The ChurchGear Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Potesta, System Engineer for artists like Lauren Daigle and Tate McRae. We dive deep into the high-stakes world of touring production, covering everything from how to land your first big road gig to the critical lessons every local church can learn about PA system tuning and system design.Whether you're looking to upgrade your sanctuary's sound or considering a jump into the professional touring industry, Matt shares the "real-world" costs of professional audio services and how to protect your health while working in a high-demand industry.In this episode you'll hear: 01:00 Banter: Surprise Parties and Tech Interventions05:50 Guest Interview: Matt Potesta (Lauren Daigle & Tate McRae Tour)08:00 Career Roadmap: Landing a World-Class Touring Production Job13:00 Church Production vs. Touring: Pros, Cons, and Key Differences19:00 How to "Pay Your Dues" and Break into the Pro Audio Industry23:30 Touring System Design: Applying Road Lessons to Local Venues26:50 Budgeting for Sound: How Much Does Professional PA Tuning Cost?30:50 Should Churches Hire Independent Vetting for System Integrators?38:30 Career Advice: When to Transition from Church Tech to the Road43:20 Mental Health in Production: Prioritizing Health and Avoiding Burnout45:30 Pro Touring Disaster Story: Lessons from the Road48:00 Tech Takeaway: How to "Condition" Your Audience for Better ServicesCome Hangout With Your Tech Community at The Mix! Resources for your Church Tech Ministry Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here. Connect with us: Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here! Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

Dillan Howell has run many large scale events. From corporate ballroom events to managing the artists for the Charlie Kirk Memorial, Dillan's see it all. What lessons has he learned from his time in large scale events that he would bring back to church production if he returned to a church tech role? In this episode you'll hear: 01:00 Field Trip: Behind the Scenes of a Weird Open House05:30 Guest Interview: Dillan Howell (Evnt Ready)11:30 Realities of Church Live Event Budgets14:30 Can You Run a Major Church Event on $50,000?17:00 How to Pitch Live Event Tech Budgets to Leadership22:30 Production Disaster Story: The Music Festival Fail25:30 Event Industry Lessons for Church Production Teams29:30 Common Mistakes Churches Make with Live Production33:45 Where Churches Waste Money on Production Gear42:45 Artist Management & Logistics for Large-Scale Events: Charlie Kirk Memorial50:45 Church Tech Takeaway54:35 Church Tech Confessional: Bad Live StreamsCome Hangout With Your Tech Community at The Mix! Resources for your Church Tech Ministry Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here. Connect with us: Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here! Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

Church techs confessed some absolutely wild things to us in 2025. -Volunteering so you can marry the tech director-The worst TV stage rollout possible -Deciding to "kill" the file for the spicy "Marriage Conference Talks" In this episodes you'll hear: 1:00 Toby’s little story: Nate Bargatze stand up 5:15 Why you should have a billionaires kid on your volunteer team9:15 “Lemons into Lemonade” Award 14:50 “Funniest Moment of the Year” Award 20:15 “Awkward Moment of the Year” award24:30 “Hero of the Year” award30:00 “Worst Sin of the Year” award 33:20 “The Toby Award” award 36:45 Church Tech Takeaway: Guard your audio console from water38:45 2025’s Church Tech Confessionals! Come Hangout With Your Tech Community at The Mix! Resources for your Church Tech Ministry Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here. Connect with us: Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here! Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Leadership has a massive vision, but the tech budget doesn’t match the dream. This week, we sit down with Justin Hume from Cross Church to discuss how to bridge that gap without losing your mind. From planning your next console upgrade to the 'mission-critical' gear you should never buy cheap, we’re covering the practical side of church production—plus a spicy hot take on why Ableton-run lyrics might be a mistake."In this episode you'll hear: 01:00 Church Tech Community Trends05:00 Guest Interview: Justin Hume (Cross Church)07:00 How to Start a Career in Church Production12:15 Aligning Church Leadership Vision with Tech Budgets18:45 Church Broadcast Workflow: How Cross Church Does It24:45 Audio Console Upgrade: How to Plan for New Gear26:20 Essential Church Tech vs. Budget Production Gear28:30 Are Gear Warranties Worth It for Churches?30:26 Hot Take: Why You Shouldn't Use Ableton for Lyrics36:00 Live Production Disaster Stories & Lessons Learned40:15 Networking: Finding Your Church Production Community43:50 Church Tech Confessional: Behind-the-Scenes StoriesCome Hangout With Your Tech Community at The Mix! Resources for your Church Tech Ministry Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here. Connect with us: Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here! Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

What happens when you bring 9 Emmys and a background with the Dallas Mavericks into the church control room? You get a masterclass in production excellence.On today’s show, we’re joined by Dave Evans of Cottonwood Creek Church. We’re diving into the Broadcast vs. Cinema style debate, how AI tools are changing ministry, and practical ways to make your church production budget go further. Plus, stay tuned for a QR code disaster story that every tech director needs to hear."In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Painful Story: Integrator Woes 4:30 Dave Evans (Cottonwood Creek Church) Joins 10:20 The Evolution: Analog to Digital 20:30 AI Impact on Church Tech 24:30 Tips for Stretching Your Budget 29:45 Engaging Gen Z Through Production 34:15 Broadcast vs. Cinema Style Production 37:50 Disaster Story: The Wrong QR Code 45:15 Dave’s Emmy Awards 50:00 Church Tech ConfessionalCome Hangout With Your Tech Community at The Mix! Resources for your Church Tech Ministry Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here. Connect with us: Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here! Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!