THE SERVANTS IN A MEDIA MINISTRY

HOW TO ORGANIZE AND MANAGE YOUR MEDIA MINISTRY TEAM.

by Len Wilson

BASIC ORGANIZATION
Media ministry may be organized into any number of teams,
depending on church size. One possibility is three teams: video,
sound/lighting, and tape duplication. The first two teams function
between worship and education. A typical production might require a
crew of about ten: six people for video, two for sound, one managing
lighting, and one in charge of tape duplication. The ministry would then
be structured on a weekly basis, with different crews serving a particular
weekend of the month, all weekend. Schedules are established, with as
little variation as possible, to ensure that each crewmember always
knows the particular time and date he or she is to serve. All team
members serve the entire weekend, including Saturday rehearsal and
worship, and Sunday worship. Having one crew for a weekend prevents
constant rotation of positions, which can make each worship production
equally weak! Although team members are caught up in the details of
production, making it difficult to actually worship the weekend that they
serve, their commitment is for that weekend only, leaving them free to
worship without distraction the other three weekends of the month.
The schedule remains fixed, ideally, but there is naturally a small
rate of turnover, as media can develop into a large volunteer ministry.
So there is a continual need for team members. Conduct training
workshops periodically, alternating between team functions.
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Have each media ministry member choose an initial area of
expertise. This self-selection does not encourage exclusivity; rather, a
method of specialization enables everyone to serve in specific, needed
ways. Media ministry is not like writing a book; it requires the skills and
talents of several gifted people, working in cooperation for the good of
the whole.
Although the area of expertise is that which requires your team
members' primary attention, have them be aware of processes in every
area, as knowledge is cumulative and creates a better working team
environment. Empathy and understanding are crucial to an effective
ministry; a functioning knowledge of the entire media ministry enables
this to happen. The best leaders are the ones who have experience at
every level of operation. Team leaders are much less likely to call for the
impossible or create tension out of ignorance if they understand the
demands on the other team members.
COMMITTING TO SERVE
Encourage team members to realize their commitment to serve in
the media ministry, before they decide to join because it is "cool."
Electronic media is intrinsic to worship, and team members are a vital
part of the process. When a new visitor walks in, one of the first and
most lasting impressions will be what is displayed on the big screen of
the wired church. Our task in ministry is to create and present excellent
electronic media to communicate the message of the transforming
power and love of Jesus Christ. We want that first impression to be a
good one, and subsequent experiences to be of effective communication
through minimal distraction. Thus, their trustworthy participation is
necessary, and the media ministry could not function completely without
each member's presence and dedication to ministry tasks. Part of that
commitment means abiding by certain norms, which are suggested as
follows:
 You are expected to serve when scheduled. If you cannot serve, then
you are expected to inform your team leader at least twenty-four
hours in advance. We understand that there are times when you will
not be able to serve when you are scheduled, but please make an
attempt to give the team leader as much notice as possible. In lieu of
a team leader, contact the coordinating staff person.
 We are a voice of encouragement. Never, in the intensity of live
production, let your commitment to excellence outweigh your love for
one another.
 Correction is to be done in a loving and caring way. We can fix
anything that goes wrong with the equipment, procedures, and/or
processes we use in media ministry. Repairing a broken heart can
take a long time.
 You are expected to follow the rules of the ministry.
 You are expected to work the assignments/tasks you accept.
 You are expected to serve at least one weekend per month.
 You are expected to attend three worship services per month; a
steady diet of worship is important to your spiritual growth.
CREATIVE TEAMS
Who do you get for your creative teams? Warren Bennis, in his book
Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration, outlines the
characteristics of good creative teams:
 Numerous young players, with a couple of veterans to provide
wisdom. Younger people do not have the same sense of failure that
older people have.
 More generalists than specialists; people who always see the big
picture.
 A strong leader; someone who can provide general direction and
draw out creativity and coherence in the thoughts of others.
 A constant goal or deadline, which forces creativity, but not
perfection. Such a goal might be a weekly worship service or a fall
education series.
 A sense of divine mission, that they have been called by God to this
time and place for this purposed.
Keep your mission focused. Know precisely the purpose and limits
of your project. Keep resources handy. Know how to research, as well.
Much information comes indirectly; for example, there are no references
in the Bible for use of electronic media, but one can find many passages
regarding language, communication, speaking, and writing (such as
James's admonition on the power of the tongue). Or, try acquiring a film
still from an older movie that may not be at the rental store by checking
film books at the library.
Inventor Stan Mason, the creator of disposable diapers and
squeezable ketchup bottles, offers a few tips on creativity:
 Sketch it out. If you're having difficulty seeing something, a visual
interpretation may help.
 While brainstorming, get ideas flowing to the point of saturation. In
creative sessions, quantity can often produce quality.
 If you're stuck, go to lunch, and don't talk about it. Give the idea
hibernation time. This may even mean sleeping on it.
 Furnish the right creative environment, whatever that means for your
team. Decide as a group what your environment should look like and
make it available. For example, set up plenty of space to move
around and plan. Make sure the temperature is just right. Have food
and drink available.
TEAM ROLES
My "top seven" list of important media functions, in no particular
order:
 Camera operator - Activities include live production, under the
director's lead, and field production for pre-produced clips.
 Computer operator - Creates and/or operates computer system(s) to
project images and animations onto the screen during live events,
 which includes text for praise and worship songs. (See the Design
section/ page 37.)
 Technical director - Operates the mixer through which the various
sources of video are mixed for projection.
 Director - Works with all team members (including audio and lighting)
and the speaker. The director is the leader of the crew and gives the
commands to other operators on the headset system.
 Sound - Operates live sound events, including set-up, gain,
equalization, and mixing.
 Lighting - Programs and operates the lighting board for live events.
 Tape - Audiotapes live events; makes copies of these for sale and
distribution.
TEAM-BUILDING TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Build depth
The introduction of a media ministry in church life, particularly in
worship, is one of the more demanding challenges among all the
possibilities emerging in electronic media culture. Even television
sitcoms take a thirteen-week break every summer, but worship occurs
fifty-two Sundays per year. The best way to avoid burnout is to build
depth within the team. As a coach, spend a percentage of your time
each week building teams, even if this cuts into your personal
production schedule. I spend on average ten hours/week in relationship
building and training. A team with depth can better handle the
transitions of life and continue to move ahead in ministry. The
alternative is a small remnant who are asked to carry the whole ministry
forward, and ammunition for naysayers who resist change and growth.
Media ministry is a complex hybrid of existing styles of electronic
communication. It is not broadcast television, certainly; it is not
PowerPoint for the office, it is not home videos of the backyard cookout.
Its purpose is not to entertain. As a new, interpretive communication
tool, it requires adaptability through which unskilled people do not have
to unlearn anything. They're moldable, without pre-conceived notions.
Although it's pleasant to have professionals at your disposal, often
the most committed, highly trained team members are the ones with
little previous experience, beyond a desire to learn about and serve
others through a media ministry.
Cross-train
Move your team members, with their consent, every six to twelve
months. Many people will get bored in a single capacity, and might leave
the media ministry. Training them in multiple functions, or cross-training
them, makes team breadth and depth greater. Don't rely on any one
person too much.
Develop a farm system
Look for media venues outside of worship, such as youth and
education functions, where the number of people gathered at any one
time is fewer. These events become a farm system, a means of training
and tracking the potential of future skilled players. Smaller functions
provide an ideal hands-on training environment, while not sacrificing the
quality of the primary event.
Rehearsals
As you begin to put together technical crews, conduct a series of
technical rehearsals prior to "opening day," with a few people to witness
the event.

Footnotes:
[1] Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman, Organizing Geniors: The Secrets of
Creative Collaboration (Boston: Addison-Wesley, 1997).
[2] Diane Cyr, "to Solve Almost Anything," Attaché, November 1997, 46-49.

Len Wilson, The Wired Church: Making Media Ministry