The ChurchGear Podcast

How do you allocate a new church build budget between Audio, Video, and Lighting? And at what church size does production start to get exponentially more expensive?

In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Ruse (former Technical Director at Saddleback Church and FOH engineer for Matt Redman) to break down the reality of modern church production. Before diving into the interview, the guys react to the massive production behind the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Production Breakdown: Super Bowl Halftime Show
4:25 Aaron Ruse (Saddleback Church / Sweetwater) Joins
8:30 Aaron’s Start in Church Production
13:00 What It Takes to Mix FOH for Matt Redman
14:30 Church Tech: What Has Changed in 20 Years (And What Hasn't)
18:00 Essential Skills for Managing an LED Wall
19:40 Production Trends to Embrace (and Which to Avoid)
26:00 Acoustic Treatment Strategies for Worship Spaces
34:00 The "Breaking Point" Where Production Costs Skyrocket
38:45 Allocating Your AVL Budget: Audio vs. Video vs. Lighting
43:00 Church Tech Disaster Story
46:00 Tech Takeaway: Fostering Authentic Worship

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" 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!

When hiring a new church tech director, should you look for the person with the most technical knowledge or the best leadership potential? And if you are currently in the role, which skill set should you be developing first?

In this episode, we are joined by Max Brown (formerly of Willow Creek Church) to tackle the age-old debate of Competence vs. Character. Max shares his experience running production at one of the most influential churches in the country, revealing the reality of their team size and workflows.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Blake’s Beach Blunder
4:45 Max Brown (Former Willow Creek) Joins
9:00 Principles of Leading Church Production
13:00 Debate: Developing Leadership vs. Technical Skills
22:00 Hiring Strategy: Character vs. Competence?
28:30 Inside Production at Willow Creek Church
32:20 Can You Run a Sunday Service with Just Tracks?
34:45 Willow Creek’s Production Team Size
46:20 Is Church Production an Art or a Science?
51:30 Tech Takeaway

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" 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!

If you had a limited budget, would you spend it on a better PA system or a better mixing console? 
And with all the hype around spatial audio, should your church actually be looking at Immersive Audio installs?
In this episode, we are joined by Johnny Ragin, the face behind Worship Sound Guy, and we dive deep into the gear debates every church tech has.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Handling Unsolicited Feedback
5:00 Johnny Ragin (Worship Sound Guy) Joins
7:00 Segment: Five Truths & A Lie
16:45 Johnny’s Start in Church Production
21:15 Overcoming the Tech "Knowledge Gap"
25:15 Training New Audio Volunteers
27:45 Debate: Better PA vs. Better Console?
28:45 Overused Production Effects & Tools
33:00 Real Talk: Church Drum Budgets
34:45 Is Immersive Audio Worth It for Churches?
37:45 The Pros & Cons of Remote Mixing
47:45 Rapid Fire: Favorite Audio Consoles
49:00 Favorite PA System of All Time
49:25 Favorite Audio Plugin
51:00 Tech Takeaway: Keep It Simple

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" 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!

Taking risks in church production is terrifying. If you try something new and it fails, everyone notices. But if you never take risks, your production gets stale. So, how do you find the balance?

In this episode, we sit down with John Williams, Production Director at Church of the King, to discuss how to push your church forward with strategic risks. We cover how to approach the first few months of a new church tech role, the safest ways to test new gear or workflows on a Sunday, and how to have difficult conversations with your pastor when a volunteer makes a mistake.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: The Biggest Risks We’ve Ever Taken
5:00 John Williams (Church of the King) Joins
6:15 John’s Origin Story in Production
15:00 Starting a New Role: The First 90 Days Strategy
18:30 Taking Strategic Risks on Sunday Mornings
22:00 Safe Ways to Test New Gear & Workflows
35:30 Handling Volunteer Mistakes with Your Pastor
38:45 Disaster Story: A Squirrel Destroyed Our Service
43:45 Tech Takeaway: Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" 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 explore the rare but inspiring career path from Production Director to Executive Pastor.

We are joined by Dave Clark of Fellowship Church (Grapevine) to discuss how he transitioned from technical leadership to executive leadership. We break down the difference between treating ministry as a "job" versus a "calling," and Dave shares practical advice on how tech directors can build trust with senior pastors and get "unstuck" when they feel stagnant.

In this episode you'll hear:
0:00 Toby’s Church Planting Story
6:30 Dave Clark (Fellowship Church Grapevine) Joins
14:30 Defining Ministry: A Job vs. A Calling
17:00 Career Path: From Tech Director to Executive Pastor
21:45 How to Minister to Production Volunteers
27:00 Getting "Unstuck" in Your Ministry Career
29:00 Building Trust with Senior Leadership
38:00 Pastor Ed Young’s Wildest Production Requests
48:00 Staying Calm During a Tech Disaster
53:00 Avoiding "Imaginary Arguments"
54:15 Tech Takeaway: Ask Questions to Understand
55:45 C3 Conference Preview
You can sign up for the C3 Conference with this link to get a special rate discount from $229 to $99. 
https://brushfire.com/fellowship/c3conference2026/598770/register?typeCode=C3COMEBACK
Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" 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!