How do you notify the congregation when inclement weather becomes a concern? The senior staff should talk together about whether to hold services or not. They may decide to limit the number of early morning events on Sunday, so that people are driving later in the day. Or they may decide to cancel all events, children, youth and adults.
The best way to get the word out is to use all communication channels. Emails, social media and text messaging may be available. The challenge is to make sure that nobody braves the ice and snow to get there, only to realize that there is not going to be an event! All you can do is try!
When you’re having a worship service, sometimes you need an Environmental Effect. For example, you plan to use real candles in a Christmas Eve service. If the HVAC system is running at that time, then it can make it challenging to keep the candles lit. One solution is to ask one of the ushers to turn off the HVAC system just before the candle lighting. That way, the fan won’t be blowing and the candles will stay lit. However, if it is cold outside, then you don’t want the heat to stay off too long. You need to time the HVAC’s cycle so it warms up just before the closing song. Then you can turn it off. After the song, you can turn it back on again. After everyone has gone home, then the HVAC can return to standby mode.
Environmental Effects can enhance the worship service. In concerts, they often use a haze effect to enhance the lighting effects. The beams are easier to see if there is some fog in the air. However, you need to be sure that the haze is not going to cause any problems for the congregation. Be sure to use hazing fluids that are non-allergenic.
This Advent Season brings memories of Christmas in childhood. Remember the awe and wonder of those Christmases, with family traditions and gifts of love. They joy of opening presents was matched the feasts of Christmas dinner. In my family, we always went to a Christmas Eve worship service, where we sang Christmas Hyms and celebrated Holy Communion. The service would always end with singing “Silent Night” as we lit candles in the dark. The whole sanctuary lit up with light!
Posted on November 19, 2025 by Servant | Reflections
Thanksgiving is a time to eat turkey, watch football and enjoy family. It can also be a time to say “Thank You” to all of the volunteers who generously give of their time and energy to support the Church. They may be on stage playing music, singing hymns, or reading scripture. They may be standing at the door as ushers or taking up the offering. They may be behind the scenes, caring for little children so their parents can worship. They may be outside, helping cars park, helping people in, or keeping us secure. The Church is a community which is really run by all of the volunteers.
Taking time at Thanksgiving is just one way to recognize the contributions of all of the volunteers. Look for other ways throughout the year. It can be as simple as a phone call, or a text message. Or it can be a small gift like a gift card to get something that they need. Or it can be reimbursement for an expense they had in teaching or taking care. Just as their are thousands of ways that the congregation volunteers, so there are thousands of ways to say “Thank You” to them throughout the year. Doing so is an act of recognition and a word of encouragement.
A lot of Churches hold a Fall Festival, when the weather is pleasant and people like to get out to enjoy it. But how do you select a venue for where to hold the Fall Festival? If you traditionally hold it at your Church, then the question is answered. If you hold it at a local park, then you have to reserve the pavilion and make sure you have transportation for everyone. Parking can be an issue, so you need to plan for that, too.
The weather can sometimes be unpredictable, so you should have a contingency plan if it turns unpleasant. If it is cold, then you might want to have a fire pit; but be sure that it is not a windy day. And also get permits if needed to have an outdoor fire. You don’t want to be responsible for a wildfire.
Publicity needs to go out well in advance, so people can plan for being there. Be sure to mention the food and entertainment, even games for the children and youth. If you are having a band, then line them up and make sure you have an adequate sound system for outside – i.e. water resistant! If you have any chance that someone might get hurt, then be sure to line up first aid. Sometimes fire trucks will be available as a community service.
All in all, a Fall Festival can be a lot of fun for the community. By holding these events, you publicize your Church and make people feel welcome to visit on Sundays. It is a positive experience for all.
Patrick was a 5th Century Christian Missionary to Ireland. He is known as the patron saint of Ireland, as well as Nigeria. Both countries have embraced Christianity. The death of St Patrick is celebrated around the world on March 17th.
Patrick was born to Roman parents in Britain at end of Roman rule. At age 16, he was captured by slavers and taken to Ireland. He remained a slave for 6 years, herding sheep. During this time, he learned about Irish culture; and he grew in faith through prayer. After this time, he heard a divine voice that directed him to return home to Britain. He found a ship, and walked back to his home and his family. Now in his twenties, Patrick studied Christianity, eventually being ordained as a priest and consecrated as a bishop.
Patrick chose to return to Ireland as a missionary, which took courage and commitment. He baptized both slaves and kings, and brought Christianity to Ireland.
As we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, let us remember his courage and impact upon the world. By recounting his story, we can find that courage in facing the difficulties in our lives.
Churches that have placed sermons online have the equipment to also do Podcasting. This is a media series, either video or audio, that covers a series of topics. It can be related to the weekly sermon, or something totally different. The advantage is that the podcasts can reach a larger audience than the sermons do, potentially global in outreach.
How do you get started? All you need are some microphones and a digital recorder for audio only. If you want to do video, then you’ll need multiple cameras and lighting. Then pick a quiet space. It can be the pastor’s study, or the parlor – just make sure that there isn’t any outside noise. Then find a time for recording with whoever the pastor wants to talk to. It can be a one-on-one conversation about the topic of the day. Or you can have additional visitors. Simply record the entire session as the podcast.
After you record the session, edit it to remove any goofs or breaks. Add an opener and a closer. Once you have the completed podcast, publish it on the Church website. (It might be a link to a 3rd party service.) Then publicize it for the congregation to know about it.
After the podcast has gotten going, be sure to assess the impact. The 3rd party service should provide some metrics for engagement. You’ll want to track this data going forward, so you can evaluate the impact of the podcast series. Which topics got the greatest impact? Which topics covered the most important topics for the Church? How many people started the podcast and how many finished it? These and other questions will help you assess the effectiveness of this technical ministry.
Lots of businesses are adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their quest to embrace the latest software. Churches should also be using this technology, just like they use video, web and office technology. But a lot of Churches seem to be reacting to the fears that AI will cause disruption, rather than trying to use this new technology.
Pastors can use AI to create sermon resources like study guides for social media postings. Staff can use AI to better understand their metrics. For example, analyze the attendance data from the last 5 years and identify the trends that explain the highs and lows. Did attendance go up because of the event title, or because there were less conflicts with community activities? Staff can also use AI to personalize their messaging, to reach more people where they are. It can remember all of the events in people’s lives and add a personal note.
Some will say that AI is evil; but like all technology, it depends upon how it is used. The Church needs to use this new tool well, with thought given to Christian Ethics and sharing the truth of God’s Word. The Church can thus lead by example as we all deal with this new technology. It has the potential to a lot of good in ministry.
With the year coming to a close, our thoughts turn to Advent. It is a wonderful time of year, with many Churches having special activities and worship. Children are involved in Christmas Pageants. Youth create special events like Christmas in Bethlehem. Adults have Church School gatherings. In all of these activities, we strive to remember the Christ child, who stepped out of Heaven to walk among us on earth. How can we emphasize that message in the midst of all of the celebrations?
There are also those who experience the Christmas Blues. Maybe they had a death in the family around Christmas time. Or perhaps they are alone, away from family during the Advent season. Either way, they need support and encouragement. How about making a list of members who haven’t been in a while and reaching out to them to let them know that the Church cares? There are probably some people that stopped coming during the pandemic and haven’t found their way back yet. You could reach out to them to invite them to join you for a Christmas Eve service. A personal invite may help them find their way back into fellowship.
Advent is the start of the Christian Year, as we once more begin to tell the story of the Christ. This year, find a balance between all of the activity and reaching out to those who have been isolated and alone. The joy you share will enrich the community of believers in the year ahead.
Seems like everyone has a tablet computer – e.g. iPad, Surface, Pixel. They are very portable. They typically have more screen real estate than a mobile phone, and they are touch enabled by default. How do you make use of them in your Church?
Some Churches are using them as checkin stations for Children’s Ministry. Others are using them to automate song lyrics during Worship. Others are using them to project Church School media on a large video screen. The possibilities seem to be endless.
Large Churches have a need for Inventory Management. They may need to keep track of class room items, such as video monitors and DVD players. Or they may need to assign whiteboards. They may even just need a list of valuations for property insurance purposes. Whatever the use, the Inventory Management system should be kept on a computer, with off site copies printed and updated on a regular basis.
A Church Management system (ChMS) will help your Church with Inventory Management. If your Church already has a ChMS, then this is likely already provided. Or you may need to purchase it as an additional module. Or you could just use a spreadsheet file for this purpose. To get started, first decide how you want to organize the Church Inventory:
By Ministry: Worship, Music, Children, Youth, Adult
By Building: Sanctuary, Gym, Administrative
By Category: Video, Audio, Lighting, Tables, Chairs
However you organize the Inventory Management system, you will need some help in getting the initial lists together. Ask for volunteers to help you, and assign them to specific areas. Give them clipboards and pencils to write down the items they find. If you have asset tags, then this needs to be recorded as well. If not, then identifiable names and descriptions will do. After the lists are generated, enter the data and generate a full list. Look for any duplications or errors and correct them.
Once the Inventory is complete, print out a complete list and send it offsite on a regular basis. That way, if there is a fire, you don’t lose the list in the event. Perhaps you have a board of trustees; send the list to the chairman. Or perhaps you have a safety deposit box at your bank; place the copy in there. (If it is a small box, then a flash drive will work.) Whatever the method, add a calendar item to update the list and send it offsite. That way, there is always an updated list available for a backup.
Inventory Management is an administrative function that Churches need to. It can be done on an informal basis, but it will help you keep track of equipment and furniture. Although these items tend to get moved around a lot, they should stay on the list while they are useful. When they are sold or break, you can drop them off the list. The important thing is to have a list, so that you can support any claims made to property insurance companies in the future. Otherwise, the property insurance is going to come up short when rebuilding after an event.
The fall is a time for planning for the new year. Budget requests should be submitted in a timely manner, to allow for adequate consideration of needs for Technical Ministry. Equipment does wear out, requiring troubleshooting and repair. The Church needs to have a budget that supports these types of issues:
How do you keep the Technical Ministry Team healthy from a Spiritual perspective? Having prayer time before each worship team is one part of this. Pause together and pray for the service. This has a way of calming anxieties, bringing focus, and helping the team members get into the spirit of worship. There may be technical glitches that remain unsolvable after rehearsal, but you don’t need to let those sidetrack the team. If the pastor is available, they can lead the prayer – or close it after a season of praying.
My experience is that most technical people get focused on troubleshooting. They want to solve every last problem, no matter how small. In a commercial event, problems affecting quality have to be resolved. The show must go on, but it can’t if the sound system isn’t working. Or if the video projection equipment is failing. Or if the musical equipment is broken. Actually, a lot of commercial event companies will have backup systems available for just such problems. You swap out the broken equipment with something that you know will work. Then the show goes on as planned. But worship is a different type of event. What counts is having the Holy Spirit present. If that is the case, then you can worship with people even in the dark with no sound system. The technology is there to enhance the experience, not replace it. So worship can still happen. And most of the time, people will understand.
Outside of worship events, you can keep your technical ministry team healthy by fellowshipping together on a regular basis. Plan a Christmas party. Meet together for a meal. Do a service project together. All of these will help the team develop their relationships to each other. The more they get to know each other, the more they will care about each other. And you will find that they will also help one another during times of trouble. This is the nature of the Church.
Many Churches are going to Multiple Sites rather than starting new Churches. All of the Church sites share a common worship service, which is streamed from the main site. Each site has a worship team, which handles announcements and music. The sermon is given by a pastor at the main site and shared with each site. All sites share physical and financial resources.
Multiple site Churches date back to 1942, when Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga TN started additional campuses. Eventually, Highland Park grew to 57,000 members. Today, there are over 8,000 Multiple site Churches in the US. They reach out to people in various states.
To be effective, a Multiple Site Church needs an effective strategy. Here are some of the questions to consider:
What is the primary purpose for having Multiple Sites?
Who are the leaders of the overall Church?
Who will launch the various sites?
Where will each site meet?
What will be the worship model?
Who will manage the local site worship teams?
To be successful, a Multiple Site Church needs a strategy that answers these questions. There may be a senior pastor who develops the vision and gets the Church started, but others are needed for consistent leadership. Technology can support having Multiple Sites, but you need to plan for various contingencies. Overall, the Multiple Site Church can combine its strengths and support new ministries.
People like to get outside during the summer, and Churches sponsor summer programs. It could be an outdoor concert by the Praise Band, or fun and games for the youth. There may be a need for sound equipment outside to support the event. Do you have an outdoor PA (Public Address) system available? How hard would it be to pull equipment from the worship stage for use outdoors? You may need long extension cords to reach the area. The opportunities are there.
Weather is a factor to consider. If it rains – before or during the event – then how do you cope? Best practice is to ensure that all electrical connections are water resistant. Acoustical instruments should be protected from the rain if possible. Electrical instruments need water resistant connections to power. Fortunately, most portable microphones will work fine in the rain.
Summer outside events can be great opportunities to reach the community around the Church. People will wander up and join in the fun. In the process, they will find out more about the Church. Be sure they feel invited to come to Church in the future.
With summer coming up, it is time to finish your Church’s summer plans. This will likely include lots of children and youth events. What are the technical needs for all of these events? It could involve your volunteers in any of the following activities and tasks:
Sound for VBS program events during the day
Setup for Youth events
Producing video clips from Youth trips
Producing video clips from Children’s events
Your Church may have plenty of volunteers, so the load will not be too great on any one person. But be sure to allow for these types of events. Some may even be popup events – i.e. not really planned in advance, just an opportunity. You want to avoid burnout over the summer.
The time after Easter is known as Eastertide. Easter Sunday is such a special day, that it is hard to believe that it really lasts longer. But we have Holy Week, which is the week before Easter.
What are some things that your Church does during Eastertide? Are there any outdoor events planned? What kind of youth activities are planned? These are some of the questions to address as you plan out the need for technical ministry services at this time of year.
A lot of the congregation will dress up for Easter. One way to celebrate that day is to provide a picture spot. This can be outside on a sunny day. Or it could be in the narthex. All you need is a backdrop that says “Today is Easter Sunday.” People will take pictures of their family.
You could also provide someone with a camera, but then you have to distribute the pictures. This should be a free service for the congregation (there are plenty of commercial opportunities available.)
As we celebrate Easter, we make memories and praise to the living Christ. May it be a source of joy for all who come.
Church Staff tend to be a varied group of people who are commited to serving the Church and Community. Some will be well trained, such as clergy and lay paid staff. Others will just be volunteers who give generously of their time and energy to the Church.
How does your Church communicate effectively with one another? The Church web site will typically provide email addresses, so you can use email. But there are also groupware tools that businesses use to communicate in teams. And video conferencing is also available online so even when people are spread out, they can still have a conversation together about the business of the Church. Take advantage of these tools, so you never have the situation of the “left hand does not tell the right hand” about what is going on.
Does your Church have a lot of IT talent on the Technical Ministry Team? Some Churches are blessed by this, where the volunteers just take care of IT support issues on their own. Other Churches hire one or two IT staff to handle issues at the Church, such as:
Networking, hardware and software
Computer support issues by staff
Worship support issues
Other services in need of computer support
Whether you have great staff or great volunteers, if you have the expertise, then look for ways to share it with other Churches and related ministries. You could have any of the following opportunities:
IT equipment swap; make sure any computers have been erased and the OS reinstalled, to avoid sharing malware
Meetings where you discuss IT issues and solutions with other Churches
Training on various software; some older adults struggle with it
Cyber Security issues; how to avoid getting hacked
The needs are there. People need more IT support than they can usually afford. By sharing your expertise, you are providing a ministry to your congregation and community.
In a technical sense, Advent starts the Christian Year. It begins with the arrival of Christ as a Babe in a Manger. His coming was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, which gets read to remind us that we expect Him to come again. While we wait, we celebrate with special events and services. One of my favorites is Christmas Eve with Silent Night and live candles.
Advent by it’s nature upsets the regular scheduling of volunteers. There are special services which need volunteers to help. So the regular monthly schedule goes out the window during December. Maybe that’s a good thing. We sometimes get in a rut by doing the same thing over and over and over. Advent has a marvelous way of shaking things up, as we remember that Christ came to make all things new!
This season is also a great time to thank all of your volunteers in Technical Ministry. It can be simple, like sending a Christmas Card with words of appreciation for all they have done this year. Or it can be complex like hosting a dinner party for the volunteers and their families at a local restaurant. Whatever you do, be sure to express your thanks and appreciation. It will go a long way towards making up for the demanding, often hectic, schedule of special events that need to be covered.
Merry Christmas, and may the arrival of the Babe in the Manger inspire all of us to serve the Church in new ways in the new year!
A network firewall helps prevent intrusion by hackers. It is maintained by the IT support person, either paid or volunteer. This helps the computer systems that are on the network, or attached to the network – e.g. laptops – to be secure.
Churches meet regularly all year, but what happens in an emergency? Does your Church have an Emergency Messaging system to let the congregation know that the worship service has been cancelled or moved? This could be as simple as a mailing list that the pastors can use to get the word out. Or it could be a mobile phone alerting system that blasts a text message to the cell phone of every member.
There are lots of events that can impact the worship service. October is the final stretch of the Hurricane season. Storms come and will damage the Church building or community. Fires can sweep through the area, affecting property. Floods can make roads impassible. Earthquakes can damage buildings to the point where they cannot be used safely. Ice storms will make the roads and sidewalks dangerous.
By setting up an Emergency Messaging system, the Church can alert members to the hazard. If the service has been cancelled, then people can stay home and avoid the danger. If the service has been delayed, then people will know of the new time, after the danger has passed. In one situation, the service was streamed from the pastor’s home, so the message was to stay home and watch online! Keeping people safe is the responsible and prudent thing to do, but you have to let them know in advance. Otherwise, some brave souls will show up at the Church for worship and be disappointed!
Every Church should have a plan for protecting Information Technology (IT) resources. This may simply be making backup copies that one of the Trustees takes home with them every week. Or it can be an automated system that backs up computers to the Cloud (Internet). The point is to protect these resources against various hazards. This helps make these systems more reliable for worship and operations.
There was a time when computers in the Church were a new thing. Everyone took care of them like they were their own; and many times they were donated by members not too long ago! Nobody thought of stealing or harming them, for they respected the Church. But times have changed. Church staff can be duped by phishing attacks into giving up passwords, allowing malfactors to get into Church networks. Volunteers can unintentionally download malware onto Church computer systems. And hardware does go down occasionally. The Church needs to plan how to mitigate these issues, just as businesses do.
What happens on Sunday morning if the computer that runs the lyrics for the service goes down? Ideally, you would have another system that could be hot swapped in to run the service that day. Or what happens if the Internet connection goes down? Can you still stream the worship service via a hotspot on a cell phone or another device? Or what if the lighting system goes down, so the sanctuary stays dark? Is there an emergency setting that will at least provide some light to see by? This author has seen all of these circumstances, and scrambled to find workarounds.
Worship can and should go on in spite of these technical problems. The Holy Spirit will still be present if we are singing a cappella by the light of candles. And most preachers know how to project their voice to the last pew so the congregation can hear them without a PA system. But with some wise planning, we can have systems that are reliable to work around these problems and have regular worship. A lot of times, the congregation won’t even notice; and that’s the way it should be with worship. We focus on glorifying God!
Many Churches follow the Christian Year in their programming, which runs from Advent to Kingdomtide. This implies that new budgets should be set in the Fall, rather than December. The end of the year is time for execution, not decision making. Christmas has a lot of activity centered around the birth of Jesus in Nazareth. Why add to the busyness of the season by having budget meetings?
A better time for setting the budget is September. Start after school is back in session, and schedules have settled down. Follow your budget review, planning process then to completion. The goal would be to have a new Church Budget settled and ready to go by Advent. This should include technical ministry needs for the Christmas season as well. By doing this, the new equipment will be available for the Christmas productions, rather than having to wait until next year.
Bradley Roberts has both deep roots in the Church and a long career involving technology. Browsing these pages, you´ll find a vibrant faith and a servant´s heart.
