The ChurchGear Podcast

Are modern church tech job descriptions completely unrealistic compared to the salaries being offered?What is it actually like to leave a church tech job for a massive touring gig? And more importantly, do touring audio engineers actually make that much more money?In this episode, we are joined by Scott Ragsdale to talk about the massive career shift between local church production and mixing world tours for artists like Joe Bonamassa.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: Toby & Blake’s Previous Job Searches7:00 Scott Ragsdale Joins the Podcast!10:45 Scott’s Journey Into Production Ministry15:30 Is the Grass Greener? Church Tech vs. Touring Production20:15 The Salary Reality: Do Touring Audio Engineers Actually Make More Money?26:15 Do Church Techs Have the Skills to Mix a World Tour for Joe Bonamassa?38:40 The "Salary Band" Trap: Why Churches Lose Their Best Techs45:00 The Big Debate: Can You Survive on a Small Church Tech Salary?54:15 Closing the Pay Gap Between Touring and Church Production1:07:40 How to Become the Tech Director Your Church Wants to Retain1:15:30 Church Tech Confessional: GhostTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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 are currently working in ministry, how do you actually negotiate for better pay?We're joined by Johnny Ragin, the founder of the massively popular Worship Sound Guy platform. We dive deep into the taboo topic of church finances, discussing Johnny's starting church tech salary, and debate if churches have to consider touring/corporate AVL jobs when they look at the market rate for church techs salaries. In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: Toby’s Gear Flipping Origin Story7:00 Johnny Ragin (Worship Sound Guy) Joins the Podcast!11:00 The Reality of Starting Salaries in Church Tech20:10 Who Actually Sets the Market Rate for Church Tech Salaries?27:00 Why the Role of Technical Director Has Gotten Significantly Harder31:30 The Disconnect: Job Description Demands vs. Offered Salary35:00 The Case for (and against) Hiring Highly Skilled, Part-Time Church Techs40:00 Strategy: How to Ask for a Raise Without Getting a Promotion46:30 Should You Bring Personal Life Circumstances into a Salary Negotiation?55:00 Keep Sundays Running: Why Johnny Actually Left His Church Role1:00:00 Church Tech Confessional: An AI Translation DisasterTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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 actually happens to your ministry job when your marriage falls apart? Will you be immediately fired, or will your leadership team walk alongside you?In this incredibly vulnerable and necessary episode, we sit down with Justin Firesheets to tackle the taboo and deeply painful reality of navigating a divorce while serving on church staff. Justin opens up about his own personal journey, walking us through exactly how and when he approached his executive leadership team.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: The Difficulty of Marriage5:15 Justin Firesheets Joins the Podcast!9:45 Navigating a Divorce While on Church Staff12:00 How to Talk to Executive Leadership About a Coming Divorce24:15 How Long Should You Wait Before Disclosing It to Leadership?25:30 Did the Church Have an Official Policy on Staff Divorce?29:25 The Fear of Losing Your Ministry Job During a Personal Crisis43:15 The Debate: Should Divorce Policies Differ Depending on Your Church Role?47:15 Justin’s Advice: When to Bring Leadership in to Help57:50 Church Tech ConfessionalTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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 happens when the production team at one of the largest mega-churches in the country experiences a complete Sunday morning meltdown? And more importantly, how do you face your executive leadership the next day?In this incredibly vulnerable episode, we are joined by Live Production Lead Mike Smith and Director of Media Bryan Bailey from the massive Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Mike pulls back the curtain to share the absolute worst Sunday of his entire church production career, walking us through the terrifying reality of the failure and advice on handling leadership conversations that follow these moments. In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: Toby and Blake’s Vehicle Disasters5:30 Mike Smith & Bryan Bailey (Prestonwood Baptist Church) Join the Podcast11:15 The Worst Sunday of Mike Smith’s Church Production Career22:10 Navigating the Monday Meeting: The Conversation with Leadership30:00 The Big Debate: Has Modern Church Production Gotten Too Fancy?37:50 The Mental Game: How Long Does It Take to Recover from a Bad Sunday?41:40 Practical Advice to Prevent Massive Church Tech Mistakes47:30 Keep Sundays Running52:00 Church Tech ConfessionalTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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! 

Are we outsourcing too many of our actual thoughts to Artificial Intelligence? And more importantly, is AI going to eventually replace the need for human volunteers in the tech booth?In this episode, we are joined by Jake Gosselin, founder of Churchfront, to tackle the most highly debated topic in modern ministry: Artificial Intelligence. Jake shares his personal journey into live production before diving deep into exactly how AI is currently being integrated into the church tech space.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: Are We Outsourcing Too Many Thoughts to AI?5:00 Jake Gosselin’s Journey into Church Tech (Churchfront)16:00 How AI is Actually Being Integrated into Church Production19:15 Can AI Fill the Gap for Understaffed Tech Ministries?22:50 The Big Debate: Will AI Replace Church Tech Volunteers?29:15 How to Start Integrating AI into Your Workflow Today35:00 Will AI Kill Us All Terminator Style? 37:30 Church Tech Disaster Stories42:45 Keep Sundays RunningTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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 does one of the largest churches in America handle their Sunday morning production, and more importantly, how do they recruit and train enough volunteers to make it happen?In this episode, we are joined by Griffin McCravy, the Broadcast Lighting Director at Church of the Highlands. After kicking things off with some amazing stories about growing up with Dolly Parton, Griffin shares his personal journey into live production. We then pull back the curtain on the massive AVL operation at Church of the Highlands.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: Losing Dolly Parton4:00 Griffin’s Experience Growing Up with Dolly Parton13:20 Griffin’s Journey into Becoming a Lighting Director20:00 Behind the Scenes: Production at Church of the Highlands24:45 How to Find Great Church Tech Volunteers28:00 Strategies for Training Tech Volunteers Well35:00 Lighting Design at Church of the Highlands43:00 ChurchGear Disaster Story with Highlands47:15 Church Tech Disaster: Christmas Joy49:20 Live Production Disaster: When the Lighting Guy Does Audio52:15 Keep Sundays Running: Don’t Let It Become Normal55:55 Church Tech ConfessionalTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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! 

Does running production for a massive, multi-site mega-church mean you need to buy every single piece of gear on the market? And when it comes to Sunday morning audio, can you actually trust a volunteer to mix Front of House?In this episode, we are joined by Dwight Theaker of Austin Stone Community Church. We dive deep into the specific logistics of broadcasting across multiple locations and break down exactly what AVL gear Austin Stone prioritizes. Dwight shares the surprising revelation that their production team actively chooses to use less gear than the average church, and explains the massive benefits of that streamlined philosophy.In this episode you'll hear:0:00 Intro: Toby Lost a Job & Chris Tomlin Stories5:00 Dwight Theaker (Austin Stone Community Church) Joins10:00 Gear Talk: What is Austin Stone Church Actually Using?14:00 The Logistics of Broadcasting Across Multiple Campuses15:45 Comparing Gear Priorities: 12Stone vs. Austin Stone18:00 Why Austin Stone Uses Less Gear Than the Average Church22:00 The Big Debate: Should Your Church Buy a d&b Soundscape Rig?25:00 Can You Actually Trust Volunteers to Mix FOH Audio?32:15 Church Tech Disaster Story35:30 Keep Sundays RunningTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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! 

Are mega-churches actually more creative, or do they just have bigger budgets? And when it comes to your online service, should you really be livestreaming your worship set, or just the preaching?In this episode, we are joined by Brady Shearer, founder of Pro Church Tools, to tackle some of the most debated topics in church communications and media. We dive into the unrealistic expectations that mega-churches set for local congregations, and try to identify the single biggest issue facing the church today.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: Toby Is Obsessed With AI5:15 Brady Shearer (Pro Church Tools) Joins the Podcast!11:00 How Mega-Churches Set Unrealistic Expectations for Everyone Else15:40 Are Mega-Churches Actually More Creative?21:00 Identifying the Biggest Issue in the Church Today24:30 The Livestream Debate: Should You Stream Worship or Just the Sermon?32:30 Hot Take: Why Your Church Needs Fewer Announcements39:00 The Absolute Best Way to Recruit Church Tech Volunteers44:00 Church Tech Disaster Stories49:00 Keep Sundays Running: If It Works, Do It Again51:00 The Most Common Mistakes Churches Make During AnnouncementsTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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! 

Are modern church services finally moving away from dark, concert-style rooms and shifting back toward brighter environments? And if you are a lighting director, how do you make the jump from the MA2 console to the MA3?In this episode, we are joined by freelance AVL production expert Aria Hailey. Aria shares her journey into live production and discusses the reality of freelancing in the current industry. We explore a massive trend happening right now: why so many highly skilled audio and lighting techs are actually leaving the touring world to take full-time church tech jobs.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: How Much Trouble Will Toby Get Into in Vegas?4:45 Aria Hailey’s Journey Into AVL Production9:15 The Highs and Lows of Freelancing in Live AVL13:00 Overcoming "Blue Dot Syndrome" in Live Production15:15 The Trend: Are Techs Leaving Tours for Church Jobs?20:00 Designing Church Lighting for the Congregation (Not Your Ego)23:00 Lighting Trends: Are We Shifting Back to Brighter Church Services?28:15 How to Train the Next Generation of Church Lighting Techs33:00 Console Talk: The Biggest Differences Between MA2 vs. MA335:30 Tech Disaster Story: "Hey, There is Smoke Behind Me!"40:00 Keep Sundays Running: The Power of SnacksTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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 is it like to transition from playing arenas with a legendary Christian rock band to running Sunday morning production for a massive multi-site congregation?In this incredible episode, we are joined by Ronny Cates, former bassist for the iconic band Petra and current production leader at 12Stone Church. Ronny shares amazing behind-the-scenes stories of what Petra's massive concerts and touring gear looked like in their prime, and tackles the heavy debate of whether or not modern Christian music has officially stalled out.In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 Intro: The Live Event "Blue Dot" Trend4:45 Ronny Cates (12Stone Church / Petra) Joins9:20 How Ronny Ended Up in the Legendary Rock Band Petra13:00 Behind the Scenes: Petra Concerts & Touring Gear16:00 The Big Debate: Has Christian Music Stalled Out?22:00 Stop Copying Other Churches' Audio Mixes28:30 Mixing for Your Congregation (Not Your Personal Preference)37:00 Transitioning from Arena Tours to Church Tech40:00 Inside the Production Culture at 12Stone Church41:30 Church Tech Disaster: Double Checks and Backups45:00 Keep Sundays RunningTake our survey here and you'll get the full report emailed to you December 4th!  Check out HouseRight here to see why we recommend them as an integrator AND a great place to work!  Get more money back in your budget and more space in your closet by selling us your used gear here. Resources for your Church Tech MinistrySell 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!