It’s a busy time for everyone, but it’s our Super Bowl and the pressure of making a huge service happen for our highest attendance and newest visitors works as a stress test for how we’ve prepared ourselves, our teams, and our systems. This season, Church Production wanted to gather common wisdom from some of our production leader friends to help our readers ready themselves for Christmas services. Here’s what they had to say.
Don’t Wait
Tom Wilcome is the Technical Arts Pastor at Reslife Church in Grandville, Michigan, and he emphasized the need to get your plans sorted, “Plan, plan, plan,” he said. “Make it clear to all. Communicate the plan. Communicate changes, where needed. Make a deadline for no more changes (let the paint dry). It keeps stress very low.”
"Make a deadline for no more changes."
—Tom Wilcome, Technical Arts Pastor, Reslife Church
Bill Geeseman, Tech Director at City Church in Rockford, Michigan, echoed similar advice, “Don’t start these meetings the month before Christmas. Planning is a lengthy process. The best ideas have to marinate. Ideally, you are thinking about these bigger holidays and series 3-6 months out.”
Of course, not every church is going to have a massive holiday blowout, but even for smaller productions, making sure well in advance that teams are scheduled, stage layouts are planned, and service flows are sketched out will go a long way to reducing stress for production leaders between in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Don’t Burn Out Your Team
Chris Troyer is the worship pastor at New Tribe Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, and he had this to say—“My church (New Tribe) doesn’t currently put a big emphasis on Christmas and Easter as far as production goes, but I have worked at churches that it has been a big focus, and if it’s not dealt with in a healthy way, the volunteers end up feeling the burden of “keeping up the hype” and nothing will burn out a team faster than feeling that it’s all on them to make sure people have an experience.”
We’ve all been there, I think, feeling that pressure of keeping of the hype and while we can questions the idea of needing to keep up the hype, but what should we do in the mean time? Care for our teams. Tom Wilcome agreed with Chris on that point, “Count all the costs, not just money, but people—their time, talent, and commitment— as well as costs to the organization. Too many events for people to go to just makes it busier.”
Even if we’re trying to “keep up the hype” every Christmas, we can do that in a healthy way by making sure we care for our teams by honoring their time and placing them in the right roles to succeed and thrive.
"No matter what you do at your church this Christmas season, remember to always keep Christ at the center of everything that you do."
—Jared Stier, Worship Pastor, City Church
Courtesy of Hope Community Church.
Don’t Lose Focus
Tom Wilcome brought up the need for teams to really get it. “Define the why,” he said. “It should all start from the why. then the how, then the what. It keeps you in a proper sequence of ready - aim - fire.”
Jared Stier is a Worship Pastor alongside Bill Geeseman at City Church in Rockford, Michigan, and he emphasized what he thinks Christmas services are all about— “If you’ve been in church long enough, you’ll know that there are a lot of traditions attached to religious practices that many in the congregation find comfort in every year at Christmas. No matter what you do at your church this Christmas season, remember to always keep Christ at the center of everything that you do.”
Chris Troyer felt the same way, “I’m all about encounter/experience, but it’s not something we can create on our own strength, so fostering a production that invites encounter but at the same time rejects pressure to create an experience is key. I always tell my team “the music is behind us” meaning we’ve spent the time in preparation at home and running rehearsal as a team, but now it’s time to just light the sacrifice and let God do what He wants to do.”
Be diligent, be prudent, but let the Holy Spirit lead and guide. This work is ultimately his work, not you own.
Final Thoughts
This is not all on you, dear leader. Yes, the preparation is on you and the production is on you, but the fruit of your efforts is left to the Holy Spirit. He is your sustainer and your kind help, so let him help. Be diligent, be prudent, but let the Holy Spirit lead and guide. This work is ultimately his work, not you own.
