I had a Senior Pastor chat with me the other day about his sound tech having an adversarial relationship with the Music Pastor. It made me sad to hear. Remember, God has placed these folks in church leadership. We are there to support and accommodate anything that we can do. If we know it will create problems, then we can appeal to authority in a kind and Biblical way. Here are some suggestions.
1. Before or instead of saying “We can’t do that,” suggest an alternative idea.
2. Be flexible. Change will happen, it’s your job make sure it’s done in the best way possible.
3. Take it as a challenge. (if it’s possible to do it) sometimes we lose our curiosity or innovative spirit. Let it spark new ideas and new passion for what you do.
4. Suggest a trial run to see how it works, generally Sunday Morning is a bad time.
5. If your attitude is, “That’s just more work for me.” Maybe it’s time to step away for a season.
I get it, it’s easy to become comfortable with how things are and be resistant to change, but remember our job is to support the leadership God has placed in our church, with a willing spirit and joyful heart. Let’s not let pride get in the way of our service to the Lord.
The longer I work in church tech, the more I see it as an opportunity to not only build good teams but also to mentor young techs. We are exhorted in God’s Word that older believers should teach younger believers. I think that this extends to any ministry where you are involved in teaching. The lessons learned while serving the Lord can stick with them throughout life. We can help young techs see how their service is important to the body. We can find teachable moments to remind them and guide their thinking about working with others, responding properly to authority, and faithfulness. Take a minute to listen, encourage, laugh and cry with them. Yes, they’ll learn some tech things along the way, but being a positive role model in their lives is something they will not soon forget.
For many of us COVID is bringing big challenges. We’re taking on more responsibilities with streaming video, ect. Let’s be honest, some of us are control freaks. It’s difficult to bring someone on and delegate a task to them, especially if it’s not done exactly as we would do it. But it’s time for you to teach others also. We need to learn how to train and delegate responsibilities to new volunteers. Sure, once in a while things aren’t going to go just right, but that’s how we learned for the most part. Take up the challenge in 2021 to train some new tech volunteers and then let them take over certain parts of your responsibility. You need help. You can’t keep doing everything all by yourself or you may end up burnt out and bitter. I know it’s hard to delegate and let go of things that are “your ministry” but you can do this with the Lord’s help. Even Paul needed help. Remember his words in 2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
The FCC’s Part 15 and Drive In Church – Is it Legal?
There is a buzz going around right now about Drive-In Church and using FM transmitters to broadcast the service to all the car radios. But before you go and buy a bunch of gear, there are a couple things you should know.
It is legal to transmit in both the FM and AM band.
You may not interfere with licensed broadcast stations.
Violations by individuals or institutions can result in fines by the FCC.
So what is Part 15 and what does it say about unlicensed use of the AM/FM spectrum? Part 15 includes FCC’s regulations for unlicensed use of the AM/FM broadcast channels. According to a Public Notice released by the FCC on July 24, 1991; “There are two basic types of low power broadcast operation permitted – licensed and unlicensed. The following tables describe the basic criteria for both. It is important to note that the forms of broadcast operation listed on these tables are the only ones permitted. Operation of an AM or FM radio station at a power level greater than that permitted for unlicensed operation and less than the minimum required for licensed operation is NOT permitted.”
The FCC’s chart indicates the following:
For AM Unlicensed broadcasting the maximum power is 0.05 watts.
For FM Unlicensed broadcasting the maximum power is 0.01 microwatts.
So what does this mean?
Practically speaking, consumer level FM transmitters are available. But in many areas, the FM spectrum is packed full of stations. Even if you find an empty frequency, you’ll most likely have some sporadic signal or bleed from adjacent stations to overcome, which reduces the effectiveness of your transmitter.
Even if you live in a place where you have a nice clean, open FM channel, 0.01 microwatts doesn’t cover a large area. 200 ft is an ideal situation.
Many transmitters found on Amazon and other sites are not FCC compliant or require licensing to use legally.
FCC compliant AM transmitters are easier to find but the audio quality can be lower.
Let me suggest another idea. You could use a powerful WiFi access point and a low latency audio encoder like the Listen LW-100P-02. This can accommodate many users via a downloadable smart phone app and be rolled into your assistive hearing system when you are done with it. However, I strongly recommend a good IT and audio professional to set the system up properly.
So yes, this can be done legally. Can it be done effectively? That will depend upon the team you pick to set it up and the quality of available AM or FM channels available in your area.
P.S.
In talking to some broadcast engineers, they recommend the AM transmitter over the FM. They also mentioned that the higher frequency you pick, the better signal you will get with the limited antenna the FCC requires.
Below are links for equipment mentioned in this article as well as other resources you may find helpful.
I’ve more than once seen the “overkill” system. It is often inflicted on small traditional churches who hire a big tech company to fix the sound system. They install something so complex that users barely know how to operate it. And when that “one guy” who knows how to run it takes a new job in another state… you’re in trouble. Why do they install these? I can’t speak as to motive but I think it’s because the designers tend to be sound techs. It’s easy for them to forget how overwhelmed you were the first time you sat in front of a mixing console. Sometimes it’s because the newest whiz-bang tech is what they think you want. It’s important to communicate what you need and if the company isn’t listening, move on. Sometimes it’s because there’s more overhead in selling you a bigger fancier system than a simple solution to your problem. Money makes the world go round. A well engineered system keeps you in mind. Chances are, your volunteers are not full time sound technicians. They are just trying to serve the Lord and help out the church. A well engineered system is simple to use, simple to learn and as feedback proof as it can be, given the laws of Physics.
When was the last time you cleaned your handheld microphones? Yes, you can and should clean them. The handle or body of the mic is easy to clean with a disinfecting wipe. However, the grill of the mic is often neglected and prone to spreading germs, since many people put their lips on a mic grill without even thinking about it.
Keeping your mic grill clean is easy. Many grills are made to unscrew from the mic body. (Always check with the manufacturer.) Be careful not to damage the capsule or tiny wires underneath and place the mic body in a safe place. Now it’s time to wash the grill. Before you wash, gently remove the foam insert from inside the grill. I recommend regular dish detergent mixed with water in a bowl and soft toothbrush. Immerse the grill in the water and let any hardened residue soak if needed. Use the toothbrush to gently clean the mesh. Rinse well to make sure no soap is left in the grill. Rub the grill with a soft towel and let it sit overnight to air dry. Immerse the foam in the water and gently wash it by hand until it is clean. Rinse well to remove all residue. Squeeze the water out and let the foam air dry overnight. The next day, check to make sure both grill and foam are entirely dry before you reassemble the microphone.
For regular disinfecting, I recommend using a single use alcohol wipe available at your local pharmacy, since the alcohol evaporates without leaving any sticky residue to trap dust and dirt.
I don’t like to use cleaning chemicals or spray my mic grills with disinfectants. I treat mic grills like dishes because they often come in contact with people’s mouths. (In fact, some large venues have been known to clean their mic grills in the dishwasher.) Happy cleaning!
100,000 views. Three years ago, I made a YouTube video to help Pastor Navi Bola (in Fiji) set up the PA system that we had supplied his church by faith. I didn’t think much of it, until I looked at it one day and it had 25,000 views. Then it hit me, I can help church sound techs all over the world by creating how-to videos online. Ever since, I have been trying to create helpful content for church techs who are often volunteered without any prior experience or training. I’ve come a long way since I made this video. In the meantime, it recently hit 100,000 views and with that I feel a renewed burden to keep creating new content. Thanks for listening, watching and learning. I’m humbled by you using my content to learn, grow and help others hear the message of Jesus Christ
As a volunteer techs, we tend to be very detail oriented, plan ahead, check it three times type of people. This makes it very easy for us to get frustrated, when others (perhaps church staff or special music volunteers) are unprepared or don’t seem to have a plan. It’s easy to complain or be frustrated, but don’t fall into that trap. Keeping a good attitude is important. Yes, we often scramble to change or add something in the next five minutes, so take it as a challenge. God has put you here because you can accomplish the job so take joy in the challenge of your work. Instead of letting bitterness grow, open up lines of communication. Often, the person doesn’t realize the difficulty of what they are asking. Take a minute to kindly share why something won’t work or how they can make sure it will work the next time. Church staff, consider the tech challenges of your next service and plan ahead. It can be frustrating to your tech team, when they have everything set up and you come in at the last minute with an entirely new plan. Send out an e-mail or use planning software, so tech plans can be made and you can have tech team input. Finally, realize that sometimes things change at the last minute. It shouldn’t be the norm but it does happen. I’ve been in situations where the tension between the tech team and the church staff was at a boiling point and my job was to get them to play on the same team! Let’s not forget that we’re striving TOGETHER for the faith of the Gospel!
I recently got a note from a Tech Director that went something like this: Certain members of the church are concerned that Tech Team is not as involved in the service as the rest of the congregation. They are worried that the team doesn’t sing along with the songs, stand when everyone else does or take notes during the message. I think these are important but want to make sure that my team is focused on running sound and lights. What should I do?
While these are legitimate concerns, let me address something. The tech team can’t be as involved in the service as someone who simply sits in the service without responsibilities. They have a vital role to play and must be focused on what is happening next so the congregation can hear the music and message of the service. Even during the message they may need to advance sermon slides, run cameras, ect. In some ways they are giving up the privilege of sitting and enjoying the service so that the congregation can do so.
Here are four observations.
The tech team should try to participate in the service as long as it does not distract them from the task at hand. During the song service I try to sing a verse or two if I can, but break off early to re-focus on what’s next. Not everyone can do this. Some people need more focus than others to make sure everything is running properly. Also the job that you are doing may dictate the extent to which you can participate.
Concerning sitting down, this often depends on the height of your equipment. In many cases, you need to be seated to reach controls properly. It’s not disrespectful or lazy, it’s pragmatic. Control booths are often built for the seated user. I find that hunching over a mixer or lighting board for 20-30 minutes hurts my back. If the desktop is elevated then the team can stand up, but make sure they have tall, comfortable chairs to sit on for the rest of the service.
The tech team needs to be in service too. I’ve built a large enough tech team that the same people are not in the booth every week. We rotate the schedule. We have one experienced tech who is “Lead” for the week. They make sure sound check goes well and assist in training newer techs. We try to balance things out so everyone gets booth time and congregational time. This helps alleviate objections like “Tim is always in the sound booth.”
I have limited smart phone use in the tech area. While we are “disconnected” from the service in some ways, that doesn’t mean we can be playing with our devices. I’ve been places where techs missed cues because they were looking at their phone. I have supplied several printed Bibles to use instead of a Bible app. It’s just too easy to move from Bible app to messages to Facebook. If you need to communicate with the Tech Team, texting can be an excellent tool but use it wisely.
Have you ever had one of those Sundays where a guest’s slide show or video just didn’t work right?
Let’s say you have a guest speaker who comes in ten minutes before the service starts and hands you a slide show. You take it off to the media booth for the tech team. Then, when it’s time for the presentation, everything goes wrong…
Let’s rewind and ask a couple of questions.
Do you have the necessary software to run his presentation? Can you import his presentation into your software to display it properly? If he has a video file, is it a codec (video file type) that your software can run? Does the presentation have audio? Will the speaker advance his own slides or is the presentation timed? If he uses his computer, what kind of video connections does it have? Is your system compatible with his video connections? Does he want to use his laptop on the platform? If so does his laptop need audio connected at the platform?
It often surprises me how unprepared churches are for this even though this speaker has been on the calendar for months. Instead, we give the tech team 10-15 minutes to hopefully figure out how to make it work. Worse, often they don’t have the right tools to make this work properly. We’ve set them up for failure and it’s frustrating for everyone involved.
So what can we do?
1. Communicate. Include your tech team in an email with the visiting speaker about their presentation needs. Maybe they can even make suggestions ahead of time about what can be done to make sure the presentation works. 2. Plan ahead. See if you can get a copy of the presentation ahead of time and test it to make sure everything works. That way you’re not scrambling right before the service. 3. Evaluate your video system. Maybe it’s time to invest in a better computer, updated equipment or better software to make things easy to use.
Guest presentations are not rare events, so let’s be ready. Instead of being a frustrating part of your Sunday, they won’t be a big deal at all. It just takes a little planning and the right equipment.
