Creating a Tech Team Part 2

 Part 2

Training and refreshers are necessities.  Technology by nature is ever changing and so we all need to be reminded of how to do certain tasks.  Try setting aside one evening a month specifically for training your teams.  Create breakout sessions to cover things specific to each team.  Youtube has many great training videos that would take the pressure off of you as far as having to come up with content on every occasion.

Scheduling is a necessary evil within a team.  There are many tools available to help with this including Planning Center, Google Calendars and the list goes on.  As mentioned above, lean on your team leads to take some of this off of your plate.

Teamwork makes the dream work, as is often stated and is very true.  You need people that are on board with your vision and with serving the Lord in general.  No man is an island unto himself, and you need solid team members to make the ministry grow.  Once they see your passion and willingness to spend and be spent, it will become contagious.  Can’t find volunteers?  Take a closer look at the introverts of your congregation.  I am an introvert by nature and have found some of my best team members from this sector of the church!  Most of them have a desire to serve, but operate at their best behind the scenes.

When planning for upgrades and creating workflows, do so with the volunteer in mind.  Just because you can afford a certain type of equipment does not always mean you should get it.  Ask yourself if it is user friendly to those that will only use it 2-3 times a month.  New volunteers will hesitate to commit if processes seem too overwhelming.  You should know your team's abilities better than anyone else.  Implement new equipment and future upgrades with your particular team in mind.  Most times you will have to jump in, learn and master things first so that you can teach it to those around you.

Pray for wisdom.  In all of my larger projects I always prayed for God to guide me as I was doing this for His kingdom.  It never failed that He would put the right person at the right time in my pathway to help with that particular thing.  Don’t get me wrong, you still need to do your part and put in the hours of research and due diligence.  But if you do your part, He will do his part.

Seek council!  Most other tech personnel that I have ever come into contact with in other churches are more than willing to give advice based upon past experience.  Do not feel intimidated to reach out and use people in those positions as resources.  I know in my experience I was always willing to help if it meant saving someone from making some of the same mistakes that I made along the way.

In summary, a tech team can be a wonderful experience both for the leader and the members.  It is a comradery that you will experience in few other places of ministry.  You will create lifelong friendships along the way, as well as getting to serve God in the process.