How do you become one of the best lighting designers in the production world? 


Tony Fransen is a lighting designer who has worked with Prince, One Republic and many more artists. We discussed church lighting design, burnout prevention and some disaster stories that are as exhilarating as they are terrifying. 



In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Meth Labs, Church Visits & Leg Lamps 
• 6:30 Working with Prince [Tony Fransen joins us!] 
• 22:30 Tony’s Tech Background 
• 30:00 Landing the Lighting gig for One Republic 
• 35:45 How do you draw your church congregation in with lighting? 
• 40:25 How do you prevent burnout in church production? 
• 45:20 How can church techs communicate work load during Christmas? 
• 48:12 Disaster story: “Then the elephant walks in”
• 51:08 Disaster story: “Then the video wall snapped loose” 
• 55:00 Tech Takeaway 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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!

What gear did it take to create The Vegas Sphere?


Tony Staires has worked in churches and he now works at LAWO. He joins the pod this week to tell us about LAWO's work in The Vegas Sphere Project! What gear did they use? What experiences can it create? Tune in to find out!


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Taylor vs. U2 trivia 
• 6:00 Texas, Gunpoints & Touring Life [Tony Staires joins us!]
• 14:45 Tony’s tech background 
• 20:00 How to know if it’s time to leave ministry 
• 25:45 Tony’s work on The Vegas Sphere! 
• 29:35 Why The Sphere is amazing 
• 37:55 The million $ bounty on hacking The Vegas Sphere
• 44:30 What other ways will The Vegas Sphere be used? 
• 49:00 How is LAWO being used in church production? 
• 53:10 Tech Takeaway on being where your feet are 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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!

Many people say God and family are their top two priorities, yet most of us struggle to keep our church production work from intertwining with God in our priority list.


Patrick Buescher is the Assistant Director of Technical Operations at Cross Roads Church and he joins us to discuss how church techs can have longevity in church production.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Pastor egos & eating lead paint 
• 7:00 Patrick Buescher joins us! 
• 12:30 Patrick’s start in tech 
• 15:30 Crossroads Church’s tech & team setup 
• 21:00 Super Bowl of Preaching & Horse Weekend 
• 26:15 Longevity in church tech 
• 28:45 Burnout, Family, & Communication 
• 44:45 Can I ever go to church with my family?
• 47:45 When do you know it’s time to leave your church? 
• 50:00 Disaster story: They unplugged everything 
• 53:40 Tech Takeaway on priorities 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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!

What's it like producing services at Bethel Church?


Jesse is the Live Broadcast Director at Bethel Church in Redding. He joins us to talk about producing services at Bethel,  live-streaming's eternal reach,  and more!


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Airplane disaster moments 
• 5:45 Jesse Maitland joins us! 
• 18:00 What it’s like doing production at Bethel  
• 26:20 The pressure of production at Bethel 
• 27:45 Handling Bethel’s production during the Pandemic 
• 29:15 What production gear and team structure does Bethel use?
• 32:15 Where does Bethel Production get creative inspiration? 
• 35:00 How do you upgrade your video setup?  
• 38:00 Serving your online church community 
• 41:15 Illegal Church: Live streams reach 
• 44:00 Disaster story: “The sewage flooded the lobby” 
• 47:30 Tech Takeaway: “Don’t blame the devil” 

Plugs: Check out Jesse's resources!


Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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!

What production gear should your church budget prioritize? What production gear should your church consider skipping entirely?



Jeremy Bagwell works at Ross Video to help churches with their production gear needs.  His episode with us is full of amazing insight, hot takes and budget saving perspectives.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Halloween costumes, Ryan gets burned & Toby is shameless
• 5:30 Jeremy Bagwell joins! And fails big time. 
• 17:00 Jeremy’s tech background 
• 21:45 Why is Ross in every big church?
• 24:20 Common Video Misconceptions 
• 31:31 UHD and 4K hot take 
• 37:15 Places churches SHOULD spend money on video 
• 43:00 Upcoming trends: Pixels & Ai
• 48:00 Disaster Story: “Then I saw the fire”
• 51:25 Tech Techaway: Focus on what matters 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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 we know when it is time to say "yes" to a new church tech position?


Jeremy Van Valkenburg is the Live Experience Pastor at Cross Point church and he has worked as a church tech in multiple churches over the years. We talk about transitioning between roles, how to establish a new team and more on this week's ChurchGear podcast!


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Alligators & Northern travels 
• 6:00 Jeremy Van Valkenburg joins us! 
• 27:45 Jeremy’s first move at Transformation Church 
• 29:00 How Chad Vegas ended up at Transformation Church 
• 31:28 How they got Transformation Church’s arena set up
• 37:00 How does Transformation Church do Sunday services?
• 39:00 Sharing their hearts with Transformation’s Leadership on burnout
• 41:40 What gear is Transformation running?
• 49:00 Moving to Cross Point Church to Build the Team 
• 56:00 Disaster story on a horrific Livestream picture 
• 1:00:30 Tech Takeaway on Identity 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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 much should we prioritize good lighting for our church services?


Daniel Connell is a lifelong Lighting Director professional and founder of DC Pro. He joins us to discuss lighting's importance for church services, house lights' importance and the heart behind DC Pro's work.


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 A Listener Gets a Raise! 
• 4:00 Lighting’s importance to concerts 
• 6:50 Daniel Connell joins the show! 
• 15:45 Church on the Move’s tech history 
• 33:00 How much AVL is needed for church services? 
• 41:00 Lighting’s importance to church services 
• 43:30 How do you find an LD for your church? 
• 50:20 House Lights: the most vital but boring buy 
• 59:15 The heart and logistics of working with DC Pro
• 1:09:00 Tech Takeaway on identity & work life balance 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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 improve your church's livestream?


Drake Kelch started doing production at 13 years old! He has worked with Bethel Music and various other production positions for years and now he leads his own production company, DK Film.



In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 The Sphere in Las Vegas 
• 7:30 Drake Kelch joins! 
• 18:30 Drake’s start in production at Bethel at age 13! 
• 23:30 What does a church “cinematic look” look like? 
• 32:00 Handheld cameras vs. Dollies 
• 33:30 Minimum cost to create a cinematic look 
• 37:00 Ways to improve your video right now
• 45:25 Trends and churches Drake is watching now 
• 47:00 Recent projects Drake’s proud of working with 
• 51:30 Disaster Story: Church install weather complications 
• 54:45 Tech Takeaway: Check your camera views 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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!

Should churches use In-Ears? Are the benefits worth the cost?


Eddie Cruz works at 64 Audio to help churches find the best In-Ears for their worship teams.  He joins us to discuss the process of making Beyonce's In-Ears, how churches are using In-Ears and more on this week's pod. 


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Church Celebrations & Chris Tomlin’s In-Ear woes! 
• 7:30 Eddie Cruz joins to explain monitor mixing 
• 20:59 Beyonce’s Diamond In-Ears 
• 25:45 Eddie’s tech journey 
• 31:00 Eddie’s hang with Metallica & church clients 
• 36:15 What are churches using? In-Ears? Wedges? 
• 44:30 New In-Ear Tech Eddie is Seeing 
• 51:00 Should churches use In-Ears? 
• 53:45 Disaster Story: Exploding In-Ears 
• 57:15 Tech Takeaway on the little things 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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 know when it's time to replace your speakers? A full PA isn't a small cost.


Zach spent many years as a church tech, and he now works for d&b in their Business Development department. We talk about the things to think about when you're considering a new PA, the difference between working at a church and a manufacturer and finish with some fantastic disaster stories!


In this episode you'll hear: 

• 1:00 Betrayals at ChurchGear 
• 5:15 Zach Brady of d&b joins us! 
• 18:00 Zach’s church background 
• 24:45 Church Work vs. Manufacture work 
• 30:00 What’s the d&b difference? 
• 39:45 How do Church Techs know its time to upgrade the system? 
• 43:45 Never let a crisis go to waste 
• 49:40 Disaster story: Beards and Breathing Machines
• 54:00 Disaster story: Fog and Dance Disaster 
• 57: Tech Takeaway on Identity 

Resources for your Church Tech Ministry

• Does your church have used gear that you need to convert into new ministry dollars? We can make you an offer here. 
• Do you need some production gear but lack the budget to buy new gear? You can get Certified Church Owned gear here.

 
 Connect with us: 

• Follow us on Facebook
• Hang out with us on Instagram
• See all the ways we can serve your church on our Website
• Get our best gear sent to your inbox each Monday before it goes public via the Early Service

Checkout HouseRight's solutions for your church and open jobs 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!