CHURCH TECH
TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW | Todd Elliott
I think it is safe to say that we are all ready to return to normal . We ’ ve done the Covid 19 thing , we ’ ve learned a few new skills , but we ’ re tired of editing our services together and watching them online like everyone else .
Unfortunately , normal is not coming back . At least not in the way we remember it . And maybe that ’ s a good thing .
Getting back into the routine of pulling off services every week , now is the time to potentially make some changes .
One of the main reasons we tend not to make changes , is that it can cause disruption . Disruption on the team , disruption of the process . We ’ ve always done things a certain way , so why mess with it ?
Well , things have been disrupted alright . Most of us haven ’ t had services in person for 5 months ! You can ’ t get more disrupted than that !
Chances are , when we do get back , the way we used to do services is a thing of the past . It is time to make some adjustments . Not only adjustments to the “ new ” that we ’ re facing , but also to the “ way we ’ ve always done things .” This is a perfect time to even do those things we always wished we had time for .
START DOING Remember all those great ideas you ’ ve had over the years but have never done anything about ? Well now is the time to consider implementing them . There will never be a better time than now !
Much of the challenge of starting something new is that it breaks you and your team out of a comfortable routine . The only comfortable routine you ’ ve had in the last 5 months has been working while still in your pajamas . Trust me , you need to break out of that one anyway !
• Maybe you ’ ve always wanted to have a prayer time with the team before beginning rehearsal . Start now .
• Or perhaps you were in the habit of saying yes to everything , because you were trying to be helpful . Now might be the time to start being strategic with your time and only saying yes to those tasks that help achieve your team ’ s mission .
• But what if I don ’ t have a mission ? It ’ s time for that too ! Developing a mission statement and a set of production values will help define how your team moves forward into this new era . There ’ s never enough time to figure this out . Start now . Start talking about them with your team . Get everyone on the same page as it pertains to what your team is about .
• And speaking of the team , maybe now is the time to invest more in the people than in the gear or the task . Investing in people might have seemed like something we could put on the back burner , but if we ’ ve learned something during the pandemic is that people and community matter more than the stuff . Don ’ t lose the chance to reallocate your time away from the nuts and bolts and towards developing the people on your team .
Don ’ t waste this amazing opportunity to start something new when you get back to meeting in person . The time is ripe to take yourself and your team to the next level by starting something new .
STOP DOING This new beginning is also a great time to stop doing some things . Those tasks that were designed for a different season or to slaughter that sacred cow . Similar to starting something new , we are already out of our routine , so let ’ s blow it up some more while we have the chance !
• “ This is how we do it .” And I ’ m not talking about the song from the 90 ’ s . That saying has stopped us too many times from starting something new . Stop saying it . Stop letting your team members say it . Let ’ s figure out some new ways of doing tasks . More efficient ways . More effective ways . Just because something worked in the past doesn ’ t mean it is still the right way now . Don ’ t be afraid to stop doing something just because the team is emotionally attached to it .
• Now is also the time to stop saying yes to everything . ( I know this is similar to start being strategic with your time , but it is that important !) Be more strategic with your time ! Especially if you are going to invest in our teams more , that means you can ’ t do as many tasks outside of the boundaries you ’ ve set for strategic purposes .
• With boundaries set , and production values shared , now it is time to stop enabling team members that don ’ t want to be a part of where the team is going . You know who they are . You know how much they drain you . You know how much the rest of the team wonders why there are production standards that everyone has to follow but those few people . It is time to stop letting it slide and it is time to hold them to the standard . Arriving on time . Not being negative all the time . Only wanting to serve where they want to serve . If you are the leader , it is time to stop ignoring it and hoping it simply goes away . Confront that now . It is the perfect time .
We have been given the opportunity to start fresh . It is the moment that we dream of when we are buried by the routine that seems locked in place and can never change . They can . And it is time to seize this moment to help make your church more effective by starting new things and stopping old things . Do it .
Todd Elliott Todd is a 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 . Residing near Chicago , he and his wife Bissy have three kids and a dog ... none of whom are into production .
@_ ToddElliott www . filo . org