I became the last-minute sound guy when the scheduled sound guy didn't show.  I've run sound for years...no big deal, right?  That's where the perception of experience gets people in trouble.

Running sound at the last minute means;
     1. Limited time for line-checks
     2. Limited time for setting gain structure - it's probably not going to be optimal.
     3. As mentioned in a previous article, no chance to check the schedule.
     4. No time to do much of anything!
     4. The likelihood of problems skyrockets.

I'm writing this for 2 reasons;
     1. Being on a sound team means respecting the position.  Whether a person blows off their responsibility or simply forgets it's their turn, it impacts other people.
     2. As a tech director, lead tech, or whatever you call the person in charge, they have the responsibility to deal with team members who fail to perform their duty as expected.

I've been in the position where I was the sound guy zipping into the parking lot at the last minute.  I'm not saying I'm perfect.  My point is that just because we don't always get the recognition we might deserve, it's no reason to become relaxed in our responsibilities. We don't do this job for the recognition, we do it because it's a ministry to the congregation.