How do you allocate a new church build budget between Audio, Video, and Lighting? And at what church size does production start to get exponentially more expensive?

In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Ruse (former Technical Director at Saddleback Church and FOH engineer for Matt Redman) to break down the reality of modern church production. Before diving into the interview, the guys react to the massive production behind the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

In this episode you'll hear: 

• 0:00 Production Breakdown: Super Bowl Halftime Show
• 4:25 Aaron Ruse (Saddleback Church / Sweetwater) Joins
• 8:30 Aaron’s Start in Church Production
• 13:00 What It Takes to Mix FOH for Matt Redman
• 14:30 Church Tech: What Has Changed in 20 Years (And What Hasn't)
• 18:00 Essential Skills for Managing an LED Wall
• 19:40 Production Trends to Embrace (and Which to Avoid)
• 26:00 Acoustic Treatment Strategies for Worship Spaces
• 34:00 The "Breaking Point" Where Production Costs Skyrocket
• 38:45 Allocating Your AVL Budget: Audio vs. Video vs. Lighting
• 43:00 Church Tech Disaster Story
• 46:00 Tech Takeaway: Fostering Authentic Worship

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

When hiring a new church tech director, should you look for the person with the most technical knowledge or the best leadership potential? And if you are currently in the role, which skill set should you be developing first?

In this episode, we are joined by Max Brown (formerly of Willow Creek Church) to tackle the age-old debate of Competence vs. Character. Max shares his experience running production at one of the most influential churches in the country, revealing the reality of their team size and workflows.

In this episode you'll hear: 

0:00 Blake’s Beach Blunder

4:45 Max Brown (Former Willow Creek) Joins

9:00 Principles of Leading Church Production

13:00 Debate: Developing Leadership vs. Technical Skills

22:00 Hiring Strategy: Character vs. Competence?

28:30 Inside Production at Willow Creek Church

32:20 Can You Run a Sunday Service with Just Tracks?

34:45 Willow Creek’s Production Team Size

46:20 Is Church Production an Art or a Science?

51:30 Tech Takeaway

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

If you had a limited budget, would you spend it on a better PA system or a better mixing console? 

And with all the hype around spatial audio, should your church actually be looking at Immersive Audio installs?

In this episode, we are joined by Johnny Ragin, the face behind Worship Sound Guy, and we dive deep into the gear debates every church tech has.

In this episode you'll hear: 

0:00 Handling Unsolicited Feedback

5:00 Johnny Ragin (Worship Sound Guy) Joins

7:00 Segment: Five Truths & A Lie

16:45 Johnny’s Start in Church Production

21:15 Overcoming the Tech "Knowledge Gap"

25:15 Training New Audio Volunteers

27:45 Debate: Better PA vs. Better Console?

28:45 Overused Production Effects & Tools

33:00 Real Talk: Church Drum Budgets

34:45 Is Immersive Audio Worth It for Churches?

37:45 The Pros & Cons of Remote Mixing

47:45 Rapid Fire: Favorite Audio Consoles

49:00 Favorite PA System of All Time

49:25 Favorite Audio Plugin

51:00 Tech Takeaway: Keep It Simple

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

Taking risks in church production is terrifying. If you try something new and it fails, everyone notices. But if you never take risks, your production gets stale. So, how do you find the balance?

In this episode, we sit down with John Williams, Production Director at Church of the King, to discuss how to push your church forward with strategic risks. We cover how to approach the first few months of a new church tech role, the safest ways to test new gear or workflows on a Sunday, and how to have difficult conversations with your pastor when a volunteer makes a mistake.

In this episode you'll hear: 

0:00 Intro: The Biggest Risks We’ve Ever Taken

5:00 John Williams (Church of the King) Joins

6:15 John’s Origin Story in Production

15:00 Starting a New Role: The First 90 Days Strategy

18:30 Taking Strategic Risks on Sunday Mornings

22:00 Safe Ways to Test New Gear & Workflows

35:30 Handling Volunteer Mistakes with Your Pastor

38:45 Disaster Story: A Squirrel Destroyed Our Service

43:45 Tech Takeaway: Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

In this episode, we explore the rare but inspiring career path from Production Director to Executive Pastor.

We are joined by Dave Clark of Fellowship Church (Grapevine) to discuss how he transitioned from technical leadership to executive leadership. We break down the difference between treating ministry as a "job" versus a "calling," and Dave shares practical advice on how tech directors can build trust with senior pastors and get "unstuck" when they feel stagnant.

In this episode you'll hear:

0:00 Toby’s Church Planting Story

6:30 Dave Clark (Fellowship Church Grapevine) Joins

14:30 Defining Ministry: A Job vs. A Calling

17:00 Career Path: From Tech Director to Executive Pastor

21:45 How to Minister to Production Volunteers

27:00 Getting "Unstuck" in Your Ministry Career

29:00 Building Trust with Senior Leadership

38:00 Pastor Ed Young’s Wildest Production Requests

48:00 Staying Calm During a Tech Disaster

53:00 Avoiding "Imaginary Arguments"

54:15 Tech Takeaway: Ask Questions to Understand

55:45 C3 Conference Preview

You can sign up for the C3 Conference with this link to get a special rate discount from $229 to $99. 

https://brushfire.com/fellowship/c3conference2026/598770/register?typeCode=C3COMEBACK

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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 do you lead when you don't make the final calls?

Matt shares his personal story of reaching his breaking point and how to know when God is releasing you from your current church tech job.

In this episode you'll hear:

0:00 The Cost of Bad Acoustics in Big Halls

6:15 Matt Kotthoff (Wooddale Church) Joins

8:30 Debate: Is an AVL College Degree Worth It?

10:45 Inside Production at Wooddale Church

15:30 Essential Tech for Traditional Services

17:25 Upgrading Gear for Choir & Orchestra

20:45 Can One Room Do Both Traditional & Modern?

24:25 Using "Choir Flex" for Better Audio

27:30 Prioritizing Spoken Word Intelligibility

36:30 Navigating Leadership When You Aren't in Charge

43:00 The Breaking Point: When to Leave Your Church Job

50:30 Discernment: Has God Released You?

57:15 Matt’s Moment of Clarity (Why He Left)

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!

In this episode, we sit down with Matt Potesta, System Engineer for artists like Lauren Daigle and Tate McRae. We dive deep into the high-stakes world of touring production, covering everything from how to land your first big road gig to the critical lessons every local church can learn about PA system tuning and system design.

Whether you're looking to upgrade your sanctuary's sound or considering a jump into the professional touring industry, Matt shares the "real-world" costs of professional audio services and how to protect your health while working in a high-demand industry.

In this episode you'll hear: 

01:00 Banter: Surprise Parties and Tech Interventions

05:50 Guest Interview: Matt Potesta (Lauren Daigle & Tate McRae Tour)

08:00 Career Roadmap: Landing a World-Class Touring Production Job

13:00 Church Production vs. Touring: Pros, Cons, and Key Differences

19:00 How to "Pay Your Dues" and Break into the Pro Audio Industry

23:30 Touring System Design: Applying Road Lessons to Local Venues

26:50 Budgeting for Sound: How Much Does Professional PA Tuning Cost?

30:50 Should Churches Hire Independent Vetting for System Integrators?

38:30 Career Advice: When to Transition from Church Tech to the Road

43:20 Mental Health in Production: Prioritizing Health and Avoiding Burnout

45:30 Pro Touring Disaster Story: Lessons from the Road

48:00 Tech Takeaway: How to "Condition" Your Audience for Better Services

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

Dillan Howell has run many large scale events. From corporate ballroom events to managing the artists for the Charlie Kirk Memorial, Dillan's see it all. 

What lessons has he learned from his time in large scale events that he would bring back to church production if he returned to a church tech role? 

In this episode you'll hear: 

• 01:00 Field Trip: Behind the Scenes of a Weird Open House
• 05:30 Guest Interview: Dillan Howell (Evnt Ready)
• 11:30 Realities of Church Live Event Budgets
• 14:30 Can You Run a Major Church Event on $50,000?
• 17:00 How to Pitch Live Event Tech Budgets to Leadership
• 22:30 Production Disaster Story: The Music Festival Fail
• 25:30 Event Industry Lessons for Church Production Teams
• 29:30 Common Mistakes Churches Make with Live Production
• 33:45 Where Churches Waste Money on Production Gear
• 42:45 Artist Management & Logistics for Large-Scale Events: Charlie Kirk Memorial
• 50:45 Church Tech Takeaway
• 54:35 Church Tech Confessional: Bad Live Streams

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

Church techs confessed some absolutely wild things to us in 2025. 

-Volunteering so you can marry the tech director

-The worst TV stage rollout possible 

-Deciding to "kill" the file for the spicy "Marriage Conference Talks" 

In this episodes you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Toby’s little story: Nate Bargatze stand up 
• 5:15 Why you should have a billionaires kid on your volunteer team
• 9:15 “Lemons into Lemonade” Award 
• 14:50 “Funniest Moment of the Year” Award 
• 20:15 “Awkward Moment of the Year” award
• 24:30 “Hero of the Year” award
• 30:00 “Worst Sin of the Year” award 
• 33:20 “The Toby Award” award 
• 36:45 Church Tech Takeaway: Guard your audio console from water
• 38:45 2025’s Church Tech Confessionals! 

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!

Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Leadership has a massive vision, but the tech budget doesn’t match the dream. 

This week, we sit down with Justin Hume from Cross Church to discuss how to bridge that gap without losing your mind. From planning your next console upgrade to the 'mission-critical' gear you should never buy cheap, we’re covering the practical side of church production—plus a spicy hot take on why Ableton-run lyrics might be a mistake."

In this episode you'll hear: 

• 01:00 Church Tech Community Trends
• 05:00 Guest Interview: Justin Hume (Cross Church)
• 07:00 How to Start a Career in Church Production
• 12:15 Aligning Church Leadership Vision with Tech Budgets
• 18:45 Church Broadcast Workflow: How Cross Church Does It
• 24:45 Audio Console Upgrade: How to Plan for New Gear
• 26:20 Essential Church Tech vs. Budget Production Gear
• 28:30 Are Gear Warranties Worth It for Churches?
• 30:26 Hot Take: Why You Shouldn't Use Ableton for Lyrics
• 36:00 Live Production Disaster Stories & Lessons Learned
• 40:15 Networking: Finding Your Church Production Community
• 43:50 Church Tech Confessional: Behind-the-Scenes Stories

Get chapter one of Toby's new book "Sacred Spaces, Modern Production" here. 

Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. 

Apply to work at ChurchGear 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!