Written by Anthony Coppedge

Volunteers are the lifeblood of local churches. This is a permanent truth in the house of worship market, which places servant-leadership as a core part of their belief system. And while volunteers will always be an important part of churches, the technical demands of creating quality, distraction-free services and events will always stretch even the most committed and trained volunteers.

Depending on the size, resources and leadership of a local church, there may be some part- and full-time staff devoted to the audio, video and lighting demands. More often than not, volunteers are the only people involved with the technical side, leaving a huge opportunity open for training, equipping and contracting to these churches.

Step Up the Training

I think a large number of manufacturers provide quality training opportunities for making the most out of their technology and troubleshooting it in the field. Unfortunately, most of this training is limited to the exclusive domain of rental and staging companies or systems integrator employees. I say that’s unfortunate because I know a number of freelancers who spend part of their time doing large productions and some of their time working gigs as weekend operators at local churches. These guys and gals are very frequently excluded from becoming certified in a particular technology because they’re not employed by a rental and staging or integration firm.

The logic goes something like this: If a manufacturer trains those who are certified partners (who sell their equipment), then the service that goes with the sale stays with the company that sold to the client in the first place. While there’s nothing wrong with this particular perspective, it’s simply a case of “either/or” instead of “both/and.”

Why not provide that training beyond the firms to freelancers? You’ll have more qualified people running around knowing how to troubleshoot and do in-the-field fixes, which means more up-time for your device (proudly stamped with your company name all over it). And, the more qualified the operator, the better the performance of your technology in action.

Taking this logic a step further, why not offer manufacturer-led end-user training for anyone willing to pay to become certified in operating and/or servicing your equipment? Look, if the democratization of the Internet has taught us anything, it’s that the power is in the hands of the many, not the few. I think it’s time for manufacturers to step into the 21st century’s democratization of information-sharing and embrace the genius of the ‘and.’

Church Staffing?

I’m not sure how many integrators want their employees becoming church staff, but, frankly, I don’t see that happening anyway. Instead, the opportunity is to look at contracting staff as outsourcing for local churches. More and more, pastors are finding ways to keep staffing costs low so more of the money goes to funding projects, helping people and reaching their communities. It’s not uncommon for 50 percent of a church’s income to go to staffing (including staff-related expenses), and this has been something that’s burdened the church for years.

I realize that your Monday through Friday staff can always moonlight and get gigs on the weekends with your company stepping into the outsourcing business, but the credibility, reliability and accountability of running this through your firm is likely more attractive to a church pastor than hoping for the best with a freelancer.

Consider this: Instead of simply offering services-for-hire, create entire outsource contracts that include the operator, reduced-rate weekend rentals, emergency loaners for similar equipment installed in the church and fast repair service to get them back up-and-running in case of a weekend failure. That’s something a freelancer cannot provide and helps build a relationship with a client that likely didn’t buy from you the first time but would look to your firm for any new purchases because you have a “guy on the inside.”

Share the Knowledge

Once you have a few of these contracts in place, it’s then easy to create Saturday or weeknight training on systems, processes and operation for other local churches — and do it right inside one of the churches where your staff is contracted. This ‘home field advantage’ is huge and further establishes your firm as thought-leaders and technical experts to these other churches.

Some manufacturers are still doing road shows (I wish more would do it) and bringing in the latest technology. In addition to the lunch-and-learns and the integration firm or rep firms offices, take some of these road shows to one of the local churches where your staff is outsourced and offer a Saturday afternoon lunch-and-learn with other churches in the area, even going so far as to ask the churches you’re staffing to make invitations to their friends at other churches.

Sharing the knowledge of what’s possible, what’s working and how to get it done is critical for freelancers, church staff and even key volunteers. You simply cannot place enough value on the relationship building that comes from giving good knowledge away!

The Shared Trifecta

I’ve long been a proponent of a trifecta: manufacturers, integrators and churches in a mutually beneficial relationship. In my experience from both my years in the design/build systems integrator business (at three large firms) and in the consulting business, it’s almost always best when a church has the direct relationship with both the integrator and the manufacturer. Sure, boundaries are established and go-to resources identified, but when the church feels the backing of the both their integrator and the manufacturer, their loyalty goes through the roof. And with the trend of multi-site (see this month’s TRENDS article), gaining this loyalty leads to standardization, which results in more sales, more installation and more service agreements.

Churches are looking for partnerships where the value proposition is greater than the cost savings from a good deal. It’s a massive opportunity for manufacturers, integrators and freelancers alike to realize the potential and create systems and processes that result in this trifecta solution.

A former staff member at three mega churches and church technology consultant, Anthony Coppedge has developed a respected reputation as a leader in technical and communications circles within the church marketplace. Reach him at  anthony@anthonycoppedge.com