FIRST IN LAST OUT
SET THE TABLE BEFORE THEY WALK IN | Todd Elliott, FILO Founder & President
Sunday is coming.
And for some reason, in the middle of rehearsals, cue stacks, volunteer scheduling, and that one lighting look you’ re still tweaking, you and your spouse agreed to host a large family dinner after church. You already know what that means.
Hosting forces you to see what you’ ve stopped noticing: the pile on the counter, that corner that has slowly become storage. The things that“ aren’ t that bad” until someone else is about to walk through the door. There’ s something good about that pressure and what it creates: a flurry of cleaning, organizing, and resetting. The house gets ready because people are coming. But let’ s be honest, it’ s extra work and it has to be done before anyone arrives. No one wants guests stepping over a vacuum cord while you’ re still scrambling. You want to be present, and you want your guests to feel relaxed and welcomed. There’ s an unspoken expectation when someone walks into your home: they’ ll be cared for. The environment will support the experience. They can exhale and simply be there. That same principle should apply to what we do every Sunday as church technical artists.
SETTING THE STAGE Years ago, a dear friend of mine shared a simple idea that has stuck with me: set the table before people arrive. As technical artists, preparation means more than“ we’ ll get to it during rehearsal.” It means when musicians, vocalists, and speakers walk onto the stage, everything they need is already in place. Our job is to remove unnecessary friction. Line check should already be done, lights aimed and focused, scenes labeled correctly, graphics proofed, confidence monitor showing the right content, etc.
If a guitar player must dig through a storage closet for a music stand, that’ s attention pulled away from what they’ re called to do. If a pastor must ask whether the slides are loaded, their mental bandwidth just shifted.
Production owns the technical environment so that others can own their calling.
In 2026, when we’ re running more complex systems than ever, often with lean teams and volunteers learning on the fly, excellence isn’ t about flashy moments. It’ s about removing distractions before they ever surface. When the stage is ready, the room feels calm. And when the room feels calm, leaders can focus … and when our leaders can focus, the congregation benefits.
TAKING IT UP A NOTCH Preparation is the baseline, thoughtfulness is the multiplier.
What if you didn’ t just set the table but set it the way each person prefers? For instance: The drummer only uses one rack tom, set it that way before rehearsal starts. Your worship leader likes in-ears at a specific volume starting point, have it dialed in before they arrive for rehearsal. Your senior pastor always wants a small table with water to the right of the podium, so let’ s put it there before he asks. These details are not about preference management they are about stewardship.
Think about the best hospitality experiences you’ ve had. When you stay somewhere exceptional, the room is clean, yes. But it’ s the extra layer that stands out: a small detail that communicates,“ We were expecting you.” That’ s the kind of culture production teams can create. A stage that says,“ We’ re ready.” A tech booth that says,“ You don’ t need to worry about this.” A rehearsal environment that feels prepared, not reactive. This doesn’ t require a massive budget or a full-time staff of ten.
It requires intention.
As this next Sunday approaches, ask yourself:
• Is the table set before people walk in?
• Are we preparing early enough to remove unnecessary tension?
• Do our leaders feel supported or uncertain?
• Are we thinking ahead about preferences and patterns?
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! Follow us on Instagram for community + inspiration! Sign up for our weekly newsletter to stay up to date on events and initiatives: Join the Community
112 March 2026 Subscribe for Free...