Send us a Text Message. How do you weigh the decision to stay or leave church tech ministry? Yoshi Haddad has transitioned out from his post as the Director of Production at Houston's First Baptist Church to become a Sales Engineer at LD Systems. He joins us this week to discuss his thoughts on the transition and we have some laughs along the way w…

Send us a Text Message. You've been hired to be the youth minister and now you're told you're doing church production. What? Kyle Bowman is the Production Director at Journey Church and he joins us to discuss transitions, volunteer recruitment and more! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby and Blake have been responsible for the youths of America…

Send us a Text Message. What's it like mixing for Red Rocks services and concerts? Jesse O'Brien is the Broadcast and FOH engineer at Red Rocks Church and he joins us to discuss all things Red Rocks production. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 We have our first podcast sponsor! 4:45 Andy Bentley joins us! 7:30 Five Truths and a Lie: “And they aske…

Send us a Text Message. How do you recruit and train church production volunteers? Bobby Falconnier is the broadcast manager at First Baptist Orlando church and he joins us for a volunteer deep dive. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Impersonations 4:30 Bobby Falconnier joins us! 12:45 How do you find church production volunteers? 30:00 Working for…

Send us a Text Message. How do you transition from being an individual AVL lead to becoming the leader for the entire church production team? Tim Wagoner joins us from Long Hollow church to talk about his recent promotion, their decision to buy EAW line arrays and more! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Best Beaches in America 5:30 Tim Wagoner join…

Send us a Text Message. What were the early days of mixing for Hillsong like? James Hurley is a mix engineer who has worked with Hillsong, Kari & Cody, Mosaic and more. He joins us to discuss his early days with Hillson, live production albums and more this week on the ChurchGear Podcast In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 The Guys Get Gue in their e…

Send us a Text Message. How do we balance our work life well? Conor Hale is a church tech at The Summit Church and he joins us to discuss work life balance. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Disrespecting Consoles, Studios and Pappy Van Winkle 5:30 Conor Hale joins us! 13:00 Conor’s journey to being a Summit Church Tech 16:00 Summit Church’s system…

Send us a Text Message. How does one of the biggest churches in the country approach lighting design? Caleb is the Senior Lighting Designer for Life Church. He tells us about Life Church's approach to lighting, some disaster stories and more on our final live FILO episode. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby and Blake go to a baseball game befor…

Send us a Text Message. What production upgrades should you recommend to your church leadership? Matt Kotthoff joins us live at FILO 2024! We discuss gear stewardship, community building and wrap with a disaster story that has us all wondering if there is ever a right time to allow software updates to go through. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 “…

Send us a Text Message. We took over the Amplio Podcast studio after day one of FILO to recap the conference and bring the party to you! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 FILO Amplio After Party Pod! 4:00 What happened at FILO 2024 Day 1? 7:00 Toby’s horrific Gene Kim introduction 11:00 FILO pre party activities 15:00 Amplio’s podcast has launched!…

Send us a Text Message. How do we customize our lighting design to draw people to God? Griffin McCravy joins the podcast to tell us how Church of the Highlands is adjusting their lighting design to create a more welcoming environment for potential believers. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Blake’s first time in the tech booth 6:00 Griffin McCravy…

Send us a Text Message. How do you speak your pastor's language? Will Chapman is the Online Pastor for Cottonwood Creek Church and he drops by the ChurchGear podcast to discuss communication methods, advancing in your role and how to transition a church's production style over time. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 The Church Tech Mecas in Texas 6…

Send us a Text Message. Chad Olech has been Fall Out Boy's front-of-house mix engineer for the past 11 years and he joined us on the ChurchGear Podcast this week! He told us how he mixes Fall Out Boy's shows, the stories that have come with that and more! Don't miss this week's episode! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Recording studios and celebr…

Send us a Text Message. What's it like doing production for the Harvest Crusades? Chris Eguizabal is the Production Manager at Harvest Riverside Church and he joins us to discuss production for The Harvest Crusades, lighting design approaches and he wraps our episode with a mic mix up story that you can't miss! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Tob…

Send us a Text Message. How do you create & steward a church production budget well? How do you communicate your budget needs to leadership? Chris is the Production Director at Northside Christian Church, and he joins us to talk about how to make a budget that fulfills your church's vision. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Taxes & Budget Complaint…

Send us a Text Message. How do you define the goal of your Sunday service? What can we aim for beyond "well I saw this one church do it this way"? Todd Elliott joins us to discuss what a successful Sunday looks like, the overall pulse on the production community and what he is jazzed about for FILO 2024! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Alligator …

Send us a Text Message. How do you have multiple departments collaborate, communicate and coordinate well? Brad Bramer is the Worship and Creative arts Executive Producer at Southeast Christian Church and he joins us to discuss how multiple church departments can work in concert to achieve an overarching vision. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Wh…

Send us a Text Message. How do we create environments to allow church lighting directors to grow? Before touring as Scotty McCreery's LD, Alexander was the LD at Connection Point Christian Church. He joins us this week to talk about keeping younger LDs engaged, lighting for the moment, and more! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Nightmares we’re ha…

Send us a Text Message. How do you build an AVL system for your church that meets today's needs and the demands of the future? How do you make sure it works for everyone on staff and the volunteer team as a whole? Luke Hester works with churches to design systems at Houseright and he joins the ChurchGear podcast to discuss how you can make a system…

Send us a Text Message. How do you grow the production team and gear at multiple locations at a sustainable pace? Shaun Miller is the Central Production Director at Rolling Hills Church and he drops by the pod to discuss baptism, pacing gear growth and more. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 How do Baptisms impact church production? 5:30 Shaun Mill…

Send us a Text Message. Your LED screen has fallen, you're in water up to your ankles and thousands of students are about to show up for a night of worship. Jeff Sandstrom joins us this week to discuss the AVL challenges of the Super Bowl and the most difficult event he has ever been a part of. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby isn’t with us t…

Send us a Text Message. How do you build a strong production team that furthers the Gospel? Brandon Conn is the Audio Director at Gateway Church and he joins us this week to discuss all the practical principles Gateway church utilizes to build strong production teams. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby visits Chauvet Lighting in Florida! 6:00 B…

Send us a Text Message. What production tips do you pick up from a lifetime of touring? Gene Kim had a spare moment where he wasn't mixing for Phil Wickham, so he dropped by the podcast studio to discuss mixing in bad rooms, AVL trends and coffee. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Stage Shenanigans and Forbidden Rocks 6:50 What shows has Gene been …

Send us a Text Message. Leadership is spoken about often but what does it really look like in the church production space? Warren Davis is the Central Team Leader of Broadcast support for Life Church and he joins us to discuss leading teams well. In this episode you'll hear 1:00 Rockstars breaking the law & tossing TVs 6:00 Warren Davis joins the p…

Send us a Text Message. How do we unify the church production team and the worship team? Brenton Miles is the Production Manager for Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes, and he joins us this week on the podcast to discuss the unique dynamic between worship and production. In this episode 1:00 Does volume or the mix matter most? 5:15 Brenton Miles joins! 11:0…

Send us a Text Message. What are the quickest ways to improve our church's mix? Johnny Ragin drops by the pod to talk awesome mixing tips, hilarious disaster stories and more hot takes than we've ever had in a single episode. In this episode: 1:00 Toby taught production in college?! 5:00 Johnny Ragin from Worship Sound Guy joins us! 12:00 Johnny’s …

Send us a Text Message. When you've worked with Louie Giglio at Passion and built Chris Tomlin's Track Rig, what can you not do? Stephen Bailey joins us on the ChurchGear podcast this week to discuss his production time at Passion, the advice he'd give his younger self and who would win in a fight between a bus or Jay Desai. In this episode you'll …

Send us a Text Message. How do you lead your church production team when you're one of the youngest people on staff? Johnathan Basquez is the Production Director at Church on the Move and he joins the podcast this week to tell us about leading upward, Andrew Stone's advice to him and how he navigated production during a tough season. Johnathan gave…

Send us a Text Message. How do you pick an integrator? Clint Aull is a Designer and Installation Manager at All Pro Integrated Systems. He joins us this week to discuss vetting integrators, diversifying your skills and gives us his side of the legendary shrimp disaster story. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby heads to Detroit to avoid budget p…

Send us a Text Message. What were ChurchGear's best moments in 2023? We review the best stories, give out some awards and conclude with the moments ChurchGear's mission was fulfilled to the fullest! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby’s Top Three 2023 Moments 10:45 ChurchGear’s 2023 “Five Truths & A Lie” 14:10 BD’s Conference stories 19:00 “Who …

Send us a Text Message. How do we keep the most attended services of the year free from mishaps? We are joined by some of our church techs pals to hear their "Christmas Disaster Stories" this week. We hope this can provide you some laughs as you prepare for your own Christmas Services this year! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Rolling Black Outs …

Send us a Text Message. 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 y…

Send us a Text Message. 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 triv…

Send us a Text Message. 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 ch…

Send us a Text Message. 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…

Send us a Text Message. 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 …

Send us a Text Message. 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…

Send us a Text Message. 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 Ge…

Send us a Text Message. 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 Drak…

Send us a Text Message. 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 Celebr…

Send us a Text Message. 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 manufactu…

Send us a Text Message. How do we find community among our fellow church techs? Tone Stephens joins us to discuss the importance of community, the touring life and his time at Rock Lititz! In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Toby’s CA church visits 6:30 Tone Stephens joins the pod! 10:45 Drugs, Grammys and Queens 14:00 Tone’s close call with jail tim…

Send us a Text Message. How will the Church Tech Pay Series end? Toby, Blake and Brian recap the entire series in our final episode! We cover the most surprising survey stats, the best quotes, and the top takeaways. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Brendon Petty’s Legs and MxU live! 4:20 Mariah Carey & BD nearly kills Steven Curtis Chapman! 13:30 …

Send us a Text Message. What if the grass isn't greener in the secular production world? Caleb joins us again to discuss event overload, secular vs church environments, and salary ranges. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 The NF and Greta Van Fleet concerts at Bridgestone 5:10 Salary ranges and negotiating offers 10:25 What does Billy the Tech maki…

Send us a Text Message. You just got a job offer for 25k more to leave your church tech job. But you want to stay. What do you do now? Caleb Loeppky worked in multiple church tech positions before taking a role at Amplio. He also works with Slingshot to place church production people all across America. He joins us to discuss competing job offers, …

Send us a Text Message. How can church techs show the wider tech pay landscape to their church leadership? Scott Ragsdale is a church production legend and is returning to the ChurchGear podcast for the church tech pay series to discuss the current state of live production, an easy method to illustrate low tech salaries and why church techs are lea…

Send us a Text Message. What salary/career questions have you always wanted to ask your Executive Pastor? We spoke with Matt Wright from Slingshot Group about the title of "Pastor", Housing Allowances, and the Top 4 Qualities every Executive Pastor wants in their Tech Director. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Church interview HORROR story 8:00 Ma…

Send us a Text Message. What expectations should churches and church techs have for salary ranges, raises and benefits packages? Tim Foot joins us this week to kick off our Church Tech Pay Series! In the second of his two episodes with us we discuss benefits packages, salary ranges, and expectations for the TD and church. In this episode you’ll hea…

Send us a Text Message. What should a church tech's starting salary be? Tim Foot joins us this week to kick off our Church Tech Pay Series! In the first of his two episodes with us we discuss church tech starting salaries, current tech hiring trends and which tech role is the hardest to hire right now. In this episode you’ll hear: 1:00 How we Hire …

Send us a Text Message. What have our friends at MxU been up to? We chatted with Jeff and Jay on how much a room can excuse a bad mix, MxU's upcoming events and which fast food burger is the best. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 CA Mega Church Visits, Floor Buying & In and Out 7:20 MxU’s Jeff & Jay join us! 8:30 Burger Battle: McDonalds, WhatABur…