When it comes to doing production in our churches, what is technical excellence really? Is it the best gear? The best volunteers? As close to perfection as possible?
After thinking about my post, “A Clean Stage is a Happy Stage“, I came across another Marty O’Connor classic: Excellence is doing the best with what you have. This doesn’t say anything about perfection but simply using what you have currently, and doing your best with it. This is something we can all do, regardless of what church we are a part of, regardless of the conditions we work under, or the kind of equipment we have.
When I was at Kensington (groan from Willow people, cheer from Kensington people, indifference from everyone else), I used to look at Willow Creek and think “Sure they can do excellent production. Look at all the gear they have!” After coming away from a Willow conference depressed, I started to realize that I could take the equipment I did have and do the best possible job with it. I could get the most out of it every Sunday. I could wrap it in duct tape one more week to keep it going until we could afford to replace it. As a result of this change in perspective, I was able to appreciate that things weren’t perfect, but that we were, in fact, achieving technical excellence on a weekly basis.
Some of us need to release the idea of perfection. Having a flawless service or event is an honorable goal, but very rarely achievable. Always trying to be better. Always learning from mistakes. Always stretching ourselves to try new ways. Using what I already have to its fullest potential. This is the kind of technical excellence I want to shoot for.
