The start of a brand new year causes lots of people—production team leads included—to look back on the last 12 months and ask themselves what they can do better in the coming year. In the world of church production, though, that can end up looking like this: somebody spilled a cup of coffee into the MacBook Pro. So maybe the new policy for 2023 is no drinks in the booth. A few team members struggled with remembering to show up on time, even though they received the planning center reminders. Then maybe revisiting the communication process for weekly serving is something to think about. And of course, another big concern is always equipment—everybody on a production team can rattle off gear they think would make their lives easier and the end-product more professional.
While these are all valid considerations, maybe there’s one that’s even more important—one that can have an even greater impact on how effectively your entire tech ministry functions and reaches people in 2023. And maybe it doesn’t require a new rule book or even have a price tag.
What could it be, you ask? Maybe it’s an overhaul of how you’re running the team. And maybe there are simple things you can do to run it exponentially better in 2023. See what you think.
1. In 2023, make decisions that help your team more than you
Leaders sometimes tend to put in place systems or scheduling or practical policies that are logical to them, which makes sense—except when it doesn’t. Too often production leaders are so used to being the “expert” in technical aspects that they forget they are not necessarily experts in leadership.
Communication is a good example: oftentimes the excuse from production leaders is, “If they were committed, the communication we give would be enough.” Or “If serving mattered to them the way it should, then they would remember.” The hard truth is that while that might be how the leader feels, it may not be reality. One great statement that will help shape leaders to serve successful teams is this: “We can be right or we can be effective, but most of the time we can’t be both.” Whether it’s moving communication from email to text message reminders and prompts or connecting with the team every Saturday to make sure they are ready to serve, there is always something every leader can do to better serve those underneath their leadership.
Maybe communication isn’t the area, but it's simplifying tasks on Sunday morning and better preparing for the team Monday through Saturday. Or maybe the information to get everything ready isn’t on a written task list. Or maybe the task list needs checkboxes and to be laminated so they can take a marker and check off everything each Sunday. Whatever it is, what can be changed to make it easier to serve? There is always something.
The greatest way to make a team work more cohesively together is to value those who serve and make space for getting to know them.
2. Let frustrations create training opportunities
Every production leader has thought to themselves, “I just wish I had five of me.” This wish upon a New Year’s star typically means that the production leader wants someone who knows as much or more than them to fall into their lap. While this would be awesome, it rarely happens. However, the people the team needs are probably already there; they just aren’t well equipped. Regularly training teams to make them better is so important.
There are all kinds of training methods. There is the one-on-one method where the production lead takes time to develop just one person for a short amount of time a couple of times a year. There is the group method where everyone that serves in one area (lyrics, sound, lighting, video, etc.) comes in for a few training sessions annually. Then there is an online training option like sending podcasts out to the team or signing them up for MxU (an e-course website for church production). However the training happens, it needs to be prioritized.
When relationships are invested in outside of making Sunday morning happen, people show up ready to conquer the world for their church.
3. Cultivate relationships before better services
Every production team assesses what it creates and asks the question of how to make the team even better, but what if “How do we get better?” is not the question that leads to the best teams? Spoiler alert. It’s not. The greatest way to make a team work more cohesively together is to value those who serve and make space for getting to know them. When relationships are invested in outside of making Sunday morning happen, people show up ready to conquer the world for their church. The best investment to make might not be training, even though that is vitally important. But it is likely that the best investment is in relationships with those teams. Invite them to someone’s house for dinner, play games or take them to dinner at a local restaurant. Most likely, the church would be willing to cover the bill for team-building. Grow deep roots with the team, and you will likely find a team that will give more than you could imagine.
… there is always something every leader can do to better serve those underneath their leadership.
You can help make 2023 the best year for your production team. It doesn't have to be like last year; it can be different. When leaders choose to make serving easier for those they lead, and when they develop those people and build relationships, teams get better and healthier—and they will grow. Why? Because people want to be part of a team that is thriving—one that truly values them.
