FIRST IN LAST OUT
HELP ME UNDERSTAND | Todd Elliott
The world of church production is a mystery to non-production people .
Andy Stanley would say “ it is a tension to be managed ”. I agree that it is something that is ongoing , but the word “ managed ” sounds too much like the word “ tolerated ” or even “ giving up on it being any better ”. Almost resignation .
As I have been talking to the various production people I work with , and then speaking to the producers of the ministry they support , I am amazed at how easy it is to misunderstand each other , to assume something that isn ’ t necessarily true , to make conclusions about people without knowing them or asking for more information . As I write this , I am realizing that there are tons of dynamics going on here and that I could write all day about ways to improve things or how things should be different , but I am going to focus on one .
Church tech people : HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND YOUR WORLD .
Open up the lines of honest communication with your counterparts that don ’ t “ get ” your world ! You do so much behind the scenes that
nobody sees or even understands , and instead of giving you a pat on the back for all your hard work , they end up wondering what you do with all your time . All they know is that they don ’ t see you around . They also know that you say “ no ” to all their great ideas without any kind of alternatives or options .
When someone is wondering what you do all day , and then you tell them they can ’ t do something , it ’ s no wonder there is a gulf between the booth and the stage !
For years , I would wait for the stage people to come to me to understand my world . After all , I ’ m an introvert , and it ’ s OK if I just hang back here by the booth because everyone should come to me and get to know me and ask me how I ’ m doing and be amazed at all the gear I re-racked this week … It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke . Get out of your cube , your office , the booth , and engage with the people on stage , up in the main offices , or whoever you need to , in order to bridge the chasm of understanding that exists . Make the move to help the non-production people you work with understand your world … in a language they can understand .
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT OUTSIDE OF THE TENSION OF SERVICES AND REHEARSALS . Is there tension ? Yes . Will it go away ? Probably not . Do we need to just live with it ? No . Should it be managed ? I believe we must get beyond “ managed ” and figure out ways to leverage the differences for the benefit of our churches .
How can we take what makes each of us unique and celebrate the differences so that we can push each other to create the best services possible for our congregations ? One thing is for sure , it won ’ t happen without tons of communication . That starts with you .
Todd Elliott Writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO . 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 . In his free time he enjoys being inspired by Winston Churchill speeches and visiting the gravesites of U . S . presidents . Residing near Chicago , he and his wife Bissy have three kids and a dog ... none of whom are into production . filo . org
What is FILO ? FILO ( First In Last Out ) is for technical artists who serve the local church , designed to provide skill development , community and inspiration to equip technical artists to become effective contributors to their local church .
When we ’ re more effective , the church is more effective . Whether volunteer or staff , FILO aims to provide skill development , community and inspiration to help equip technical artists to become effective contributors to their local church . FILO is a combination of the FILO Conference , FILO Blog , FILO Podcast , and personalized FILO Coaching .