The Tech Arts Podcast

By David LeuschnerArts

The Tech Arts Podcast episodes

October 15 Team & Culture with Mike Dias
What if the biggest problem with your church’s tech ministry has nothing to do with technology?
Churches spend thousands—sometimes millions—of dollars upgrading audio, video, and lighting systems. But what happens when the equipment is great, yet the team behind it is struggling? Can better gear really fix poor communication, a lack of trust, or an unhealthy culture?
In Episode 99 of The Tech Arts Podcast, host David Leuschner sits down with Mike Dias, a 20-year pro audio industry veteran, to tackle one of the most overlooked challenges in church production: building a team and culture where people thrive.
Mike challenges the way we think about technology, leadership, and relationships. One powerful takeaway? Technology should support the mission, not become the mission. But putting that philosophy into practice isn't always easy.
What does a truly healthy tech culture look like? How do you turn a group of volunteers into a high-performing team? Why do some teams consistently deliver excellence while others struggle despite having the latest equipment? And what is Mike's concept of the "Infinite Team"—and how could it completely change the way you lead?
David and Mike dive into these questions and more, sharing real-world experiences, challenging conventional thinking, and exploring some surprising truths about leadership, accountability, trust, and the power of relationships.
Whether you're a technical director, worship leader, volunteer, or church leader, this conversation may challenge everything you thought you knew about building a successful tech ministry.
Because at the end of the day, the most valuable thing in your tech booth isn't the equipment. It's the people behind it.
🎧 Listen now to Episode 99: Team & Culture with Mike Dias.
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com
Special thanks to our sponsors Digico, Shure, Paragon 360, Resi and AC Americas for making this episode possible!
Check out their special BONUS segments on this podcast!
#DiGiCo #Shure #Resi #Paragon360 #ACAmericas

#TheTechArtsPodcast #TeamAndCulture #MikeDias #ChurchTech #ChurchProduction #TechMinistry #VolunteerLeadership #ChurchLeadership #TeamBuilding #PeopleOverGear #WorshipTechnology #LeadershipMatters

1 hr 10 min
September 16 Burnout: How to recognize and beat it!
Burnout doesn’t always look like a complete breakdown. Sometimes it starts with exhaustion, loss of motivation, irritability, difficulty disconnecting, or simply realizing you can’t maintain your current pace much longer.
In this episode of The Tech Arts Podcast, David Leuschner breaks down how to recognize the warning signs of burnout, understand where the pressure is actually coming from, and take practical steps to combat it. You’ll walk through a simple burnout self-assessment and explore how your position, expectations, boundaries, workload, and lack of recovery may be contributing to the problem.
David also shares practical strategies for building margin, setting healthy boundaries, scheduling real rest, playing to your strengths, developing others, and creating a sustainable approach to ministry and leadership.
Whether you’re a pastor, worship leader, technician, staff member, volunteer, or someone responsible for leading a team, this episode will help you recognize burnout—not only in yourself, but in the people you lead.
You only have one tank, and everything in life is drawing from it. The goal isn’t simply to survive another Sunday. It’s to serve with excellence today without sacrificing your ability to serve tomorrow.
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com
Special thanks to our sponsors Digico, Shure, Paragon 360, Resi and AC Americas for making this episode possible!
Check out their special BONUS segments on this podcast!
#DiGiCo #Shure #Resi #Paragon360 #ACAmericas

#Burnout #BurnoutRecovery #MinistryBurnout #ChurchLeadership #MinistryLeadership #ChurchTech #ChurchTechnology #TechArts #TechnicalArts #ChurchProduction #WorshipTech #WorshipMinistry #ChurchAV #AVL #Leadership #HealthyLeadership #MinistryLife #VolunteerLeadership #WorkLifeBalance #TheTechArtsPodcast

34 min
August 13Optimize Your Website & Be Known For Something | Mark MacDonald
Does your website convey what your church is known for?
On this episode of The Tech Arts Podcast, host David Leuschner sits down with nationally recognized church branding speaker, communication strategist, ordained pastor, and founder of Be Known for Something, Mark MacDonald.
Churches have more ways to communicate than ever before—but are we actually communicating clearly?
Mark challenges churches to stop trying to be known for everything and instead discover what makes them uniquely valuable to the people they are called to reach. As Mark explains, people outside the church aren't going to remember hundreds of ministries, programs, and messages. Churches need the discipline and clarity to be known for something.
David and Mark dive into the rapidly changing world of church websites, SEO, branding, online communication, and AI, including why a person's first visit to your church often happens online long before they ever walk through your doors.
They also unpack Mark's powerful "Google Street" concept: imagine every church in your community lined up next to each other with similar worship services, children's ministries, programs, and facilities. Why would someone choose yours?
You'll discover practical strategies including:
The three things every first-time visitor needs to quickly find on your church website
How quickly should a visitor be able to get to your churches service times and location
How to improve your church's SEO and online visibility
Why clarity is more important than simply creating more content
How to remove confusing "Christianese" and communicate with real people
How churches can use AI as a research assistant instead of simply a content generator
The importance of clear headlines, searchable keywords, H1 tags, and calls to action
Mark's communication formula: "Say their name, speak their pain, solutions to proclaim, then show their gain."
PLUS: Bonus Tech Arts Segments
We've packed this episode with special bonus segments from Shure, AC Americas, and The Paragon Angle, bringing you additional insights designed to help you become a better technical artist and ministry leader.
Special thanks to all of our incredible sponsors, including Shure, AC Americas, Paragon360, DiGiCo, and Resi, for supporting The Tech Arts Podcast and helping us continue to equip churches and technical artists around the world.
Whether you're a pastor, communications director, worship leader, technical artist, creative director, or church leader, this episode will challenge you to take a fresh look at how your church communicates—and ask one important question:
What is your church known for?
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com

#DiGiCo #Shure #Resi #Paragon360 #ACAmericas
#TechArtsPodcast #ChurchProduction #ChurchTech #WorshipProduction #TechnicalArts #ChurchLeadership #ChurchAVL #LiveSound #AudioEngineer #FrontOfHouse #SoundEngineer #ChurchAudio #ChurchLighting #ChurchVideo #AVProduction #AVL #ProductionMinistry #VolunteerLeadership #ChurchVolunteers #TechDirector #WorshipLeader #MinistryLeadership #ChurchGrowth #ChurchMedia #ChurchCommunications #LeadershipDevelopment #ChurchInnovation #MarkMacDonald #BeKnownForSomething
56 min
July 16Creating Sacred Spaces with Modern Production
In this episode of The Tech Arts Podcast, David Leuschner sits down with Toby Walters, founder of Church Gear and author of Sacred Spaces, for a thought-provoking conversation about how church environments shape the worship experience.
Together, they explore why church production is about far more than lights, sound, and video. Toby shares practical insights on creating distraction-free worship, building healthy production teams, recruiting volunteers, choosing the right AVL integrator, and developing a biblical perspective on technical arts. Whether you serve in a small church or a large multi-campus ministry, you'll discover practical ideas you can apply immediately to strengthen your production ministry.
You'll also hear Toby discuss:
Why church environments matter more than ever
The theology behind church production
How to recruit and retain great volunteers
What makes a "perfect Sunday"
How technology should support—not distract from—worship
Practical advice for churches of every size
Plus, this episode features exclusive specialty segments from our incredible sponsors AC Americas, DiGiCo, Resi, Shure, and Paragon 360. These practical training segments are designed to help you become a better technical artist with real-world insights you can put to work in your ministry immediately.
Whether you're a technical director, volunteer, worship leader, pastor, or anyone passionate about creating meaningful worship experiences, this episode is packed with encouragement, leadership, and practical church production wisdom you won't want to miss.
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com

#DiGiCo #Shure #Resi #Paragon360 #ACAmericas
#TechArtsPodcast #ChurchProduction #ChurchTech #SacredSpaces #TobyWalters #ChurchGear #WorshipProduction #TechnicalArts #ChurchLeadership #ChurchAVL #LiveSound #AudioEngineer #FrontOfHouse #SoundEngineer #ChurchAudio #ChurchLighting #ChurchVideo #AVProduction #AVL #ProductionMinistry #VolunteerLeadership #ChurchVolunteers #TechDirector #WorshipLeader #MinistryLeadership #ChurchGrowth #ChurchMedia #ChurchCommunications #LeadershipDevelopment #ChurchInnovation
46 min
June 18FOH Skills with Daniel Ellis | We The Kingdom Engineer
What separates a good mix from a great mix? And what does it take to deliver a consistent front-of-house experience night after night on one of Christian music's biggest tours?
In this episode of The Tech Arts Podcast, we go behind the scenes with Daniel Ellis, Front of House Engineer for We The Kingdom, as we step into his world at a live tour stop. Daniel shares his approach to mixing FOH, why vocals remain the most important element in the mix, how he balances simplicity with technology, and the practical techniques he uses to keep a show sounding great whether he's mixing in a church, theater, arena, or stadium.
You'll hear Daniel discuss:
His philosophy on building impactful mixes
Why he prefers a minimalist approach to plugins
How he approaches vocal processing and clarity
The tools he uses to tune a room quickly
Virtual soundcheck workflows that save valuable time
Why listening to artists can make you a better engineer
But that's only part of the story...
We'll also take you backstage to explore how We The Kingdom team handles monitor world, talkback communication, wireless systems, and the behind-the-scenes workflows that keep a major tour running smoothly.
Plus, don't miss our special segments:
Shure Wireless Workshop – Learn what churches and production teams need to know as wireless spectrum continues to shrink and government frequency changes create new challenges for audio teams.
Resi Tech Spotlight – Practical insights that can help your church improve reliability, streaming, and production workflows.
The Paragon Angle – Our exclusive segment from Paragon 360 featuring leadership, design, and production insights you can apply to your ministry immediately.
Whether you're mixing for a local church, a touring artist, or simply looking to improve your craft, this episode is packed with practical wisdom from an engineer who has spent more than two decades mixing at the highest level.
Don't miss this behind-the-scenes look at the art, science, and leadership of live audio with Daniel Ellis.
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com
#TechArtsPodcast #DanielEllis #WeTheKingdom #FOHEngineer #LiveSound #ChurchProduction #AudioEngineer #YamahaAudio #Digico #FrontOfHouse #LiveAudio #ChurchTech #ProductionMinistry #ShureWireless #Resi #Paragon360 #TheParagonAngle #AudioMixing #TouringEngineer #WorshipProduction
36 min
May 21 Powering AVL with PoE
What if one cable could power your AVL future?
This week on The Tech Arts Podcast, we dive into the rapidly growing world of PoE (Power over Ethernet) and how it’s changing church production, networking, lighting, audio, video, and system design.
Host David Leuschner sits down with Anthony Stofflet from AC Americas to talk real-world applications of PoE, AVB Milan, Dante, network switches, lighting systems, audio solutions, video infrastructure, and why smarter infrastructure matters for churches building or upgrading today.
Plus — a special segment from Paragon 360 called “The Paragon Angle.”
This episode is sponsored by AC Americas and brought to you by Shure, Resi, Paragon 360, and DiGiCo.
Less cable. More control. Smarter AVL.
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com

36 min
April 11Mike Smith: Immersive Mixing & Flying Drummers + Live NAMM Segments
The Tech Arts Podcast – Live at NAMM 2026
We’re coming to you from NAMM 2026, packed with insight, innovation, and real-world leadership for church tech teams.
This episode features Audio Engineer Mike Smith from Prestonwood Church, breaking down how he approaches immersive mixing in a live worship environment—including the strategy, execution, and what it really takes to pull off high-impact moments like the flying drummers with excellence.
We’re also joined by Guest Dave Hatmaker, bringing decades of experience in technical direction, leadership, and the power of building strong teams. Alongside him, Mike Dias shares insight on creativity, storytelling, and why this industry is ultimately about people—not just tech.
Featured Segments Include:
Spotlight on Sound Devices and how their tools continue to elevate production quality
DiGiCo Quantum 112 segment, exploring a compact console built for serious power and flexibility
KLANG immersive audio segment, showing how 3D in-ear mixing is changing the way musicians hear and perform
Special segment from Resi explaining how to take your streaming to the next level.
Bonus segment from The Paragon Angle — designed to help tech teams think differently and take their systems, workflows, and leadership to the next level
This episode is loaded with practical insight, forward-thinking technology, and leadership perspective to help you grow your team and your impact.
See all resources, youtube videos and more at techartspodcast.com
1 hr 3 min
March 21 Every Tech Position Matters
What if the role you think is small… is actually shaping moments where people encounter God?
In this powerful and encouraging episode of The Tech Arts Podcast, David Leuschner unpacks a truth every church tech needs to hear: every position matters. Whether you're behind the console, running cameras, programming lights, or quietly setting the stage—your role is not secondary. It’s essential.
This episode will challenge your perspective and remind you that ministry doesn’t just happen on the platform—it happens in every detail, every task, and every moment of preparation. From the seen to the unseen, your faithfulness and excellence are part of something much bigger than you may realize.
You’ll walk away encouraged, refocused, and inspired to lead and serve with greater purpose—especially as you head into key moments like Easter services.
Plus, don’t miss our special sponsor segments—including The Paragon Angle and other featured content—designed to help you level up your technical skills, leadership, and excellence in ministry.
LISTEN TODAY!
techartspodcast.com

14 min
March 05 THE PARAGON ANGLE: Why Acoustics Matter
Why Acoustics Matter?
Brought to you by Paragon 360
At Paragon 360®, we design and build award-winning sight, sound, and scenic solutions for places of worship, auditoriums, sports complexes, amusement parks, corporate spaces, and other venues of all sizes across many market segments. Our ability to make just about any space look, feel and sound exceptional - all with unbeatable customer service and serious attention to detail – has earned us a first-in-class reputation we’re honored to uphold.
paragon360.com
5 min
February 12 You Don't Know Sheep: A Leadership Perspective with Author David McCauley
In this episode of The Tech Arts Podcast, we sit down with David McCauley, author of the leadership book You Don’t Know Sheep—a practical, humorous, and deeply insightful guide for today’s technical, faith and ministry leaders. Drawing from decades of real-world experience in church leadership, technical ministry, and organizational growth, David unpacks how leaders can better understand the people they serve, make healthier decisions under pressure, lead from outside the box, and—most importantly—remember the why behind what they do. This conversation explores leadership through the lens of human behavior, team culture, emotion in decision-making, and how great leaders guide experiences for the people they lead.
Today’s episode is also packed with specialty segments to spark your creativity on audio, video and lighting!
LISTEN TODAY!
techartspodcast.com

1 hr 3 min

About The Tech Arts Podcast

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This podcast talks about technology, leadership and team building as it relates to Church tech. We discuss the best ways to use these tools to assist the Church in it's mission to fulfill the Digital…