Technically Transparent Worship: Implementation (Part 6)

EEK! I never published the Implementation phase of Technically Transparent Worship! Thanks, Stephen, for reminding me.

Implementation

Here’s where it gets tough. If senior leadership has had battles with the tech team over the “vision” then the first thing to do is ask for forgiveness and an opportunity to start over.  That means swallowing your pride and leaving the ego at the door.  Listen to their problems and let them vent.  Take notes.  This is not the time to argue but to gather facts and perceptions from their point of view. Prepare for a tough listen.

If senior leadership has a good relationship with your team then move onto confirming their vision of the service experience.  There might be a feeling of pessimism from leadership.  Vision can be a touchy subject.  So, take small steps. While it’s tempting to go full-bore into this, plan out the implementation into small achievable goals.

Get successes under your team’s belt to gain confidence and trust from senior leadership. Sometimes you’ll be repeating the steps as it’s also an iterative process. The whole call-to-action is meant to improve the quality of the technical side of your church service. For some churches, that means just making sure the microphone is turned on when the pastor speaks. For bigger churches, it could mean meetings among departments for video, lighting, audio and stagecraft. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

Read Me

It may help to have the senior leadership first read through the whole Technically Transparent Worship series to see if they are in agreement with it. If they agree, then cool, you can proceed with it. If they aren’t, then don’t bang your head against the wall by trying to implement all the steps. Do what you can to get better at the technical side of things. Now, if they love the idea and really want to go whole hog into it, you MUST still plan for achievable and measurable goals.

Maybe the initial step is to ensure everyone agrees on the sound level for service. Then, work on the tech team to get them turning microphones on consistently and not allowing feedback. After that, work on getting the sound better through active listening and EQ adjustments. Learn the way things are supposed to sound. Invest in friendships with the musicians and ask for their input on how things should sound – when they listen from the seats. Listen to artists that you like to get a feel for the way the sound should be. It doesn’t matter what type of sound system you have, it’s the way you use it to your advantage.

Respect

Once the tech team is respected by leadership for their commitment to the worship experience then it’s time for a gear review.  Start making suggestions and recommendations for equipment needs, if warranted. Remember you need to be able to articulate the need for equipment based on the current equipment not being able to reach the goals and vision cast by the senior leadership. See Chris’s post:

• When to Ask for New Gear

 

Yes, I was vague

I know much of this Implementation post is vague. It’s deliberate because this stage is unique to each church and guidelines and suggestions are needed more than a step-by-step approach. Don’t be disheartened when it seems that you take two steps back for every one forward. With risk comes reward. Don’t get discouraged; set your eyes on the prize. No matter how far you get it will be further than if you hadn’t tried at all. As long as you view this work as a long-term learning experience then you can’t go wrong.

Know this: We are doing this for God’s glory. We are doing this to allow God’s magnificence to shine through all of our technology – through it, not because of it. And there will be times when tech stuff gets messed up and God still shows up.