The ChurchGear Podcast

What happens when the production team at one of the largest mega-churches in the country experiences a complete Sunday morning meltdown? And more importantly, how do you face your executive leadership the next day?

In this incredibly vulnerable episode, we are joined by Live Production Lead Mike Smith and Director of Media Bryan Bailey from the massive Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Mike pulls back the curtain to share the absolute worst Sunday of his entire church production career, walking us through the terrifying reality of the failure and advice on handling leadership conversations that follow these moments. 

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Toby and Blake’s Vehicle Disasters
5:30 Mike Smith & Bryan Bailey (Prestonwood Baptist Church) Join the Podcast
11:15 The Worst Sunday of Mike Smith’s Church Production Career
22:10 Navigating the Monday Meeting: The Conversation with Leadership
30:00 The Big Debate: Has Modern Church Production Gotten Too Fancy?
37:50 The Mental Game: How Long Does It Take to Recover from a Bad Sunday?
41:40 Practical Advice to Prevent Massive Church Tech Mistakes
47:30 Keep Sundays Running
52:00 Church Tech Confessional

Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Check out HouseRight here for all the reasons we love them. 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

Are we outsourcing too many of our actual thoughts to Artificial Intelligence? And more importantly, is AI going to eventually replace the need for human volunteers in the tech booth?

In this episode, we are joined by Jake Gosselin, founder of Churchfront, to tackle the most highly debated topic in modern ministry: Artificial Intelligence. Jake shares his personal journey into live production before diving deep into exactly how AI is currently being integrated into the church tech space.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Are We Outsourcing Too Many Thoughts to AI?
5:00 Jake Gosselin’s Journey into Church Tech (Churchfront)
16:00 How AI is Actually Being Integrated into Church Production
19:15 Can AI Fill the Gap for Understaffed Tech Ministries?
22:50 The Big Debate: Will AI Replace Church Tech Volunteers?
29:15 How to Start Integrating AI into Your Workflow Today
35:00 Will AI Kill Us All Terminator Style? 
37:30 Church Tech Disaster Stories
42:45 Keep Sundays Running

Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Check out HouseRight here for all the reasons we love them. 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

How does one of the largest churches in America handle their Sunday morning production, and more importantly, how do they recruit and train enough volunteers to make it happen?

In this episode, we are joined by Griffin McCravy, the Broadcast Lighting Director at Church of the Highlands. After kicking things off with some amazing stories about growing up with Dolly Parton, Griffin shares his personal journey into live production. We then pull back the curtain on the massive AVL operation at Church of the Highlands.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Losing Dolly Parton
4:00 Griffin’s Experience Growing Up with Dolly Parton
13:20 Griffin’s Journey into Becoming a Lighting Director
20:00 Behind the Scenes: Production at Church of the Highlands
24:45 How to Find Great Church Tech Volunteers
28:00 Strategies for Training Tech Volunteers Well
35:00 Lighting Design at Church of the Highlands
43:00 ChurchGear Disaster Story with Highlands
47:15 Church Tech Disaster: Christmas Joy
49:20 Live Production Disaster: When the Lighting Guy Does Audio
52:15 Keep Sundays Running: Don’t Let It Become Normal
55:55 Church Tech Confessional
Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Check out HouseRight here for all the reasons we love them. 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

Does running production for a massive, multi-site mega-church mean you need to buy every single piece of gear on the market? And when it comes to Sunday morning audio, can you actually trust a volunteer to mix Front of House?

In this episode, we are joined by Dwight Theaker of Austin Stone Community Church. We dive deep into the specific logistics of broadcasting across multiple locations and break down exactly what AVL gear Austin Stone prioritizes. Dwight shares the surprising revelation that their production team actively chooses to use less gear than the average church, and explains the massive benefits of that streamlined philosophy.

In this episode you'll hear:
0:00 Intro: Toby Lost a Job & Chris Tomlin Stories
5:00 Dwight Theaker (Austin Stone Community Church) Joins
10:00 Gear Talk: What is Austin Stone Church Actually Using?
14:00 The Logistics of Broadcasting Across Multiple Campuses
15:45 Comparing Gear Priorities: 12Stone vs. Austin Stone
18:00 Why Austin Stone Uses Less Gear Than the Average Church
22:00 The Big Debate: Should Your Church Buy a d&b Soundscape Rig?
25:00 Can You Actually Trust Volunteers to Mix FOH Audio?
32:15 Church Tech Disaster Story
35:30 Keep Sundays Running

Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Check out HouseRight here for all the reasons we love them. 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!

Are mega-churches actually more creative, or do they just have bigger budgets? And when it comes to your online service, should you really be livestreaming your worship set, or just the preaching?

In this episode, we are joined by Brady Shearer, founder of Pro Church Tools, to tackle some of the most debated topics in church communications and media. We dive into the unrealistic expectations that mega-churches set for local congregations, and try to identify the single biggest issue facing the church today.

In this episode you'll hear: 
0:00 Intro: Toby Is Obsessed With AI
5:15 Brady Shearer (Pro Church Tools) Joins the Podcast!
11:00 How Mega-Churches Set Unrealistic Expectations for Everyone Else
15:40 Are Mega-Churches Actually More Creative?
21:00 Identifying the Biggest Issue in the Church Today
24:30 The Livestream Debate: Should You Stream Worship or Just the Sermon?
32:30 Hot Take: Why Your Church Needs Fewer Announcements
39:00 The Absolute Best Way to Recruit Church Tech Volunteers
44:00 Church Tech Disaster Stories
49:00 Keep Sundays Running: If It Works, Do It Again
51:00 The Most Common Mistakes Churches Make During Announcements

Take our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th! 
Check out HouseRight here for all the reasons we love them. 
Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry
Sell Us Gear: Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
Buy Our Gear: Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can shop our gear store here.

 
 Connect with us: 
Sales Bulletin: Get better deals than the public and get them earlier too here!
Early Service: Get our best gear before it goes live on our site here. 
Instagram: Hangout with us on the gram here! 
Reviews: Leaving us a review on the podcast player you're listening to us on really helps the show. If you enjoyed this episode, you can say thank you with a review!