The ChurchGear Podcast

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What happens to your Sunday service when your most critical technical volunteer gets sick, goes on vacation, or moves away? If your church production relies entirely on one or two people, you are one person away from a total disaster.

In this episode, we tackle the danger of having a "single point of failure" in your tech booth. We break down the crucial importance of cross-training your church tech volunteers so that your audio, video, and lighting positions are never dependent on just one person.

In this episode you'll hear:
0:00 Intro: Meet Our Guest & Guest Host
7:00 What Happens When Your Lead Techs Miss a Sunday?
14:00 The Crucial Importance of Cross-Training Volunteers
22:00 Documentation: Building a Church Tech Knowledge Base
33:00 Is Building a Massive Volunteer Bench Actually Realistic?
40:40 How to Communicate Your Need for Volunteers to Leadership
43:30 The Danger of Depending on Just One Tech Volunteer
Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

How do you define "excellence" in a church tech ministry? And when a volunteer consistently falls short of that standard, how do you actually "fire" them and find a new ministry that better suits them? 

In this episode, we are joined by church production veteran David Leuschner to tackle the hardest leadership conversations in ministry. We discuss the biblical definition of excellence, debate whether there should be different standards for the on-stage worship team versus the behind-the-scenes production techs, and answer the uncomfortable question: how many errors are your volunteers actually allowed to make?

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: The HouseRight Event & Toby’s Lack of Taste
4:30 David Leuschner (Digital Great Commission Ministries) Joins
8:15 Defining True "Excellence" in Church Production
14:45 How to Train Your Volunteers for Excellence
21:00 The Debate: On-Stage vs. Behind-the-Scenes Volunteer Standards
26:00 What Does the Bible Actually Say About Excellence?
28:45 The Budget Debate: Is It Okay to Spend a Fortune on AVL Gear?
30:30 Grace vs. Standard: How Many Errors Are Volunteers Allowed?
35:00 The Hardest Conversation: How to Fire a Tech Volunteer
41:45 Keep Sundays Running: Focus on Transitions

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

What is it actually like to run Sunday morning production when global superstar Carrie Underwood is on your worship team? And more importantly, how do you sustain the intense pace of church tech without completely burning out?

In this episode, we are joined by Shaun Miller of Rolling Hills Church (Franklin, TN). After Toby recaps his recent trip to an L-Acoustics event, Shaun shares his experiences balancing a healthy marriage with the chaotic touring lifestyle. We then dive into the unique culture at Rolling Hills, breaking down their specific church tech setup and what it is like to mix a service with a celebrity on the stage.
In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Toby’s Trip to the L-Acoustics Event
6:40 Shaun Miller (Rolling Hills Church) Joins
11:15 Balancing Marriage and the Touring Lifestyle
19:00 What It's Like Having Carrie Underwood on Your Worship Team
22:15 Behind the Scenes: The Rolling Hills Tech Setup
29:00 Avoiding Burnout: How to Identify It Before It’s Too Late
47:45 Did Shaun Actually Like Toby’s Book?
58:00 Tech Disaster Story: "I Swear We Sent You the Videos!"

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

How do you manage the audio and production logistics for a massive, Broadway-level biblical stage production? And how exactly do you engineer a giant LED wall to completely disappear in under 15 seconds?

In this episode, we are joined by Tim Zeager to get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Sight & Sound Theatres(Branson, MO).

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Toby Discovers Theater in Branson, Missouri
5:15 Tim Zeager (Sight & Sound Theatres) Joins
10:45 The Story Behind Sight & Sound Ministries
21:45 Behind the Scenes: The Monitor Setup at Sight & Sound
25:00 Engineering: Making a Massive LED Wall Disappear in 15 Seconds
29:00 Gear Talk: The PA System Powering Sight & Sound
35:45 Lessons From Tim’s Time in the Studio
39:00 Live Production Disaster: Mixing From the Basement
43:00 Keep Sundays Running: Preparation is Key

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

In this episode, we are joined by Dave Bookhout from Grace Family Church to tackle some of the biggest debates in church tech.

 We dive deep into the culture of the tech booth, discussing how to actively recruit church tech volunteers and answering the tough question of who should actually be allowed to serve on Sunday mornings.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Toby Claims God Tricked Him
4:30 Dave Bookhout (Grace Family Church) Joins
14:15 The Debate: Can Non-Christians Serve on the Tech Team?
23:15 Strategies for Recruiting Church Tech Volunteers
30:45 Gear Talk: Production Setup at Grace Family Church
33:45 Current Church Production Tech Trends to Watch
39:30 Should Your Church Actually Buy an LED Wall?
42:45 Church Tech Disaster: "Are You on Fire, or Am I?"
47:00 Keep Sundays Running

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!