The ChurchGear Podcast

What is it like to transition from playing arenas with a legendary Christian rock band to running Sunday morning production for a massive multi-site congregation?

In this incredible episode, we are joined by Ronny Cates, former bassist for the iconic band Petra and current production leader at 12Stone Church. Ronny shares amazing behind-the-scenes stories of what Petra's massive concerts and touring gear looked like in their prime, and tackles the heavy debate of whether or not modern Christian music has officially stalled out.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: The Live Event "Blue Dot" Trend
4:45 Ronny Cates (12Stone Church / Petra) Joins
9:20 How Ronny Ended Up in the Legendary Rock Band Petra
13:00 Behind the Scenes: Petra Concerts & Touring Gear
16:00 The Big Debate: Has Christian Music Stalled Out?
22:00 Stop Copying Other Churches' Audio Mixes
28:30 Mixing for Your Congregation (Not Your Personal Preference)
37:00 Transitioning from Arena Tours to Church Tech
40:00 Inside the Production Culture at 12Stone Church
41:30 Church Tech Disaster: Double Checks and Backups
45:00 Keep Sundays Running

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Get up to 80% off with our Barn Burner sale! Get 20% off the rest of our inventory with code BARNBURNER26. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
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 massive logistical nightmare of running production for a 3,000-seat auditorium? And more importantly, how do you pull off a center-stage "Worship in the Round" setup without completely ruining your audio and lighting?

In this episode, we are joined by Debbie Uecker-Keough from Water of Life Church to talk about high-level church production at scale. We chat about the gear challenges and visual challenges of designing a service "in the round," and debate whether it is actually crazy to buy permanent AVL gear for those types of center-stage setups.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Toby’s Iron Gut
6:25 Debbie Uecker-Keough (Water of Life Church) Joins
8:00 Debbie’s Start in Church Production
10:40 The Unique Challenges of a 3,000-Seat Auditorium
13:00 The Logistics of Doing "Worship in the Round"
17:45 Is It Crazy to Buy Permanent Gear for In-the-Round Setups?
20:30 Training Church Tech Volunteers at Scale
26:45 Gear Talk: Is Debbie on AVID’s Payroll?
33:30 Navigating Church Production as a Female Leader
35:45 Church Tech Disaster: LED Wall Dilemmas & Planning to Fail
46:00 Keep Sundays Running

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Get up to 80% off with our Barn Burner sale! Get 20% off the rest of our inventory with code BARNBURNER26. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
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 happens when a simple lack of communication leads to a complete Sunday service meltdown? And more importantly, how do you fix it before it happens again?
In this episode, we sit down with Marc Millan, an experienced executive pastor and ministry leader, to tackle the vital role of communication between church leadership and the tech booth. We break down the early warning signs of a communication breakdown and establish exactly who should be responsible for managing the Sunday service flow.

Link to ServiceCrew resources. 

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Marc Millan’s Background & Ministry Journey
4:45 When a Communication Breakdown Causes a Sunday Meltdown
12:00 Early Warning Signs of a Tech Team Communication Failure
20:00 Key Sunday Service Details You Must Know Ahead of Time
22:45 Who Is Actually Responsible for the Sunday Service Flow?
27:30 How to Debrief a Sunday Failure Without Finger-Pointing
34:15 Is It Possible to Communicate Too Far in Advance?

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Get up to 80% off with our Barn Burner sale! Get 20% off the rest of our inventory with code BARNBURNER26. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
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 actually get your Executive Pastor to say "Yes" to new church tech gear? And on the flip side, what does your leadership team wish you understood about the church's finances?
In this highly practical episode, we are joined by Pete Rodriguez, who shares his incredible journey of leaving his career during the Wall Street financial crisis to becoming an Executive Pastor. Pete brings his high-level financial expertise into the church tech world, breaking down exactly how to weigh a "want" versus a "need" when planning your AVL budget.

ServiceCrew Resources Link

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Pete Rodriguez Joins the Podcast!
1:00 From the Wall Street Financial Crisis to Executive Pastor
8:45 Budgeting: Weighing a "Want" vs. a "Need" in Church Tech
11:45 Knowing When Your Church Should Actually Spend Money
17:00 How to Pitch the Tech Gear Lifecycle to Your Executive Pastor
21:30 Is It Time for a Budget Band-Aid or a Full Upgrade?
26:00 Strategy: How to Stagger Your Gear Replacement Costs
37:30 The Instant "Yes" and "No" for Church Tech Purchases
44:00 Advice Pete Would Give to His Past Self as an XP
45:00 What Every Executive Pastor Wishes Their Tech Director Knew
47:00 What Every Tech Director Wishes Their XP Knew

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Get up to 80% off with our Barn Burner sale! Get 20% off the rest of our inventory with code BARNBURNER26. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
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!

Get your ServiceCrew resources here! 

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. 
Get up to 80% off with our Barn Burner sale! Get 20% off the rest of our inventory with code BARNBURNER26. 
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
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!