Forums

Here are 4 forums I frequent or contribute too.

Worship Frequency - Chris Tomlin's Site
This is Chris Tomlin's forum, very good, useful info. More music orienteted.

Church Sound Magazine
Very technical, specific site.

Media Shout User Forum

Triumph Rat
Helps me learn more about my toy.

Forums are a great source of info. Check them out!

Sunday morning starts Saturday night

When I was a young(er) lad, Bob mentored me throughout my teen and young adult years. Bob was my youth pastor, and then he became the music director at the Church I was attending. I thought Bob was crazy. He would go to bed at...get this...8:30 PM on Saturday nights! We used to tease him, relentlessly. Of course he would give it right back saying, "well I need my rest if I need to deal with you tomorrow morning!" Yeah, Yeah, whatever. One Sunday Morning he pulled me aside. I was late for "teen band" practice, because I was at the movies with friends, then to Pizza Hut the night before. Getting in at a seemingly innocent 2:15 AM. Bob said to me, "in order to minister effectively, Sunday must begin on Saturday night" Again, blah, blah blah...

After a few years it began to sink in. What I do on a Saturday night effects what I can do on a Sunday morning. If I am out late, up late playing video games, whatever, it directly effects my performance as a Technical Artist. (Falling asleep during the teachers message?) God expects our best effort. If we "fall asleep at the wheel" on Sunday morning and cause a distraction at a reflective part of the service, is that honoring God? Honoring the Church people?

Will I be going to bed at 8:30 on Saturday?....uh, probably not, but I will do my best to remember Bob's words, "in order to minister effectively, Sunday must begin on Saturday night" Maybe I'll turn off Guitar Hero early or do my late night stuff on Friday. I am just going to give God my best effort.

Technical Artists, Huh?

Technical Artists, to some of you this may seem to be an oxymoron. Technical - \ˈtek-ni-kəl\ a: having special and usually practical knowledge especially of a mechanical or scientific subject, Artist - \ˈär-tist\ 2 a: one who professes and practices an imaginative art.

Can Art and Science co-exist, of course. Whether you run the sound board, operate the light console or operate/create the slide show for worship, there is a certain amount of artistic influence needed. Does the light program enhance or detract from what is going on in the service. Does the backgrounds in your slide shows use matching colors, are the speed of those cool moving backgrounds appropriate for the song being sung? Hows the sound mix? All of these things require, believe it or not, an artistic touch. Are your audio fades smooth and consistent? How are the transitions between different parts of the service in your church, awkward and sloppy, or smooth and clean. What can you do as a Technical Artist to make them better?

Being a sound, light, video operator for many years. I never thought of myself as an artist. As time went on I realized that my job was not just to push buttons and sliders, my job is to enhance worship, or at the minimum create no distractions. Every fade, every cue, every mix, every slide needs an artistic touch.

I encourage all to go to the Willow Creek Arts Conference, awesome experience.

New Blog!

Welcome to the Church Tech Arts Blog! I will be posting a little about me, a little about others and some tidbits of information that would be useful to musicians, technical artists, pastors, and other church staff. Check back often and let me know what you think!