Working as a tech or volunteer can often lead to a sense that church leadership just doesn’t understand the struggles we live with every week. When we bring up issues, leaders can seem aloof, uncaring or worse, indifferent. How can technical personnel communicate effectively with church leaders so they not only understand the critically important function the tech ministry fills, but also find a way to work together to better and more fully support the mission and vision of the church? Learn...

Learn how to make your worship band rehearsals as effective as possible, with audio expert and worship band member Andy Swanson. Takeaways include: The difference between practice and rehearsalTime managementManaging sound checksWorking with the tech teamThe effect of rehearsals on Worship Service...

Roger Blalock, IT Security Director for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, details seven simple actions that every church should take to reduce their risk of becoming a victim of accidental or malicious computer security incidents. Many of these improvements can be completed at low or no cost to an organization but will increase the safety and integrity of a church’s confidential data. Takeaways include: 1 – Understand best practices for password creation, including tools and...

Tommy Lozure, Music Production Department Chair at Visible Music College, discusses how to train volunteers so that they feel comfortable behind a console or running audio from a tablet during worship services and other events. An essential component to effective audio volunteers is establishing a culture where the volunteers know that they are an essential and appreciated part of the media team. Takeaways include: 1 – Setting benchmarks for audio volunteers 2 – Adapting benchmarks for...

Want to stream a film clip or other copy-written material? Learn what to do when it comes to licensing, CCLI and other streaming copyright issues. Digital Great Commission Ministries Executive Director David Leuschner will dive into the different licensing companies, what they protect you against, and what you can and cannot do. Takeaways include: 1. General overview of copyrights and how they are enforced 2. Learn the different licensing agencies and what they cover 3. Talk through how you...

 Delayed maintenance is a frequent problem for all facilities managers who are faced with routine and seasonal tasks, as well as emergencies, while having limited staff and restricted budgets. Building Burro founder Tina Breckenfeld discusses how to keep up with these tasks to keep your church in top shape.  Key takeaways include: Prioritizing tasksUse of management softwareBudgeting and church...

Online streaming has become a pivotal part of ministry these past few years, whether to keep a church’s congregation engaged while physically unable to be present, or to reach more people locally or around the globe. From maintaining a high quality stream, to dealing with unexpected technical problems, churches have their work cut out for them. In this episode, Resi Media engineer Bruce O'Leary takes a look at the top challenges that church streamers face.  Takeaways include: 1 –...

With an increase in mental illness, workplace violence, cyber attacks and internet outages, churches are starting to ask, ”Are we ready, even for what we can’t yet imagine happening?” If your church has put off action planning, you’re not alone. Your peers are asking themselves the same thing. In this presentation, church security expert Simon Osamoh explores how to make emergency planning a priority, as well as 3 things you need to do to build a successful building emergency plan. Takeaways...

In this episode, Another Jones Production CEO and broadcast professional Andre Jones will go over the role of a director and how to tell a story with the cameras while supporting the crew (volunteers).  Takeaways Include: 1 – Tools to take back to your church and be an effective Director immediately 2 – Tips to help make your volunteers better 3 – Ideas on how to do less coaching and framing so you can do more switching 4 – Methods to help you raise up leaders to take over when it’s time for...

Ask any ten Church Management Software (ChMS) users if they hate their ChMS, and chances are, you’ll get several yeses. No matter which ChMS product your church uses, a good percentage of your users are likely to be unsatisfied. In this episode, Eliott Wood, elder of Christ Community Church will talk about the root causes of this dissatisfaction and how to address them.  Takeaways include: 1 – How to improve your ChMS experience 2 – How to structure your ChMS support team 3 – How to train...

Joe Precup, Director of Operations at DTK Facilities, discusses challenges to facility maintenance needs, whether janitorial or staff management, in an ever-changing and unpredictable economy. During this episode, Joe will outline an acronym that will help your team grow. The acronym “S.W.E.E.P.” represents the corners and edges of “business as usual.” Takeaways include: – Servant Behaviors – Weighing Each Aspect – Examining Each Person – Exploring New Opportunities – Partnering with the...

Most likely, you’ve heard about the metaverse, and you may have heard that there are churches participating in the metaverse. What does it look like to do this? Why would a church consider having space in the metaverse? How do you do it from a technical perspective? Discover the answers to these questions and more as we listen to Nate Anderson and Toby Walters discuss this different community-engaging option for churches.

Why is it important to include IT and AVL integration into the planning process of any new build or renovation project your church is undergoing? There are countless stories of how things went wrong and extra money was spent to incorporate these things after the construction was done. Tim Adams, Elliott Wood, and Rodney James discuss how to plan at the proper time and who should be in that planning process to ensure your next building project goes off with minimal issues.

Most churches have probably never considered using focus groups to help them discover where their church is and where they need to go in the future, but these can be valuable tools! Mark MacDonald and Keith Ferrin discuss exactly what focus groups are and how they can benefit churches. Discover how to create one and how to use the information gleaned from them to move your church in the direction God may be leading you.

If you’ve ever worked with AVL technology, you know that it’s an ever-changing world. Making sure the staff and volunteers in your church who work with it every week have the training they need to keep their skills at levels of excellence is vital. Listen in as Graeme Spencer and David Leuschner discuss how to determine what training is needed and how to find the right training for your team.

Over the last 20 years, America has faced a growing number of attacks on public buildings, schools, and churches. When planning for any upgrade to a church’s existing facility or for a new building project, there are fundamental things churches need to consider regarding the safety of their congregants and community. Join Jacquelyn Block and Simon Osamoh as they discuss resources and tips for planning for safety in your new or existing church building.

Poor mental health can take a toll on not just you, but on every single person in your family and in your church. We’re in a time where more and more people are acknowledging that mental health issues and challenges exist, and there are more ways than ever to stay mentally healthy. Join Michelle Berndt and Eric Byrd as they discuss some of the unique challenges facing today’s church leaders and workers and what you can do to maintain positive mental health at home and in your leadership role.

Video has become one of the biggest ways to communicate with your congregation and community, but it can quickly get expensive. Ben Stapley and Michelle Makariak discuss ways on how to create videos, find and create content, and choose the right gear to make excellent videos without breaking the bank. No matter what size your church may be, there are tips here for everyone.

Churches today have changed in how their facilities are managed. Join Tim Cool and Patrick Hart as they discuss what’s involved with facilities management and stewardship. They’ll discuss the biggest challenges facing today’s Facilities Manager and how to adapt to changes that come your way. Whether you’re brand new to facilities management or you’ve been doing it a long time, you’ll walk away with encouragement and advice.

Whether you have a thriving social media presence or not, there’s always more to learn about this unique resource we have. Social media can be a valuable outreach tool if used properly. Ben Stapley talks with Justen Overlander about how he helped to build The Chosen’s social media presence and how we can use that wisdom and adapt it to our churches.

Lighting design is a complex art form that intertwines science and art, but there are some fundamental elements that every plot design and environmental look requires. Delve into the basics of lighting design (and a little history of how it has evolved in houses of worship) with Duke DeJong, Van Metschke and Ellen Lampert-Gréaux. Plus, you’ll discover how to plan for the future when developing your next lighting infrastructure upgrade.

You may be aware that church management systems can help you store information about your congregants, but did you also know it can do so much more? Join Scott Miller and Jordan Dillon as they discuss what a church management system is and how to evaluate your needs to find the right one for your church. 

Finding and keeping the right support staff for your church is a vital part of helping you stay on mission. Join William Vanderbloemen and Carl Barnhill as they share how to find the right person for your administrative support roles and how to help them through the challenges they may be facing. 

Whether you’re in a small church, medium-sized church, or megachurch, there are extra events that take place in your building throughout the year. How does audio differ for those special events? How do you plan to make them excellent? What’s the most important thing about being the audio tech for all of those events that happen outside of the weekend worship service? Kari Martinez and Michelle Makariak discuss all of these questions and more.

Interior design isn’t just about paint colors and furniture. There’s so much more to designing interior spaces and there’s a reason to do it well. Listen in as Jodi Otto from National Community Church and David Shanks from Shanks Architects discuss what interior design is, the challenges churches face when doing it well, and what you should consider when designing interior spaces.