worshipteam

How do you handle your church's tech needs when you go from 3 campuses to 24 campuses?


Justin Firesheets has grown a great deal in his years at Church of the Highlands. He joins us this week to discuss his top tech leadership traits, communication style and ways to improve.

In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby’s disrespectful children 
• 4:55 Justin Firesheets joins us
• 18:00 Going from 3 campuses to 24 as the tech leader
• 23:50 Justin’s advice for advancing in your church
• 30:00 Improving your communication style 
• 36:30 Justin’s favorite resources for professional development
• 44:10 Disaster story: Worst time for the projector to go down 
• 49:45 Hodges Trivia 
• 53:35 Tech Takeaway on accountability and relationships

Plugs: N/A this week


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

How do you constantly improve your mixing skills in a cutting edge environment like North Point Church?


David Stagl mixed at North Point for years before striking off on his own now as a freelance mix engineer for live and studio settings.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Electrocution, Shaq’s crew costs and near robbery 
• 7:15 David Stagl joins us! 
• 15:40 Northpoint disaster story 
• 22:00 Pioneering at Northpoint 
• 27:50 Studio vs Live sound 
• 30:15 Improving your skills in live and studio 
• 34:10 Preparing for a freelance gig 
• 35:50 Going live and live streaming simultaneously
• 40:00 David’s approach to mixing in a live setting 
• 44:00 Mixing in surround for live stream? 
• 47:45 Disaster story on “cutting yourself off at the knees”
• 51:30 Tech Takeaway on expectations 

Plugs: Connect with him on Instagram, his site, and go to 11 with him!

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

How do you outfit your church with the best system to spread The Gospel?



Nick Kofahl is the co-owner of Summit Integrated Systems and his team outfits churches with customized gear solutions.



In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby’s hairy body 
• 4:30 Nick Kofahl joins us 
• 7:00 Nick’s love of HiFi
• 20:40 How Nick landed at Summit Integrated Systems  
• 26:00 What sets Summit apart 
• 29:20 How Summit approaches projects 
• 32:20 Communicating to all the decision makers 
• 38:00 The work Summit turns away 
• 42:00 Fixing other failed integrations 
• 49:30 The conversations you need to fulfill a project 
• 53:00 Nick’s blunt truth to production folks for projects
• 58:50 Tech Takeaway on shepherding your community well

Plugs: Reach out to Nick Kofahl on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

How do you become a world class mix engineer? 


Daniel Ellis has been mixing for over two decades, so he dropped by the podcast studio to bring his wisdom our way!


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 A recruiter asks Blake to be the head of audio at a church?!
• 4:55 Daniel Ellis joins us! 
• 12:15 Kicking Chris Tomlin out of FOH
• 18:25 Sneaking into Universal Theme park with Crowder
• 24:25 How Daniell got into mixing 
• 26:22 What helped Daniell become a world class mixer? 
• 31:50 Daniel’s mixing philosophy and plug in preferences 
• 38:30 Immersive audio trends Daniel sees coming 
• 41:10 Disaster Story on the problem being yourself 
• 45:30 Tech Takeaway on sound volume battles 

Plugs: Reach out to Daniel on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

What lessons do you learn when you've lit some of the biggest churches in America like Willow Creek, Bayside and Cherry Hills? 


Chris Thomas has worked at all three and he drops by the podcast to give us his wisdom on how he has improved his lighting by improving the key relationships that he has with other roles in the church.


In this episode you'll hear:

• 2:00 Ross’s favorite Early Service videos so far 
• 11:45 Chris Thomas joins us! 
• 18:30 Blowing up a 400 amp
• 25:00 From Willow Creek to Bayside to Cherry Hills 
• 27:00 How are churches unknowingly causing church tech burnout?
• 30:50 Lighting and Video need to be in sync 
• 32:40 Theories over Rules of Thumb for lighting 
• 33:20 Lighting for the room or for video
• 35:25 How Chris got into church 
• 38:45 Disaster story on shutting down rehearsal 
• 41:45 Tech Takeaway on communicating with senior leadership well

Plugs:   None this week!


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

Should your church buy an LED Wall?

How do we know the right wall, price and application? Davis Kornegay joins us live from the FILO conference to give us his wisdom on how to decide if your church needs an LED wall and how to pick one out.


In this episode you'll hear:

• 1:00 Toby’s kids like Ross more 
• 7:05 Davis Kornegay joins us! 
• 15:00 Planning the Passion Conference 
• 18:00 A morning at Passion City Church 
• 23:45 How to pick an LED setup for your church 
• 28:25 How LED walls are being used right now 
• 30:30 Should your church get an LED wall?
• 33:45 Should the display show the band or just the lyrics?
• 39:30 Disaster Story on upside down towers
• 42:50 Tech Takeaway on not going through the motions

Plugs:   Hangout with Davis on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

Did you go to FILO's conference this year?

Join the crew as we recap the best moments from the trip. Toby and Dave have some stories and then we list all the ways Blake failed. Join us for the FILO Afterparty on this week's podcast!

In this week's episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Birthday disasters and Toby’s Betrayal of Blake 
• 3:40 Dave Roediger joins us! 
• 9:30 Five Truths and a Lie of Blake’s FILO Failings 
• 19:00 The Journey to FILO
• 28:20 Dave and Blake abandoned on Chicago’s streets
• 42:40 Blake’s FILO Failures 
• 56:20 Dave’s FILO Moments 
• 1:03:30 Tech Takeaway on community 

Plugs: Want some more FILO fun? Check out Todd Elliott's episode with us "Hard Conversations with your Spouse" and then check out his original episode with us. 

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

How do we check in on ourselves to ensure our ego, identity and mental health are in a healthy spot?

Stephen Brewster helps worship teams turn their original music into worship albums. He drops by the podcast studio to drop some wisdom on how we can take care of ourselves well. This episode will help you ponder some new questions and will minister to your soul.

In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby’s crisis of calling 
• 6:16 Stephen Brewster joins us!
• 8:15 Five internal fights and a fake
• 20:15 How do we check in on ourselves well?
• 23:00 Red flags for our mental health 
• 27:30 How to know when its time to ask for help
• 37:15 How do we find contentment in our role? 
• 53:15 How to know when it’s time to change churches 
• 55:45 Finding our identity in the correct space 
• 1:03:00 Tech Takeaway: Exercise to see you matter a lot 

Plugs:   Hangout with Stephen on Instagram,  check out his podcast and order his wife's enneagram book.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

How can Worship and Tech have the hard conversations that'll allow both departments to serve the church well?


Josh Fisher and Chris McClarney would recommend just becoming best friends! They started out as pals in Jesus Culture. The duo is now working together at Church of the City Franklin where Chris serves as the Worship Pastor and Josh serves at FOH in a tech role.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Young Toby has a hand in his nose and another in his trousers 
• 3:55 Josh Fisher and Chris McClarney join us!
• 5:00 Uber flipping, Cheetah feeding and Fox hunting 
• 17:20 Are Worship and Tech two teams or one?
• 25:40 Which department takes the blame for mistakes? 
• 33:30 Worship taking the bullet for tech 
• 38:00 How Worship and Tech can establish better trust 
• 45:30 Who has the power over the DB meter? 
• 47:15 How do Worship and Tech trade feedback? 
• 49:00 How to improve the relationships between Worship and Tech
• 53:55 Tech Takeaway on working better with your Worship Leader

Plugs:   Hangout with Chris on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

How can we have the hard conversations with the key relationships that are involved in our lives as Church Techs?


Todd and Bissy Elliott joined us this week to kick off our "Hard Conversations" series! We talk about all the ways our spouse can be affected by our church tech role, how to know when it's time to switch churches, and the marital red flags to look out for. 


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Fighting with our spouses, sleep talking, and lawn work
• 6:45 Five Fights & a Fake 
• 19:34 Todd’s past church tech jobs 
• 23:23 How do you talk about changing churches? 
• 28:20 Writing the “Rules of our Marriage” document
• 31:00  How did Todd and Bissy decide to move to Willow Creek?
• 35:00 Does your spouse have to attend the church you work at? 
• 38:00 Does your family still come first at Christmas and Easter? 
• 44:15 Who is the final decision maker? Your spouse or your Pastor?
• 50:45 When your spouse confronts the senior pastor 
• 58:10 Red Flags to look out for in your marriage 
• 1:03:30 How to know when it’s time to leave your church? 
• 1:14:41 Tech Takeaway on frequent, smaller hard conversations

Plugs:   Hangout with Todd on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

What was it like mixing for Hillsong United?


James Rudder joins the podcast to tell us about his adventures with Hillsong United, his favorite gear and he even has a few Mick Jagger stories!


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Mosh pits and sitting next to The Edge 
• 6:45 Getting lucky in Vegas and Table Tennis with guns!
• 12:10 Winning five bucks off MickJagger 
• 18:45 How did James Rudder land the United mixing gig?
• 22:00 James’s favorite venues he’s mixed Hillsong United 
• 25:00 James’s go to console 
• 26:30 Analog gear vs. plugins 
• 30:00 Disaster moment: The console was thunderstruck 
• 35:30 The truth of the touring life 
• 39:00 Touring Life -> L-Acoustics  
• 42:00 Immersive Audio 
• 53:45 Hearing a Hillsong United song after months of prep
• 57:00 Tech Takeaway on keeping to the plan on Sunday

Plugs:   Hangout with James on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

Can you prioritize your own health and production work simultaneously?


Chad Vegas is the director of video production at Transformation Church in Tulsa Oklahoma. He tells us how he started prioritizing his health, why Transformation Church values high quality production services and more on this week’s episode.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby & Blake’s failed exercising habits 
• 4:55 Grave digging & living on an island (Chad’s 5 Truths & a Lie) 
• 13:00 Chad’s battle with COVID
• 19:00 What Chad’s health struggles have taught him 
• 21:20 How church techs can put their health over church production 
• 28:15 How Transformation Church creates church services 
• 34:30 How to maximize your church’s production budget 
• 38:44 How to improve your live stream 
• 42:50 Transformation’s video suite upgrade 
• 47:25 Disaster story 
• 53:40 Tech Takeaway on caring for yourself so you can care for others 

Plugs:   Hangout with Chad on Instagram.


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

Can Venueflex fix any room?


Luke Vogel was the Audio Director at Church of the Highlands for years. He is now the Director of Immersive Solutions at Venueflex where their company makes rooms handle audio better.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Celebrity pastors and shoes 
• 6:45 Luke Vogel joins us 
• 17:30 Luke’s journey into the church production life 
• 21:30 Mixing Church of the Highlands Christmas Services 
• 28:00 Church of the Highlands moved over to SSL consoles 
• 30:40 Can Venueflex fix any room? 
• 41:00 “Fix the room first” 
• 43:00 The board melted with Steven Furtick 
• 49:00 Don’t mix before you get married 
• 53:05 Tech Takeaway on switching from technical to creative mindsets

Plugs:  Hangout with Luke on Facebook or Instagram


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

Harold has mixed for every major name in christian music. (Crowder, Steven Curtis Chapman and Mandisa just to name a few).


He joins us on the podcast to tell us how he got into church tech, how he found himself running audio for one of the biggest churches in America at 24 years old and more!


He also has some disaster stories that dance with death that you won't want to miss.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby’s family goes to Japan 
• 7:00 Harold Rubens joins us! 
• 12:30 Harold wins an Emmy! 
• 15:38 Mixing & machine guns 
• 21:00 How Harold Rubens became a fixture in church production 
• 35:00 “I’m 24 years old and suddenly running a mega church”
• 36:00 Making memorable worship services 
• 40:00 Best rooms Harold has mixed within
• 43:00 Disaster Story: death was an inch away
• 49:20 Disaster Story: losing the console right before a stadium show
• 57:00 Tech Takeaway: Communicating the “why” 

Plugs:  Reach out to Harold on Facebook!


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

What happens when opportunity and skill intersect?

You become the drummer for Jesus Culture!

Josh Fisher was the drummer for Jesus Culture, and he is now serving on the production team for Church of the City.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby and Blake shooting guns 
• 5:15 Josh Fisher joins us from Church of the City! 
• 15:00 Josh steals the stage from Dave Mathis! 
• 21:00 How Josh ended up in the Jesus Culture Band 
• 28:40 Tommee Profitt (NF’s Producer) produces COTC’s Christmas 
• 35:00 How to handle the pressure that comes with mixing 
• 38:00 Church of the City’s new building 
• 43:00 How does Josh stay cool under pressure during the service? 
• 47:00 Tech Takeaway on striving for excellence 

Plugs: Josh gave us nothing to plug!



Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!

What is it like to work with the gear from DiGiCo and Klang?


Kyle McMahon cut his teeth as Chris Tomlin's FOH Engineer and Monitor Engineer. He has taken that experience to his new role as the Trainer and Application Support for Group One.


Kyle joins us to chat about every console under the sun, how DiGiCo thrived during the pandemic, and more.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:30 FOH setups of churches we’ve visited recently
•  4:45 Kyle McMahon joins us 
• 6:30 Five Truths and a Lie with Kyle 
• 16:30 Kyle’s journey into the church production life
• 23:15 What Kyle does at Group One (DiGiCo Distribution) 
• 26:15 How did Group One thrive during the pandemic? 
• 33:00 What does it sound like to experience Klang? 
• 44:00 Paris Auto Show with One Republic 
• 46:00 Disaster turned Glorious with Matt Redmon  
• 49:26 Game: “Name that Console Brand” 
• 53:25 Kyle’s favorite DiGiCo and non-DiGiCo console of all time
• 54:50 Tech Takeaway: Be really good at paperwork 

Plugs: Check out what DiGiCo and Klang have going on and hit Kyle up on Instagram. 


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

We are looking for highly relational people to be ChurchGear ambassadors across the nation to help us meet unmet needs in church production. We want experienced church production enthusiasts to help us provide solutions for selling and buying used gear directly to and from the doorsteps of the local church.

Check out the full job description and Apply Here!