15 - 19 (NLT) 15“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! 16But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18I advise you to buy gold from
me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness. And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.

There are many that actually believe that it is good enough to do a little here and a little there for the church. Jesus Christ gave His everything for us and we should strive to give our very best for Him. When it comes to using media in our worship services “good enough” just won’t cut it. "Be diligent and turn from your indifference." If there are resources available in your church to do a much better media presentation than what you have on your computer at home then USE those resources. If there are resources available to improve your outreach into the community through media and technology then USE them. We need to stop being indifferent to the One in which we place our faith and hope in our daily lives and we need to stop being indifferent in how we present the gospel through media to our church family and our community.

Now to those of you that minister through media as your calling, using media and technology is more than an awesome multimedia presentation and cool gear it is about presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Timothy 2:15 (NLT) 15Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

We must be diligent to use media just as the worship leader uses music and the pastor uses his sermon to “correctly explain the word of truth”. We facilitate the presenting of the word of truth through our systems. The word media is derived from the word medium which, I know, conjures up negative connotations. So do the words entertainment, performance and production as well but I won’t go into that right now. When you look at the definition of medium it helps explain the tool in which we have been called to use. Same goes for those other words by the way. Medium is defined as:

1. Something, such as an intermediate course of action, that occupies a position or represents a condition midway between extremes.


2. An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.


3. An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed, or transferred.

Our course of action is facilitating a worship service. The intervening substance is our systems and team. We use media (audio, video, lighting, publications, and website) to accomplish sharing the truth of Jesus Christ. We use media to convey the heart of the worship leader to the congregation. We use media to transfer the spoken and written word to the people that need to hear that word. As you can see our calling is not to be taken lightly or with indifference.

I have been suffering lately with illness and in my time away I guess I started into a little self-pity because I was not there at the church to be involved in the ministry that I love so much. Moreover I have been noticing the contentment with mediocrity for quite some time from those that do not understand our ministry and also from some of those that are actually involved in media ministry. I want to challenge you to take a stand for what God has called you to do. Do you really think that God would call you to a ministry if He would not provide you the means to carry out His plan? I want to encourage you that you are not in this alone. I’m going through this right now! The reason I’m writing this post is because God led me right to His Word this morning to encourage me and He will do the same for you. Let me share what the Lord had for me this very day.

Colossians 1:24 - 29 (TLB) 24But part of my work is to suffer for you; and I am glad, for I am helping to finish up the remainder of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the Church. 25God has sent me to help his Church and to tell his secret plan to you Gentiles. 26-27He has kept this secret for centuries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plan are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your only hope of glory. 26-27He has kept this secret for centuries and generations past, but now at last it has pleased him to tell it to those who love him and live for him, and the riches and glory of his plan are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ in your hearts is your
only hope of glory. 28So everywhere we go we talk about Christ to all who will listen, warning them and teaching them as well as
we know how. We want to be able to present each one to God, perfect because of what Christ has done for each of them. 29This is my work, and I can do it only because Christ’s mighty energy is at work within me. (emphasis mine)

Isn’t that awesome? Christ’s power is at work in me and in you. Let me also clarify that this suffering in ministry may pale in comparison to the suffering we may endure in our daily lives as we take our stand for Christ but if members of our church family are allowing themselves to be used to the detriment of God’s will for the church then the suffering can be even greater.

Colossians 3:12 - 13 (TLB) 12Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. 13Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Pray for me as I pray for you that we may consider our hardships in media ministry part of suffering for the Church as Christ has suffered.

Pray that we may be workers approved of God.

Pray that we may be able to educate others about our calling and minister to our church family in a way that is pleasing to God and works to the unity of the body of Christ. We need to also seek to understand everyone else’s calling and gifts and how we must work together as one body. I believe the problem most of the time is that we do not communicate with each other. Seek out what you need to know to effectively minister from the staff of your church and from your own media ministry team members. Team members, you need to let your leadership know what your concerns and ideas are for the ministry as well. There is an acronym for team.

Together Everyone Achieve More.

All concerns, ideas and application should not necessarily come from leadership. It should be a consensus of the team.

Ephesians 4:1 - 7 (TLB) 1I beg you—I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord—to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these. 2Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.
4We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future. 5For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6and we all have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us. 7However, Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts.

I hope that this post has spoken to you as the Lord has spoken to me this morning and now into the afternoon. It is always great when the Lord gives you a clear understanding of His word for application in your life. When that happens it is best to share because I know that He has this word for someone else out there today too.

I stated earlier that we are all in this together so if you ever have anything you like to share the comment section is available as is also my e-mail if you would prefer that method. I’m a firm believer in helping each other as much as we possibly can. I probably need help more from others than I can give but I offer anyway.

Romans 8:16 - 18 (TLB) 16For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. 17And since we are his children, we will share his treasures—for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.

AMEN!

Effective Church Website Planning

Wow!  Is the Lord’s timing awesome or what?  I was about to make a huge mistake with our church’s website and the Lord leads me to a blog and article that I have never visited before.  The article it titled Ten Things to Know About Your Church Website and is posted on BetaChurch.org

I have not been pleased with our web presence for…well…ever.  Actually if I had visited our church’s website before attending several years ago I probably would have passed.  So when our host contract expired at the end of the year we just let it expire.  Right now we have a web address with no content.  I want to do it right.  As in any other area of ministry, I believe that entails much planning and preparation and prayer.  We want a website that is a true representation of our church and is actually useful.  We need a website that is effective for evangelism and information.

My plan was to start a team that would develop a website that would be honoring to God and not just thrown together.  I’m still going to go ahead with that plan but I was just about to cave and get something put up temporarily.  Then I read this article in which two points were A bad website is worse than no website and Do not follow the path of least resistance…you will regret it.

I’m first and foremost a sound guy and know enough to be really dangerous when it comes to website administration and design.  This article made perfect sense to me and gives me a better understanding of a vision for our own website.  Probably because this article was written by a pastor who a year ago knew less than I do now but has learned a great deal.  I thank this pastor for sharing the wisdom that the Lord has developed in him.

I pray this year I can announce the launch of a website that is honoring to God, truly a representation of our church and useful to our church family.  

Church Media Consultation

In the past couple of years one of the areas that I have learned a great deal about in media ministry is consultation. I have learned that there is a big difference between a church media consultant or church audiovisual consultant and a sales consultant. I have dealt with several “sales consultants” over the last few years. They mostly ask you what equipment or systems you want to purchase or even worse tell you what equipment or systems you must buy. Now a one-stop shop might be great for many things but when it comes to consultation, design, purchasing and installation of a new sound system or projection system it is not. It is nearly impossible for a “sales consultant” to be objective. They are more than willing to sell you $150,000.00 in equipment if you are willing to purchase whether you need it or not. That is an actual rounded quote that I received two years ago for two venues at my church. Naturally my pastor’s jaw hit the floor and I think a lady on the stewardship committee actually fainted. Another “sales consultant” did sell me a projection system. The entire projection system including PC and software bundle, cables and distribution was a good deal and less than what my predecessor had paid for a projector alone but service after the sale has been lacking. These experiences have made me consider what I should be doing to be a good steward. As I met with the $150,000 quote guy, all we talked about was what they sell. When we should have been talking about what our goals are for media ministry. Then discuss the options in equipment to meet that goal.

The main qualifier for a church media or audiovisual consultant is that they are selling their time and nothing else.

What else I’m looking for in a consultant is four-fold:

1. Knows Jesus – A consultant must know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. A consultant that does not know Jesus doesn’t understand why you are using media as a tool for ministry. They don’t understand using media for evangelism, fellowship, teaching and worship.


2. Knows Church – There are Christian consultants out there that do know audiovisual systems but do not know about implementing those systems in churches. They may also not understand your goals when most of their consultation is in the corporate world. A consultant should be able to put themselves into the position of the technical director, media minister etc. They should be able to see the vision of media ministry of any particular church and provide guidance when goals or vision is lacking.


3. Knows Equipment – A consultant needs to know the gear and know what will work best in your application. That means that they have to talk to you and found out what you want to accomplish. They also need to assess what you are using already and look to implement that existing equipment. Hey, we would all like to have new gear but this about being good stewards.


4. Knows the Business – A consultant needs to know manufacturers and distributors and installers. They need to know who to recommend because after all they are hired to look out for your best interest only. They can also warn you of those companies and manufactures that are not your best choice. Now a consultant may prefer a certain brand or company but that should only be from good experiences with a certain brand or company.

Churches all across this nation have been burned over and over by well meaning lay people, pastors with a lack of knowledge and greedy contractors that know a sucker when they see one. A consultant can save you so much time, money and heartache. Also to all of you that are leaders in media and technical ministry, bringing in a consultant in no way diminishes your ability or knowledge but helps to fortify your position to staff and other church leadership the needs involved with the ministry that God has entrusted to you. Once again it comes down to stewardship.

I look forward to building a relationship with two consultants this year. A relationship for a common goal of empowering kingdom growth. I hope to write about this experience in the months to come.

Sound & Video Contractor has published a few articles on the subject. More Conversations on Consultants can be read here.

Dealing With Burnout

As I have said before I wish I had known of the vast network of those serving in media and technical ministries last year when I was really struggling.  Anthony Coppedge has covered burnout in his last several posts and as usual he nails it.  In Part II Anthony states;

"Hi, I'm Anthony Coppedge, and I'm a recovering church staff burnout person. Not only have I personally experienced burnout, but I have been a leading contributor of burnout to volunteers while I served at one of the three churches where I was on staff."

Last year I was in total burnout and through reading these posts I have come to realize that I’m now contributing to burnout.  Thanks to Anthony I now have a plan of action of dealing with this issue.  Thanks Anthony!


Check out the following post:

Dealing with Tech Arts Burnout! - Part I

Dealing with Tech Arts Burnout! - Part II

Dealing with Tech Arts Burnout! - Part III

State of the Unity Address

While writing my last post, Year in Review 2005, I realized that I have some things that I need to express.  I stated in my last post that I have discovered a lot about the church and it is the body of Christ.  Oh, how I believe that we have strayed so much from being Christ-like in how we deal with society and how we treat each other.  The church needs to be about caring for those less fortunate and absolutely lost.  We need to be about looking past the obvious sin that separates people from God and show them the atonement that is available to them through Jesus.  Jesus said that he came to call sinners to turn from their sins not spend time with those that already think they are good enough. (Matt. 9:13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32)  Are we spending time showing others around us Jesus?  It doesn’t matter what their status is or what they are involved in.  They still need the Lord just as at some point we realized we needed the Lord and received Him.  How do they know unless they are told?  

The federal government has received a bad report on how it handled the disaster of hurricane Katrina.  On some levels that criticism was merited and on other levels I believe that it should not have had a role to begin with.  It is not the role of government to take care of those in need; it is the church’s responsibility.  Now there is the issue of personal responsibility being abandoned but that is a deep rooted fallacy of relying on the government for your every need.  It is a failed philosophy that was in place way before Katrina struck the Gulf coast.  The church’s role is to take care of orphans and widows, sick and infirmed, weak and elderly, poor and lost and to minister to the spiritual needs of all.  The people that were devastated by those hurricanes encompass all of those needs.

The church also needs to stop the petty bickering that so many times divides us and keeps us from being Christ-like.  Jesus commands us to love each other in John 13.

John 13:34 - 35 (NLT) 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”  

And because of that love for each other we should be able to tolerate the short comings of others because we all have them.  Not one of us is perfect.

Ephesians 4:2 - 3 (NLT) 2Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  3Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.  

What causes fights amongst us?  I believe we lose focus of what our purpose really is and we start looking out for own desires and promoting our own agenda instead of what God wants for us. We start doing things of ourselves, not remembering that we are only a part of an entire body.  

Ephesians 4:4 - 7 (NLT) 4We are all one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future.  5There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  6and there is only one God and Father, who is over us all and in us all and living through us all.  7However, he has given each one of us a special gift according to the generosity of Christ. 

All of this doesn’t lend the church to turn a blind eye to sin or to hold back truth or not expose false doctrine.  Our inaction can be as bad as our action as in the same way if a police officer sees a crime being committed and does nothing to prevent it.  We should never compromise but always defend the truth and bring injustice to light.  We can expose sinful behavior for what it is but always in a way that points to Jesus and not to our own selfish motives just as Paul confronts Peter in Galatians 2.  It is not our place to condemn but it is our place to make judgment calls.  We must be able to discern what is wrong and what is right and keep a clear distinction between the two as society continually seeks to blur that distinction.  We must remain unified in our focus on what is right and wrong and what is scriptural and what is not.

Ephesians 5:10 - 14 (NLT) 10Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.  11Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, rebuke and expose them.  12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.  13But when the light shines on them, it becomes clear how evil these things are.  14And where your light shines, it will expose their evil deeds. This is why it is said,     “Awake, O sleeper,     rise up from the dead,     and Christ will give you light.”  

Unity starts at home.  The family has come under attack like never before.  Married couples have to work at marriage.  Love is not something you fall in and out of.  Love is a choice and it is HARD WORK.  Your marriage is a COVENANT between YOU and GOD to love each other and take care of each other in EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE UNTIL THE DAY YOU DIE!  I believe that we have made it way too easy to dissolve this commitment through the nonsense of no-fault divorce.  Somebody is at fault and it isn’t God.  It makes it that much easier of an argument to approve marriage of those that are involved in immoral and perverted unions when we as Christians can’t make marriage work.  Let God be the focus in your marriage stupid!  Marriages fail because of purely selfish motives.  Men, we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church.  Christ DIED for the church, for us.  That is the love we need to have for our wives.

Ephesians 5:25 - 30 (NLT) 25And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her  26to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word.£  27He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.  28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife.  29No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church.  30And we are his body.

Next are the children who are the main target and we most certainly have a responsibility to raise them in the reverence and advice of the Lord.  If not taught by us their minds will be shaped by the philosophy of moral and religious relativism where absolute truth does not exist.  I believe that if we do not lead the children then we are just as guilty of their demise as anyone.

Matthew 19:14 (NLT) 14But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these.”

Parents, you cannot buy your children’s love.  They don’t want things from you.  They want your love, direction, instruction and yes discipline.

Ephesians 6:4 (NLT) 4And now a word to you fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord.

It breaks my heart to hear about the stories of kids in daycare from the time they are 3 months old until they reach school age.  I can’t believe that mothers will take their kids to daycare even on their days off but it happens.  And kids are also mostly ignored in our churches too.  They are expected to be like adults from the time they are 8 years old when they should be discipled, ministered to and taught in a way that is relevant to them.  There is no wonder that an every increasing majority of kids are like they are when they are left to be raised and influenced by everyone but their parents and the church.  Wake up people the future is dim!  We are experiencing a huge hole in the body of Christ!  Kids are abandoning their faith and the church at an alarming rate.

Now, what are we going to do about it?

Year in Review 2005

The last couple of years I was an island in a sea of turmoil on how to cope with learning different aspects of media ministry as well as learning how to communicate with pastors and my own team the vision in which the Lord had given me concerning the ministry in which He has called me to serve.  Unfortunately I learned the hard way on how to not communicate to pastors and how not to handle a position of leadership and how not to deal with anger.

Starting with the Inspiration Technology Conference in Charlotte at the end of May last year the Lord started to open my eyes to how I needed to be a disciple.  He opened my eyes to how many other people have a passion for this ministry.  I discovered training and support in not only the technical side but also the leadership and spiritual side.
  
In June I was led to discover the world of blogging.  I quickly decided that I liked what I saw and wanted to be a part.  At that time I started Media Ministry.  I have a much easier time expressing myself in writing than in speaking so this was a perfect outlet for sharing, creativity and sometimes to vent.
This is also when I really started to see how much information was out there concerning media ministry and how many are out there going through the same things that I’m going through.  I also have discovered a lot about the church and I have started to develop my own philosophy and ideas about church administration.  

In 2005 I had to come to the realization that I’m a recovering legalist.  That is one of the reasons that I decided to abandon my Christian Action web site and start the blog StandPoint in August.  Plummeting hits didn’t hurt either.  I truly felt the need to go in a different direction.  

I thank all of you that have been an integral part of being used by God for my technical and spiritual growth.  A good portion of those people are my favorite blogs listed on the right.  I think that two of the most influential have been Anthony Coppedge on the media side and Perry Noble on everything else and both on church and ministry.  Anthony Coppedge has his thumb clearly on the pulse of the issues that we who are serving in media ministry are dealing with.  I only regret that I didn’t discover earlier the vast resource of support that Anthony and others share with each other on a daily basis.  Perry Noble tells it like it is and is usually right and always thought provoking.  If you are not reading these two blogs then you should be.

Also there is my church family.  I have enjoyed so much ministering to you as you have ministered to me.  I have enjoyed fostering a relationship with my pastors to truly seek God’s will for our lives and for the body of believers that He has entrusted to you.  

Last but not least is my lovely, wonderful wife.  She is my voice of reason, my compliment, my encourager, my help mate, my best friend.  I thank God for her continually.

I pray that in this new year of 2006 that the church will renew its purpose to truly be the body of Christ.  I pray that I personally will continue to deepen my relationship with God by striving to be Christ-like.  I pray that I place my will in alignment with God’s will in when, where and how I will serve in media ministry.  

  

This Caught My Attention

Disc Makers Unveils Redesigned Automated Elite Duplicator and Printer Line
Disc Makers sets a new standard for size and ease-of-use with its latest line of redesigned Elite duplicators—the most rugged automated duplication and printing systems on the market. The new Elite2, ElitePro2, Elite4, and ElitePro4 systems showcase a new FlexWare software suite that integrates disc creation, on-disc design, disc duplication, and printing into one easy-to-use application. In addition, they incorporate the latest 16x DVD±R/48x CD-R drives from Plextor, giving them the fastest, most reliable throughput in the industry.
Read the rest of the review here.

Equipment Appropriation and Elimination

I have noticed lately that I’m starting to accumulate quite a bit of old gear.  Now this is not the old gear that I was talking about in one of my recent posts that is still in use.  Some of this equipment has been sitting around since before it became my responsibility.  Now I’m wondering what I should do with all of this stuff.  Should I sell it?  Give it away?  Or should I find a way to use it somewhere in the church?  My church will not conduct fund raisers so an appealing proposition has been to sell the equipment and refund the budget to help offset cost of other equipment purchases that may arise.  Unfortunately most of this equipment is not worth even advertising.  I think I need to research and see what other churches are doing with equipment that they turn over in any given year.

That brings me to the question of leasing equipment.  I have been hearing of churches that lease their systems and then do an exchange type program every so many years.  An article titled “Leasing AV Systems Can Appeal to Church Buyers” in Houses of Worship by Sound & Video Contractor states that “Today, both mainstream commercial customers and clients in worship venues often look at leasing as a practical way to finance major investments in audio and video systems. Often, church buyers are especially drawn by the advantages of a well-structured lease.”  I know that the appeal is great but I think that church buyers are especially drawn to a sucker deal.  I don’t see the advantages.  I know that technology improvements are replicating at a faster pace as every year passes but I still see our systems as capital investments and not expenses.  I see our systems as a tool for ministry in which we are investing in people and not new toys.  
My first reaction to leasing is NO.  I see leasing as always a bad idea in every purchasing situation known.  I really don’t see why leasing audio, video and lighting systems for our churches would be any different.  I see leasing as paying more for a system over the long haul so you can get it now over paying what the system is worth.  I believe that is not good stewardship.