Churches nowadays require a good number of volunteers to serve in various ways to efficiently run their services. Ushers, parking lot crew, nursery workers, children’s workers, youth workers, and ministry staff are just a few examples of church volunteers. What I’m wanting to focus on today is the tech volunteer.
Regardless of the attendance size of your church, you will undoubtedly need a few tech volunteers to be able to help with lighting, sound, video, or livestreaming capabilities. Especially due to the COVID pandemic, there is an undeniable need for volunteers to be able to effectively livestream your service to social media for your congregation to view.
At times it may seem like being a tech worker is just pushing buttons and not contributing too much to the overall success of a service. However, this role is crucial since a church service could not function effectively without tech volunteers. As a tech volunteer, you are helping people to be able to worship God and experience Jesus in a spiritual and distraction-free environment.
With the permeation of social media in society, most people looking for a church to attend will first check out a church’s service online via Facebook, YouTube, or the church’s website to get a feel for how it operates, and to get a glimpse of how an in-person church service would feel. Then if the person enjoys the online experience, they are more likely to want to attend that church in-person when they can.
This is why it is so important to be a tech volunteer at your church and contribute to people coming to God, either in-person, at the church, or online.
If you are wanting to become a tech volunteer, or already are a tech volunteer wanting to improve, here are 4 ways to become an effective tech volunteer at your church.
- Commit to Learning
With technology and equipment always changing and improving, it can easily feel like you get left behind. Therefore, it is important to be dedicated to being knowledgeable and proficient in your area. There are lots of educational and informative videos on YouTube and online articles and books to help keep you up to speed.
- Constantly Search for Ways to Improve Your Area
As time goes by, equipment gets outdated and sometimes can eventually become obsolete. Whether it be upgrading your sound equipment, lighting, computers, or cameras, there are lots of ways to improve your tech area which will benefit both you and the patrons of your church. For example, my church recently built a video booth so that way our livestream team, where I serve, would be separate from the sound booth. This made serving so much more effective for all of us and allowed us to be more focused on our separate tech areas.
- Stay Calm and Positive Even When Technical Difficulties Arise
No church service is perfect. Unfortunately, there are times during a service where the sound goes out, the lights flicker, the computer freezes, the live stream buffers, and the equipment we are relying on just doesn’t perform the way it should. We’ve all been there, and it can be discouraging. It is important, however, to stay calm and remain positive as you look for a quick solution to fix the issue. A great volunteer will not panic when technical difficulties arise and will focus on remedying the situation.
- Remember That You Are Not Serving Man, But Serving the Lord
As you serve each week, at times it can feel mundane and monotonous, and you soon find yourself feeling like you are just doing another job for people. But it is vital that you remember that by being a volunteer, you are not serving other people, or even the church, but ultimately are serving the Lord. To keep that perspective, our video team always comes together and prays before we start serving. This way we have the right mindset when we begin.
By taking these steps as a tech volunteer and making time to serve in the various tech areas, you are doing your part to not only worship God but are removing barriers to help others be able to worship God as well. You are honoring God with your time and hard work. Hopefully, these tips will help you to be a more effective tech volunteer for your church. May God bless you as you faithfully serve!
