I struggle with this…being everywhere at the same time.  Running from meeting to meeting.  I am usually on time to the first one, but then late to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.  I feel like everyone is waiting for answers from me and can’t do their jobs well.  I am a bottleneck.

Am I crazy?  Or is this just something that comes with being a leader?  Am I a control freak?  Do I have a difficult time letting go?  Do I have too many opinions?  Am I involved in too much?  I’m not even sure what the point of this post is, except that I am struggling.  By trying to be everywhere at once, I feel like I am nowhere all the time.

Those of you who read this, and know me, this is probably not news to you.  Often waiting for answers to emails that have by now been buried in my inbox.  Or waiting in my office for me to show up to a meeting that I scheduled with you.  Or even just walking by my office and never seeing me in there.

Is the answer shorter meetings?  Is the answer less meetings?  Being involved with less?  Saying “no” more?  More disciplined meetings?  Less personal interaction?

For those of you who have figured out how to be everywhere at the same time, what is your secret?

 photo credit: Mrs TeePot

The other day, my team and I participated in a thought exercise that Steven Sample, author of the book “The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership”, talks about.  When he was faced with a particularly difficult challenge, he would try to imagine how a lady bug would solve the problem, or even how a dishwasher might think about solutions.

The idea was to try and think differently about how things get done.  Not to just think differently, but think in radical terms, to free your brain from constraints and preconceived ideas about how things are done or should be done.  I decided that I would consider how ninjas might do production at my church.  It was a fun exercise, and most of the ideas, if not all of the ideas we had were ridiculous and impossible or both.

It got me thinking about how we go about doing production for our church and the ministries that we support.  So much of what we do and how we do it is a function of either how we have always done it or because we are processing things based on production values alone.  During the exercise, nothing really popped out as wrong thinking or that there needed to be crazy changes.  What did jump out to me was wondering what matters to our church, especially when it pertains to production.

I do a lot of defining expectations for my team, mostly based on my production perspective.  I can’t remember the last time I asked the church leadership what they expected from my team.  Is audio consistency the highest value or is volunteer involvement the most important thing?  Is a short rehearsal critical, or should we allow for more time to work through the kinks?  Is having cameras pointed at the wrong thing a problem, or do we need to increase our level of camera work?

I am feeling pretty sarcastic even asking these questions!  As a production person, I am guessing we would all answer these questions in a similar manner.  However, if you have chosen to invest your production skills in the local church, at the baseline you know that the point of all this production is to help to facilitate life change.  If all you cared about was production values, you could go on tour or work for a production company or any number of places, where there is more money to do things at the highest levels.

I’m not saying that excellence doesn’t matter or that production doesn’t have a place in the church.  On the contrary, I am very passionate about the role that technical artists play in the life of the local church.  However, my passion and values have to be balanced against the passion and values of my church.  What is my church about?  How does production fit into how ministry happens?  How do we have an appropriate level of production without just spending money on the newest gear, that may be exactly what we think our church needs?

How many assumptions do you make about what your church leadership thinks about production?  When was the last time you asked the question:  “What are the expectations?”  Take a look at what you and your team are about and try to imagine how ninjas would get that done.

 photo credit: dcosand

Ever notice how production people don’t completely fit in anywhere?  In a creative brainstorming meeting, we are the ones trying to figure out how to make something happen.  In a operations meeting, we are thinking creatively about how to get something done.

On our team, we have been talking quite a bit about the operation side and the ministry side of our church.  Typically there is a line drawn down the middle, showing the two sides of what makes our church run.  For many people, it seems easy to classify the accounting department as being on the operations side, and the youth pastor on the ministry side; the person cleaning the facility after an event on the operations side, and the worship pastor on the ministry side.

When it comes to production, we have a foot in both camps.  We are intimately tied to the ministry that is happening all over our church, but we are also figuring out more practical operational type things also.  In a single meeting we are brainstorming new ways of making an element in the service better through the technical arts, while we are also trying to figure out how to fit all our inputs into the channels we have.

In a creative meeting, there is a whole side of me that is thinking about how to plug in 4 giant inflatable moon walks for a middle school event and which circuits I am going to plug them into so that I don’t blow a fuse, all the while someone is asking me if a worship set list will work or not.

This can lend itself to me feeling like I should just be sawn in half, so that the part of me that needs to deal with the operational side can focus on it, and the creative side  of me can just sit in the moment.

The reality is that God created me to live with a foot in two worlds; to understand two different perspectives in any given situation; to think differently from anyone else at the table.  Instead of wishing that more people thought like me, I should relish the thought that I am the only one with my perspective and that the way I think is vital to my church functioning properly.

If you are a technical artist in the local church, you know what I am talking about.

How can you fully embrace what feels like a split personality?  What can you do to function more fully as who God made you to be? 

 photo credit: whlteXbread

I wrote a post on the Willow Creek Association for their blog to church leaders.  Even though it is targeted to church leaders, I thought there would be something useful for the tech artists among us.

If you had to define the church tech people you work with, would it be:

a.)  Creative.  Energetic.  Helpful.  Indispensable.

b.)  Drained.  Critical.  Grumpy.  Anti-social.  Resistant.

Technical artists worshiping :)

I don’t need to know your exact situation to know that we all want to work with a church technical artist defined by “option a”.  However, I have been to many churches, in many different environments, and I see “option b” all the time.  Full time, part time, volunteer, it doesn’t matter.  “Option b” is everywhere.  What is happening at your church?  Chances are, if you dig around a little, you’ll find an unhealthy tech, buried under too much work.

As a leader at your church, not only would you like to thank me for pointing out the obvious, but you are wondering what to do about it.  How can I get an “option a” type tech person at my church?  Is there a school where they crank these types out?  Can I trade in the “option b” I have for a new “a”?  Can I poach one from Willow Creek when no one is looking?

I’m a tech person myself, and I can tell you that it is way easier to be an “option b” tech person, than an “option a” one.  Unfortunately for your church, “option a” technical artists don’t just happen by themselves.  Tech people are unusual and are generally misunderstood at most every church and most of what they do is a mystery to you.  Your tech person is pouring themselves out for your church, and nobody fully understands what they do, how they do it, or what they need to keep doing it.  It is no wonder that “option b” is so wide spread.

The production team at Willow Creek Community Church understands what is like to be a tech person in the local church, which is why we are hosting our 2^nd annual Gurus of Tech conference (FREE) to help equip, train and inspire the “option b” types at your church toward becoming an “option a” technical artist.

There will be skill specific training (FREE), and while that is useful and what most tech people hunger for, we will be focusing most of our attention on the heart condition of tech people everywhere: knowing the difference between excellence and perfection, making your relationship with God more than just your serving time, understanding how production fits into the mission of the whole church. (ALL FREE)  Basically moving “option b” towards “option a”.

I would encourage you to send every tech person you have. Check out the website for further information: www.gurusoftech.com (FREE)

What: Gurus of Tech

When: May 22-23

Where: Willow Creek Community Church – Crystal Lake Campus

Cost: FREE

Since last year’s Grammy’s, my kids have started engaging with current music.  Everyone has their own iPod, with the choice to listen to whatever music they feel like.  I feel like I haven’t been this aware of what is happening with music since the 80’s.

We all sat down to watch and cheer for our favorites.  We were all pulling for Adele, some wishing for Skrillex to win best new artist, others wishing Taylor Swift would stop singing…pretty much the full range of musical tastes and opinions.

Reflecting on last night, I had a few take-aways.  The first is that I love that my family is into music.  Music is such a huge part of my story, and it matters a bunch that my kids can enjoy and appreciate good music.

The second thing that struck me was how much I appreciated the authenticity of the people who performed.  I felt like the producers matched each artists style and feel.  Chris Brown’s cool video cubes, and the flying squirrel dancers really seemed to fit.  I can guarantee that he wasn’t actually singing, but it didn’t seem like that was what mattered most for that element.  The Foo Fighters bringing some rock and roll to the parking lot was the perfect thing.

From a production standpoint, I thought they did a nice job of being true to each performance:  The Civil Wars, Jennifer Hudson, Cold Play, Katy Perry.  The treatment was different for each one and never upstaged the performance, but enhanced what the artists were doing.  For me personally, there were somethings I loved and others I could do without, but each one seemed to represented the music and the art the way it was intended to.

It was a good reminder for me to use production to enhance an element, and not to overpower it.  Maybe there will someday be a place for human ice sculptures surrounded by flames at church, but until that day, I’ll keep striving for matching the level of production with the intent of each element.

 photo credit: Thomas Hawk

“Life change happens best in the context of community.”

This was a value statement from a church that I worked at many years ago.  I think it is true.  As production people, we spend so much effort and pour lots of resources into making the large group experience happen at our churches, in many ways facilitating the life of the church.  When we are the last ones out the door after a long night, it can feel like we are functioning just on the outer fringe of the community instead of being fully functioning members of it.

15 years ago, I started reaching out to any other church technical artists to try and feel like I was a part of a community that understood me and could walk along side me and encourage me along the way.  Nothing really existed at the time to facilitate this kind of community, so I just went after it myself, for myself.

Today is a much different landscape for church technical people.  Most churches need technology to even function, which means there is a tech person involved.  I love the fact that there are communities of tech people out there for us to tap into and feel encouraged by.

GURUS OF TECH

The production team at Willow Creek is gearing up to host our 2nd annual “Gurus of Tech” event, in an effort to provide the opportunity for church technical artists to be a part of a community.  To know you aren’t alone; that there are people all over the world with the same struggles as you, or that have faced a problem and come up with a brilliant solution.  To sit in a room full of people who have a similar passion for using the technical arts to advance the cause of the Gospel around the world.

Gurus of Tech is my favorite thing all year:  to feel connected, to feel like I am not alone, to feel like I am apart of something much bigger, to be inspired to keep going.  We’d love to have you join us.

CTL

Churchtechleaders.org is another amazing way to feel connected to other technical artists in your region or even around the world.  It is not only an online community but it is a vehicle for organizing face to face gatherings by region.  The leadership of CTL will be involved at Gurus of Tech to help further the connect that begins at the event.  Sign up.  Check out there website for more info.

Thursday – Saturday

It was an amazing 2.5 days, on many levels.  How the team worked together.  The content of each session.  Hearing 7000+ Germany church leaders filling the venue with their voices raised in worship.

At some point earlier in the week, I commented to someone that I couldn’t remember being so tired before, but now looking back, all of the tired feelings are gone and are replaced by memories of amazing moments of worship, deep connection with team members, and the realization that I get an opportunity to use the gifts I have to help influence so many church leaders from the other side of the world.

Here are a few of the highlights from the entire conference, in no particular order:

So many leaders struggle with being adequate enough to lead their churches or their teams.  Mark Demel acted in a scene about a pastor checking himself in to a rehab center followed by Greg Ferguson singing “He Knows”, accompanied by Paul Mutzabaugh. It was a powerful moment, giving people space to consider their own struggles and release them to God.

Andy Stanley, with his translator Chris, brought his “Upside of Tension” talk to the German church leaders.  After his talk, it is interesting to see how many situations fall into the category of “a tension to be managed”.  So often I am trying to eliminate the tension when it won’t, or shouldn’t go away.  Some tension is necessary and good.

One of the favorite parts of my job is getting to interact with amazing people like Andy Stanley.  At this particular conference I had the pleasure of working with Pete and Geri Scazzero, Gordon MacDonald, Jeff Manion, Christine Caine, Hans Peter Wolfberger, Eric Metaxes, Michael Herbst, and Bill Hybels.

This is the view from back stage.  This is my 4th Germany Leadership Summit, and I think it is the most engaged I have ever seen a group of German leaders.  Through the leading of Matt Lundgren, the band and vocalists helped people engage in worship in a way I had not experienced before.  There is nothing quite like 7000+ people singing a beloved hymn in one voice, regardless of the language.

Here is the view from the FOH production booth.  Seeing so many people in such a big room, I still can’t believe that I have the privilege to lead a team to help facilitate such an undertaking.  It was a little humbling to think that the space I get to work in everyday fits about as many people as were in this arena…crazy.

I think I have one more post about this conference.  Coming soon…

I realize that this is 10 days after the fact…I was telling someone that doing a conference in Germany is like being in an alternate reality.  Normal doesn’t exist, it is just all about making the conference happen.

Wendesday, January 25th, rehearsal day 

It was nice to have a later call time today.  Because we started load in on Monday, we were able to come in a few hours later this morning.  Instead of sleeping in, Darren, Chris, Scott and I went for a run through a park near by.  It was nice to experience something normal during this week of crazy hours and tasks that I don’t normally find myself doing.

Wednesday started with sound check, then music rehearsal, an opening celebration dinner where the WCA Deutchland team welcomed the volunteers from all over the world, followed by drama rehearsal.  Here are some pictures from the day:

1. “Be Here Now” – We recreated Blaine Hogan’s piece from the 2010 Leadership Summit.  Ryan Trommer, who did the original animation, rebuilt it in German.  It was acted by Carsten Steir with direction from Mark Demel.  We were laughing because the video was created with Blaine as the actor, and Carsten was a little taller, so some of the words were slightly obstructed.
2. Volunteer Welcome Dinner – Karl Heinz-Zimmer welcomed everyone, and Bill Hybels cast some vision for all that God has done in Germany over the 15 years these conferences have been happening.  The creative arts and production teams get their food first, since we eat as fast as we can then get back to rehearsal.
3. Christy Anderson took a misstep and injured her foot.  The WCA team rallied around her and found doctors that could help her.  After her first ever ambulance ride, and some liquid ibuprofen, she is doing much better, directing the stage team from the seated position.
4. Nathan Miller has done an amazing job at monitors…as usual.  Lena Belgart, one of the vocalists was sceptical when she heard she would have to use in ear monitors, but now she is as convinced as the rest of us, that Nathan is really good at what he does.  This year, we were able to rent Shure wireless mics, so Nathan and our super star audio volunteer, Mark Gilbert, were able to do amazing work with great equipment.
5. A picture from near the back of the room.  We had to set up a delay PA (d&b!) and delay screens for the people that were furthest away.
6. My view from the front rows.

One or two more posts to follow.