FIRST IN LAST OUT
WHEN“ GOOD ENOUGH” IS ACTUALLY GOOD STEWARDSHIP | Todd Elliott
Photo by Amanda Belec on Unsplash
In church production, the phrase“ good enough” gets a bad reputation. For many of us, it triggers the fear of lowering standards or letting laziness slip in. And yes, sometimes that’ s exactly what it is. But other times?“ Good enough” is the most faithful, healthy, and wise decision a technical artist can make. As author Seth Godin often reminds his readers, eventually you have to“ ship the work”. If we never reach that moment, nothing actually makes it to the people we’ re serving. So how do we know when something truly is good enough?
When You’ ve Fully Used the Resources You Have Before calling something finished, ask:
• Have we used the budget wisely?
• Have we maximized volunteer time without burning them out?
• Have we done diligent, focused work with the tools we actually have?
If the answer is yes, then it’ s not settling, it’ s stewardship.
Sometimes we tell ourselves,“ If I stay up all night, it’ ll be better.” But if the improvement costs your health or margin, it’ s no longer worth it.
Excellence isn’ t endless striving. It’ s wise investment. One of my mentors at a previous church I worked at used a simple filter:“ Would my wife even notice this difference?” If she wouldn’ t, it was already good enough.
If fixing a cue transition would noticeably improve the moment, he’ d stay. If adding one more spinning gobo wouldn’ t matter to anyone? It could wait. This filter helped keep our effort focused on what actually impacted real people.
Keep the Basics Excellent, Not Endless Technical artists love creating memorable moments, and that’ s a good thing. But sometimes creativity can distract us from the essentials.
Here’ s the rule:
• The basics should never be“ good enough.” Nail them.
• The extra creative layers eventually need a stopping point.
Sometimes“ good enough” frees you to invest in your team, your family, or your own spiritual health; areas far more valuable than another hour of tweaking.
When the Cost Outweighs the Benefit In the marketplace, teams constantly ask,“ Is this improvement worth the cost?” In the church world, we don’ t always think that way, but maybe we should.
If the added value doesn’ t justify the added time, stress, or resources, wisdom says: stop.
The Real Question Is your version of“ good enough” excellence with boundaries, or an excuse to cut corners? Healthy leaders know the difference. Healthy teams feel the difference. And healthy churches
benefit from the difference. Sometimes“ good enough” is lowering the bar. But often, when used at the right moment, it’ s exactly what allows us to keep serving with strength, sustainability, and joy.
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer, speaker, technical artist in the local church and Founder & President of FILO, which stands for First In, Last Out. FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people, to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered. The more FILO-type people he met, the more convinced he was that these are things we all need. That’ s why FILO exists: to equip, encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves. Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church, he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective.
FILO’ s flagship event happens yearly: Our next FILO Conference will be May 5 + 6, 2026 in Chicagoland, IL. Register now for best pricing options!
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