Why Use A "Producer" In Our Worship Services?

I want to share with you another portion of my new book, but first I want to address an issue that comes up quite often.

Every week I hear something like this in response to my blogs: "You make church services sound like you're putting on a show." I cringe each time I hear this. No, and I say this emphatically: It's not about producing a show, but about doing everything with excellence--to glorify God!

We clean up before coming to church; we wash our hair, our car and our clothes; the pastor hopefully checks for spelling and gramatical errors in the sermon; we check the thermostat in church and clean the restrooms before the service, to help accomodate our members and visitors. In our personal lives we purchase high-definition TVs and surround-sound systems for our living rooms. We check email on our smart-phones, and use tablets for everything from reading books to checking our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

I find it interesting that some people are unwilling to accept technological advancements when it comes to church. I try to emphasize here on my blog that the goal for all we do in church (be it three-hundred yeas ago or today) is to see lives changed for Christ. PERIOD!

It seems ridiculous to me for the church to ignore marvelous advancements in technology. For example, I don't carry a leather Bible to church; I have ten translations of the Bible readily available on my iPad! I'm sure, to many sincere Christ-followers, this is heresy.

When it comes to a modern worship service, how far are we willing to go with technology before it becomes "heresy?" Is it air conditioning, electric lights, wireless microphones, in-ear monitors, video screens, e-Bibles, etc.? I know it's been said many times, but our culture is used to a high level of excellence with the productions they are faced with everyday on TV, in the movies, and on their favorite websites. Why must we limit our ability to take the message of the cross, using archaic methods of technology?

The same things apply to producing a worship service each week: we must coordinate each complicated aspect of the service plan, be it technical or performance, to work seamlessly and smoothly together. It's not as simple as it once was. I hope these blog posts help inspire you toward excellence.

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The Producer

In today's modern performance world, it's difficult to expect a worship leader to be everywhere all of the time when it comes to worship services. In the days of old (15-20 years ago!), it was possible for a worship leader alone to manage their job from the stage. The responsibilities of a worship leader today are becoming more complex as the technical requirements for our services grow. So it's possible that some churches may need to incorporate a service coordinator as a go-between to help fill the gap between the worlds of stage, tech and the audience.

This person, who we'll call ”the producer,” can be a big help to the worship leader during planning, rehearsal and in performance. Their job is to be objective musically, and to be familiar with the technology used in the service. The job is generally described as follows:

1. The producer is a person who is experienced in areas of performance, technology and music, and who will help the worship leader optimize the the service's effectiveness by taking the point-of-view of the audience. They must also have a spiritual sensitivity in order to bring helpful, objective critique regarding the spiritual aspects of the service to the worship leader and pastor.
2. The producer is one who pays close attention to musical arrangements, staging and technical cues and the overall “feel” of the service--especially during rehearsal and the final run-through--to make sure each element is working; they make suggestions on how to improve areas that aren't measuring up to the pre-determined goals of the service.
3. The producer is the person who goes over the plan just before the service with the tech and worship teams, as well as any others who participate in the service, including special guests, staff members and the pastor. It's important to have a printed service plan available to each person involved so that every stage move, music cue and tech cue can be discussed and confirmed.
4. The producer is a person who has the respect of the worship leader, the pastor, and the tech team, and one who isn't afraid to be bold enough to approach the leaders with critique, but sensitive enough to maintain a positive, creative environment for the performers. The pastor will need to understand that the producer may have to be very directive at times, not with disrespect, but in a way that will help to promote and maintain excellence.
5. The producer can be a person in a paid staff position, but possibly a volunteer. It is optimal for the producer to be involved with the worship production team during the planning of each service. But a volunteer producer can take the plan each week, collaborate with the worship leader, and help tweak the service during rehearsal. There may be a need to make changes between services, if necessary.

Why not use a talented person like the one described as “producer” on the worship team? Well, some folks may be more interested in being a producer than a performer. Maybe there's as associate on staff that has another job description during the week, but who is available and can fulfill the job during weekend services. In any event, it will take a person with an extremely broad range of experience to fulfill the requirements of this position. Make it a matter of prayer, and seek out a possible candidate that will fit the bill.