Open Letter to Audio Techs
Steve, my brother-in-law, is a farmer. That means he’s a hard-working, MacGyver-resourceful, “sleep in the fields to irrigate through the night if that’s what it takes” kind of guy.
And he’s been running sound for 30 years at our church.
I see how much he does and how tired he must be after a long week of work which might include flying back from a speaking engagement somewhere else in the world, heroically fixing some piece of farm equipment, or fulfilling some other non-ending farming duty.
And yet, every Sunday he’s scheduled, he comes in with energy. He greets the team with a hearty “Hey guys! Good morning!” He sets things up quickly, pays close attention to make the mix musical, comes up to the platform to check in with the team to see if they have what they need, and has served extra weeks this summer - even though it’s intensely busy on the farm.
I just about can’t believe he serves with such gusto.
Except for that’s just the kind of man he is: dependable, wholehearted, energetic, resourceful, and given to a greater purpose.
You might also be so blessed to have an audio tech like that on your team. If you do, let them know how grateful you are.
If you don’t, this Fertilizer from our audio coach Tony Guyer can set you in a better direction. I’ve titled it “An Open a Letter to Audio Techs.”
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:3-11 ESV)
I was in a counseling session with my wife and one of our pastors. As we recalled areas of growth my wife and I were experiencing, we discussed a recurring conviction I had been having for a couple of months.
I love my job of helping churches handle technical issues. Being able to relate to other brothers and sisters with similar interests in audio is fulfilling. I get to interact with folks that are often heroically serving their churches with minimal thanks and often very few resources. I get to encourage them, give them tools to streamline their approach and see them become better listeners. I also get to help musicians capture and realize their creative pursuits in the recording studio.
I enjoy myself so much that I often forget to go home.
Sounds silly, right?
It’s not, and I started to see how this has affected my wife and family. My wife is fantastic and happy that I have work to do and rarely complains, but I began to see how selfish I have been by looking after my interests before hers.
My pastor was gracious to remind me of these verses. I was familiar with them, just not grasping them in their entirety. I remembered that God sent His Son as the highest act of service. That Christ Himself came to the earth to serve us by dying for us, assuming responsibility for our sins, and being humble to the Father, His Father, to the point of death.
As we see how Christ served us and how God exalted Jesus to the throne, what else could we do but bow our knees and confess that Jesus is Lord?
Wonderful motivation to worship.
But I was missing out on that first part of the passage. I was blowing right past the “Do nothing out of vain conceit or selfish ambition.” I was pursuing my selfish ambition by not considering my wife. By not telling her when I was coming home and sticking to it, I was acting with vain conceit.
I started thinking about how we interact on any given Sunday or midweek rehearsal. We have been privileged to provide tech support for our church family.
Are we acting with vain conceit? Are we serving our team?
I have known some tech volunteers who refuse to attend midweek rehearsals.
I have read correspondence from tech staff to their worship leader making statements like, “I don’t tell you how to lead worship, I don’t expect you to tell me how to do my job.”
I have seen sound operators complain to the worship leader that too many instruments were added and it was too difficult to mix.
So brothers and sisters, I’m asking you, what have you been doing out of selfish ambition and vain conceit? Are you able to see your worship team as more significant than yourselves? Is it more important that your worship leader understand your perspective than you understand theirs?
How could you empty yourself and take the form of a servant this week?
-Tony
Ps. (this is Dave) I’d love you to bring Tony in to do an audio training course for your techs, no matter where you are! Here’s some of what your team would receive from Tony:
An audio engineer that is not only a great engineer but, more importantly, a great teacher (they are not usually the same)
Tony’s approach builds unity between the stage and the booth. He’ll model honor and clear communication as he interacts with the band.
Tony’s enthusiasm for music gets imparted to the techs, making their mixes more musical (which is often a huge lack among church techs)
Because we also help churches make the most of the current systems and serve as unbiased consultants when you need upgrades (we don’t typically sell stuff but rather serve as the church’s in-house expert), he’ll help you maximize your current system. He will be there years down the road when you need to upgrade.
But hey, I’m like a proud Dad, braggin’ on his kid, so... :)
-Dave Helmuth
(purchase my book, "Worship Fertilizer: (the first hundred)" HERE)
Open Letter to Audio Techs (Nº 194)
