Churches often have special services – e.g. weddings, funerals. These are usually short notice, and specific to a family in the Church. They may have specific technical requests – e.g. playing a video. How do you handle these?

Since these requests usually come through the minister, you should let the minister know when you are available. Some members of the Tech Team will have flexible schedules; they can drop everything and come to the Church to handle the request. Others will have less flexibility; they might be available, but also may not be able to get off work. A best practice is to make sure the minister knows who to call first, then second, third, etc. If no one on the Tech Team is available, then the technical request may go unfulfilled; but that should be the last response. If no one shows up, then family members will often try to work the equipment themselves. As a team, you should talk about whether that’s allowable in cases where none of the Tech Team is available.

Presuming someone on the Tech Team is available, then the minister should put them in touch with the family. They can then work out the details. One scenario would be the following:

• Family provides media to the Tech Team – e.g. videos, images, etc. (If they need some preprocessing before the service, then the Tech Team will need time to do that.)
• Tech Team plans the technical aspects of the service. This determines what equipment, personnel will be needed to support the service.
• Tech Team participates in rehearsal, if appropriate. Typically, a wedding will have a rehearsal, but the participants may want to skip using microphones in rehearsal. You should identify lighting, microphone placement, etc.
• Tech Team executes the service, running any videos before and after. They will also control the audio desk to ensure good sound quality.
• If requested, the service can be recorded for a master copy for the family to remember the event by.

Since the special request is over and above the usual worship services, the family may choose to give a small gift of appreciation to the Tech Team members involved. This should be received with gratitude, not demanded. Families may also give a financial gift to the Church, part of which could be designated for support of the Technical Ministry of the Church.

Special Requests don’t fit into the regular rotation schedule. They should be considered as additional, optional service by the Tech Team. For Tech Team members, they can be a

With the fall, Churches sponsor lots of outdoor events. From hayrides to outdoor concerts, it is a great time to reach out to the community around the Church. You never know when someone will find a new Church home.

How does your Tech Team support such outdoor events? They might be involved in setting up a stage for a concert. They might be involved in providing lighting and/or sound for a festival. All of these events are beyond the normal routine of Sunday Worship, so be sure to let them know how much they are appreciated.

Many Churches are using Live Streaming to share the worship service over the Internet. The recent pandemic made this a necessity for a while. Now, people are returning to the worship space for in-person worship. However, there are other ways to use the technology.

Churches can produce Pod Casts on various topics. This could be as simple as a Bible Study with the pastor. Or it could be a group discussion on some current issue. Either way, the pod cast is linked into the Web Site, where it can be downloaded and played by anyone. This is another way to share the Good News. It involves minimum hardware and software. And you probably already have it with the Live Streaming technology.

Many Churches have multiple networks installed on campus. You might have a Staff Network, which provides access to Staff resources – i.e. servers with Church Management Systems. You might also have a Guest Network, which is Public and accessible by everyone on Sunday mornings.

How do you manage the Guest Network? You may not need to. However, there should probably be some limitations. If a Church member is teaching a Church School class, then they will need network bandwidth to play a video. They may also need Internet access in order to access slides. On the 4th of July, they might even want to play a video with some fireworks. All of these should be allowed.

If someone abuses the Guest Network, then you will need to impose some restrictions. Perhaps add a firewall that will stop the abuse.

If your Church has a building, then it has Infrastructure Needs. There will be one or more doors that need to be locked and unlocked. There may be steps and/or a ramp to those doors. There will probably be a parking lot. The buildings will need services – e.g. electricity, water, sewer, Internet.

Someone in the Church needs to be concerned with the infrastructure needs of the Church. Typically, there is a group known as the trustees who take care of this. The pastor should be able to focus on the Spiritual Needs of the Church.

Every Church has a Leadership team. This may consist of at least one person who serves as pastor, staff and custodian. (I have been there in small Churches.) This is certainly efficient, but also limited to what one person can accomplish.

In most Churches, there are both Ministers and Lay people serving as the Leadership Team. This fits the model in ACTS, where there were Apostles for Spiritual Matters and Deacons for Materialistic Matters. It is a good blend, ensuring that the Church remains focused. And the Lay leaders take care of practical matters, such as paying the bills, cleaning and set up for meetings, etc.

Church Buildings need to be heated and cooled. Ideally, the Church should have automated control systems for this. Here are some ideas:

• HVAC Programmable Thermostat
• External Lighting Control
• Security System

When the building is occupied, the HVAC should set the temperature to something comfortable for the congregation. When a meeting is scheduled, then the Security System should be automatically disarmed to avoid false incidents. And the lights outside should be on at night to show the Church.

Just as businesses need security systems, so do Churches nowadays. There was a time when you could leave the Church unlocked 24×7, so people could come in and pray. However, nowadays you have to lock the doors to prevent vandalism. And you need a Security System to monitor for incidents.

What happens when the Security System fires off? It will happen, so you need a process for the System Monitoring service to follow. Here are some ideas:
* System Monitoring Service calls the Contact list; if the alarm is invalid, then they give the all clear.
* System Monitoring Service calls the Police to check the building.
* Church Staff responds to the alarm, to make sure that everyone is okay.

Having a specific process to follow will avoid incidents escalating to police events all the time.

As winter continues, a lot of congregations are planning winter events. How do you support those events? You may need outdoor PA equipment, or at least an amphitheater with some cover to protect the sound equipment. With wireless mikes, the ministers can go anywhere on stage or in the congregation.

The New Year comes with a lot of expectations. We hope for better health, new jobs, blessed families. I like the fact that Advent kicks off the Christian Year. It means that the Church gets a jump on the New Calendar Year with a message of renewal and hope. May the New Year bring Joy to you and your family.

As you plan for the new year, be sure to identify the needs of the Technical Ministry of the Church. Perhaps you need to add or subtract equipment. Machines that are constantly being used eventually break. Equipment also becomes obsolete rather quickly in Technology, so you may have something gathering dust on a shelf. Sometimes you can find a good use for old equipment – e.g. sharing it with another Church that still has a use for it. Or sometimes you just need to discard it. Either way, you need to make room for something new in the New Year.

You also need to plan for how you introduce new technology to the ministry of the Church. Don’t just assume that everyone will instantly like that new Information Kiosk in the hallway. Introduce it gradually. Perhaps you run an article in the newsletter, or add an announcement to the announcement loop that says it is coming soon. List some bullet points that show how Church members will be able to use it. Or better yet, have a short video clip on the web site that has a Church member talking how it will help them find the room change for the evening event that they are coming to. (People don’t always catch the email that announces the change two hours before the event, but the Kiosks will be there so they can look it up.) That avoids the circumstance where someone shows up for the event, but they can’t find it on a large Church campus.

Thanksgiving is an annual holiday in the US, when we gather with family and friends. But it is also a spiritual discipline that we practice as Christians. Indeed, the holiday comes from the Pilgrims being thankful that they had survived the arduous journey across the unknown ocean.

One minister I knew liked to share an alphabetical list of the things that he was thankful every year. I would suggest taking a poll on the Church web site. Members of the congregation could list single words representing what they were thankful for. The website would record the words and generate a dynamic tally for each letter. By doing this, you could identify topics for future sermons or Bible studies. If 52% of the people chose Family for F, then you could do a series on “Families in the Bible.” There are some examples that have a lot of notoriety, which people could relate to.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still a concern, Trick-or-Treating becomes a question this year. Gathering in large groups is not encouraged, so big, indoor Halloween parties should be avoided by adults and children alike. However, what’s wrong with door to door Trick-or-Treating, especially in small groups of children wearing masks? I suspect that this would encourage children to wear a mask at other events, rather than discourage them.

It seems like the masks sold by the makers of Halloween costumes could easily include an air filter. Usually, there is a small slit for the children to breathe through. If that doesn’t happen, then perhaps a technical ministry crew could spend some time making Halloween masks that would be safe. The children will already be socially distanced from the front door.

One neighbor I know set up a Halloween display that included a PA and visual effects. The theme was to Test or Treat rather than Trick or Treat. He made huge testing sticks and turned large balls into COVID-19 spiked viruses. And he used a long PVC pipe to slide the candy down into the children’s bags. It was a big hit. It shows that with a little creativity and some technology, you can even celebrate All Hallow’s Eve in the faith community.

Many Churches have a fall festival as part of their children’s ministry. It can be as simple as a halloween party, or as complex as a fair inviting everyone in the city. It can be a challenge to plan such an event this year. There are still a lot of public health concerns.

What if you made the Fall Festival an online event? You could use a video-conferencing tool to allow family groups to participate. You can still offer prizes and story-telling, just online.

Many Churches are using this time to try out new worship styles. It may be as simple as not always using the Apostle’s Creed. (There are other historic creeds such as the Nicene Creed that also affirm our faith.) Or it may be a new time for worship. Or it may be a switch from traditional to contemporary style.

Worship at its best is creative and dynamic. So let your worship team try out new ideas. Some might just stick and become a regular part of your worship services. Ask the congregation for feedback, either via online comments or surveys. And evaluate the results to identify what works and what doesn’t. Worship is in many ways a retelling of the Christian story. It doesn’t have to be dull and boring. It can be exciting and new, applicable to modern life just as much as 2,000 years ago. The Holy Spirit is still at work, building up the Church.

Since the pandemic, many Churches have created an online presence for worship. The idea was to provide an online worship service for members of the congregation and visitors. It worked! Staff soon got used to prerecording video segments, maybe even the sermon. The audience attended online, staying safe in their homes.

Now many Churches are going back to in person worship services. Perhaps there are some policies about socially distancing and/or wearing masks, but the worship service is no longer an empty room with a camera. However, what do you do with the online service? Some Churches are choosing to keep it, resulting in a Split Church.

Some Churches have always broadcast their worship services, either on TV or radio. Back in the 1970s, it took a signal feed to the local station. Or perhaps the service was recorded on videotape and hand delivered to the station for later broadcast. I’ve done both. Now it is easy to have both in person and online worship services for Churches large and small. All it takes is a Technical Ministry team that knows how to do it. It means that your worship can now reach people, both the ones staying home for the pandemic and others around the globe. Worship is indeed praise to all the nations!

If your Church is worshipping outside, then it may be appropriate to put up a tent. After all, there is a precedent for this in the Old Testament – i.e. the Tabernacle. This will keep everyone dry should a summer thunderstorm come through. Otherwise, everyone will be scrambling to find shelter. That can be a significant disruption to worship.

How do you support meeting in the “Tabernacle” with technology? Perhaps you have an outdoor Public Address (PA) system that you can use. Wireless microphones are used in most services, and they will work great outside. You can try a projector screen, but the ambient light may be too strong to see words projected. So you may need to use hymnals or printed song lyrics. Or you could have the lyrics online, where everyone could read them off their smart phone.

Outdoor meetings can be a great way to help people get back to worship. They will provide plenty of fresh air, and will be fun for the children. Technology will work outside. You just need to do some planning.

With summer come rain and storms. If you’re worshipping outside due to the pandemic, then you may need to check the weather forecast closely to ensure that everyone is safe and dry. Or perhaps you have access to a tent or a tabernacle that allows the air flow of being outside but protects everyone from the rain. It seems like Camp Meeting had the provision for this long ago.

How do you let everyone know about the weather and it’s impact on the worship service? You can use social media, or texting, or email. The important thing is to make the decision in time for people to plan their Sunday accordingly.

Many Churches are moving to outdoor worship as a way of maintaining social distance protocols. If you have worship on the Church lawn, then people can space out as they feel comfortable.

The challenge is to have a PA system that handles this. Think of an outdoor concert. It has to be loud enough to drown out the noise of traffic going by. But it also has to be soft enough not to offend anyone. Perhaps you need multiple speakers set up so that everyone can hear clearly without being too loud.

The health and wellness of the community of faith has to always be a consideration for Church staff. Does your Church have a policy in place to manage the pandemic. If not, then you should gather a group of Church members (virtually) that have expertise in Health issues. They should discuss the possibilities and come up with a policy for your Church.

Once the policy is created, then use every means to inform the congregation about it. There should be some time for feedback to allow everyone to weigh in on it before it is implemented. But go ahead and set a date for when it goes into force. That way, staff have a definite time to get it underway. There may be preparations required.

With Churches starting to think about meeting in person again, it makes one wonder how that might work. Suppose you meet outside, where you have lots of space for social distancing. You could easily fill up the front lawn with people sitting in folding chairs. What are the technical considerations?

First of all, you should consider the weather forecast. If it is going to thunder and lightning because a thunderstorm rolls through, then the preacher will be upstaged. And everyone will probably scramble for the front porch of the Church, where they will huddle together. If the weather is cold, then the elderly will likely skip the service.

Secondly, make sure that you have a sound system outside. Think of an outdoor concert. With traffic rolling by, there will be lots of external noise. You need a sound system that can reinforce the word spoken and hymns sung so that everyone can hear clearly, even out by the street.

Thirdly, consider what you need to do pre-service and post-service. Normally, people congregate in the vestibule to converse with one another. Outdoors, that will look like something else. Try to consider effective ways to pass out bulletins – e.g. via an electronic link. Provide coffee if that is the normal pre-service fellowship time, but deliver it to anyone seated.

Worshipping outdoors reminds me of Camp Meeting. There, you had a Tabernacle to keep the rain off, but plenty of cool breeze in the evening time. It was relaxing and enjoyable. Try to make your Outdoor Worship a time to refresh the soul.

With many Churches worshiping online these days, it may feel just like being there. However, there are some things to consider here:

• Is the service live or pre-recorded? Pre-recording allows for the technical staff to edit the worship segments together, but the seams may show. Broadcasting the service live over the internet is more life-like, but minor errors and glitches will be seen by everyone
• If pre-recorded, then is the setting consistent? If you show the organist playing the anthem, is it in daylight or darkness? If the rest of the worship service is in daylight, then it will look odd if the anthem is suddenly shown in darkness. The windows may be covered, but some ambient light gets in. Make sure that the setting is consistent, so that worshipers feel like they are there for one service.

Worshiping online will likely be something the Church wants to continue long after the pandemic is over. It has some great advantages. People can join you in worship from the hospital or nursing home. They can worship even though they are far away from home on a trip. Then can worship when they’re sick. The Church needs to continue to support this as an outreach to the community.

In REV 21:5 God declares “Behold, I make all things new.” In this new year, we have an opportunity to make all things new in the life of our Churches. As we plan for the return to in person worship, how can we apply this concept?

In one sense, it will be good to return to the Church building. Many of us have been worshipping virtually through various video conferencing services. That has helped us keep the congregation together in worship throughout the pandemic that has become a barrier. Some Churches may have already returned to in person worship.

Churches can plan in person worship with new elements. How about an a Slideshow during the offering that shows how the money given is touching lives in the community. Or how about combining worship services together with a sister Church. Or maybe having a live shot from out in the community shelter to show how the Church is ministering to people in need.

As we return to worship, we have an opportunity to reinvigorate it and bring an air of excitement and joy. Joy in how God is touching lives in the midst of the travails of our society. Let’s seize the opportunity!

With the New Year of 2021 just around the corner, our attention turns to the future. It is appropriate this Advent Season to envision what that future might look like. (No prediction is 100% reliable, but some are more probable than others.)

With vaccines now available, the plague known as the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 will come to an end. This will have a profound effect on everyday life for all of us. The New Year holds the promise of life returning to somewhat normal. Churches will be able to resume in-person worship services. Schools will be able to once again hold in-person class sessions. Businesses will reopen. Restaurants will return to full, in-person capacity. But let us not forget to pray for the families of those who have lost loved ones. The abrupt end of so many lives around the world has been devastating to family after family. We need to pray for one another as we come to terms with the consequences.

My apologies to my readers. A recent update resulted in pages where the content was filtered out. The posts were thus coming up empty. This was caused by an old plugin that stopped working with WordPress 5.5. It has been corrected, so you should now be seeing this apology.