Tech Arts Heartbeat: Todd Elliott

I’m a fan of tech arts leaders in local churches who focus more on people than they do on gear. One of these guys is rather unassuming when you meet him, but he’s a leader of leaders in the church tech arts world. His name is Todd Elliott, and he’s the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek (yeah, that Willow). He’s filling some mighty big shoes that have been worn by Bruce Smith, Chris & Jill Gille and the legendary Marty O’Connor.

Todd wrote a short, introspective blog about taking an Enneagram Personality test with some other staff and thinking through what it meant to him. You can read the post here.

But what I wanted to highlight was a couple of paragraphs of Todd’s that highlights what all Technical Arts leaders should be about:

My heart beats fast for the production person in the local church. For how that person uses how God has made them to accomplishes His purposes on this earth using their gifts. I also feel like one of the largest issues that this group deals with is a disconnect between them and the programming team, stage personalities, talent, musicians, actors, artists, etc. These two groups couldn’t be more different and yet we work so closely together.

I want my life to be about bringing these two groups together. Not only bringing them together, but maximizing the impact we can have together. Do things work when we don’t get along?  Generally. But the vision of how things could work so much better if we could learn to see each other’s POV so that the Gospel can be presented in new and creative ways, and so that we could live in a genuine Acts 2 community, gets me excited like nothing else. I want to shrink the divide. I want to bridge the gap.

My heart beat faster just reading that insight into Todd’s heart and mind! So, how are you bringing those two diverse groups of people together in your church? In what ways are you shrinking the divide and bridging the gap?

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Loving On Volunteers: A Real-Life Story

A couple of days ago I wrote a post calling “Loving Your Volunteers.” In it, I encouraged Technical Arts staff to pick up the phone and make a simple call to love on a volunteer. Within a day, I heard an inspiring story of a technical director named Justin Kirk from a church in Tennessee. If you needed any encouragement to follow my advice and love your volunteers, this will surely provide it!

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Loving Your Volunteers

It’s one thing to say “thanks guys” or “great weekend everybody” or “hey, good job today” after a service is completed and the volunteers are shuffling out the door; but it’s another to actively reach out to them on a weekday and just call to love on ‘em.

Few things make a person feel more appreciated and loved than when we pour our lives into each other. A pat on the back is nice. A compliment is great. But nothing beats someone authentically reaching out to a volunteer and honestly loving on them and pouring into their life.

If you’re a staff member or a volunteer, today’s your day to call someone and tell them how much they mean to you and how much they are appreciated. Don’t email them. Call them. Then pray with them and transparently share what God is doing in your life so that they can see your genuine Christ-like love and further the relationship.

Email is great for quick reminders or short notes, but our voice carries something that email simply cannot: emotion, tone and warmth.

Here’s what Jesus told us to do:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. – John 13:34

So, today (whenever you’re reading this):

• Call at least one volunteer today. Not tomorrow. Today. Make the time.
• Be prepared to spend time talking with them, not just to them.
• That person who you know you really don’t want to call – yes, that person – call them first.

If you want, come back to this blog and post how God used your time and honest transparency to edify each other.

UPDATE: There’s a real-life story that came from this blog post. Click here to read it.

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