You probably never imagined that you’d be heading a multimedia team. Even in churches where it’s only the preacher and the “sound man”, that’s enough to constitute a multimedia team. Regardless of your team’s size, though, there are 4 key goals that lead to 7 habits that you should follow and teach your team in order to be successful.
The Goals
1. More than button pushers. It is vitally important to tell members of your multimedia team that they are more than “button pushers”. They are, indeed, worship leaders. For example, if you project the lyrics of hymns on a screen, your designated multimedia specialist is the “hand” that turns the pages of the projected “hymnbook.”
2. The job description includes exultation. Each team member’s job is to exalt Christ, not themselves or their multimedia function.
3. Provide focus. Our goal as multimedia team members is to provide focus; that is, eliminate distractions. For example, lighting can put a spotlight on a prop, potentially keeping distracting stage elements to a minimum.
4. Be transparent. As paradoxical as it may seem with multimedia, our chief goal is to be transparent. If the sound, lighting, the video on the projection screen, or any other multimedia element distracts from the message, team members have not been successful. Let me state this again: transparency is our measurement of success. When I teach these concepts, I go on to say that we’re powered by God’s Holy Spirit and that our real reward for performing this ministry is, indeed, a heavenly one. (It’s still a good idea to write a personal “thank you” regularly to each multimedia team member!)
Based on my experiences as a television news producer, a church multimedia team player, a presenter, and even as a musician, I’ve developed a list of seven habits that are, in my opinion, the “7 Habits of Highly Effective Multimedia Teams.”
Pastors, worship leaders, and multimedia team members encouraged me to share these habits with pastors after hearing me teach them at a seminar on this topic. Media ministry workers need their pastor to understand at least something about the technical nature of the media ministry; in other words, media workers don’t necessarily need pastors to know how to do the media jobs, but at a minimum, the media team wants the pastors to know and appreciate the work that goes into what the media ministry does. In addition, the media team needs the pastor’s leadership; they’re looking for the pastor to be the multimedia “pacesetter.” Likewise, pastors expect from the media team (and themselves!) the following seven habits:
- Communication. Develop a “worship service plan” which literally puts everybody on the same page.
- Preparation. Spiritual preparation should take place first, then technical preparation. Create a “preflight checklist” for each job that should be performed prior to every sermon or presentation.
- Concentration. Since multimedia work usually takes place in a confined space, it’s easy to become distracted by another team member’s job. Each member should concentrate on his role and his alone.
- Synchronization. Teamwork in this case means that the worship roster is in front of each multimedia member, eyes are focused on the stage, and hands are on the controls.
- Specialization. “Find out what you’re good at and give it all you’ve got.” One job, one function. Each person should become a specialist at his or her task.
- Anticipation. As easy as this may seem, multimedia team members must be in three places at once: The big picture; right now; and a step ahead. If they’re too late by one second while performing a task, they have caused a distraction. (Remember our goal? Transparency!)
- Evaluation. It is important for the preacher and team members to “huddle” often. None of us are perfect, but each time the gospel is communicated, it deserves our best effort.
Terry Wilhite is a communications and multimedia specialist.
This article originally appeared in Technologies for Worship Magazine, a magazine dedicated to educating churches on how technology can help them minister to a modern world. The article can be found here.
