When we want to build a successful church media team, we need to start the process by understanding where everyone fits.
There is a phrase that I often like to quote that I am sure you have heard many times. It states “a Jack of all trades is a master of none” – basically saying that you can either try and do everything and perhaps do things OK or you can focus in on the ONE thing that you can do best and aim to become a master of that one thing. How does this matter when you need to know how to build a church media team?
“A Jack of all trades is a master of none”
In my life, I have tried to focus on the one thing. So, for instance, I am not a cameraman, I am not a soundman, I am not a lighting director, I am not an engineer, I am not an editor etc (the list goes on regarding what I am not). This will also be the case for you and all the members of your church media team. So, what I am I? I am a Producer and a Director, a content junky and a creative strategist. I could pick up a camera, run sound, make something look OK lighting wise, or even edit if I had to, BUT that is not what I do best. One of the lessons I have learned in my career is the importance of letting the right people do the right jobs. If I do them, then, I might do an OK job BUT if the right person does them they will do it SO much better. This will enhance the overall quality of your church media team and it will also result in the overall quality of your video content output improving too. That of course is the primary aim AND the bonus is that I get to focus on what I am really good at.
Of course, this is a challenge when you have limited resources and a very small church media team, you end up HAVING to be a Jack of All Trades. I get it and I have been there too, BUT I didn’t stay there. Instead of accepting that was the hand I was dealt and there was no other option, I went about finding the people I needed (that’s part of what a Producer does) and finding ways to get them involved, encouraging them in their skills and nurturing them in their giftings, allowing them to get on and do the things they loved and were more capable than me in. If you too have this approach you can also build a great church media team, read more in “The Intersection of Giftings, Practice and Anointing”.
I want to challenge you today that wherever you are on the spectrum, and whatever resources you have to work with right now in your church media team, be faithful with what you have today BUT be on the lookout for more and EXPECT God to provide. I have seen him do this time and time again in the projects I have worked on and I know that as YOU are faithful like I was, HE will bring you the people you need. For a season you may have to be a “jack of all trades”, that is not a bad thing and sometimes can help you realise what it is you really are passionate about and what the “thing” is that you want to become a master of. However, you also have another key job as the leader of your church media team and that is to recognise others when they come along, realise what they can do better than you can and then to step out of the way so they can flourish in this role – trust me – the right people doing the right jobs will make life so much easier and your product/output so much better too. This is one of the most important things to grasp when you want to build a church media team, read more in “The success of your team depends on you!”
You also need to focus on building servant hearted team members. For more on that, read “How can we cultivate a servant’s heart”.
