Every church I know needs to upgrade some of their equipment and the tech artists have to convince their leadership to spend the money . That is the same whether your church has a 100 or a 10,000-person congregation . We work really hard to make every topic and session accessible to everyone , and then encourage each attendee to do the work to apply the content to their own situation .
[ WM ] You started with live in-person attendees and then you hosted a pre-COVID conference in Los Angeles in 2019 . Then when COVID hit you did a virtual conference in May 2020 in English , and then a virtual conference in September in Spanish to serve the Latin community . For your May 11-12 , , 2021 conference in Chicago you are presenting a mix between a socially distanced ‘ live audience ’ and a ‘ virtual audience .’ Walk us through how this progression came about and tell us what to expect with the new hybrid format .
[ Todd ] I think it is safe to say that all of us wish things were back to the normal in person gatherings that we know and love , but the reality is that we ’ ve had to hold all of those plans loosely . We needed to make sure that our venue , Willow Creek Community Church , would allow us to be in their space , and then we needed to figure out what the Federal , State and local governments would allow by the time we were meeting . After all the brain-storming we had within the FILO team , we decided that a virtual event made sense for us to pursue , but with a “ live studio audience .”
This is different than simply hosting an inperson event that we happen to be streaming . We are really designing FILO Chicago 2021 to be targeted to the people attending virtually , and the people in the room are a part of us accomplishing that goal . There will be some unique elements to being in the studio audience , but our primary audience will be outside the room .
From a ministry potential standpoint , I love this . Last year , between our international audience at
FILO 2020 Chicago and FILO 2020 en Español , we had over 1,000 people attend FILO from outside North America . When we tie that back to our goal of making technical artists more effective so their churches are more effective , that ’ s a lot of churches from over 70 countries that will have more effective ministry because of FILO . That ’ s an amazing thing to be a part of !
[ WM ] What I like about your organization is not only do you produce conferences that build up tech teams for service to their local churches , but you also offer a blog , a podcast and even personalized coaching . Tell us about each of these opportunities for a church ’ s tech team ?
[ Todd ] We view the FILO Conference as a form of Summer Camp for tech people . It is a great shot in the arm to carry you through the year . Sometimes that ’ s enough , but often times we need extra doses of community , skill development and inspiration throughout the year . Our individualized coaching program , our FILO Coaching Cohorts ( small group for tech people ), the blog and the podcast are all a deeper dive into helping to make technical artists better people .
[ WM ] There is a survey that says 72 % of churches will continue using live streamed services even after it is all clear to fully meet again after the virus . How does FILO help tech teams to prepare for this new normal ?
[ Todd ] This year , the FILO Conference will offer 50 breakout classes , taught by some of the smartest technicians and leaders from churches around the world . We will be looking at this new normal of ministry life from several different angles and learning from the missteps and successes of people actually doing the work in their local church .
[ WM ] Tell us what is another common challenge you see tech teams facing today in this new paradigm of mixing live stream and live ‘ in-person ’ productions , and what FILO can do to help those same teams overcome it ?
[ Todd ] Before Covid , the tech people I knew worked too many hours . Once Covid radically changed their worlds , they were working even more hours , trying to figure out how to pivot for their church ’ s new realities . Now that churches are beginning to meet in person again , the streaming likely won ’ t stop . Tech artists are now navigating how to serve and support live in-person and streamed services well .
At FILO , we talk quite a bit about how God has designed us uniquely as technical artists , and he didn ’ t create us to just burn out . His design is that we are able to go the distance … run the race , not just sprint and then give up . Through the Conference , the Podcast , the Coaching Cohorts and the Individualized Coaching , we are constantly working on these issues alongside of technical artists to manage boundaries and expectations for the new normal we find ourselves in .
[ WM ] Lastly , what words of encouragement do you have for tech teams ?
[ Todd ] The last time that our FILO Community was a gather in-person event was at FILO 2019 Anaheim . We ended each main session with a blessing , and one of them feels appropriate as an encouragement now . May your talents and gifts be marked with excellence , but known for your humility . May you leverage your talents and gifts to create moments of the unexpected . May your teams feel supported , empowered and released by you to bring their very best . May you be strategic and intentional with your time , for your team , your family , and for yourself . And in the midst of the crazy and in the midst of the everyday , may you stop , breathe and enjoy each moment ; to see God working around you and in you . Amen
[ WM ] Amen is right ! Thank you to Todd and all the fine folks at FILO .
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