In the last month now, we've been putting entire services online. Check one out here.
I've been inspired due to watching the entire servcies of churches like Newspring. Elevation also broadcasts live, but you can only watch sermons throughout the week.
I love watching entire services- admittedly, because I learn and it gives me ideas. Seeing how songs work, worship leader transitions (we've all experienced-and I've even led-awkward transitions that are like an old John Deere tractor trying to downshift).
We wanted to start posting our services, not because we think a lot of ourselves, that's not the heart behind it- God's ruining in my heart the desire to be successful- but to bless the church, encourage other churches, and benefit our own team.
I saw on FB today a young lady in our church who's sick write- "I'm bummed to miss church today because I'm sick, but thanks to the staff at WR I can watch the whole service online). We've also had several requests to start doing this in the last year. I love that we get to serve our people- that in itself is enough to do this- it's what we're about!
We've had a few other churches bring teams to learn from our production teams and band- I'm kind of humbled by this, I'm certainly nothing special- although my team is- but I know how much I've benefited by watching others. I think I've taken a tour with the Elevation guys like 4 times now. Asking questions, watching from a distance weekly- it's so helpful. I've got a real heart to invest in young guys who are learning. However we can help, I'd love to.
Lastly, it's having a real impact on our worship and production teams. We have around forty people on these teams- some are on weekly, others around every 8 weeks. That means that it's tough to keep everything going the same direction.
Live sound is so much more forgiving than recorded. Weekly, I listen and think (hey, not bad...) or (ew, that's ripe). It drives me to practice more and put more detail into everything I do, and it's having that impact on everyone on our teams. That's part of the idea- it ups the ante- you need to be ready, because if your part stinks, it'll be out there for a long time. The only post-production we really do is a post-mix by Brian McMahon and Christian DeLaat each Sunday afternoon- then I match with video, and we're up (that's the readers digest version). If our teams can hear and see themselves- it helps you improve.
Our heart isn't to be slick, flashy, or full of ourselves- the word "production" can obviously be linked to that idea- but rather, we're trying to be excellent. Excellence inspires people and honors God. We're trying to take the next steps.
I'm so proud of our worship and production teams. I'm thrilled to be with them, and doing this thing together.
We're learning with recording and video production- we'd love to hear your feedback. Check out a service and let us know! We hope it blesses you!