How do you build an AVL system for your church that meets today's needs and the demands of the future? How do you make sure it works for everyone on staff and the volunteer team as a whole?
Luke Hester works with churches to design systems at Houseright and he joins the ChurchGear podcast to discuss how you can make a system that works for the whole rather than just one person.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby sacks Denver
- 6:30 Luke Hesher of Houseright Joins us!
- 10:00 “I called my senior pastor a Bastard”
- 17:00 Luke’s path into Church Production
- 18:45 How does Houseright serve the church?
- 20:00 What production problems do all churches face?
- 26:00 Building your system for the “Next Tech”
- 30:45 What to do when you inherit a bad church production system
- 33:00 How do you prep your executive team for future systems budgets?
- 35:00 How to lead up to your church’s executive team
- 39:20 How to use a capital expenditure plan to lead up to your church’s executive team
- 45:00 “Their Integrator Left” How do you have a good integrator relationship?
- 48:00 Tech Takeaway: Treating People Well > Tackling Tasks
Plugs: Check out Houseright here!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you grow the production team and gear at multiple locations at a sustainable pace?
Shaun Miller is the Central Production Director at Rolling Hills Church and he drops by the pod to discuss baptism, pacing gear growth and more.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 How do Baptisms impact church production?
- 5:30 Shaun Miller joins us!
- 11:00 More wireless gear than Garth Brooks
- 13:45 "Then we got drug searched"
- 19:45 How did Shawn get into Church Production?
- 28:00 How do you manage multiple church production locations?
- 33:30 Toby heckles Shawn
- 35:00 Shawn’s writing on Church Production Magazine
- 39:30 The gear that Shawn hates
- 42:30 How do you progress your church’s production gear over time?
- 48:30 Disaster Story: Dante’s Inferno
- 57:00 Tech Takeaway on knowing “WHY” your production efforts matter
- 1:01:15 Blake’s Disaster Baptism
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Your LED screen has fallen, you're in water up to your ankles and thousands of students are about to show up for a night of worship.
Jeff Sandstrom joins us this week to discuss the AVL challenges of the Super Bowl and the most difficult event he has ever been a part of.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby isn’t with us this week!
- 3:20 Jeff Sandstrom joins us!
- 4:00 Rattlesnakes and how great is our God
- 8:30 Soundcheck & Demolition Derby
- 11:20 “Five Truths and a Lie” MxU Pop Ups Edition!
- 16:30 SuperBowl Production
- 26:30 The Toughest Live Event Jeff Sandstrom’s Done
- 31:05 LED Wall underwater & Rusty Generators
- 50:30 Tech Takeaway on focusing on the main thing
- 57:00 MxU Pop Ups!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you build a strong production team that furthers the Gospel?
Brandon Conn is the Audio Director at Gateway Church and he joins us this week to discuss all the practical principles Gateway church utilizes to build strong production teams.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby visits Chauvet Lighting in Florida!
- 6:00 Brandon Conn joins us for “5 Truths & A Lie”
- 16:30 How did Brandon get into church production?
- 20:30 How does Gateway Church set up their production team?
- 23:30 How does Gateway Church find and hire tech staff?
- 29:00 How do you launch a new church production set up well?
- 32:30 How do you schedule your church production team well?
- 34:30 How can production gear further The Gospel?
- 38:55 Texas Trivia: Blake verse Brandon Conn
- 42:30 What gear is Gateway Church running?
- 45:00 If you had 2 million to spend on production what would you buy?
- 48:00 Disaster story: “Just FYI, there was no PA in the Bible Days”
- 53:45 Tech Takeaway on Emotional EQ’s value to your ministry
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What production tips do you pick up from a lifetime of touring?
Gene Kim had a spare moment where he wasn't mixing for Phil Wickham, so he dropped by the podcast studio to discuss mixing in bad rooms, AVL trends and coffee.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Stage Shenanigans and Forbidden Rocks
- 6:50 What shows has Gene been working on recently?
- 11:45 The pressure of subbing in your tech buddy's seat
- 13:45 Hardest church production event Gene mixes
- 15:50 AVL Trends Gene is seeing in churches
- 20:10 What is it like jumping into various church FOH booths?
- 23:45 How do you improve your church tech skills in a new year?
- 28:00 What would your dream production gig be?
- 30:35 Disaster Story: “My heart dropped”
- 33:15 How do you improve your audio in a “bad room”?
- 35:34 Improving a bad room with a quieter mix
- 37:15 What upcoming technology trends is Gene enjoying?
- 41:15 Coffee Trivia: Gene Kim Vs. Toby Walters
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Leadership is spoken about often but what does it really look like in the church production space?
Warren Davis is the Central Team Leader of Broadcast support for Life Church and he joins us to discuss leading teams well.
In this episode you'll hear
- 1:00 Rockstars breaking the law & tossing TVs
- 6:00 Warren Davis joins the podcast!
- 11:30 Moving Gear Horror Story
- 16:45 Warren Davis’s journey into tech
- 20:00 How are Life Church's campuses structured?
- 27:00 Leading Tech Teams at Scale
- 33:20 Leading & Developing church tech volunteer teams
- 36:00 How to lead as a young church production leader
- 43:15 Do church techs have to be “pastors” in production?
- 45:00 Creating Church Tech Culture via Time Together
- 51:15 Van Halen Trivia
- 58:00 Tech Takeaway on positioning your mix well & clean stages
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we unify the church production team and the worship team?
Brenton Miles is the Production Manager for Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, and he joins us this week on the podcast to discuss the unique dynamic between worship and production.
In this episode
- 1:00 Does volume or the mix matter most?
- 5:15 Brenton Miles joins!
- 11:00 Five Truths & a Lie: Helicopters & Monday Night Football
- 19:00 Brenton’s Tech Background
- 24:15 Should worship and tech be one department at church?
- 28:00 Does a worship leader background help you lead church production?
- 32:45 What causes distractions in your church production?
- 35:15 What does the worship team do that bothers the production team?
- 38:15 What does production do that worship dislikes?
- 39:20 How should a production & worship team bond?
- 50:15 Disaster Story
- 54:50 Tech Takeaway on Respect
- 57:00 Brenton’s production courses
Plugs
- Check out Brenton Miles training courses here!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What are the quickest ways to improve our church's mix?
Johnny Ragin drops by the pod to talk awesome mixing tips, hilarious disaster stories and more hot takes than we've ever had in a single episode.
In this episode:
- 1:00 Toby taught production in college?!
- 5:00 Johnny Ragin from Worship Sound Guy joins us!
- 12:00 Johnny’s tech background
- 20:00 How do you find church production educational resources?
- 24:00 Learning by Mentor vs. Self Education
- 27:00 Mixing with your “ears” not “eyes”
- 32:30 2 Quick Wins to improve your church’s audio mix
- 35:00 Improving the mix via collaboration with the Worship Team
- 40:00 How do you maximize your church’s production gear?
- 42:45 Disaster Stories: weak floors & confetti cannons
- 47:50 Tech Takeaway on having a “Mix Journal”
Plugs
- Check out the Worship Sound Guy training resources and community forums here!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
When you've worked with Louie Giglio at Passion and built Chris Tomlin's Track Rig, what can you not do?
Stephen Bailey joins us on the ChurchGear podcast this week to discuss his production time at Passion, the advice he'd give his younger self and who would win in a fight between a bus or Jay Desai.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s Fellowship Church Visit in Dallas
- 6:00 Stephen Bailey joins us!
- 6:30 Jay Desai Vs. Buses
- 8:30 Five Truths and a Lie
- 16:00 Stephen’s tech journey: Elevation Band & Audio Freelancing
- 18:55 Working with Louie Giglio at Passion
- 24:40 Live Stream Sync between Multiple States
- 29:30 Building Tomlin’s Track Rig
- 37:00 What would you tell your younger self?
- 40:00 Don’t burn the bridges
- 40:45 Disaster Story: “Blue screen of death”
- 44:55 Tech Takeaway on balancing what matters with what’s urgent
Plugs
- Check out Stephen's project prodcom.io!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you lead your church production team when you're one of the youngest people on staff?
Johnathan Basquez is the Production Director at Church on the Move and he joins the podcast this week to tell us about leading upward, Andrew Stone's advice to him and how he navigated production during a tough season.
Johnathan gave us one of the best episodes we've ever had!
In this episode you'll hear
- 1:00 Acting our age and church visits
- 7:00 Johnathan Basquez from Church on the Move joins us!
- 14:30 Johnathan’s journey to Church on the Move
- 18:30 Learning from Andrew Stone
- 21:40 Leading those who led you
- 25:30 Andrew Stone’s 3 Church Production Mindsets
- 31:30 How do you succeed as a young church tech?
- 34:00 How do you systematize your church’s production systems?
- 36:45 Crushing the little details in church production
- 39:30 Disaster story!
- 42:00 Tech Takeaway on community & kindness to yourself
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you pick an integrator?
Clint Aull is a Designer and Installation Manager at All Pro Integrated Systems. He joins us this week to discuss vetting integrators, diversifying your skills and gives us his side of the legendary shrimp disaster story.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby heads to Detroit to avoid budget planning
- 6:45 Clint Aull joins us! (Fires & Sharks)
- 16:45 Clint’s Bethel Background & Tech Journey
- 22:45 How Clint diversified his skills
- 25:45 How to vet an integrator for your church
- 39:10 Making it happen with creativity, not budget
- 43:45 Disaster Story: “It was the worst production thing that ever happened to me”
- 48:30 Clint’s side to the shrimp disaster with Daniel Ellis
- 52:00 Tech Takeaway on diversifying your skill set
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What were ChurchGear's best moments in 2023?
We review the best stories, give out some awards and conclude with the moments ChurchGear's mission was fulfilled to the fullest!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s Top Three 2023 Moments
- 10:45 ChurchGear’s 2023 “Five Truths & A Lie”
- 14:10 BD’s Conference stories
- 19:00 “Who are you the most afraid of running into!?”
- 21:05 Charlie & Ryan fight a blizzard!
- 33:00 Love at ChurchGear Headquarters
- 39:40 “ChurchGear almost blew up” -Kurley
- 51:10 The best guest story of 2023
- 54:00 How many times did Blake get fired in 2023?
- 55:55 The Top Liar of the year award
- 57:40 The Top 5 episodes of the year
- 1:00:00 The moments ChurchGear fulfilled the mission
- 1:06:00 "We brought the church their first com system"
- 1:10:15 Tech Takeaway: How much gear did ChurchGear buy this year?
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we keep the most attended services of the year free from mishaps?
We are joined by some of our church techs pals to hear their "Christmas Disaster Stories" this week. We hope this can provide you some laughs as you prepare for your own Christmas Services this year!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Rolling Black Outs During Christmas
- 3:40 Blake’s Christmas Disaster Story: “Blown Budget”
- 7:00 Christmas Trivia: Toby Vs. Brian Dishon
- 11:00 Christmas Disaster: “Everyone has to go home now”
- 14:40 Jeremy Van Valkenburg’s Christmas Disaster Story
- 19:00 Curtis Taylor: “We pushed passed our power limit load.”
- 28:45 Drew Hester: “It was just one button.”
- 36:00 Drew Hester: “Just have him sing in the Adult Choir.”
- 41:55 Michael Short: “We shouldn’t have built an elevator.”
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you become one of the best lighting designers in the production world?
Tony Fransen is a lighting designer who has worked with Prince, One Republic and many more artists. We discussed church lighting design, burnout prevention and some disaster stories that are as exhilarating as they are terrifying.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Meth Labs, Church Visits & Leg Lamps
- 6:30 Working with Prince [Tony Fransen joins us!]
- 22:30 Tony’s Tech Background
- 30:00 Landing the Lighting gig for One Republic
- 35:45 How do you draw your church congregation in with lighting?
- 40:25 How do you prevent burnout in church production?
- 45:20 How can church techs communicate work load during Christmas?
- 48:12 Disaster story: “Then the elephant walks in”
- 51:08 Disaster story: “Then the video wall snapped loose”
- 55:00 Tech Takeaway
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What gear did it take to create The Vegas Sphere?
Tony Staires has worked in churches and he now works at LAWO. He joins the pod this week to tell us about LAWO's work in The Vegas Sphere Project! What gear did they use? What experiences can it create? Tune in to find out!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Taylor vs. U2 trivia
- 6:00 Texas, Gunpoints & Touring Life [Tony Staires joins us!]
- 14:45 Tony’s tech background
- 20:00 How to know if it’s time to leave ministry
- 25:45 Tony’s work on The Vegas Sphere!
- 29:35 Why The Sphere is amazing
- 37:55 The million $ bounty on hacking The Vegas Sphere
- 44:30 What other ways will The Vegas Sphere be used?
- 49:00 How is LAWO being used in church production?
- 53:10 Tech Takeaway on being where your feet are
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Many people say God and family are their top two priorities, yet most of us struggle to keep our church production work from intertwining with God in our priority list.
Patrick Buescher is the Assistant Director of Technical Operations at Cross Roads Church and he joins us to discuss how church techs can have longevity in church production.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Pastor egos & eating lead paint
- 7:00 Patrick Buescher joins us!
- 12:30 Patrick’s start in tech
- 15:30 Crossroads Church’s tech & team setup
- 21:00 Super Bowl of Preaching & Horse Weekend
- 26:15 Longevity in church tech
- 28:45 Burnout, Family, & Communication
- 44:45 Can I ever go to church with my family?
- 47:45 When do you know it’s time to leave your church?
- 50:00 Disaster story: They unplugged everything
- 53:40 Tech Takeaway on priorities
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What's it like producing services at Bethel Church?
Jesse is the Live Broadcast Director at Bethel Church in Redding. He joins us to talk about producing services at Bethel, live-streaming's eternal reach, and more!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Airplane disaster moments
- 5:45 Jesse Maitland joins us!
- 18:00 What it’s like doing production at Bethel
- 26:20 The pressure of production at Bethel
- 27:45 Handling Bethel’s production during the Pandemic
- 29:15 What production gear and team structure does Bethel use?
- 32:15 Where does Bethel Production get creative inspiration?
- 35:00 How do you upgrade your video setup?
- 38:00 Serving your online church community
- 41:15 Illegal Church: Live streams reach
- 44:00 Disaster story: “The sewage flooded the lobby”
- 47:30 Tech Takeaway: “Don’t blame the devil”
Plugs: Check out Jesse's resources!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What production gear should your church budget prioritize? What production gear should your church consider skipping entirely?
Jeremy Bagwell works at Ross Video to help churches with their production gear needs. His episode with us is full of amazing insight, hot takes and budget saving perspectives.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Halloween costumes, Ryan gets burned & Toby is shameless
- 5:30 Jeremy Bagwell joins! And fails big time.
- 17:00 Jeremy’s tech background
- 21:45 Why is Ross in every big church?
- 24:20 Common Video Misconceptions
- 31:31 UHD and 4K hot take
- 37:15 Places churches SHOULD spend money on video
- 43:00 Upcoming trends: Pixels & Ai
- 48:00 Disaster Story: “Then I saw the fire”
- 51:25 Tech Techaway: Focus on what matters
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we know when it is time to say "yes" to a new church tech position?
Jeremy Van Valkenburg is the Live Experience Pastor at Cross Point church and he has worked as a church tech in multiple churches over the years. We talk about transitioning between roles, how to establish a new team and more on this week's ChurchGear podcast!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Alligators & Northern travels
- 6:00 Jeremy Van Valkenburg joins us!
- 27:45 Jeremy’s first move at Transformation Church
- 29:00 How Chad Vegas ended up at Transformation Church
- 31:28 How they got Transformation Church’s arena set up
- 37:00 How does Transformation Church do Sunday services?
- 39:00 Sharing their hearts with Transformation’s Leadership on burnout
- 41:40 What gear is Transformation running?
- 49:00 Moving to Cross Point Church to Build the Team
- 56:00 Disaster story on a horrific Livestream picture
- 1:00:30 Tech Takeaway on Identity
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How much should we prioritize good lighting for our church services?
Daniel Connell is a lifelong Lighting Director professional and founder of DC Pro. He joins us to discuss lighting's importance for church services, house lights' importance and the heart behind DC Pro's work.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 A Listener Gets a Raise!
- 4:00 Lighting’s importance to concerts
- 6:50 Daniel Connell joins the show!
- 15:45 Church on the Move’s tech history
- 33:00 How much AVL is needed for church services?
- 41:00 Lighting’s importance to church services
- 43:30 How do you find an LD for your church?
- 50:20 House Lights: the most vital but boring buy
- 59:15 The heart and logistics of working with DC Pro
- 1:09:00 Tech Takeaway on identity & work life balance
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you improve your church's livestream?
Drake Kelch started doing production at 13 years old! He has worked with Bethel Music and various other production positions for years and now he leads his own production company, DK Film.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 The Sphere in Las Vegas
- 7:30 Drake Kelch joins!
- 18:30 Drake’s start in production at Bethel at age 13!
- 23:30 What does a church “cinematic look” look like?
- 32:00 Handheld cameras vs. Dollies
- 33:30 Minimum cost to create a cinematic look
- 37:00 Ways to improve your video right now
- 45:25 Trends and churches Drake is watching now
- 47:00 Recent projects Drake’s proud of working with
- 51:30 Disaster Story: Church install weather complications
- 54:45 Tech Takeaway: Check your camera views
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Should churches use In-Ears? Are the benefits worth the cost?
Eddie Cruz works at 64 Audio to help churches find the best In-Ears for their worship teams. He joins us to discuss the process of making Beyonce's In-Ears, how churches are using In-Ears and more on this week's pod.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Church Celebrations & Chris Tomlin’s In-Ear woes!
- 7:30 Eddie Cruz joins to explain monitor mixing
- 20:59 Beyonce’s Diamond In-Ears
- 25:45 Eddie’s tech journey
- 31:00 Eddie’s hang with Metallica & church clients
- 36:15 What are churches using? In-Ears? Wedges?
- 44:30 New In-Ear Tech Eddie is Seeing
- 51:00 Should churches use In-Ears?
- 53:45 Disaster Story: Exploding In-Ears
- 57:15 Tech Takeaway on the little things
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you know when it's time to replace your speakers? A full PA isn't a small cost.
Zach spent many years as a church tech, and he now works for d&b in their Business Development department. We talk about the things to think about when you're considering a new PA, the difference between working at a church and a manufacturer and finish with some fantastic disaster stories!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Betrayals at ChurchGear
- 5:15 Zach Brady of d&b joins us!
- 18:00 Zach’s church background
- 24:45 Church Work vs. Manufacture work
- 30:00 What’s the d&b difference?
- 39:45 How do Church Techs know its time to upgrade the system?
- 43:45 Never let a crisis go to waste
- 49:40 Disaster story: Beards and Breathing Machines
- 54:00 Disaster story: Fog and Dance Disaster
- 57: Tech Takeaway on Identity
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we find community among our fellow church techs?
Tone Stephens joins us to discuss the importance of community, the touring life and his time at Rock Lititz!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s CA church visits
- 6:30 Tone Stephens joins the pod!
- 10:45 Drugs, Grammys and Queens
- 14:00 Tone’s close call with jail time
- 19:00 What is Rock Lititz studios?
- 22:30 Where the Church Tech Community comes together
- 28:30 The importance of community for church techs
- 30:44 The Thought Leader Connect Group Types
- 38:00 Touring Vs. Church
- 41:30 Disaster story: Why isn’t it working?!
- 45:10 Tech Takeaway
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How will the Church Tech Pay Series end?
Toby, Blake and Brian recap the entire series in our final episode! We cover the most surprising survey stats, the best quotes, and the top takeaways.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Brendon Petty’s Legs and MxU live!
- 4:20 Mariah Carey & BD nearly kills Steven Curtis Chapman!
- 13:30 Biggest Stats from the Church Tech Pay Survey
- 20:40 Best Quotes from the Series
- 32:00 Appreciation & Taking Pay off the Table
- 38:00 Benefits? Benefits! Benefits.
- 42:00 Biggest Overall Takeaways from the Series
- 53:00 Top Way to Increase Pay over the Series
- 1:03:15 How to have the “salary increase” convo well
- 1:10:00 Toby’s Benediction for the Church Tech Pay Series
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What if the grass isn't greener in the secular production world?
Caleb joins us again to discuss event overload, secular vs church environments, and salary ranges.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 The NF and Greta Van Fleet concerts at Bridgestone
- 5:10 Salary ranges and negotiating offers
- 10:25 What does Billy the Tech making 75K look like?
- 16:30 Secular Production Salaries
- 18:30 The Tech Director reports to…everyone??
- 22:15 Should church techs be required to do every single event?
- 30:00 What if church is better than a secular job?
- 35:45 Flex days as a benefit package feature?
- 39:50 Will anyone ever feel like they are paid fairly?
- 44:00 What should the average Church Tech Salary BE?
- 48:00 Tech Takeaway on church calling
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
You just got a job offer for 25k more to leave your church tech job. But you want to stay. What do you do now?
Caleb Loeppky worked in multiple church tech positions before taking a role at Amplio. He also works with Slingshot to place church production people all across America. He joins us to discuss competing job offers, Pastor's housing allowances, and how to talk about your salary with your Executive Pastor well.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s past church jobs
- 8:15 Caleb Loeppky joins us!
- 13:45 How Caleb found his Church Tech Jobs
- 19:00 What are the current church tech jobs out there right now?
- 24:30 Getting underpaid for being a volunteer to staff person
- 28:00 How many years as a TD does it take for a big raise?
- 34:30 Taking a competing job offer to your Exec Pastor
- 38:50 Pastor’s Housing Allowance
- 42:00 Leaving your church
- 44:30 How do you figure out your salary range?
- 47:20 Should all new techs start at 35-50k at least?
- 51:20 Can you bring your boss a competing job offer?
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How can church techs show the wider tech pay landscape to their church leadership?
Scott Ragsdale is a church production legend and is returning to the ChurchGear podcast for the church tech pay series to discuss the current state of live production, an easy method to illustrate low tech salaries and why church techs are leaving the church.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Budget pains
- 5:30 Scott Ragsdale comes back to the podcast!
- 7:15 One Crazy Quote and Two Lies from the TD Pay Survey
- 11:45 Open Tech Director Roles at the Crossing
- 14:00 Effects of the Vid on live production
- 20:00 Are churches willing to pay a TD accurately?
- 22:00 Why do church techs leave the church?
- 26:00 Average Church Tech Salaries
- 32:00 How to talk to your leadership about your salary
- 34:15 The Crossings struggle to hire new tech roles
- 43:30 The cost of the road
- 49:00 Freelancing: Away from church and at church
- 53:15 Church Tech Salary Ranges across America
- 56:40 Different Tech Salary Ranges by Role
- 1:00:31 The various hats a church tech wears
- 1:03:45 Tech Takeaway on life’s journey
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What salary/career questions have you always wanted to ask your Executive Pastor?
We spoke with Matt Wright from Slingshot Group about the title of "Pastor", Housing Allowances, and the Top 4 Qualities every Executive Pastor wants in their Tech Director.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Church interview HORROR story
- 8:00 Matt Wright joins us from Slingshot!
- 15:00 Matt’s past jobs
- 18:45 The 6 parts of an Executive Pastor’s Job
- 23:30 Why are church techs not given the “Pastor” title?
- 28:30 What is a minister’s housing allowance?
- 31:36 Get your social security money now?
- 32:45 Opting out of social security
- 41:20 Church Benefits. Some have them. Some don’t.
- 49:30 The 4 Qualities an Exec Pastor wants in a Tech Director
- 59:30 How do we approach the Exec Pastor for a raise
- 1:11:30 Tech Takeaway on loving one another
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What expectations should churches and church techs have for salary ranges, raises and benefits packages?
Tim Foot joins us this week to kick off our Church Tech Pay Series! In the second of his two episodes with us we discuss benefits packages, salary ranges, and expectations for the TD and church.
In this episode you’ll hear:
- 1:00 Toby firing the Finance Director to save lunch
- 3:00 Coaching Churches on raising Tech Salaries
- 5:30 Expectations of a $75,000 salary Church Tech
- 6:15 Expectations of a $45,000 salary Church Tech
- 9:00 How to talk to your executive pastor about pay
- 14:00 Benefits packages convey culture
- 22:45 How many years does it take for a raise?
- 27:45 Skills that bring in raises
- 29:30 $80,000+ Tech Jobs
- 35:30 The importance of EQ (Soft skills)
- 42:30 Can the church pay equal to the secular market?
- 45:30 Tech Takeaway on “Taking Care of Things”
Plugs: Connect with Tim at Slingshot group!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What should a church tech's starting salary be?
Tim Foot joins us this week to kick off our Church Tech Pay Series! In the first of his two episodes with us we discuss church tech starting salaries, current tech hiring trends and which tech role is the hardest to hire right now.
In this episode you’ll hear:
- 1:00 How we Hire at ChurchGear
- 6:46 Tim Foot from Slingshot joins us!
- 13:00 Two Truths and a Lie “Church Tech Pay” edition
- 19:45 Slingshot’s mission
- 21:20 When more candidates come to Slingshot during the year
- 24:20 Church Tech hiring trends
- 27:00 Hardest Tech role to hire right now
- 30:00 Could you hire a Video Director at $50K?
- 32:45 Showing churches your candidate is already on staff
- 37:45 Starting Salary needed for a church tech hire
- 42:30 Is it time to pay techs like software people?
Plugs: Connect with Tim at Slingshot group!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What have our friends at MxU been up to?
We chatted with Jeff and Jay on how much a room can excuse a bad mix, MxU's upcoming events and which fast food burger is the best.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 CA Mega Church Visits, Floor Buying & In and Out
- 7:20 MxU’s Jeff & Jay join us!
- 8:30 Burger Battle: McDonalds, WhatABurger, In and Out
- 14:30 Two Truths & a Lie “Church Tech Pay” edition
- 19:35 Jeff & Jay’s recent touring travels
- 25:45 How much does a “bad room” damage a concert?
- 38:25 Concert etiquette on singing loudly
- 44:00 Gene Kim & Jay death match
- 48:45 Big announcement tease
- 50:00 Tech Takeaway on Sunday Farts & Caring for our Teams
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you build a big production team in a healthy way? What is the ethicality of hiring techs from other churches?
Tyler came up at Bayside church and now he is leading the production team at Flatirons church.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Company culture, hiring patterns
- 6:15 Tyler Kaneshiro joins us!
- 9:30 Disney Princesses & Tyler’s implants
- 12:00 From Bayside to Flatirons church
- 15:30 Beginning to build the Flatirons production team
- 20:00 How did Tyler recruit his recent production hires?
- 29:00 Is it ethical to “steal” techs from another church?
- 33:45 Moments you knew a hire was or wasn’t right
- 35:00 Flatiron’s campuses and staff
- 37:15 Building the Flatirons production team
- 41:00 Disaster Story on Dante Cards
- 44:20 Tech Takeaway on Perspective
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How did Toby create ChurchGear?
We are covering the failures, successes and surprises that culminated into ChurchGear's creation and success this week!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s horrible poison ivy and meth house
- 7:00 Toby’s first recording studio
- 13:50 Toby’s first business betrayal
- 18:00 Toby’s many new ventures and worship ministry run
- 21:55 Toby’s first gear flip
- 23:55 Toby gets his dream job! (It’s a nightmare)
- 29:25 Gear flipping full time
- 37:00 ChurchGear’s concept is proven
- 41:50 Toby hires Blake so he can start firing him
- 47:15 From Toby’s basement to a horror barn
- 54:00 Elevation and Central start calling
- 55:00 ChurchGear Culture’s First Stress Test
- 1:00:55 ChurchGear moves AGAIN!
- 1:07:30 ChurchGear predictions
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What's it like producing services in the largest church in America?
Matt Walden gives us the details on Lakewood's services, a fantastic tech takeaway and some spectacular disaster stories.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Fast cars and Toby’s Lakewood Experience
- 6:20 Matt Walden joins us!
- 7:50 Outer Space, the Pope and Audio around the Globe
- 18:00 How Matt Walden got into Video Production
- 23:00 What elements does Matt use to tell stories
- 29:15 What is Video Dust and why do the big names use it?
- 39:40 Disaster story: Kari Jobe’s most embarrassing moment
- 45:30 Disaster story: Backups
- 47:45 Tech Takeaway on Family over Work
Plugs: Hangout with Matt on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from cold calling Willow Creek about their cool production setup to becoming their Creative Director?
Rebekah Weidenfeld joins us this week to talk to us about creative direction, working between production and worship and much more!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Organizing Services
- 4:55 Rebekah Weidenfeld joins us!
- 6:30 Biking across America and flying upside down
- 14:00 How Rebekah became Willow Creek’s Creative Director
- 17:35 Scott Ragsdale vs Todd Elliott show down
- 19:00 Advancing into a new church tech role
- 23:00 Keeping production and worship as a single team
- 25:30 Working Genius discussion
- 36:30 Hardest job in church production
- 39:30 Disaster Story: Can a bus fire be small?
- 43:00 Handling conflict between teams
- 45:30 Game: Name that Song Taylor Swift Version
- 50:00 Tech Takeaway on taking in all the ideas
Plugs: Reach out to her on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you become Thomas Rhett's lighting designer and win the Pernelli award for lighting designer of the year by age 28?
Alec Takahashi joins us on the podcast this week to tell us. He also touches on the importance of mentorship, his approach to lighting and gives the infamous disaster story that resulted in the destruction of many of Bayside's lights.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Eating cockroaches, celebrity sightings, and Thomas Rhett Tacos
- 7:40 Alec Takahashi joins us!
- 15:30 From Bayside to lighting Thomas Rhett
- 23:00 His first “pinched myself” show
- 26:45 Staying excited for Sunday’s Services
- 29:30 Designing Lighting for Sunday
- 34:00 Moving people to worship through lighting
- 39:00 Alec won a Parnelli award!
- 43:40 Best Lighting Alec’s seen [Passion]
- 46:00 Disaster Story: Destroying all the lights
- 49:15 Tech Takeaway: Seek Mentorship
Plugs:
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you handle your church's tech needs when you go from 3 campuses to 24 campuses?
Justin Firesheets has grown a great deal in his years at Church of the Highlands. He joins us this week to discuss his top tech leadership traits, communication style and ways to improve.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s disrespectful children
- 4:55 Justin Firesheets joins us
- 18:00 Going from 3 campuses to 24 as the tech leader
- 23:50 Justin’s advice for advancing in your church
- 30:00 Improving your communication style
- 36:30 Justin’s favorite resources for professional development
- 44:10 Disaster story: Worst time for the projector to go down
- 49:45 Hodges Trivia
- 53:35 Tech Takeaway on accountability and relationships
Plugs: N/A this week
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you constantly improve your mixing skills in a cutting edge environment like North Point Church?
David Stagl mixed at North Point for years before striking off on his own now as a freelance mix engineer for live and studio settings.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Electrocution, Shaq’s crew costs and near robbery
- 7:15 David Stagl joins us!
- 15:40 Northpoint disaster story
- 22:00 Pioneering at Northpoint
- 27:50 Studio vs Live sound
- 30:15 Improving your skills in live and studio
- 34:10 Preparing for a freelance gig
- 35:50 Going live and live streaming simultaneously
- 40:00 David’s approach to mixing in a live setting
- 44:00 Mixing in surround for live stream?
- 47:45 Disaster story on “cutting yourself off at the knees”
- 51:30 Tech Takeaway on expectations
Plugs: Connect with him on Instagram, his site, and go to 11 with him!
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you outfit your church with the best system to spread The Gospel?
Nick Kofahl is the co-owner of Summit Integrated Systems and his team outfits churches with customized gear solutions.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s hairy body
- 4:30 Nick Kofahl joins us
- 7:00 Nick’s love of HiFi
- 20:40 How Nick landed at Summit Integrated Systems
- 26:00 What sets Summit apart
- 29:20 How Summit approaches projects
- 32:20 Communicating to all the decision makers
- 38:00 The work Summit turns away
- 42:00 Fixing other failed integrations
- 49:30 The conversations you need to fulfill a project
- 53:00 Nick’s blunt truth to production folks for projects
- 58:50 Tech Takeaway on shepherding your community well
Plugs: Reach out to Nick Kofahl on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you become a world class mix engineer?
Daniel Ellis has been mixing for over two decades, so he dropped by the podcast studio to bring his wisdom our way!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 A recruiter asks Blake to be the head of audio at a church?!
- 4:55 Daniel Ellis joins us!
- 12:15 Kicking Chris Tomlin out of FOH
- 18:25 Sneaking into Universal Theme park with Crowder
- 24:25 How Daniell got into mixing
- 26:22 What helped Daniell become a world class mixer?
- 31:50 Daniel’s mixing philosophy and plug in preferences
- 38:30 Immersive audio trends Daniel sees coming
- 41:10 Disaster Story on the problem being yourself
- 45:30 Tech Takeaway on sound volume battles
Plugs: Reach out to Daniel on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What lessons do you learn when you've lit some of the biggest churches in America like Willow Creek, Bayside and Cherry Hills?
Chris Thomas has worked at all three and he drops by the podcast to give us his wisdom on how he has improved his lighting by improving the key relationships that he has with other roles in the church.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 2:00 Ross’s favorite Early Service videos so far
- 11:45 Chris Thomas joins us!
- 18:30 Blowing up a 400 amp
- 25:00 From Willow Creek to Bayside to Cherry Hills
- 27:00 How are churches unknowingly causing church tech burnout?
- 30:50 Lighting and Video need to be in sync
- 32:40 Theories over Rules of Thumb for lighting
- 33:20 Lighting for the room or for video
- 35:25 How Chris got into church
- 38:45 Disaster story on shutting down rehearsal
- 41:45 Tech Takeaway on communicating with senior leadership well
Plugs: None this week!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Should your church buy an LED Wall?
How do we know the right wall, price and application? Davis Kornegay joins us live from the FILO conference to give us his wisdom on how to decide if your church needs an LED wall and how to pick one out.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s kids like Ross more
- 7:05 Davis Kornegay joins us!
- 15:00 Planning the Passion Conference
- 18:00 A morning at Passion City Church
- 23:45 How to pick an LED setup for your church
- 28:25 How LED walls are being used right now
- 30:30 Should your church get an LED wall?
- 33:45 Should the display show the band or just the lyrics?
- 39:30 Disaster Story on upside down towers
- 42:50 Tech Takeaway on not going through the motions
Plugs: Hangout with Davis on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Did you go to FILO's conference this year?
Join the crew as we recap the best moments from the trip. Toby and Dave have some stories and then we list all the ways Blake failed. Join us for the FILO Afterparty on this week's podcast!
In this week's episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Birthday disasters and Toby’s Betrayal of Blake
- 3:40 Dave Roediger joins us!
- 9:30 Five Truths and a Lie of Blake’s FILO Failings
- 19:00 The Journey to FILO
- 28:20 Dave and Blake abandoned on Chicago’s streets
- 42:40 Blake’s FILO Failures
- 56:20 Dave’s FILO Moments
- 1:03:30 Tech Takeaway on community
Plugs: Want some more FILO fun? Check out Todd Elliott's episode with us "Hard Conversations with your Spouse" and then check out his original episode with us.
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we check in on ourselves to ensure our ego, identity and mental health are in a healthy spot?
Stephen Brewster helps worship teams turn their original music into worship albums. He drops by the podcast studio to drop some wisdom on how we can take care of ourselves well. This episode will help you ponder some new questions and will minister to your soul.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s crisis of calling
- 6:16 Stephen Brewster joins us!
- 8:15 Five internal fights and a fake
- 20:15 How do we check in on ourselves well?
- 23:00 Red flags for our mental health
- 27:30 How to know when its time to ask for help
- 37:15 How do we find contentment in our role?
- 53:15 How to know when it’s time to change churches
- 55:45 Finding our identity in the correct space
- 1:03:00 Tech Takeaway: Exercise to see you matter a lot
Plugs: Hangout with Stephen on Instagram, check out his podcast and order his wife's enneagram book.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How can Worship and Tech have the hard conversations that'll allow both departments to serve the church well?
Josh Fisher and Chris McClarney would recommend just becoming best friends! They started out as pals in Jesus Culture. The duo is now working together at Church of the City Franklin where Chris serves as the Worship Pastor and Josh serves at FOH in a tech role.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Young Toby has a hand in his nose and another in his trousers
- 3:55 Josh Fisher and Chris McClarney join us!
- 5:00 Uber flipping, Cheetah feeding and Fox hunting
- 17:20 Are Worship and Tech two teams or one?
- 25:40 Which department takes the blame for mistakes?
- 33:30 Worship taking the bullet for tech
- 38:00 How Worship and Tech can establish better trust
- 45:30 Who has the power over the DB meter?
- 47:15 How do Worship and Tech trade feedback?
- 49:00 How to improve the relationships between Worship and Tech
- 53:55 Tech Takeaway on working better with your Worship Leader
Plugs: Hangout with Chris on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How can we have the hard conversations with the key relationships that are involved in our lives as Church Techs?
Todd and Bissy Elliott joined us this week to kick off our "Hard Conversations" series! We talk about all the ways our spouse can be affected by our church tech role, how to know when it's time to switch churches, and the marital red flags to look out for.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Fighting with our spouses, sleep talking, and lawn work
- 6:45 Five Fights & a Fake
- 19:34 Todd’s past church tech jobs
- 23:23 How do you talk about changing churches?
- 28:20 Writing the “Rules of our Marriage” document
- 31:00 How did Todd and Bissy decide to move to Willow Creek?
- 35:00 Does your spouse have to attend the church you work at?
- 38:00 Does your family still come first at Christmas and Easter?
- 44:15 Who is the final decision maker? Your spouse or your Pastor?
- 50:45 When your spouse confronts the senior pastor
- 58:10 Red Flags to look out for in your marriage
- 1:03:30 How to know when it’s time to leave your church?
- 1:14:41 Tech Takeaway on frequent, smaller hard conversations
Plugs: Hangout with Todd on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What was it like mixing for Hillsong United?
James Rudder joins the podcast to tell us about his adventures with Hillsong United, his favorite gear and he even has a few Mick Jagger stories!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Mosh pits and sitting next to The Edge
- 6:45 Getting lucky in Vegas and Table Tennis with guns!
- 12:10 Winning five bucks off MickJagger
- 18:45 How did James Rudder land the United mixing gig?
- 22:00 James’s favorite venues he’s mixed Hillsong United
- 25:00 James’s go to console
- 26:30 Analog gear vs. plugins
- 30:00 Disaster moment: The console was thunderstruck
- 35:30 The truth of the touring life
- 39:00 Touring Life -> L-Acoustics
- 42:00 Immersive Audio
- 53:45 Hearing a Hillsong United song after months of prep
- 57:00 Tech Takeaway on keeping to the plan on Sunday
Plugs: Hangout with James on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Can you prioritize your own health and production work simultaneously?
Chad Vegas is the director of video production at Transformation Church in Tulsa Oklahoma. He tells us how he started prioritizing his health, why Transformation Church values high quality production services and more on this week’s episode.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby & Blake’s failed exercising habits
- 4:55 Grave digging & living on an island (Chad’s 5 Truths & a Lie)
- 13:00 Chad’s battle with COVID
- 19:00 What Chad’s health struggles have taught him
- 21:20 How church techs can put their health over church production
- 28:15 How Transformation Church creates church services
- 34:30 How to maximize your church’s production budget
- 38:44 How to improve your live stream
- 42:50 Transformation’s video suite upgrade
- 47:25 Disaster story
- 53:40 Tech Takeaway on caring for yourself so you can care for others
Plugs: Hangout with Chad on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Can Venueflex fix any room?
Luke Vogel was the Audio Director at Church of the Highlands for years. He is now the Director of Immersive Solutions at Venueflex where their company makes rooms handle audio better.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Celebrity pastors and shoes
- 6:45 Luke Vogel joins us
- 17:30 Luke’s journey into the church production life
- 21:30 Mixing Church of the Highlands Christmas Services
- 28:00 Church of the Highlands moved over to SSL consoles
- 30:40 Can Venueflex fix any room?
- 41:00 “Fix the room first”
- 43:00 The board melted with Steven Furtick
- 49:00 Don’t mix before you get married
- 53:05 Tech Takeaway on switching from technical to creative mindsets
Plugs: Hangout with Luke on Facebook or Instagram
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Harold has mixed for every major name in christian music. (Crowder, Steven Curtis Chapman and Mandisa just to name a few).
He joins us on the podcast to tell us how he got into church tech, how he found himself running audio for one of the biggest churches in America at 24 years old and more!
He also has some disaster stories that dance with death that you won't want to miss.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s family goes to Japan
- 7:00 Harold Rubens joins us!
- 12:30 Harold wins an Emmy!
- 15:38 Mixing & machine guns
- 21:00 How Harold Rubens became a fixture in church production
- 35:00 “I’m 24 years old and suddenly running a mega church”
- 36:00 Making memorable worship services
- 40:00 Best rooms Harold has mixed within
- 43:00 Disaster Story: death was an inch away
- 49:20 Disaster Story: losing the console right before a stadium show
- 57:00 Tech Takeaway: Communicating the “why”
Plugs: Reach out to Harold on Facebook!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What happens when opportunity and skill intersect?
You become the drummer for Jesus Culture!
Josh Fisher was the drummer for Jesus Culture, and he is now serving on the production team for Church of the City.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby and Blake shooting guns
- 5:15 Josh Fisher joins us from Church of the City!
- 15:00 Josh steals the stage from Dave Mathis!
- 21:00 How Josh ended up in the Jesus Culture Band
- 28:40 Tommee Profitt (NF’s Producer) produces COTC’s Christmas
- 35:00 How to handle the pressure that comes with mixing
- 38:00 Church of the City’s new building
- 43:00 How does Josh stay cool under pressure during the service?
- 47:00 Tech Takeaway on striving for excellence
Plugs: Josh gave us nothing to plug!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What is it like to work with the gear from DiGiCo and Klang?
Kyle McMahon cut his teeth as Chris Tomlin's FOH Engineer and Monitor Engineer. He has taken that experience to his new role as the Trainer and Application Support for Group One.
Kyle joins us to chat about every console under the sun, how DiGiCo thrived during the pandemic, and more.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:30 FOH setups of churches we’ve visited recently
- 4:45 Kyle McMahon joins us
- 6:30 Five Truths and a Lie with Kyle
- 16:30 Kyle’s journey into the church production life
- 23:15 What Kyle does at Group One (DiGiCo Distribution)
- 26:15 How did Group One thrive during the pandemic?
- 33:00 What does it sound like to experience Klang?
- 44:00 Paris Auto Show with One Republic
- 46:00 Disaster turned Glorious with Matt Redmon
- 49:26 Game: “Name that Console Brand”
- 53:25 Kyle’s favorite DiGiCo and non-DiGiCo console of all time
- 54:50 Tech Takeaway: Be really good at paperwork
Plugs: Check out what DiGiCo and Klang have going on and hit Kyle up on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How did Red Rocks Church grow its reach during the covid lock down?
Furthermore, how did they raise the production level of their services without a giant budget increase?
Mark Wray is a Technical Director and Lighting Designer for Red Rocks Church, and he joins us on the podcast this week to tell us all the innovative ways Red Rocks has improved their services and community reach.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s wife told him to tell his boxers story
- 5:45 Red Rocks Church’s Mark Wray joins us!
- 12:45 Mark’s journey into the Church Tech world
- 17:45 How Red Rocks church has leveled up
- 22:00 Making the most with the lights and line array you have
- 31:45 Red Rocks events
- 33:30 Disaster stories: Power is Gone
- 36:15 Red Rocks Amphitheater Trivia
- 40:00 Disaster story: Failed Confetti
- 44:25 Tech Takeaway on the courage to try, fail, learn and improve
Plugs: Connect with Mark on Facebook and Instagram!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Church techs are asked to do more, know more, and reach more people.
We know the demands have risen, but have their salaries and support equally increased?
We talked with Tim Foot (Slingshot Group's President/CEO) on the podcast this week about the current church tech talent landscape, how churches are rethinking staffing and more!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby getting fired and job hunting
- 6:20 Tim Foot of Slingshot Group joins us!
- 13:20 Tim’s ministry journey
- 17:20 The current church tech job climate
- 21:00 The “Churches need to pay techs” conversation
- 26:00 How to think about leaving your church
- 29:40 How to handle a tough church culture
- 34:50 “Leaders are built, not bought”
- 36:30 Resources to move from a 300 person church to 3000
- 40:30 Focusing on “Calling” to weather a tough season
- 43:40 Tasmania trivia with Tim
- 49:40 Tech Takeaway on trading “no” for “let me look into that”
Plugs: Hit up the Slingshot website to connect with them.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
The flying drummer boys at Prestonwood Baptist Church took the social media world by storm.
Mike Smith is the Lead Audio Engineer/Live Production Lead at Prestonwood and he joined us this week to talk about that event, his method to improving, handling pressure and more.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Viral social media moments we’ve enjoyed
- 4:55 Mike Smith joins us!
- 12:30 Cutting reel to reel tape
- 14:15 Mike’s 30 year church tech journey
- 19:25 Using the Soundscape system
- 23:15 The Flying Drummer Boys at Prestonwood
- 32:30 The production pressure for producing Prestonwood’s services
- 34:30 Mike’s approach to constantly improve
- 37:20 Managing stress during productions
- 44:38 Tech Takeaway on building trust with your team
Plugs:
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from volunteering at church to becoming the Global Production Director?
Chad Moore is the Global Production Director at Bayside Community Church. We chatted with him about setting up systems for your volunteers, staying healthy enough to have longevity at your church, and more on this week's podcast.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Can someone rescue Toby from his snowy car ride?
- 3:30 Chad Moore joins!
- 12:30 Chad’s journey into tech (Bayside is in Florida?)
- 13:30 Would you play hot coffee dodgeball?
- 16:30 From Church volunteer to Global Production Director
- 19:25 What does Chad attribute his longevity at Bayside to?
- 24:00 How to lead your team when Pastor gives you his vision
- 30:30 Growing your volunteers and tech team
- 40:00 Setting your volunteers up with a system so they can serve
- 44:25 Building community with other church techs in your town
- 46:20 Tech Takeaway on how you can take out opinions with a system
Plugs: You can reach out to Chad via email: chad.moore@mybayside.church
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from thinking, "I could do something with the MicRentals.com URL," to supplying the Super Bowl with the mics they use for Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes?
We chatted with Stephen Arruda on MicRentals.com's origin story, culture building, and tight timelines.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Dad jokes and rare microphone stories
- 6:06 MicRental's Founder, Stephen Arruda joins!
- 16:05 Stephen Arruda’s introduction into tech
- 24:30 Stephen almost started ChurchGear before Toby?!
- 30:30 MicRental's origin story
- 38:30 Helping churches in a panic
- 43:05 The cost of creative indecision
- 47:45 Stephen’s favorite moments working with clients
- 50:45 MicRentals supplies the Super Bowl mics?!
- 52:15 Microphone Trivia: Stephen vs. Blake
- 56:45 Tech Takeaway on curating company reading lists to craft culture
Plugs:
- You can reach out to Stephen at stephen@micrentals.com
- Books mentioned: Love Works, Customer Rules & 17 Qualities of a Team Player
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we routinely build up our volunteer teams? How can we constantly improve our team's skills and lead our ministry better?
Ryan Robb is the Live Audio Coordinator at Biltmore Church. He joins us this week to discuss his approach to coaching volunteers and cultivating leaders.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s snowy disaster in the church parking lot
- 6:50 Ryan Robb joins us! (Cops, running late & missing cymbals)
- 19:42 Liberty University -> Biltmore Church
- 26:25 Systematically coaching up your volunteers
- 29:15 Growing volunteers weaknesses
- 34:24 Building trust with your leaders
- 36:40 Leading your team after the pastor has a big vision change
- 39:20 How Robb routinely grows his leadership skills
- 44:00 Tech Takeaway on the “why” instead of the “what”
Plugs: Connect with Ryan on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we build healthy volunteer cultures?
Jonathan Malm is an entrepreneur, author and church content comedian. He joins us this week to discuss volunteer culture building and burnout prevention.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby prepares his son for middle school bullies
- 6:20 Jonathan Malm joins us! (Monkeys, Fires & Modeling)
- 15:45 Jonathan’s many projects
- 18:30 Jonathan’s work on Church Stage Designs
- 20:25 How Covid has changed live streaming
- 25:20 Maximizing your stage design (affordably!)
- 28:45 Helping your volunteers avoid burnout
- 30:15 Building a healthy volunteer culture
- 35:30 Jonathan’s social media philosophy and tactics
- 37:30 Generational musings
- 41:40 Tech Takeaway: Sacrifice a Sunday for the long term
Plugs: Hangout with Jonathan Malm on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Have you ever put your production gear on ice to get through a service?
Tyler Moss has! Tyler is the Production Director at Casas Church in Tucson Arizona. He stops by the pod to tell us about the challenges of moving to live stream, the Sunday morning cycle and his surprise meeting with Paul McCartney!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Our most painful gear runs of 2022: Helicopters & Lightning
- 5:27 Tyler Moss joins the show!
- 11:25 Tyler takes Paul McCartney’s call?!
- 13:00 Bringing live streaming to Casas Church in 2020
- 20:30 Surviving Sunday and rebuilding when all the gear goes out
- 23:30 Managing the Sunday service grind
- 25:30 Studying at the Conservatory school in AZ
- 31:50 Church production in AZ vs. Touring life
- 34:40 Surprise statistics! Arizona vs. TN trivia
- 38:45 Casas Church’s new Yamaha Rivage gear!
- 42:53 Tech Takeaway on being willing to say “I don’t know.”
Plugs: Hangout with Tyler on instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we recruit and train tech volunteers so that we are not the only one who knows how to work the sound board on Sunday morning? How do we strategically say no to tech requests that would put us beyond our hours and cut into our family time?
David Horning joins us from Alaska to describe what has worked for him in these scenarios and more!
David works with Native New Life, a Native led ministry that has a passion for taking the gospel to rural Alaskan villages. He is also a Media Missionary at Creekside church.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Dog disaster stories
- 5:00 David Horning joins from Alaska!
- 14:45 Building community with other church tech directors
- 17:30 Finding a tech community in Alaska
- 19:10 David’s work at Creekside Church
- 21:20 Having the “there is too much work to get done” conversation
- 27:20 Saying “no” to pastor and “yes” to family
- 31:30 How to think about gear budgets and lifespans
- 35:00 Finding & retaining volunteers for your church
- 41:00 Tech Takeaway on finding community and staying sharp
Plugs: Connect with David on Facebook or Instagram. Check out the ministry David is doing in Alaska and see how you can help.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we create a healthy volunteer culture so our church production ministries can thrive? How do we avoid burnout along the way and focus on God's calling in our lives rather than the obstacles in our path?
Andy call is the Co Lead Location Pastor at East Lake Church and he shares his 11+ years of experience on these topics in this week's pod. He also enjoys using his experience of launching churches to consult other church techs on the integrators and gear they should be using for their specific rooms.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 0:30 Toby and Blake clean the floors
- 3:20 Toby, ladders and scissor lifts shouldn’t mix!
- 8:50 Andy Call joins us from East Lake Church!
- 13:00 Church planting 101
- 14:40 The touring life with Phil Wickham and Lecrae
- 20:00 Working at East Lake Church
- 25:50 How Andy trains a new church tech volunteer
- 28:00 The Calling that keeps church technical leaders going
- 33:00 Creating a new production setup: vision, live stream & budget
- 37:00 Managing production budgets and expectations
- 43:40 How to stay in your church tech Calling
- 46:20 Tech Takeaway on investing in people over production gear
Plugs: You can reach out to Andrew for help at his email: andrew@visualtrend.io or connect with him on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
This is our wildest podcast of the year.
Join the entire ChurchGear crew as we go over the funniest stories of the year, give out awards and end with a surprising Tech Takeaway of our own.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 0:30 Toby got fired at church?!
- 1:30 Blake's total firings and middle school ministry antics
- 5:50 Climbing through gear at Willow Creek
- 9:45 Invitation to "steal" Central Church’s gear
- 12:50 Church on the Move moves to ChurchGear
- 15:50 Gateway Church has more gear than ChurchGear?!
- 18:50 Dave is God’s least favorite CG member
- 23:40 You’ll never believe the Church Dave ended up in
- 30:40 Jonah is attacked by fire, not a whale
- 37:25 The 5 craziest sales messages AJ receives
- 46:00 Ross comes to confess his musical sin
- 51:17 "17 podcast awards from 2022"
- 1:01:30 Tech Takeaway
- How much did ChurchGear pay churches in 2022?
- How many churches did we sell gear back to in 2022?
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We’ve seen everyone working hard to prepare for Christmas services, so we want to share and celebrate your preparation with a giveaway!
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we raise up the next generation of church technical leaders?
Kevin Behnke is the Production Logistics Director at Christ In Youth. They partner with churches to create memorable moments for young christians. Along they way, they also end up finding aspiring technical directors who are drawn to the production life.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Youth Night Concert at Church of the City
- 5:50 Kevin Behnke from Christ in Youth joins us!
- 16:00 The mission of Christ in Youth
- 22:10 Training young techs on the CIY production processes
- 27:50 Integrator setups vs. touring setups
- 31:50 Favorite moment in a Christmas Eve service
- 35:30 Kevin’s nearly dies via production gear
- 41:10 Tech Takeaway on the importance of preproduction
Plugs: Reach out to CIY, and connect with Kevin on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do we communicate in such a way that we know the pastor and worship leader are on the same page as us?
Jerod Togger came up at Real Life church in Flordia and now works full time as a Tech consultant to churches across America to help them with their production equipment, internal communication, Sunday services and more!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:40 Things go badly for Blake in Orlando
- 5:45 Jerod Togger joins us!
- 15:20 Being a Tech Director at Real Life Church
- 22:00 Consulting churches on assumptions, set designs and expectations
- 27:30 The first thing Jerod asks church techs he is consulting for
- 30:50 Biggest “bang for your buck” piece of gear for your setup
- 37:15 Funniest thing Jerod has been asked by a church
- 41:00 Jerod’s consulting method to improve Sunday services
- 44:30 Tech Takeaway on checking microphones
Plugs:
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from swearing you'll never work in a church to being a church tech for over 15 years?
Brendon Petty is the Technical Director at North Point Church in Atlanta.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby does something unspeakable on stage
- 7:45 North Point Ministries Technical Director Brendon Petty joins us!
- 14:45 Brendon’s journey to North Point Church
- 18:20 Live Streaming at North Point during Covid
- 23:30 Working with Pastor Andy
- 26:00 Longevity in the Church Tech life
- 33:40 Christmas at North Point
- 37:00 Surviving Christmas as a tech director
- 38:25 Church Tech Disaster Story
- 40:15 Tech Takeaway on improving your live stream with lighting
Join North Point's "Be Rich" campaign.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Tim Logsdon is the Lighting Designer at Gateway Church in Texas.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Two Near Disaster Story from ChurchGear
- 5:20 Tim Logsdon joins us!
- 16:20 Tim’s Church Tech origin story
- 27:15 Why does Gateway church have so much gear?!
- 35:15 Disaster story on cues
- 39:00 Tech Takeaway on asking for help
Hangout with Tim on Instagram
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Jay Desai is the Master of Ceremonies with MxU, works with Passion Church regularly and is an overall production management legend.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby upgrades his church’s production gear for free
- 6:30 Jay Desai of MxU joins us!
- 28:30 Jay’s involvement with Passion
- 38:00 Jay’s method to de-escalate conflict
- 44:55 What MxU person would win the AnchorMan brawl?
- 47:00 Jay vs. Blake Christmas Movie Trivia
- 52:45 Jay’s Christmas tours
- 53:45 Disaster story
- 56:45 Tech Takeaway on self care
Hangout with Jay on Instagram
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Aaron Padilla has worked in production at Bayside church and is now a full time freelance audio gun for hire!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby becomes “The Pirate Guy”
- 5:00 Aaron Padilla joins us!
- 8:50 Aaron tours with Barlow Girl!
- 18:00 How Aaron got into Church Production at Bayside Church
- 31:00 Building a great church production culture
- 33:00 Aaron vs. Blake “Audio Quiz”
- 36:45 Disaster Story: Christmas load in
- 43:00 Tech Takeaway on an easy morale boost
Plugs: Hangout with Aaron on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Many church techs leave church production to work with an integrator. Evan made this move and then returned to the church tech life!
Evan Woertz is the production systems manager at Mariners Church. He previously worked with Summit Integration.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Inlaws and a bait and switch show disaster
- 6:00 Five Truths and a lie with Evan Woertz
- 14:50 How he got into church tech production
- 18:15 His time working as an integrator
- 35:00 Stewarding Mariners gear and budget
- 40:40 Tech Takeaway on working with the people you have
Plugs: Hangout with Evan on Instagram.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How many church tech directors ended up in that lane because others just poured into them in their youth?
In our experience, its alot. Rusty Anderson continues to prove this trend this week as he tells us his story of becoming a video director that has worked on some big projects like Passion Conference, Chris Tomlin and MxU just to name a few.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby and Blake pretend to be video directors
- 4:25 Five Truths and a Lie with Rusty Anderson
- 13:15 Rusty’s start in church production
- 21:15 Working with Chris Tomlin
- 25:25 Bringing tour effects to your Sunday mornings
- 31:05 Live streaming at church
- 35:10 Working with Dude Perfect
- 41:00 What should be on screen during worship?
- 43:30 Movie Trivia: Blake vs. Rusty
- 47:45 Tech Takeaway
Plugs: Hangout with Rusty on Instagram.
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Dan Jarrett is the creative director at Bayside church and founder of Cargo Drop. He joins us to discuss spiritual warfare in tech, production schools, and engaging the youth for tech volunteers.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s flying fears and stories
- 7:15 Dan Jarret joins the show!
- 17:20 Bayside’s recent production work (Star Wars!)
- 19:45 Recruiting and onboarding church tech volunteers
- 24:45 Picking a Production School
- 32:15 Dan’s new company Cargo Drop
- 39:45 Disaster story on cues
- 45:15 Tech Takeaway on involving the youth as volunteers
Plugs: Hangout with Dan on Instagram(dpjarrett) and reach out to him about Cargo Drop!
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Would your church tech job be easier or harder if your wife and father in law were your bosses?
Jeff Watkins is the Production Director for Without Walls Church.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:10 Toby’s jobs growing up
- 6:30 Jeff Watkins joins us!
- 20:00 Learning curve for the first year as a Church Tech
- 25:30 Executing the pastor’s vision
- 27:45 Without Walls Church’s Gear setup
- 34:45 Building a team
- 41:40 New gear at Without Walls Church
- 46:00 When your wife’s the worship pastor?!
- 47:50 Tech Takeaway on the importance of a com system
Plugs: Hangout with Jeff on Instagram!
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you help churches across America get the exact gear they need to improve their production setup?
Drew was the production lead for Liberty University's production team before becoming the Church Sales Director at ChurchGear.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 0:38 Recruiting vs. Auditioning Tech volunteers
- 9:30 Drew Hester joins us!
- 15:00 Mixing at Church of the City in Franklin TN
- 17:25 Doing Production at Liberty University
- 20:00 Serving churches as ChurchGear’s Church Sales Director
- 23:30 How does Drew help smaller church’s pick the right gear?
- 25:50 First step to level up your production setup
- 30:50 Toby Trivia: Blake vs. Drew
- 39:15 Tech Takeaway on Community with your fellow production and worship people
Plugs: Hangout with Drew on Instagram!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Can ministry be done in a place that literally goes by the moniker "Sin City"?
Adam Taylor is the production director for Central Church in Las Vegas
In this episode you'll hear:
- 0:25 Blake confesses to Toby
- 2:30 MxU tour times, Amplio After Party, Late Night Madness
- 7:30 Adam Taylor from Central Church in Las Vegas joins!
- 12:30 Adam meeting Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul!?!?
- 17:00 Toby murders trees
- 21:30 Doing ministry in Sin City, Las Vegas
- 27:10 Volunteer culture at Central Church
- 32:20 Adam always trying to improve the setup
- 37:00 People are more important than gear
- 40:00 Blake Vs. Adam: Artists in residency in Vegas
- 49:45 Tech Takeaway on importance of relationships
Plugs: Check out Central Church's Worship tour dates!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from "I will not do this" to "I will work here"?
Zach was at an event for Elevation in one moment and in the next, he ended up working there and attending. He is now serving the church with Skylark Integration.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 3:35: Toby's trip to Elevation church
- 6:00 Zach Kimrey joins us
- 16:30 Working at Elevation Church
- 21:30 Hard conversations and saying “No”
- 32:30 Producing Elevation Sunday Services
- 35:30 Audio Competition: Zach vs. Blake
- 43:30 Tech Takeaway on self induced burnout
Plugs: Hangout with him on Instagram!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How does the touring road life compare to the weekly church tech rhythm?
Gene Kim joins us this week to tell us about his time on the road, some disaster stories and a church tech hack that blows Toby away.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 2:05 Toby gets robbed
- 9:45 We bring in Gene Kim
- 21:50 Gene’s start in tech
- 29:00 Disaster story
- 41:20 How much should I spend on church production gear?
- 48:15 Is touring life better than church tech production?
- 52:50 Church tech coffee???
- 59:00 Hacking a bad room to sound better
Plugs
- Reach out to Gene for Coaching on Instagram
- Use code ChurchGear for 10% off at Crew Brew coffee
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What do you do when everyone in your field starts confessing their problems to you?
Brian Tabor found this to be his situation a few years ago when he started Worship Leader Probs after being in the worship leader life for 2+ decades.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 2:30 Toby’s worship leader fails
- 9:25 We bring in Brian Tabor
- 16:10 Brian begins to have worship leader problems
- 25:00 Encouraging Tech Directors BTS work
- 31:00 Should worship and tech be the same department?
- 32:55 Who dies first? Tech and Worship switch places
- 35:45 Who has the worst problems? Worship leaders or Tech Directors?
- 40:55 Church work is isolating
- 44:50 Tech Takeaway on connecting with all your coworkers and volunteers
Plugs: Check him out on Instagram and his podcast, Worship Leaders Probs.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from working in news to becoming the production director at Sun Grove Church?
Sweet Pete joins us to tell us how! He is the Program/Production Director there and has worked in the overall tech universe for many years now!
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 We play “crazy person” or celebrity sighting
- 7:45 We have “Sweet Pete!”
- 18:00 Getting his church tech director start
- 21:30 Doing the News vs. Church Tech Directing
- 31:10 Serving church tech volunteers well
- 40:00 Sweet Pete’s Dream jobs
- 43:00 God won’t let Sweet Pete leave Sacramento CA
- 50:45 Tech Takeaway on done vs. perfect and humility
Plugs: Hangout with Pete on Instagram or reach out to him directly via email at p.wright@sungrove.org.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you get people to take you seriously as a church tech director when they watched you grow up?
David Mendoza is the director of production at Mount Paran Church in Atlanta.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby tours churches in Atlanta
- 6:45 We introduce David Mendoza from Mount Paran church
- 11:00 Challenges of being a young tech director at a megachurch
- 20:00 Mount Paran’s massive system upgrade
- 31:00 Sending people off well (To the Braves!)
- 38:00 Tech Takeaway on having joy outside of the gear
Plugs: Hangout with David on Instagram and reach out to him by email at: Davidm@mountparan.com
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
We all know Jeff Sandstrom of MxU and Chris Tomlin fame! But how did Jeff become the Jeff Sandstrom we all know and love?
He joins the ChurchGear podcast this week to tell us! We also play "Guess that Song" and "Would you rather".
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:40 Toby’s video with Will Smith and MxU
- 7:00 We introduce Jeff Sandstrom
- 18:50 How did Jeff become Jeff Sandstrom?
- 26:00 What’s the worst gear Jeff could mix on and it still sound great?
- 28:00 "Would you rather" gear edition
- 38:55 Jeff's work with Summit Integrations
- 44:00 How do you follow the worship leader’s flow?
- 51:15 "Name that song" Jeff vs. Blake
Plugs:
- Join us at the MxU live tour in Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta
- Check out our video with them for "Smash or Cash" and "What's in your closet?!"
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Would you pass out if you deleted Beyonce's show file?
Scott Ragsdale almost did. He's mixed for Beyonce, Oprah, Joe Banamassa and Willow Creek church where he was a church tech for years.
He is now mixing at The Crossings at Chesterfield church.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:10 Toby’s gear run through St. Louis
- 5:15 We introduce Scott Ragsdale
- 11:38 Mixing Oprah
- 18:00 Drinking Barry Manilow’s wine
- 19:30 Scott’s church tech start
- 25:30 The things Scott loved at Willow Creek church
- 31:00 Working with Joe Banamassa
- 38:30 Going back to the church tech life
- 46:00 Disaster story with Beyonce
- 51:00 Tech Takeaway on pushing forward beyond a lack of gear
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you bring the uniqueness of Elevation worship tours to your church?
Cory Edwards has some advice that you'll be able to use immediately.
Cory has been a FOH engineer for Elevation worship, Lauren Daigle and many more. He is now focusing on studio mixing at his home in Franklin TN.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:30 Guess the celebrities Toby saw in CA
- 7:40 Toby creeps Cory’s doppelganger out
- 10:10 Five Truths and a Lie with Cory
- 16:55 Cory’s path into production
- 23:00 Mixing on the road
- 24:00 Mixing with physical gear
- 27:00 Gear that will improve your setup
- 29:00 Elevation worship tours
- 31:30 Touring live vs. Mixing in the studio
- 33:00 Bringing the uniqueness of worship tours to your church
- 39:45 Disaster story
- 45:00 “Who said it”
- 48:00 Tech Takeaway on stepping up on stage to say hello
Plugs: Check out his site here or on Instagram here.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
When you've been in church tech for 30 years, what do you do next? Go to Uganda of course!
Wally Grant is the former director of audio at Saddleback church and former Sr. Consultant at Clark. He is now a family mentor at the Amazima school in Uganda.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:15 A Monkey eats all the prescription medicine
- 5:17 We introduce Wally Grant!
- 12:45 Wally bumps into Bob (Zimmerman) Dylan
- 18:10 Wally’s time at Saddleback and Clark Integrators
- 24:30 How did Wally end up in Uganda
- 28:00 Balancing audio and your marriage
- 31:00 Having boundary conversations with your pastor
- 34:30 Better gear isn’t always better
- 38:15 Life in Uganda
- 41:35 How to have a close church tech team
- 43:15 How to support Uganda’s ministry
- 48:45 Tech Takeaway on reading the manual and never stop learning
Plugs: https://amazima.org and reach out to Wally here: wgrant@amazima.org
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you leave your church so well that you're able to take a job at that same church again in the future?
Bryan Bailey is the director of media at Prestonwood Baptist Church and has been working in church tech for over two decades.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:20 Toby explores a 90,000 sq ft warehouse
- 9:08 We introduce Bryan Bailey
- 19:25 Bryan’s start as a Church Tech
- 34:00 Leaving so well you can come back
- 46:00 What is a church media director?
- 52:30 Who is Cuban Pete?
- 55:00 Tech takeaway on the importance of having and using your checklist
Plugs: Worshipmediaman is Bryan's handle. Prestonwood.jobs to apply to work with Bryan!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What do you do when Covid has canceled all the live events? Do you got back to the Church Tech Director life?
Alex is the Pastor of live Production at Zion City - Southwest and owner of Production & Lighting design at Fuller Lights.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 2:00 Toby hacks the Penske truck system
- 4:40 We introduce Alex Fuller, Lighting Design Director at Zion Church
- 13:00 Alex’s journey into the Church Tech Life
- 16:30 Saying no strategically
- 18:20 How does a small church make a “Bethel Level” production?
- 24:00 How do you pull people into worship with lighting design?
- 28:00 Why is church lighting the third letter in AVL?
- 32:00 Going back to church post Covid
- 39:00 Tech Takeaway on small, constant improvements
Plugs: Email him at fullerlights@gmail.com and reach him online at fullerlights.com
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you recruit and build a church tech team in a post Covid world?
Dennis Choy is the church tech director at Saddleback Church in California. He has spent his years training teams to accomplish more together than they ever could separately.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby’s first time at Saddleback Church
- 7:20 We introduce Dennis Choy
- 15:05 Turning down the FBI
- 18:55 Mixing for Switchfoot
- 30:25 Why church techs are leaving ministry
- 37:45 Saddleback Church’s training for church tech volunteers
- 43:40 New Amplio camera set up
- 47:10 Challenges as Saddleback’s Tech director
- 50:00 Recruiting for your church tech team
- 53:20 Tech Takeaway on not arguing on the weekends
Plugs
- Connect with Dennis at churchtechcoach@gmail.com
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from moving to Nashville to escape music to producing Elevation's albums?
Stephen Brewster leads the Harmony Group and helps churches like Elevation release original music.
In this episode:
- 1:00 Toby’s recent celebrity sightings
- 9:33 We introduce Stephen Brewster at FILO
- 21:45 Christian music’s critical component
- 24:30 Why every church should write original music
- 26:45 How many Elevation records are actually live?
- 29:30 How Stephen knows if he will work with a church or not
- 33:55 The process of getting an album created
- 36:00 A literal angel sang on the record?
- 38:20 Encouragement for continuing ministry
- 40:00 Creating the Elevation look at smaller churches
- 42:00 Tech Takeaway on pressing pause and creating creativity
Plugs
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Should church techs go to college if they’ve already got a job offer?
If they’re halfway through college, should they drop out for a job offer to be a church tech full time?
Ryan Loche is the academic director at the Beloningco college and a PhD student at Liberty University. He joins us to discuss education’s role in a church tech director’s life.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 0:40 Toby’s college years
- 4:36 We introduce Ryan Loche at the FILO conference
- 8:23 Running 1,500 light cues at once
- 10:20 Meeting Weird AL Yankovic
- 12:20 The Belonging Co Origin Story
- 14:10 The next generation of church tech directors
- 22:05 Should church techs go to college?
- 25:12 The practical side of college for church techs
- 27:15 Post covid burnout for church techs
- 31:00 Hard conversations course
- 34:00 What we miss out on by dropping out of college
- 35:30 Tech Takeaway on having fun as a team & forgiving mistakes
Plugs
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you run one of the largest churches in America with mostly volunteers?
Griffin McCray is the Broadcast Lighting Director for the Church of the Highlands in Alabama and he joins us to discuss lighting, salary offers, and how he became the lighting professional he looked up too as a kid.
- 1:00 Toby stumbles into a massive church stock room
- 6:14 We introduce Griffin McCravy!
- 13:25 Five Truths and a Lie
- 23:00 The start of Griffin’s lighting director role
- 24:50 Volunteers run Church of the Highlands
- 29:00 Can church techs wear a non black shirt?
- 32:32 Pulling in the congregation with lighting design
- 39:00 AVL Church Tech Department Battles
- 42:20 Church of the Highlands’s Christmas service
- 44:00 What it’s like learning audio, video and lighting
- 45:30 Griffin’s proudest moment as a lighting director
- 48:00 Tech Takeaway on honestly on our salaries and offers
Plugs
- Hangout with Griffin on Instagram.
- Checkout Highland's production
- Check out Griffin's work on Thought Leader
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you save the sounds of all the iconic amps that rock legends and contemporary christian artists have used throughout the years?
Tone Junkie’s HW joins us this week to tell us about his love for kempers and his quest to capture all of the amp sounds around the globe.
- 0:28 Blake and Jonah go to a church’s gear warehouse
- 4:54 We introduce Tone Junkie's H.W.
- 14:42 His love for Kempers
- 22:40 Some historic amp sounds H.W. has saved
- 29:30 Different kemper packs
- 35:00 Jonathan’s favorite kemper gear
- 37:25 Should churches mic their kempers?
- 42:40 Tech Takeaway on saving sounds
Plugs
- Check out his YouTube channel
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How does a worship pastor turn into a full-time YouTube creator and consultant for churches?
After working as a worship pastor for years, Jake discovered that all music ministries have similar problems that he fixed so he now consults, coaches, and creates courses for worship and tech ministries via his company ChurchFront.
- 1:30 Toby confesses to a felony
- 6:37 We introduce Jake Gosselin
- 12:40 How ChurchFront serves Church Techs
- 19:00 How Church Techs and Worship Leaders can work better together
- 23:15 Common problems for the solo church tech volunteer
- 26:15 Common mistakes Jake sees consulting for churches
- 34:40 ChurchFront’s courses and consulting
- 37:50 Toby gives the details on his terrible first headshot
- 40:30 Disaster story on complacent computers
- 42:50 Tech takeaway on less being more
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you go from failing your piano lessons to playing keys for Garth Brooks in front of 80,000 people?
This week we are joined by one of the world’s most storied keyboard players, Blair Masters! He has played Saturday night Live, Garth Brooks concerts and still volunteers Sunday mornings at church.
- 1:27 Where the Nord is The Lord is
- 6:45 We introduce Blair Masters
- 15:45 Blair plays hardball with Garth Brooks
- 18:34 Blair’s background
- 27:35 Blair’s advice for playing Sunday morning services
- 29:14 Imitating Jeff Beck in front of Jeff Beck
- 31:40 Blair’s favorite show/session of all time
- 35:15 “Oh crap moment” on dying consoles
- 41:40 Tech Takeaway on having good charts
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
If a full line array crushed you on day two of a tour, could you continue? Q joins us this week to discuss his years of being a church tech, his time mixing FOH for Crowder and why safety is important for setting up shows!
Quinton Kelley is the front of house mixer for Crowder, a frequent freelancer and mixer for local churches and production manager at Backstage Productions.
- 1:13 “Four Truths and a Lie about Crowder”
- 6:40 We play “5 Truths and a Lie” with Quinton Kelley
- 17:45 Q’s journey into the church tech life
- 24:20 Difference between mixing Crowder’s shows and Sunday services
- 26:50 “It recalls nothing” near disaster story when mixing Crowder
- 30:55 Favorite live sound moment of all time [God really loves us]
- 33:05 Artists Q dreams about mixing for
- 34:50 Q’s favorite mixing console of all time
- 37:00 Tech Takeaway on being spirit lead instead of technically rigid
Plugs
- Connect with Q at Backstage Productions
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
You know him. You love him. We have Lee Fields with us this week!
We talk with him about his time co-founding MxU, church production trends and a mountain of antics and random opinions on (but not included to) cowboy boots and jet skis.
- 0:53 Toby’s dad should literally be dead after this story
- 9:45 We introduce MxU’s Lee Fields
- 13:10 Lee sits next to Justin Bieber (celebrities at church)
- 21:10 We FINALLY transition over to MxU’s origin story and purpose
- 34:48 Bootstrapping in the early days of MxU
- 36:22 Who originally raised the bar in the church production world?
- 39:25 Where will the next church tech trends come from in the production world?
- 43:10 The church setups Lee’s enjoyed the most over the years
- 45:00 Lee’s approach to learning new Tech concepts
- 50:10 Disaster story: Losing the PA during Bayside’s Christmas service
- 54:02 “Who said it” about Lee Fields
- 58:55 Lee builds his dream production gear setup
- 1:01:30 Tech Takeaway on vocals and hard conversations
Plugs
- Get MxU's training videos.
- Join us at an MxU live event this Fall!
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
The Grand Ole Opry is iconic and the venue's reach is immense.
King Williams stops by to tell his story of going from a guy fixing gear on Nashville’s Music Row to the Broadcast Engineer for the Grand Ole Opry.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 The dangers of setting a drink on a console
- 6:00 We introduce King Williams (Broadcast Engineer at the Grand Ole Opry)
- 11:00 King’s wife wants him to look like Keith Urban to “spice things up”
- 14:45 King’s path to becoming the Broadcast Engineer at the Grand Ole Opry
- 30:35 The session that got King the job at the Opry
- 37:00 The three mixes that happen at the Opry & King’s inspiration
- 38:00 King’s advice on broadcasting your services well
- 42:23 The Grand Ole Opry’s secret sauce to broadcasting well
- 47:08 King’s favorite artists that he’s worked with at the Grand Ole Opry
- 50:25 Tech Takeaway on phase translations
Plugs
- Check out King's broadcasting skills on the Grand Ole Opry Circle Network or their YouTube channel.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
What if we’re the ones putting pressure on ourselves to work 80 hour weeks?
Todd Elliott joins us to discuss how to value your own time in the production process, how to try new things and how he realized the church tech community had similar problems and needed more community.
Todd Elliott is a writer, speaker, technical artist in the local church and the founder of FILO.
- 1:05 “There was murder in my wife’s eyes” story from Toby
- 5:30 Todd Elliott tells the first lie of his life.
- 12:30 Kindergarten Todd is held at gunpoint
- 13:45 Todd “runs into” the CEO of General Motors
- 15:28 Todd realized all Church Techs have similar problems and lacked community
- 22:28 The content, speakers and breakouts to look forward to at FILO’s conference
- 26:40 “I Love Jesus but I Hate Christmas” Todd on Tech Director’s being overworked
- 29:09 Near Death Disaster Story: Failing to counter balance correctly can be deadly
- 32:40 Live Sound Disaster Story: Running for the score (Prop problem)
- 34:43 Weighing your time, health and standing up for yourself
- 39:55 Tech Takeaway on being brave enough to suck at something new
Plugs
- 43:02 Join the FILO Conference May 10th and 11th
- 43:40 Download the “I Love Jesus but I Hate Christmas” book
- 44:18 Sign up for the FILO cohort training on leading volunteers, communicating with your pastor, saying no , etc.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
You're a freshmen in high school, and Bret Michael's monitor engineer has just asked you to take over for him.
Do you drop out of school to go out on tour?
Alexa Ross is the Audio Engineer at Fellowship Church Grapevine in Texas. She’s been mixing for most of her life and has been invited to go on tour more times than she can count.
- 1:35 Toby goes to Lakewood Church (Pastor: Joel Osteen) to see their Sunday Service
- 5:30 Toby sees a familiar box at Fellowship Church Grapevine
- 8:00 Audio Engineer, Alex Ross, lies to us
- 15:10 Mixing on the road vs. mixing at church
- 17:20 Running monitors for Fellowship Grapevine vs. Bret Michaels
- 19:40 Alexa’s love for the PM1D
- 21:40 Flying under the radar with wireless gear next to the DMW airport
- 25:10 Communication between the band and the tech team during service
- 28:00 Maximizing your church’s production budget
- 30:40 Fellowship’s vision to redo the control room
- 31:55 Fellowship’s plans to upgrade their consoles
- 33:50 Live Sound Disaster story
- 37:08 Tech Takeaway on proactive communication with the worship team and pastor for their Sunday service visions
Links for the Guest
- 39:30: Ed Young Radio and The Dumb Ask leadership podcast
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you keep church tech directors from burning out in ministry before age 30?
Caleb Loeppky consistently counsels church techs on how to have hard conversations, how to change jobs, and how to stick it out in a tough season.
Caleb is the Tech Director for Christ Community Church and he also works with Slingshot Group to help churches find church tech director talent.
You'll hear:
- 1:05 A missed train stop nearly kills the ChurchGear crew in Chicago.
- 7:13 We introduce Caleb Loeppky (Technical Director at Christ Community Church)
- 8:58 Caleb lies to us (chest tattoos, being stalked, & 21 Pilots)
- 13:15 Missing the Mix: Caleb could have mixed for 21 Pilots
- 16:19 Caleb’s rapid climb in his Church Tech career
- 20:04 How young church tech directors can prevent burnout in ministry
- 26:06 Counseling Church Tech directors through tough ministry moments(Slingshot)
- 27:59 Amplio systems gives Christ Community Church an upgrade
- 31:00 Why you need a tent over your monitors. (Oh Crap moment)
- 36:10 Worst Sunday Service moment Caleb’s ever experienced
- 41:58 How Caleb counsels church techs experiencing burnout
- 44:20 Hard conversations with your pastor (Death by meetings)
- 49:00 Scratching your creative itch & making more money with contract work
- 50:45 Tech Takeaway on finding professional and personal satisfaction outside of work
Links for the Guest
- Slingshot(56:20) Reach out to Caleb at cloeppky@slingshotgroup.org to talk about how he can help your church find a tech director for you.
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Church creative teams have seen a mass exodus over the past three years. How do you know if its your time to leave or if you should double down in the area you’ve been placed?
Dillan Howell frequently speaks to church worship leaders and church techs all across the country on this issue. He gives us his advice for when to stay in ministry and when to leave, a near death disaster story and advice on doing your best work wherever you’re at.
He has been a church planter, weekend producer at Central Church and an Executive Producer at Faith Promise Church. He is currently serving as the Director of Church Relations for Amplio Group.
- 1:40 The church politics that play out when you sell the organ.
- 7:25 We introduce Dillan Howell
- 10:40 Love story: Dillan and his wife met in 2nd grade?!
- 15:45 A call to difficult, necessary conversations
- 20:55 The stress on church tech teams to do live streams during Covid
- 22:00 Advice for the worship leader who is contemplating a career change
- 24:30 Dillan’s story of leaving ministry to serve the church with Amplio.
- 27:10 Amplio’s approach to serving churches’ AVL Integration needs
- 30:07 Fun Install Story: Transitioning Saddleback from broadcast cameras to cinematic
- 34:55 Doing your best work, whatever the role or circumstance you’re in.
- 38:34 Disaster Story: A deadly Central Church Production story at Christmas
- 44:45 “Who Said It” Segment: Dillan’s friends anonymously grill him
- 47:59 Tech Takeaway on crushing the details Monday-Friday so Sunday is already set
Links for the Guest
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Would you be able to focus on the mix for a US vice president when your wife is moments away from going into labor?
David's been serving in church ministry for 13 years and is a production manager at Bayside church in CA.
He has worked with three United States presidents, the Luis Palau Association, and more artists than we can count:
- Thrive Worship, Newsboys, Lincoln Brewster, Elton John, Mutemath, For King and Country, Lecrae, Tool, Cake, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Toby Mac, NF, Crowder, Tim McGraw, We Are Messengers, Brad Paisley, Atreyu, and Mudvayne.
- 1:10 Toby mixes side stage with a side of nudity
- 6:01 Five Truths & a Lie with David Roediger
- 11:30 Mixing for a Vice President during pregnancy
- 15:13 Working with the Red Hot Chili Peppers
- 17:55 Being a Production Manager at Bayside Church CA
- 20:30 Mixing for Newsboys in Nashville.
- 22:00 Live Sound Disaster story: Newsboys
- 26:54 Learning to mix while living in Alaska
- 29:26 How to build your church’s tech team
- 31:10 Recruiting church production volunteers in the youth group
- 34:10 David’s first job running sound at a church
- 37:34 David’s favorite concert of all time
- 44:50 Tour Time Machine: Which tour would you like to retroactively mix for?
- 47:50 Tech Takeaway on asking for new gear in a genuine way
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Would you read a Hog Two's entire manual over the weekend to be Natalie Cole's lighting director?
Robby Kurtz was thrown to the wolves on his first show, but he ran with the pack, used his skills across the globe, and became New Life Church's LD right before Christmas.
He has done the lights for Natalie Cole & Jesus Culture, worked in TV and his 6 truths and a lie segment has some adrenaline-pumping stories.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:38 The stickiest piece of gear we’ve ever bought
- 6:34 We introduce Robby Kurtz with his death-defying truths and lies.
- 11:10 John 3:16 > Border Security
- 12:45 A fifteen person van is carried by the Lord
- 15:02 Learning the Hog Two lighting board on the fly to be Natalie Cole’s LD.
- 19:40 How he nearly got fired on his first two shows
- 22:36 The difficulties of being a Christian on the road
- 26:34 Lighting Journeyman: trade shows, Daystar Television network, video editing
- 29:30 Becoming the LD for New Life Church right before Christmas
- 31:00 Do churches own all the fog machines they use at Christmas & Easter?
- 33:50 How 4Wall serves churches with gear rentals
- 37:00 Encouragement for current church lighting directors
- 40:32 Robby’s top 5 albums of all time
- 42:42 Tech Takeaway on the best place to place your lights in your service
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How do you keep the church service going smoothly when production gear could break at any moment?
Brian Boggs guests to give us his advice on handling live sound snafus in concert settings and church services.
Boggs has been a touring audio guy for 20+ years, and worked with artists such as Fuel, Joe Diffie, Wynonna Judd, and Delbert McClinton. When he isn’t mixing on the road, he is serving as a church tech director or fixing production gear at ChurchGear HQ.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 1:00 Toby goes to Ben Rector’s listening party & hears how Snoop Dogg guests.
- 5:28 We introduce Brian Boggs
- 9:14 Boggs mixes the 2004 Super Bowl Afterparty
- 9:53 How Boggs learned to fix production gear on the road
- 13:45 The mindset you need to fix production gear mid show
- 15:00 Live Sound Disaster story: The console drops out completely.
- 21:10 Handling the pressures and personalities when you’re mixing for artists
- 23:25 Advice for church techs considering mixing on a tour
- 24:30 The difference between mixing on the road vs. mixing at church
- 27:00 Maximizing the gear your church budget can afford
- 29:27 Duct Tape Solutions: How Boggs survived a speaker snafu
- 30:40 Tech Takeaway on resiliency & gain structure
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Many Church Tech directors get job offers before they're even out of college. Should they drop out and jump into the tech booth early?
Rob Burrell decided to make the jump and it seems to have worked out!
Rob is currently mixing in immersive tech such as Dolby Atmos & Sony 360. He has mixed for MWS, Josh Groban, Charlie Daniels and Jennifer Nettles. Oh, and he has won some Grammys but didn't get invited to the ceremony.
In this episode:
- 1:17 Toby visits a Nashville artist's hangar to buy gear. We don't buy their jet.
- 7:04 We introduce Rob Burrell
- 11:55 Jennifer Nettles needs some Hertz taken out of her voice.
- 15:00 Dolby Atmos & Sony 360 system story
- 18:43 Rob’s start in tech
- 24:20 Rob’s transition from Rockstar to audio engineer
- 28:00 Mixing Front of House at church vs. mixing in a studio
- 32:06 Being a Pro Tools Op for the Country Music Awards
- 37:47 You can win a Grammy but not be invited to the ceremony?!
- 39:47 The fun of being a Focusrite brand ambassador
- 47:30 Tech Takeaway on being adventurous
- 49:57 Mixing at Skywalker Ranch with Michael W Smith story
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Industry Insider Samantha Potter joins us to discuss all the church tech trends and news:
- The impact of chip shortages on mixing boards
- Inspiring young girls to try tech
- How Allen & Heath customized new mixing boards for houses of worship specifically
Samantha Potter is a FOH & Broadcast Engineer, Senior Editor for ProSoundWeb magazine, Install Empress at Allen & Heath and is the host of the ChurchSound Podcast.
In this episode you'll hear:
- 0:28 A story of a dead mixer and a burger that could kill your heart.
- 8:22 Two Truths and a lie to introduce Samantha Potter
- 16:34 The late night life of a production manager
- 18:06 Samantha’s start in tech & Toby gives a date disaster story
- 24:06 Samantha’s work at Allen & Heath for install and applications
- 27:51 The chip shortage created from the supply chain change ups
- 30:31 Samantha’s favorite Allen & Heath Gear
- 33:45 Being a senior editor at Pro Sound Magazine
- 39:56 Inspiring young girls to consider a career in church tech
- 44:46 The importance of auditing your system regularly
- 47:58 Tech Takeaway on calling cues and maximizing liquids in the booth
Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy brand new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
When you’re working with musical icons like Frankie Valli, Adam Levine and Jeff Beck, how do you set the pressure aside and focus fully on the mix?
Ryan Sutton is a producer, musician and engineer. Throughout his career he has worked with: Frankie Valli, Jersey Boys, Jeff Beck, Adam Levine, For King & Country and Joe Pesci!
In this episode you'll hear:
- How Ryan mixed the track for “Baby Girl” by Joe Pesci featuring Adam Levine.
- How Ryan recently did the live stream mix for Miss America for Peacock.
- How to handle Twitter criticism when people blame you for things that aren’t your fault.
- The differences between running live sound and doing studio recording.
- A vintage gear story about a U47 Telefunken microphone that was allegedly used by Neil Diamond and Frank Sinatra.
- A Tech Takeaway about not being married to your ideas.
Resources for your ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to pay full price? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How does a high school student running his choir's sound board go on to produce over 5,000 radio programs?
Our very own sound engineer, Brian Cigainero, jumps out of the editing chair and into the guest chair in this week's episode to tell us how.
In this episode you'll hear:
- A successful celebrity sighting followed by an unsuccessful sighting
- A literal ‘shocking’ story
- How a high school student ran the board for the very choir shows he was singing in
- The 'proper' way to dress like a rockstar
- Toby throws his dad under the bus, backs up over him and then drives off
- Lessons Brian's Tech mentor taught him.
- The immense opportunity Tech Directors have to train middle/high school students to become tech directors
- How small churches can improve their church’s setup on a budget
- About the creative challenge Brian faced when he needed to create sounds we all know in our minds but have never heard with our ears. Ex: the Red Sea parting.
- Advice to young techs: If you're a young tech director in college but you're already getting job offers, should you leave school early?
- A philosophical Tech Takeaway
Resources for your ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to pay full price? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
How does a teenager volunteering as a lighting tech at Calvary Assembly of God Church go on to design shows for Barry Manilow, Keith Urban and John Mayer?
Nathan Alves stops by ChurchGear studios to tell us.
In this episode you'll hear:
- How Nathan lights shows for some of the biggest names in music like Barry Manilow, Keith Urban, John Mayer, Richard Simmons, and tons more
- The difficulties of being a tech on tour
- His process for creating arena shows
- His opinion on Full Sail University
- His top tip for new lighting grads
- Stories where everything that could go wrong did
- Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
- A Tech Takeaway on approaching challenging requests
Resources for your ministry
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to pay full price? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with Nathan Alves at The Darkroom Creative!
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
Welcome to the ChurchGear podcast!
In this episode you'll learn:
- How ChurchGear got started
- Why this podcast will be fun and educational for a Church Tech Director
- Who your hosts are.
Resources for your ministry
- Sell your gear:
- Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here.
- Buy gear:
- Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to pay full price? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.
Connect with us:
- Follow us on Facebook
- Hang out with us on Instagram
- See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
- Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service
We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.
Check out the full job description and Apply Here!
