Simplify. Everything.

There comes a point in every ministry at which you need to revisit the things you are doing and clarify why you are doing them. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about why are we doing ministry at all, but rather asking about the nuts and bolts, hands-on methodology of the ministry. If your goal is to help kids grow in their faith, there are dozens of approaches you could take. In the tech world we have the same situation. If I want to provide a way for people to view the message from this past Sunday, I could take several approaches. As I've worked through these choices in various areas of the tech ministry, the theme that emerges is "simplify".

I recently had a conversation about this very thing with a volunteer who has been serving faithfully in tech arts at TBC for a many years. He mentioned that he was enjoying serving more now than ever before because his role was "simpler". Now that doesn't mean he sits around all morning with hardly anything to do. On the contrary, he has a job that keeps him busy from 7:45am to 12:15pm! Here's the difference. We've clarified the purpose of the job and we've removed any extraneous things that don't contribute to that purpose. This provides a focus and a simplicity that results in a better end product.

This idea of simplicity can apply to all areas of ministry. If you take time to define goals, then it becomes easier to see what things don't propel you towards those goals. This is especially helpful in areas that are largely staffed by volunteers. Volunteers are not staff. (Seems obvious right?) They are there to serve for a few hours and its the job of staff to equip them in order make the most of that time. By providing clear goals, a streamlined work environment, and by eliminating distracting responsibilities, staff can exponentially increases the return-on-investment of that volunteers valuable time. It also provides a much better experience for volunteers. I want my volunteers to feel like they've accomplished a goal and not to be frustrated or overwhelmed by having too many responsibilities (or in my world, too much gear to manage).

This process of simplification will look different for everyone but has universal benefits. You'll probably find that you save time and energy and that the quality of your end results improve. Win/win!

I'll just wing it. Its only church, right?

Wrong! Hopefully this is not an attitude that you find yourself or those on your team struggling with. But if it is, let me encourage you to readjust your thinking on the issue. I would argue that, contrary to "making it up as we go", the work we do in the church deserves our very best preparation and planning. This is especially true for those of us working in the technical arts. As the complexity and detail of our service production increases, the more time must be spent preparing and documenting things in advance. Here are some things that I do weekly to streamline our rehearsals and services:

#1. Input Lists.

These are indispensable. Even if your stage doesn't change that much from week to week, having all stage inputs, console inputs, console outputs, and monitor assignments in one place is a lifesaver when trouble shooting. Taking the time to create this sheet ahead of time also ensures that you know how many console channels you'll need, if you're running low on mics, or, if you're like me, if you're running low on outputs! Better to discover and deal with these issues the day before a show than while the band is on stage. That is just unacceptable.

#2 Stage Plots.

These don't have to be perfectly to scale CAD drawing of your stage. (It helps if they're close though.) These are helpful for two reasons. Its always good to pre-visualize how the band, choir, drama, teaching pastor, or whatever else you have going on will interact within the confines of your stage. There have to be paths of entrance and exit. Musicians should not feel or appear cramped on stage. There has to be space for the pastor to preach from. That may sound silly, but the pastor shouldn't be nestled in the string section. Drawing it out helps you think through those issues. The second reason for stage plots is figuring out all your stage inputs. Should the bass be plugged into input 49 or 11? Well if I have a plot, I can easily see which will be best, based on the bass players location and what is happening around him or her.

#3. Aviom Labels (or Hearback or M-48 or MyMix or aux sends).

No matter what system you use, there has to be a way for the musicians to hear themselves and the other musicians. We happen to use the Aviom system but this applies to any form of monitor mixing. Musicians get frustrated (and rightly so) when they can't figure out where stuff is on the Aviom. There is really no excuse for that. Clearly labeling the unit is very important. You may have a set up that changes very little and so you can make one label that stays the same. More likely there is enough change week to week to warrant new labels. Using the band's names will really add a personal touch. And lets face it, it lets the band know that you thought about them in advance. A spreadsheet and a tabletop paper cutter will go a long way.

#4. Laying Out the Console.

Whether you use a digital desk or an analog desk, you should take the time before hand to label, assign, route, patch, insert, and whatever else you need to do to be ready for the rehearsal. This is really beneficial because it gives you a chance as the engineer to think through your set up, your routing, your effects, and really optimize your work space. Because it is your workspace. And it should be optimized. Enough said.

#5. Line Check.

This may be the most important step. This step of the "documentation" process is to document that stuff works! Its the culmination of all the previous steps. (By the way, while the band is going through their first song is NOT the time to line check.) Just go through and make sure that all the mics, DIs, video feeds, and monitor sends are correctly set up. The band shouldn't have to wait while you try to figure out where the acoustic is patched and why there is no signal.

All of this basically comes down to professionalism and courtesy. Do the work before hand, and the day of will be much smoother. It shows that you value the work that you do and that you value the time and commitment of the other musicians and techs involved. It eliminates distraction and frustration and allows the end product to be that much better and more effective. And since the end product is worshiping our great God and leading others to Him, I'd say its pretty important.

What's With All the Lights?

Wow, its been a while since I posted anything here. Easter has come and gone and now the pre-summer lull is almost over too. I knew if I didn't grab this chance to post, I probably wouldn't get around to it for a while.

Here at Topeka Bible Church we are blessed to have many talented and creative people volunteering their artistic talents for God's Kingdom. In many cases, we also have the privilege of providing them with the resources to do so. If you have been coming to TBC for more than 6 months, you'll notice that a lot has changed at TBC in a specific area of our worship services: Lighting.

Initially, this took the form of adding some simple color washes to the stage walls and dimming the house lights during music to minimize distraction and maximize the focus on whatever worship element was taking place. However, in the past two months, we have been able to expand our lighting capabilities to include a variety of very flexible light fixtures. These fixtures allow us to control the color, intensity, and in some cases the position and pattern of the lights. Our talented volunteer lighting operators have tackled this new system and done a great job using these tools as another artistic element in our services. But you may be asking, "Why? Whats with all the lights?"

This use of light in churches is really nothing new, it has simply changed form. For a thousand years architects have been creating churches that use stained glass to create amazing scenes of light and color, to remind people of the glory and beauty of God. In the even more distant past, God instructed the Israelites to create a beautiful and ornate Tabernacle (Exodus 25) and later on, an even more ornate and extraordinary Temple (1 Kings 6-7). Why does God command what is seemingly so opulent? It is because beauty and art esteem glory and value to God and point people to Him.

Lighting is a powerful tool. When used effectively, it can be used to convey joy, reflection, excitement, awe, etc. It can help focus attention and eliminate distraction. Its is also an art that adds beauty, depth, and creativity to a space. Humans are creative beings, made in the image of our great Creator. Creativity naturally inspires and moves us. That is what prompts composers to write breathtaking music, painters to create masterworks, and authors to formulate gripping prose and poetry. God is honored when we use these creative gifts in worship.

So why do we use creative lighting? We use creative lighting, along with compelling visuals, engaging media, excellent music, meaningful words, and carefully crafted teaching in order to do two things and two things only: 1.) to ascribe glory to our magnificent God and 2.) to communicate the Truth of the Gospel in order to lead people to life in Christ. All of those creative elements work together to present an engaging, cohesive, sometimes somber, sometimes inspiring environment where people can be encouraged to freely and authentically worship.

Feel free to chime in on the discussion. I welcome your comments!

Its like Christmas in March

Because the fiscal year at Topeka Bible Church starts in March, that is the month that all the new gear that has been on our wish lists gets bought. We've been blessed to be able to upgrade to a Roland TD20x drum module, improve some of the components of our Aviom personal monitoring system, and pick up a smattering of other less noteworthy, but still fun, pieces of gear. But the real treat (and challenge) will arrive in about two weeks when our new lighting rig is delivered. Here's the low down:

1 ETC Smartfade ML

2 Elation Professional Platinum 5R Spot/Wash

8 Elation Opti Tri Par 64 LED Cans

200 feet of DMX cabling

1 MacMini w/ ETC SmartSoft

The proliferation of LED lighting and more inexpensive control options is definitely a game changer for small and medium sized churches, allowing them to enter an arena once reserved for the mega-church in the next town. This is going to be quite a change for TBC, a church that has never really been equipped for emotional and creative lighting design. But purchasing and installing the gear is just the tip of the iceberg. It will be an exciting journey as volunteers learn to wield this powerful new tool.

The Elation 5Rs were at the top of my list from the beginning because of their insane versatility and low power draw. Its full motion, 22 gobos, motorized focus/iris, and small footprint make it perfect for our needs.

The Elation Opti Tri Par also have a low power draw, full RGB mixing, and three watt/TriColor LEDs. They are crazy bright, which is what we needed.

Finally, the ETC Smartfade ML. I looked at Jands and Lepricon and Elation and Martin and Freestyler and on and on. Basically we need rock solid reliability, easy control of conventionals and movers, and a tactile control surface for volunteers. For the price you can't beat the SFML. The Jands software-only system comes close but adding control surfaces gets pricey fast. So thats where we ended up. We really are not to the point of needing the control capabilities of a Hog or a full Jands console. Even if we do get to that level in a few years, the SFML is so affordable, I won't feel bad replacing it.

We hope to have the system up and running to unveil for Easter Sunday so there is definitely a lot of work coming our way!

What We've Done in 2010...Continued

In the previous post, I discussed some changes and improvements that we've made to gear and workflow in the Tech Arts department at TBC in the past few months. But, although a lot has changed and its always exciting to get new gear, its even more exciting to see the volunteers at TBC succeed and grow in their roles. As we've added new gear and streamlined processes, we've also seen growth on our team. Volunteers have expanded their skills and many have branched out and learned to serve in new technical areas. We've also been blessed to add several competent and motivated members to our Tech Arts family. This is exciting to me since, in the end, its not at all about the gear anyway. Its about serving our church body and helping people to worship, learn, and grow, both in our congregation and in our tech team. The gear is simply a tool we use to minister and it important to keep our priorities in order. Investing in people is our number one goal and the gear should never hinder or distract from that.

As technical artists in the church, it is often tempting to check out of the service and focus on our roles. To be fair, it is important that we pay careful attention to our jobs and do an excellent job. However, we often miss out on opportunities to worship and learn during a service. As members of the tech team, we can be just as engaged in worship and learning, as those in congregation. When musicians are leading worship, we assume that they are worshiping God, despite the fact that they play a complex instrument. The key is that they are so familiar and comfortable with their instruments, that the instruments and the music become secondary and instinctive. The same applies to the technical arts. When we grow confidence and understanding of our roles, it frees us to worship God, even while we serve. Will we always be able to have the same experience that those we are serving in the congregation will? No, probably not. But don't miss out on the opportunity to enjoy spiritual growth and renewal. In our line of work, technical growth can clear the way for spiritual growth.