Date: September 22, 2014

Church Energy Management Systems

If you hope to make changes at your church to reduce energy usage, you need to be able to monitor your systems in real-time. Your church energy bill simply does not give you the details you need to make smart decisions about where you can reduce energy usage. The bill will not give you insights about how much energy is used for lighting, audio, video, IT, HVAC, or communications systems. Energy management solutions allow you to get those details that show what’s going on at the system level.

Here’s a quick example of what I am talking about here. A lot of new cars include an “eco trip” feature. The purpose of this feature is to assist the driver in saving gas (energy) during each trip. The dash gives the driver visual feedback in the form of a score or mpg (miles per gallon) rating based on the drivers behavior. If a driver’s behavior is really aggressive on the road, they will get a bad score. Conversely, if they pay attention to the score and adjust their behavior, they can get better results. So as a church, if you know exactly where your energy hogs are, you can adjust their behavior to reduce energy usage in those areas. This will lead to efficient use and tangible savings. A monitoring solution provides that real-time feedback.

To monitor your church energy usage, consider these three types of solutions:

Portable Energy Monitoring

There are a handful of portable solutions on the market that allow you to monitor one or two devices at a time. The idea here is that you plug the monitor into an outlet, and then plug the device that you want to track into the monitor. The P3 Kill-A-Watt is one such device which gives you a readout of the kWh (kilowatt-hours) right on its display. Another example out there is the Insteon Hub which does the same thing as the P3 but adds wifi network monitoring from a mobile or web app. There are also third party apps out there that will allow you to control and monitor the devices that you have connected to the hub.

System Specific Monitoring

Companies that make power conditioners have integrated energy monitoring features into their products. These products can be dropped into an equipment rack and connected just like a power conditioner. These are different from traditional power conditioners because they are network connected. When paired with web apps within the product eco system, end users can remotely track the energy usage of all connected devices down to the specific plug on the back of the unit. Some examples include the Furman BlueBolt series and the JuiceGoose IP series.

Complete Energy Management System

A complete solution is one that is integrated at the breaker panels at your church or even across several church campuses. This utility level investment provides real-time data of all energy activities. When paired with a proprietary software solution, the management system will give facility managers the ability to scrutinize every aspect of usage and possible savings across multiple systems and facilities. Highly efficient corporations, manufacturing plants, hospitals, government buildings and universities utilize complete energy management systems to maximize their energy usage, productivity, and profits. This will usually be a custom solution that can be integrated when you build a new facility or retrofitted to existing buildings.

If your church has serious intentions of achieving its energy savings goals, you need one of these solutions to measure your results.

Next time we will discuss automation, the intelligent choice for securing lasting energy savings at your church.

Date: September 16, 2014

Setting Church Energy Goals

Last time we discussed how the Church Energy Audit can help you track down the biggest energy wasters at your church facility. Now that you have a better idea of where you power is going (or not going) the next step in restoring your church’s use of energy is to set some energy savings goals.

Unless you plan on taking your church off the grid it is unrealistic to think you will be able to reach 100% energy efficient. It is mighty noble to say “we want to reduce our church’s energy consumption by 30%,” but you have to determine where you will find savings. Be specific. Look at each system and get estimates on energy savings and initial costs for upgrades/replacements. Start with the smallest culprits and work your way up.

Here are three ways you can set reasonable goals for church energy savings:

House Lighting: Expect to save 75%-80% when switching from traditional incandescents to CFL’s or LED’s. Changing out old school gym lights (400W metal halides) will give you the biggest bang for your buck at 50%-70% if you switch to LEP (light emitting plasma). Depending on the size of your facility, upgrading your lighting fixtures could be your least expensive expenditure. If it looks like it would be too costly to upgrade all lighting at once, consider doing it in phases. Upgrading one zone per year or 6 months as you are able until the whole building is done. Consider that the savings cost you can achieve in just a few months may amount to thousands of dollars. Upgrading might just pay for itself!

AV & Stage Lighting: One of the biggest energy culprits in AV are likely to be audio amplifiers. If you still have a few remnants from last century’s workhorse amps in your AV rack it’s likely they not very energy efficient. For example the CROWN MICROTECH amplifiers produced in the 90’s and early 2000’s needed 11-26 amps where as a modern day Crown iTech amplifiers requires just 5-8 amps during a program or as little as 0.8amps in sleep mode (sleep mode is actually a recent addition to pro audio applications). That upgrade alone is a savings of 45%-70%. 93% savings when in sleep mode. Large format projectors also require a lot of power. Dimmer units are also big energy consumers. If your AV upgrade schedule includes audio amplifiers, projectors, or conversion to LED stage lighting fixtures, or LED Video walls, make sure you include considerations for energy efficiency in your specifications. There is significant energy savings to be had with upgrades. If replacing these AVL components all at once isn’t practical for your church, consider phasing the old workhorses out over time.

HVAC/Water: As you pinpoint your largest consumers within your facility by reviewing your church energy audit, the HVAC and water systems will likely be one of your biggest energy offenders. Your discussions with facility managers, leaders and consultants may tend to start here. Upgrading or replacing HVAC and Water systems can be quite a daunting task especially if your systems are 30+ years old. Unless it’s a matter of a smart thermostat or installing a digital water heater manager, you will probably be talking MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE changes. The high costs associated with this level of upgrades can send sticker shock through your leadership. Still, there are energy savings to be had with upgrades to HVAC and water. Talk through this process with a qualified consultant to set an appropriate energy savings goal here.

Next time we will take a look at how churches can use automation for more smart energy savings.

Date: August 7, 2014

Why Energy Inefficient Churches Are Losing Their Power

Energy inefficient churches are plagued by skyrocketing power bills. Let’s face it, church production takes a lot of power. Not just “Holy Ghost Power”, but power company power. While a lot of energy is used during production, inevitably a percentage of that energy is wasted. I’m willing to bet a lot of church buildings have terribly inefficient systems. It’s possible most church leaders are unsure of where their power is even going. I’m concerned that churches have come to accept the notion that high energy bills are simply the cost of doing ministry. The truth is, it’s not out of your hands. You can take responsibility for your church’s energy usage.

The first step: Understand where you energy is going.

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” – Lord Kelvin

The two most important numbers on your church’s energy bill are usage (kW/month) and payment due ($$$). This tells you the overall amount of energy used, and how much it’s going to cost you. What the bill doesn’t tell you is the breakdown of usage in your building. It’s critical to know where your energy is going so that you can identify potential places of improvement. Don’t worry. This guide will get you pointed in the right direction.

Four common culprits of energy waste found in churches:

1. HVAC:

Church heating and cooling systems are by far the biggest offender of energy waste. It takes a lot of energy to heat/cool large venue spaces. Church sanctuaries are no different. Some HVAC systems need to run for hours prior to service to get the room to a comfortable temperature for attendees. You’d be surprised at how inefficiently some of these systems are running. The first place to look for a quick solution here is at the HVAC management system. Commercial grade smart thermostats from the best in the industry are becoming widely available and resemble features seen in intelligent thermostats for the smart home market. Changing out an archaic HVAC regulator with smart products will give you the fastest reduction of energy waste for minimal investment. Talk about bang for your buck. In the next post I will go more in-depth about addressing larger HVAC waste issues.

2. Lighting:

Another large contributor to energy waste at your church may be your lighting systems. If your church has yet to convert from the old school gym flood lights and fluorescent tubes, you are missing out on significant energy savings. There are tons of new energy efficient options on the market right now including CFL, LED and Induction fixtures. Upgrading your lighting is another fast way to reduce energy usage throughout your church buildings. Another benefit of switching is the increased life of the new technologies. These new fixtures will require far less maintenance and bulb replacements than ever before. Doing the whole building in one go may not be cheap. Consider doing it in phases. The good news is that prices are dropping.

Next consider smart zone control. Many churches are now benefitting from using smart motion censoring technology to control lighting in classrooms, meeting spaces, and auxiliary areas. Scheduling and way finding software can be integrated into smart lighting systems to ensure that you have light only where you need it. These technologies are especially effective in energy reduction during non-peak hours.

Lastly, consider LED stage lighting fixtures for production. LED’s fixtures offer lower wattage, multi-color, multi-pattern options to lighting designers and don’t require power sucking dimmer packs.

3. Phantom devices:

Phantom devices are anything that stays on 24/7. Do you know how many devices in your church are NEVER turned off? These are most likely computers, AV, IT, emergency, and security devices that may or may not go into “sleep mode” and never fully turn off or unplug. While the sleep mode feature does add the convenience of short wake up times, certain devices need not be on 24/7. Identifying the devices that can be completely shut off and connecting them to smart power strips that will decouple the device from the outlet when off is a great first step. Some smart power strips can be connected to scheduling software so that they are on when you need them and completely off when you are gone.

4. AV:

Audio visual manufactures have been producing more energy efficient devices over the last 5 years. The advent of class D MOSFET amp has significantly improved the efficiency, output, and reliability of modern audio amplifiers. A lot of those devices have integrated control features allowing users to remotely monitor energy usage. Old-school workhorse amplifiers, CRT tube TV production monitors, and large projectors not only require a lot of energy, they also produce tons of heat. In each upgrade, consider the energy rating to maximize efficiency in your AV systems.

Next Steps:

If your church has been discussing upgrading any of these four systems sometime in the next 5 years, make energy usage and waste apart of the discussion. If you really want to get a handle on your church’s energy (and energy bill), I’d highly recommend getting a commercial grade energy audit. Next time we’ll break down what you can expect to learn from a church energy audit.

Date: May 9, 2014

Hi-Tech Church Apologetics

Catching up with friends and family always brings a bombardment of questions about my recent move to Chicago and my new job. As a church audio engineer, the one question I get A LOT is “what is it with churches trying to be cool and hip with their use of technology all of a sudden?” I can see where they are coming from. Walking into a local mega church can be confusing. The experience for non-church goers can be like a mashup of a rock concert and Ted talk. Special events at the most advanced churches are bordering vegas show level production. Many are indeed confused with modern church’s use of technology and social media. Some say it is the church’s desperate attempt to remain relevant. “Isn’t the gospel enough?” they protest.

Some offer the great commission as their primary argument for the church going big with technology (google “Digital Missions”). I would like to offer a different argument for churches to embrace technology. The great commandment. Love.

Here are 5 ways the church loves through technology:

1. Streaming. Internet live streaming loves the church attender. It is a great tool to extend your church services and events outside of the physical church building. Folks who are sick can tune in from home, and people who are traveling can keep up with the latest series. These are great benefits for church regulars. Live streaming also loves the church seeker. Streaming provides a low pressure gateway for those who would like to check out your church without the intimidation of going to a big huge place for the first time (or a small place where everyone will ask them to stand and give their name and credentials). The hard work and thoughtfulness of a live stream can go a long way to introduce and connect people to your local body of Christ.

2. Big Data. Collecting data about the people you want to reach through your ministry gives churches important information about their local, national, and global community. Why make guesses or assumptions about your community, when you can have certainty about what’s important to them? Churches collect their data through email marketing, social media campaigns, polls, and surveys. These resources can help churches shape programming quickly. Churches can now make adjustments to reflect what their community cares about and needs. Then, analytics allow churches to measure their impact and reach. Churches can know exactly how they are doing at loving people. You can’t improve what you can’t measure. At least not efficiently and effectively.

3. Multi-site & simulcast church model allows churches to expand their reach while remaining local and small in feel. Getting a smaller church feel is important to many people who have difficulty finding community in large crowded mega churches. A small local church ensures that someone knows your name. It means you can find friends and community groups faster. It means you don’t have to travel far from where you live. It means you will likely be attending church with your actual neighbors (with whom you practice the great commandment). Many churches encourage us to live life in community, multi-site and simulcast build that motto into their structure.

4. Big Screens and Loud Sound. I know, I know, you want to go to church, not a live concert. You don’t know why there are huge screens and speakers coming at you from everywhere. Trust me, many churches have integrated modern Audio-Visual systems because they love you. Most church buildings were not designed with the congregation experience in mind. Many have poor sight lines and terrible acoustics. If you are siting in the back you can’t see the pulpit. If you are too far left, you can’t hear the worship leader or the pastor. Modern AV systems assist the artist and audience engagement through a range of music, dance, and other artistic expressions of worship while providing high intelligibility of spoken word. The big screens and loud sound systems ensure that every person in the room can hear and see.

5. Social Media is a means to engage people beyond Sunday and beyond the four walls of the church. The content your church produces can spark on-going conversation, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your members can respond to and share your content with their networks, thus extending your church’s reach. That awesome point in the sermon, that song that speaks to someone’s experience. They can be shared over and over through likes, retweets, and re-blogs, for weeks and months after the service has ended. There is also now a record that people can search for, bookmark, and come back to, all online. These days you don’t even have to be at a computer, you can create and access social media from the phone in your pocket. The voice of the church is badly needed on the walls of social media. We can love our neighbors online everyday through social media.

Whether you loath or embrace these changes in technology use in the church, these are just the tip of the iceberg. Technology is advancing pretty fast. Remember, we don’t have to look at it as solely a new way to “reach” the next generation or to stay relevant. If we really think about the ways “loving your neighbor” is changing in this day and age, you might be able to come up with new ways to love with technology. Any ideas?

Date: March 29, 2014

Why Your Church Should Hire Techies

Some churches have the unfortunate tendency to underestimate how badly they need to hire techs to handle audio, video, lighting, and IT. It seems even more difficult for churches to hire a director. Maybe the pastor has thought about it. Maybe the elders have even debated it. Tight budgets no doubt weigh heavily in these decisions. However, there are five things your church may not be considering when to hire or not to hire is the question:

1. Technical work is harder than you think.

The work of a church tech is very complex. Systems in the digital age are almost always in flux and the state of technology has never been advancing at such an accelerated pace. Many millennials have actually gone to college to study in related fields and have the student loans to prove it. Many baby-boomers boast decades of experience and are committed to staying up to date on leading edge technology. The church presents a unique challenge to technical artists. The delivery of the gospel in a clear way Lastly, demands on technology use to do things such as streaming, simulcast, and archiving require collaborative efforts among multi-disciplinary teams of technical artist to make “simple” concepts a reality. The value of a good technical artist in the for-profit market is to the tune of $45k-85k. Great technical artist are well worth the investment.

2. More time is required than you think.

While church techs are indeed often the first to arrive and the last to leave, when additional tasks or special projects are added to the typical work load, it isn’t uncommon for some tech teams to spend hundreds of man hours a week to complete a project. On top of that also they have to make Sundays happen. Many of those hours is time each tech has to spend away from their family and other obligations. It’s my hope that a more realistic view of time and energy techies commit to projects might prevent usury.

3. Bad tech will hurt growth.

Developing a top notch technical program takes consistency. Every church has a different set of values, objectives, and method. In order to adhere technical systems to the mission of the church, significant thought and planning has go into design and processes that will support the mission and accommodate its growth. When the technology in place does not work for the church, it often can work against the church. When audiences are constantly distracted by constant “technical difficulties”, they will often question the integrity of the leadership.

4. It’s more expensive not to hire.

While volunteers are mostly concerned with making Sunday happen, a paid technical director will partner with church officials to see that the church reaches its objectives. If there is no one to fill this gap, churches will have to spend significant amounts of money hiring consultants to fix what’s not working. They will not necessarily be around to evaluate the effectiveness of their solutions. A good tech team will monitor systems, perform maintenance, and anticipate updates. This often translates to significant savings for your church.

5. If you don’t, someone else will.

Church techies are looking for opportunities. Some are willing to travel or uproot for the right opportunity. Many would LOVE to work for the church that they have been volunteering at. If they receive an opportunity to work elsewhere, I imagine most would strongly consider it. Church leaders, ask yourself. What if your volunteer left your church right before your next service? Could your service go on without a hitch? If not, I strongly suggest you considering hiring a techie.

Date: January 18, 2014

Why Your Church Needs An App

In my last post, I briefly touched on how church mobile apps could be the successor of the out of date (and wasteful) church bulletin. I wanted to expand on this idea because church apps can do more than just simply inform church goers about what’s going on around the church. While reviewing current designs, I’ve seen powerful current capabilities and future potential for church apps. Here’s the punchline for this post:

The church mobile app can redefine how your congregation interacts beyond Sunday.

Here are 7 features of mobile apps that will have your church goers engaged throughout the week:

1. Interactive Calendar: Calendars in church mobile apps utilize modern tools that help both potential attendees and event planners. Users will be able to integrate with calendars built into their phones and email, allowing them to add reminders, get directions, and set their RSVP which planners will receive instantly allowing them to plan accordingly.

2. Media: Streaming live services and on-demand video, audio, photos, and podcasts can be accessed by thousands of smartphones anytime, anywhere.

3. Bible App Integration: Sermon Notes can contain links and will open up some bible apps like YouVersion and take a user right to the passage they are studying.

4. Online Giving: Most apps will offer a giving option that lets your app link right to your websites online donation page. This way your users won’t have to go looking for it themselves.

5. Notifications/Alerts: Communicate with your congregation directly, send weather alerts, emergency notifications, and updates to important topics right to users phones, they can opt-in or out in their own settings.

6. Customer Management System: You won’t have to pay every time you want to make an update, most design firms offer proprietary CMS (customer management systems) which give you the keys to adding content and making incremental improvements to the user experience on your apps. Some functions will merely take an RSS feed and will update automatically when you update the parent platform (i.e. Facebook or twitter timelines).

7. Social Sharing: The ability for users to share your content with their followers extends your churches reach into the community in ways you you’ve never imagined. Social media is participation in America is growing daily. If your church doesn’t have a web presence yet, first focus on developing profile pages on the top social networks (and please please please update your website).

Remember, the features above are just highlights of where current app design is now. Keep in mind, church mobile apps have only been around as long as the app stores themselves have which is really 5 years or less. We can’t even begin to imagine how this technology will evolve in the next 2,3,or even 5 years from now. One thing for sure is, you do not want to be too far behind on this. If your church wants to continue to stay relevant by “meeting people where they are,” well, the world is going mobile. But don’t worry, you don’t have to go at it alone. Take a look at what these 5 mobile app design firms have come up with and the churches that use their apps today:

1. The Church App

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android, Windows 8

Top Features: On-Demand Video Streaming, Audio Streaming (Podcasts), interactive calendar with location services, registration, sharing, contact information, Music Album Listening, Blogging, Social Media Integration, Custom Content Management System.

Clients Apps Highlighted: Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC), Billy Graham Evangelic Association, Mars Hill Church

2. Faith Network

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android, Windows 8

Top Features: Live/On Demand Video Streaming, Push Notifications/Alerts, Online Giving Integration, Google Maps, E-vites, Sharing, Dynamic Events Calendar, Social Media Integration, Content Management System

Clients Apps Highlighted: Highpoint Church, First Lavaca, Church of Grace

3.My Pocket Church

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android

Top Features: Push Notifications, Events Calendar, Church Contact Information, Social Media Integration and Sharing, Appointment Scheduling, Car Finder, Media Streaming, Wufoo Form Integration, YouVersion Integration, Content Management System.

Clients Apps Highlighted: Pacific Cross Roads Church, Antioch (Bend, Oregon), Crosspointe Church (Anderson, SC)

4. Church Wise Solutions

Operating Systems Supported: iOS & Android

Top Features: Push Notifications, Form Builder, Mobile Giving, Sermon Podcast, Prayer Wall, Social Media Sharing, One Touch Contact Info, Youtube & Vimeo Integration, Events Calendar, Directories, Blog Feed, GPS Location Services, Music.

Clients Apps Highlighted: Connection Pointe (Little Rock, AK), Christ Church (Fairview Heights, IL), Midland First Assembly of God (Click links for live demos from Church Wise Solutions).

5. TWELVE

Operating Systems Supported: iOS, Android

Top Features: Live/On Demand Video Streaming, Push Notifications/Alerts, Online Giving Integration, User Registration, , Multi-level CMS (Content Management System), Blog (with comments and likes), Itinerary/Calendar, Prayer Wall (with comments and likes), Audio Video Podcast Library.

Clients Apps Highlighted: River Church (Durham, NC), Mt. Sinai COGIC (Davenport, IA), FaithWorld (Orlando, FL)

Now that you’ve taken a look at what church apps look like today, what feature would you like to see in the next church mobile app?

Date: December 28, 2013

Christmas Production 2013 Takeaways

2013 was different for me around Christmas time. I had just landed in Chicago only 3 months prior and God hooked me up with a new gig at a great church. Turns out, the media team (creative/tech) including myself were all mostly new to the church as well and we were tasked with quickly piecing together a Christmas production for the church unlike anything they had ever seen. Needless to say, we jumped in head first. Now that we have emerged from the craziness of Christmas production world, I have three takeaways to share that will save us all a few headaches during Easter/Christmas 2014 productions. Without further ado, here are the takeaways:

1. Go Big, Be Flexible

Anytime to you sit down with creative people, once they get inspired, ideas flow like water. Our pin boards were stuffed with ideas. Luckily for me, our creative director is actually very technical and he understands exactly what it takes to pull off each idea. Some of these ideas looked completely impossible. Tech gurus like … and … have written about the tendency for tech team members to say no by default to these ideas. While we would love to see these crazy ideas come to life, in the back of our head, we calculate the amount time, money, and crew it will take to actually pull them off. In those program meetings, you do not want to be Donny or Debby Downer. Instead of shooting down ideas left and right like target practice, try visualizing alternative methods to accomplish the heart of the original idea. This Christmas I found myself shooting down a doable idea that turned out to be the hit of the event. I’m so glad I was out voted on that one.

2. Tweak it Until It’s Right

I don’t buy into this idea that every showing of the production has to be exactly identical. If your Christmas production is shown several times, making small changes is crucial in my opinion. Especially if something is just wrong for the production. Why repeat bad? If something can be done better, why not make slight improvements along the way. We all try to get to the issues before hand in tech and dress rehearsals, but realistically, at curtain call, things are different. There is an audience out there. They may respond differently to things in ways you didn’t anticipate. Don’t be afraid to jump in there and make the small tweaks or the large deviations. Don’t live with bad. Eliminate dead space. Build in better cues. Sacrifice good for great.

3. Keep Your Family First

Long hours at the church does not just take a hefty toll on you, but on your loved ones as well. Do not give away all of your capacity to the church and leave your family with leftover exhaustion and frustration. Anticipate the amount of hours you will be away from your family, communicate it to them but also plan to have an incredible Christmas at your house as well. If you have services on Christmas Eve or Christmas day, move up Christmas dinner, gift exchange, and family gatherings. Push yourself to be intentional about thinking through and communicating what Christmas at you house will look like. You can still keep your family first even through the craziness that is church Christmas production.

Date: December 1, 2013

Ministry in the Digital Age, Notes from Glenn Packiam’s Wfx Keynote

This post is a summary of the last keynote at Worship FX 2013. The speaker was Glenn Packiam and he gave a challenging talk about how we are (or are not) using technology in the church to spread the gospel. Here are my notes exactly as I wrote them (with an iPhone mind you). Comment if you need any clarification on anything. Make sure you follow Glenn on twitter for more inspiration like this.

—
“Ministry in Digital Age”
By: Glenn Packiam,
@gpackiam (on twitter)

If we say it isn’t about me, why don’t we embody that message in what we actually do?

How can we make our services truly Christ centered?

The sending idea is about being gospel shaped.

We are not thinking like story tellers. we are thinking like entertainers.

Maybe the missing ingredient is the narrative.

“Spirit-led. I don’t mean spirit led as in loosy-goosy. The spirit is not always spontaneous. Sometimes he’s right on schedule. He means we need to speak the language of our culture as what was done at the day of Pentecost. Who is this city made up of? Learn who they are and give them the gospel in their own language.”

Nobody has challenged us to think more deeply than we are.

Is the addition of technology and product the best way to lead the people here in front of us to Jesus?

May everything that is said sung and done lead people to Jesus by the power of he Holy Spirit amen.

You can use technology to entertain or we can use technology to illuminate. Be illuminators.

Date: October 14, 2013

PORTABLE CHURCH TECH TIPS: THE TIMELY SETUP (PART 2)

In my last post I discussed the challenges portable churches can face in getting consistency in setup. These challenges can lead to delays in the services or distractions throughout services. In this post, I will break down how I implemented the 5 tips for getting consistent stage setups that got us back on track.

(Photo Courtesy of Spencers Magic)

Some background:

Last year I started volunteering as a tech at a portable church that was entering it’s third year. As a young church, it wasn’t a surprise that the previous AV tech on staff was kind of a one man show. When “Joe Solo” left the church, there was a huge void.

The leadership decided it would be best to build a larger volunteer setup team, rather than rely on another solo sound guy. Smart move. The new setup crew was a mix of musicians, singers, and other inexperienced volunteers. Mixing duties were left to a handful of techies with limited experience. Despite having an eager and energetic crew, the setup suffered weekly delays, distractions, disturbances. Service start time fluctuated, and distractions during service were prevalent. I observed how things functioned for a few weeks and when I got the opportunity to implement some changes here is exactly what I did.

1: Allot more time than you need

The volunteers spent most of the setup time in the morning trying to decode the old solo tech’s setup procedure. The stage was flooded with people scratching their heads. By the time the band came in, the stage wiring was usually a complete mess. The most obvious problem was that the more experienced FOH techs came in later with the band. The techs would often spend valuable time looking for misplaced equipment, re-patching, troubleshooting, and then setting up the FOH station. Not to mention, the worship team still had to do a run through/rehearsal, and the pastor/speaker needed to soundcheck. Despite having 3 hours to get it all done, service started late almost every week. The first change was a simple one. We required the on duty sound tech to come in one hour early with the setup crew. That extra hour for the sound tech ensured a timely and efficient setup from the start and the opportunity for the next tip:

2. Work in pairs

From a volunteer perspective, loading cases on and off the stage is the easy part. When those cases on stage are opened things can get pretty overwhelming very fast. Breaking down the elements of the setup into manageable sizes reduces things into sections that the crew can handle. Instead of each individual focusing on the whole setup ad getting overwhelmed, they can now focus in on doing their part. We determined that our stage could be properly set and wired in 45 mins with 4 people. With the sound tech coming in early with the setup crew of four, we split the setup crew into two pairs. We choose pairs because most of our setup required two people lift and set. The sound tech worked along side both teams. Each pair got a short task list and they performed these tasks every time they came in. Repetition really helped each pair remember each step of what they were assigned. They could check each others work. Hold each other accountable for showing up. Some even carpooled. We tried to always schedule in pairs as much as we could and the result was a streamlined setup.

3. Teach best practices as you go

My biggest fear in my early observations of the inexperienced crew was safety. Fear that the messy stage would result in an injury of a crew member, musician, or pastor. Something had to give. Having the setup crew in pairs allowed the sound tech on duty to float from team to team during setup guiding them with best practices along the way. With a little coaching and a lot of gaft tape, before long, the crews became superstars and could do most tasks unsupervised. Some offered ideas on how we could become even more efficient and safe in our setup. Once more of the crew became more comfortable with the setup, they got more and more interested in other areas like mixing FOH. Giving your team the tools they need to succeed is often the fuel needed to lite the spark that has been squashed by frustration.

4. Listen to your crew

When I first landed at the portable church, and as I got to know different folks on the crew, I asked them what they thought were causing the issues and also what they would do to fix it. While I did get a range of answers, it served more as an opportunity to get into the mind of the volunteers who were growing more and more frustrated. Gathering and implementing some of the ideas that were shared was a strategic team building exercise. Including the team members gave them a voice and an opportunity to own the solution. Later on the team could see the progress that they originally envisioned.

5. Have those tough conversations

The toughest part of transforming the setup was addressing the worship team and church leaders. Because they were not usually present during setup, they often came to varied conclusions as to what was contributing to the difficulties. I observed a lot of mistrust and misplaced blame in my first couple of weeks. When we hit a turning point, I felt that it would be important to gather all the setup crews, sound techs, worship teams, and leaders. The result of the gathering was an opening in communication between the teams. We’ll talk about restoring community and confidence between different teams in the next post.

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To monitor your church energy usage, consider these three types of solutions:

Portable Energy Monitoring

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If your church has serious intentions of achieving its energy savings goals, you need one of these solutions to measure your results.

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Here are three ways you can set reasonable goals for church energy savings:

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The first step: Understand where you energy is going.

Four common culprits of energy waste found in churches:

1. HVAC:

2. Lighting:

3. Phantom devices:

4. AV:

Next Steps:

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1. The Church App

2. Faith Network

3.My Pocket Church

4. Church Wise Solutions

5. TWELVE

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Some background:

1: Allot more time than you need

2. Work in pairs

3. Teach best practices as you go

4. Listen to your crew

5. Have those tough conversations

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