What does it look like to transition into a new tech ministry role at a church and hit the ground running?
This post is going to cover just that.
Stepping into any position of ministry has its challenges. So what does it look like to do this well?
Meet Luke Jackson
All the knowledge and wisdom from this post is from Luke Jackson, the new production manager at Storyline Fellowship Church in Arvada, Colorado. Not only is Luke on staff at Storyline Fellowship, but he is also on staff at Churchfront as Client Success Manager. Luke also advises students in coaching calls and is deeply passionate about churches finding success in their worship ministries.
As Luke begins his first days at Storyline Fellowship, he thought it would be helpful to share his experience and how he’s handling his mindset as he begins the work of stewarding this role. What follows, then, is derived from his thoughts, and you can hear Luke and see his church for yourself by viewing the Youtube video above.
Let Luke and the Churchfront Team coach you!
If this content is helpful for your worship ministry, get this: our team will actually help you by providing a free strategy session call. We'll spend time walking through the steps you need to take in order to get the results you’re looking for in your ministry, and if you join Worship Ministry School, you will have total access to Luke and others on the Churchfront team. Don’t waste more time or resources trying to figure things out on your own. Let us fortify you and your church. We would love to talk with you.
Have a Vision for the Long Haul
When first stepping into a new tech ministry role, it will quickly become clear how much there is to do. Maybe some equipment needs upgrading or maintenance. Maybe things are an organizational nightmare. Maybe the volunteer situation is rough. Rather than getting swept up into all the little tasks that need to happen, step back and take in the big picture.
Rather than thinking about the sound, lights, or the live stream as individual mountains to climb, have a big-picture vision for how these pieces work together to create an environment for the church to engage in worship services. This is true whether a church’s services are in-person or online.
Stepping back and seeing the big-picture vision that incorporates all these pieces and the roles they play provides better clarity for the actual steps one needs to take to accomplish specific tasks. This first step may sound simple, but those who get so excited and just start doing things without a plan, vision, and a big-picture perspective will suffer and remain in the weeds.
2. Get Organized
Getting organized means having a grip on all the physical and digital spaces.
First, let's talk about physical spaces.
Most churches have front-of-house spaces that need to be organized, channel strips to be labeled correctly, sound boards to be routed properly, broadcast stations to be managed, and more. All of these physical spaces can begin to feel daunting and can cause some sense of mental claustrophobia if left unorganized.
So, one of the best ways to begin in a new tech leadership role is to clean those areas up, get rid of any unrelated items or clutter laying around, and organize things.
The goal is to have things in an area where they will be visible and their function will be clearly understood at all times. Where are all the microphones kept? Where are all the lavs kept? Where are the cables that are used every Sunday? Everyone should be able to find everything quickly and efficiently.
Second, let’s talk about digital spaces.
When working with technology, it is crucial to access digital content in an efficient manner. This means keeping these digital spaces tidy is of utmost importance, especially when inheriting a ministry others have previously controlled. It’s common for a volunteer to oversee these spaces, and because volunteers don’t have the bandwidth staff has, these inherited spaces often don’t lend themselves to the most effective workflow.
So spend time in the ProPresenter libraries, in the scene files in the sound board, and lighting scenes. Take time to make sure templates are clear, graphics are easily located. Taking time to organize these details can feel tedious and potentially meaningless, but organizing these tools makes the job easy and effective week to week. It prevents the team from getting bogged down in the details.
3. Ask for Feedback and Determine What Is and Is Not Important.
Here is a tip when beginning a new ministry position: ask for feedback on what is important to the team and what is not. Ask this of the leadership, and ask this of the volunteers or other staff.
Feedback proves you are willing to listen and exhibits humility that you are willing to learn from and include others in your quest to better your ministry. Maybe the improving the broadcast mix is a greater priority to the leadership than you realized. Maybe the mix has historically sounded flat, and staff members made that obvious. These are helpful areas that can be focused on quickly that otherwise may not have gained attention.
Not only will doing this help with blind spots, but it can also grow relational and leadership capital with a new team and leaders. Thinking about making a big change quickly but received feedback that pushed against that change? Maybe it’s good to pump the brakes for a while before making that big change.
Ask questions about what the leaders want prioritized. Ask about expected timelines. These questions can help make the plate-spinning seem more doable.
4. Make a Plan and Stick to It.
Sticking to a plan can be hard sometimes. And obviously, things happen in ministry, and plans have to be adjusted. But having a plan in place of any kind helps provide a reference point. It can act as a waypoint that doesn’t move even though everything else is moving around you. Again, just hacking away at tasks without a plan will prove very inefficient. It’s not good stewardship.
Take all the action steps above and make a plan. Note what structures are in place, what equipment is in the inventory, what needs to be organized, what is working well, and what is not working well. Next, assess the calendar year, assess what needs to happen, and prioritize. Documenting these things provide clarity when things get busy and urgent tasks take up bandwidth. This helps provide a big-picture vision as you move through your ministry.
Making a plan and sticking to it also provides a reference point to see where the ministry came from. It provides a metric for growth.
Need help making that plan? Don’t know where to start? This is what Churchfront, and specifically, Worship Ministry School, is all about. In Worship Ministry School, we spend time clarifying these types of plans, and we help you prioritize, so that you're able to be efficient with your time, be effective in your ministry, and achieve proven results by referencing a proven plan. Reach out to us.
Wrapping Up
We hope these tips are helpful in jump-starting (or refreshing) your ministry. Always reach out to the Churchfront team if you desire more guidance and help. We are here to cheer your church on for the Glory of God.