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[Dan Timon]

It is interesting to note how often a church's need for technical expertise lags behind its willingness to pay for it. I think that it is a critical hurdle that the church must get over in order to grow to the next level, because frustrated musicians and members who are distracted by technical gaffes and bad sound will go to another church. The cream always rises to the top.

When a job becomes so critical to a church that it is essential, and/or when the job demands more than 10 hours or so a week from a worker, it is time to pay that worker, or at least offer to pay that worker. An unpaid volunteer who is too important can either get burned out or lose sight of the fact that he is a minister-and leverage his importance into too prominent a position of power.

Regards,

Dan Timon

[Billy Merrill]

Small church of 100-150 on Sundays.  On audio I do 90% of the work with fill-in help when I can't be there. All of us are volunteers. Usually takes from 2-5 hours of time a week.  I also take care of the video, office computers and the LAN when needed.

[JohnnyB]

Only volunteer at about 15 hrs. per week.  Gymnatorium seats 500.  Off-site video venue seats 250.  Total Sunday attendance over 3000.  We run 5 services in the main auditorium and two at the venue, plus a full worship on Wednesday night.  Rehearsals are Mon., Tue., Wed. & Thu. nights to cover all the different services.  I "direct" two other "main" guys and multiple  others. Two of us rotate each Sunday and a third guy handles the off-site venue.

John Barbour

[Rob Warren]

I am a full-time 40+ hours a week engineer. We have the main sanctuary (2700 seats)  plus a K-12 school with a Gym and family center.  All have functions in them with installed systems. Along with a couple portable systems for classroom setups or offsite meetings.  Also, a pro-tools system in a small recording studio behind stage.  

Rob

[James Turner]

Volunteer at a number of churches in my local area with my time and my kit, (SW London UK) for things ranging from worship services to pantomimes and theatre productions.

How many hours a week depends on how many events...

For example I would probably have put at lot more hours into Soul in the City when it comes to London on the first week in August - however it's my Honeymoon that week so I won't be arround, (Though my rigs probably will be..)

James

[bates15]

Voulenteer, no idea how many hours. Just love doing it. I am the guitar player and stand in bass/keys pleyer to so i get to walk arround a bit.

Good point having the church pay the tech. It is only a big problem for the pastor to do that. We have a 700 seat church and when it comes time to pay the offerings and so on you would think we were a 150 seat church. Pastors all over the world have that problem. Even the 3000+ churches. Only thing there is that the number of paying (and obediant) church go-ers is a bit higher.

(ps excuse my typing, i have lived in Holland to long to type English without mistakes)

Nate

[Stirling Flynn]

I am the 1 full time live and studio audio engineer as well as the Director of Information Technology. We also have a full time technical director and his full time technical assistant.

As staff, we serve side by side with our weekend volunteers (NO WAY we could survive without our gracious volunteers!) and we also cover things like weekly maintenance, changes, moves, etc. as well as those events that would be hard to staff with volunteers (memorial services during the week and other weekday events).

[CGuerette]

Volunteer Technical Director - sometimes it feels like full-time volunteer  

Our church seats 800 with avg Sunday am attendance hovering around the 500 mark.

Our team consists of 4 audio techs, 2 projection techs and 1 video recording tech.  I am always looking for new people but sometimes it is hard to get people to commit to the job.

I don't think I am hard on people (far from it) but my attitude is to always do the very best we can with the resources we have.

There are no paid technical staff but if there were, I would certainly apply for the job.

[Mike Sveda]

Volunteer Sound Tech.  

[Thomas Harkin]

For 11 years I was full time Technical Director at a 2,000 member church.  I oversaw the transition from lyrics in bulletins, to slides, to computer.

After firing two part time audio guys, the administration "made" me take over mixing duties.  We produced two MAJOR musical dramas a year, with up to 12 wireless mics, an 80 to 100 voice choir, and usually a pretty good sized band.

After all that,  I still feel like I don't know anything!!  

I'm now one of 4 part time sound guys at an 800 member church and loving every minute of it, whether I'm at the mixer, or, not!

Thomas

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