As a pastor and a former church AV tech, I understand both the desire get as many volunteers as possible involved in the worship service production and, alternatively, the hesitance many technical directors have when it comes to choosing people to train. Pastors consistently push for more people to be involved, while AV guys hesitate because: 1) it can seem impossible to find people that have any amount of expertise in production, or the mentality that is needed, and 2) it can be discouraging to have people continually reject the offer to get plugged-in, and 3) it is really frustrating to spend months training someone, only to hear those four painful words, “I need a break”.
While every AV guy wishes he (she) had more help, for the most part they end up avoiding the recruiting process. It may come as a surprise, but every church in America with over 100 adults already has the right people to man the booth on Sunday morning. They may not be immediately ready to start running sound or ProPresenter tomorrow, but they are ready to become a part of the AV team. The question is how do we find these people? Or better yet, how do we help them find us?
Other articles are focus on how to train new people. This one is about how to find the right people to train.
Look for those who are already faithful.
As stated before, there is nothing more discouraging about building a team than getting someone trained and then have them disappear So check out if they are already faithfully attending. Are they currently serving somewhere else? If they are, it may be worth having a conversation with the person who supervises them to see how committed they are to the ministry. Ask questions like whether or not they were early, or how much they paid attention to details. Answers to these questions could go a long way in helping you to decide whether or not to invite them to serve in the booth.
Another way to find out how faithful they are is to ask them how long they have been at their current job. If they have been there a while it could be a good sign that they've got the dedication you are looking for.
Look at their Cell phone.
Ok, I know this sounds ridiculous, but it works. If they seem like they would be faithful, then the next step is to check their interest in technology. If they are not tech-savvy, then they most likely won't be good at the AV booth. So, if they are rocking a flip phone that looks like it could be in an episode of MacGyver, this probably not the person you're hoping for.
An interest in music.
Because most AV work revolves around the worship part of the service, an interest in music is vitally important. Sound, lighting and video all require and interest and affinity for music. Ask if they play an instrument. You'll find this is a huge plus.
Once you are at the point of asking the person if they are interested in serving or being trained to serve, it is important that you communicate the level of time commitment to the candidate so they can decide if they are willing and able to serve. This is something that most tech guys gloss over when they are recruiting. But as you know, a significant time commitment is a big part of being on an AV team. Be careful not to intimidate them, but at the same time be clear to communicate about the hours involved.
While these tips are in no way fool-proof or iron-clad, they are intended to get you thinking about how to find qualified potential candidates. Those candidates will still need to be trained, but this information will improve your chances of finding people who are willing to learn, and willing to stick around long enough to become key contributors to your tech team.
