The ChurchGear Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Estian Els to get a global perspective on church tech. We dive into the realities of running a massive 7,000-person church in Africa, breaking down exactly what gear they use and the unique struggles of navigating international supply chains to get it. Estian also shares a brilliant leadership hack: why you need to bring your senior pastor to the FILO Conference. Finally, we zoom out to discuss the broader state of the global church, exploring exactly wha...

How do you communicate your actual value to your church leadership without overwhelming them with tech jargon? In this episode, we are joined by FILO Founder Todd Elliott. Todd shares the origin story of how FILO was created to support the often-overlooked production community. We dive into a deep conversation about the title of "Technical Artist," why using intentional tech jargon to sound smart usually backfires with your senior pastor, and the best ways to bridge the communication gap ...

Is the church doing enough to invest in the next generation of technical artists? And how do you balance the pressure for a "perfect" Sunday mix with the need to let young volunteers make mistakes and learn? In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 HouseRight Event Recap & Listener Shoutouts 6:15 Gene Kim (Lauren Daigle’s FOH Engineer) Joins 12:30 Are We Investing in the Next Generation of Church Techs? 32:30 Mentorship: Allowing Volunteers to Make Mistakes 37:30 Core Topics for Mentor...

Is buying the best, most expensive gear always the right answer to your church's production problems? (Spoiler alert: Usually not.) In this special episode recorded live at MxU, we are joined by Spencer De Young and Dillan Howell. We dive straight into the controversial stuff, discussing exactly why your church probably shouldn't buy a DiGiCo 338 console and the hard truth about whether you actually need a giant LED wall. In this episode you'll hear: 0:00 The "Great Gear Fixes Everyth...

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:&nbs...

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...

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...

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 House05:30 Guest Interview: Dillan Howell (Evnt Ready)11:30 Realities of Church Live Eve...

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: ...

In this episode, Will Chapman from Cottonwood Creek Church joins us to explore the changing world of church production. We cover Crossroads Church’s LED wall vision, Gen Z’s worship preferences, and how AI, AR, and VR are shaping the future of Sunday services. A must-listen for church techs, worship leaders, and production volunteers looking ahead. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 Crossroads Church’s LED wall vision + the future of church production 6:50 Guest intro: Will C...

If you increase your skills, can you get by with lower quality gear? Jesse O’Brien joins us this week to reveal the Red Rocks playbook for stretching a gear budget and still delivering excellent production quality. In this episode you'll hear: 1:00 – Toby crawls under the stage to fix church AVL integration issues 7:30 – Jesse O’Brien from Red Rocks Church joins the podcast 9:00 – How Jesse got into church production at Red Rocks Church 12:15 – The production gear Red Rocks Worshi...

How do you produce the largest Gospel presentation in history with less than 10 days? Brad McCraw joins us to discuss how his team produced the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service with no time and the highest of stakes. In this episode: 1:00 — Moments When Time Stood Still in American History 5:45 — How Brad McCraw Became the Production Lead for Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Service 11:00 — How Secret Service Affected the Production and AVL Setup 12:00 — How Mosaic Pulled Off the Charli...