The ChurchGear Podcast

How long can you keep your church's production running on "Band-Aid" fixes before you finally need a complete AVL upgrade? And how do you pitch that massive expense to your leadership team?

In this episode, we are joined by Neil Brown of Henderson Hills Church to talk about smart budgeting, integration, and safety. Neil breaks down how to have the difficult conversation with leadership about moving from cheap, temporary fixes to a strategic, full-scale AVL upgrade. He also explains why it's okay to hit pause mid-integration if a project is heading in the wrong direction.

In this episode you'll hear:
0:00 Intro: Does Toby Want to Burn ChurchGear Down?
6:45 Neil Brown (Henderson Hills Church) Joins
13:00 When to Pause and Reevaluate Mid-Integration
24:30 Moving from "Band-Aid" Fixes to Full AVL Upgrades
31:30 Cool Production Life Hacks on a Tight Budget
38:15 What Churches Are Spending Too Much Money On
42:00 Safety Warning: Double-Check Your Rigging!
46:00 Keep Sundays Running: Avoid Last-Minute Changes
Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
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!

How do you convince your senior pastor to approve the new AVL gear your church desperately needs? And if budgets get slashed, do you sacrifice your gear upgrades or your room's acoustic treatment?

In this episode, we are joined by the team from City Church to tackle the hardest parts of church production leadership. We break down the strategy of using your church's specific vision to pick the right gear, rather than just the most expensive gear. We also dive into the technical weeds with a guide to Objective-Based Mixing and how to properly assess your room acoustics. 

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 The Dangers of Changing Things on Your Congregation
5:00 Storytime: Being Assaulted in the Tech Booth!
11:00 Networking: How to Meet Local Church Techs
17:00 Gear Talk: What is City Church Using?
18:00 How to Convince Your Pastor to Approve New Gear
20:00 A Guide to Objective-Based Mixing
27:00 Using Church Vision to Pick the Right Gear
29:40 The True Importance of Room Acoustics
31:30 Budget Cuts: Do You Sacrifice Gear or Acoustics?
39:30 Keeping Church Tech Volunteers Excited to Serve
43:30 Tech Takeaway: Set Your Volunteers Up for Success

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
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!

Is the hype around immersive audio actually worth the massive investment for your church? And how do you keep your production and worship teams united when your church is experiencing explosive, multi-site growth?

In this episode, we are joined by Eric Allen, Audio Engineer at Community Bible Church (CBC) in San Antonio. We start by unpacking what it takes to manage production across a rapidly growing, multi-site congregation, including exactly how CBC bridges the gap between the worship band and the tech booth.

In this episode you'll hear
0:00 Intro: Toby & Blake Are Bad at First Dates
5:30 Eric Allen (Community Bible Church) Joins
8:45 Managing Explosive Church Growth
12:30 Integrating Production and Worship Teams
14:16 Uniting a Multi-Site Worship Experience
22:00 Defining Immersive Audio in a Church Setting
24:00 Things to Consider Before Upgrading to Immersive
28:30 The Real Benefits of Immersive-Based Mixing
39:30 Weighing the Decision: Is Immersive Worth the Cost?
42:48 Tech Disaster Story 1: The Brownout
47:25 Tech Disaster Story 2: The Blackout
51:45 Keep Sundays Running: The Work You Do Monday to Friday
Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
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!

In this episode, we are joined by Estian Els to get a global perspective on church tech. We dive into the realities of running a massive 7,000-person church in Africa, breaking down exactly what gear they use and the unique struggles of navigating international supply chains to get it.

Estian also shares a brilliant leadership hack: why you need to bring your senior pastor to the FILO Conference. Finally, we zoom out to discuss the broader state of the global church, exploring exactly what the American church needs to learn from the African church when it comes to worship, community, and production.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Are You Scared to Travel Internationally?
5:15 Estian Els Joins the Podcast
9:04 Estian’s Start in Church Production
17:30 Gear Talk: Production for a 7,000-Person Church in Africa
19:50 The Supply Chain Struggle: Getting AVL Gear in Africa
24:45 Life Hack: Take Your Pastor to the FILO Conference
34:30 The Current State of the Church in Africa
37:30 What the American Church Can Learn from the African Church
44:00 Church Tech Disaster Story
47:00 Keep Sundays Running

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
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!

In this heavy but incredibly important episode, we are joined by Will Martin of Gateway Church. Will shares the raw reality of navigating one of the most publicized church crises in recent history. We discuss the immediate emotional toll on the production team, how to lead volunteers through the shock, and the harsh realities of staff turnover and attendance drops following a major scandal.

In this episode you'll hear:
0:00 Intro: False Miracles
6:14 Will Martin (Gateway Church) Joins
10:45 The Fallout: Navigating a Pastor's Moral Failure
18:00 Leading a Tech Team Through a Church Crisis
27:30 The Reality of Staff Turnover After a Scandal
32:30 How Moral Failures Impact Church Attendance
35:00 Should Lead Pastors Be Held to a Higher Standard?
47:30 Supporting Church Leadership During a Crisis
52:30 Gateway Church's Transition to a New Pastor
57:00 Keep Sundays Running: Knowing Your "Why"

Get expert help and care on your next integration project with our friends at HouseRight here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
Up to 50% off select categories and 20% off everything overall in stock! 

Grab a great deal deal and enter to win a "Keep Sundays Running" kit with fun swag and tech essentials here. 
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!