The MxU Podcast

Ministry burnout often begins when church production and worship leaders neglect the very things their leadership depends on. In this candid episode, we examine how demanding ministry seasons can undermine sleep, nutrition, spiritual disciplines, mental health, marriage, and family life. We share practical ways to prepare for busy church calendars, build sustainable habits, ask for help, and serve with excellence without sacrificing what matters most. 👉 Sign up for a free trial of MxU https://getmxu.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=264-ministry-self-neglect&utm_medium=social 🆓 Discover free resources https://getmxu.com/resources?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=264-ministry-self-neglect&utm_medium=social 👥 Join the community https://www.facebook.com/app.mxu https://www.instagram.com/mxu.app

We tackle a recurring church leadership tension: how should worship and production share a limited budget? Examining when technical systems should take priority over instruments, tracks, custom in-ears, and team expenses; why hidden infrastructure needs are difficult to communicate; and how equipment inventories, capital planning, and honest assessment can prevent emergency gear requests. This episode offers practical guidance for worship leaders, technical directors, and church executives who want to fund people and systems with greater clarity and stewardship. 👉 Learn more about MxU: the All-in-One app for worship & tech teams https://getmxu.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=worship-tech-budget-262&utm_medium=social 🆓 Discover free resources https://getmxu.com/resources?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=worship-tech-budget-262&utm_medium=social 👥 Join the community https://www.facebook.com/app.mxu https://www.instagram.com/mxu.app

Behind every Dude Perfect show is a team making the impossible look easy. In this episode, we talk with Jeff about live sound, touring, and the systems and mindset that help create consistently great experiences.👉 Learn more about MxU: the All-in-One app for worship & tech teamshttps://getmxu.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=sixth-dude&utm_medium=social💻 See MxU in action: book a demo callhttps://savvycal.com/mxu-team/MxU-Demo🆓 Discover free resourceshttps://getmxu.com/resources?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=sixth-dude&utm_medium=social👥 Join the communityhttps://www.facebook.com/app.mxuhttps://www.instagram.com/mxu.app

Building great church systems isn't about automation—it's about people. In this episode, we discuss why your systems should create more margin to train, care for, and serve your volunteers instead of becoming the focus of your ministry.👉 Learn more about MxU: the All-in-One app for worship & tech teamshttps://getmxu.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=peoploversystems&utm_medium=social💻 See MxU in action: book a demo callhttps://savvycal.com/mxu-team/MxU-Demo🆓 Discover free resourceshttps://getmxu.com/resources?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=peoploversystems&utm_medium=social👥 Join the communityhttps://www.facebook.com/app.mxuhttps://www.instagram.com/mxu.app

How do you grow a production team from 18 volunteers to 50 in just two years?In this episode, we sit down with Cody, who actually did it.If you've ever said: "We can't find volunteers." "The same people serve every week." "Nobody wants to join production." ...this conversation is for you.We break down the exact mindset shifts, systems, and leadership principles that helped grow a healthy production team without relying on constant recruiting or church-wide growth.You'll learn: Why most churches struggle to recruit volunteers The biggest mistakes leaders make when building teams How to create a culture people actually want to be part of Practical ways to retain volunteers and avoid burnout The leadership habits that create long-term growth Whether you're leading worship, production, or your entire volunteer culture, you'll walk away with practical ideas you can apply this week.👉 Learn more about MxU: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=18to50&utm_medium=socialBook a free demo: https://savvycal.com/mxu-team/MxU-DemoFREE RESOURCESTake advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly):https://getmxu.com/resources?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=18to50&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITYFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/app.mxuInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mxu.appWHAT IS MxU? Train volunteers, plan services, and run Sunday — from one app built for worship and production teams. https://getmxu.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=18to50&utm_medium=social

Most churches don't document any of their weekend process — it lives in the heads of a few key volunteers, and that's the entire reason you can't take a vacation, can't trust a backup operator, and keep getting Galatians spelled wrong on the slides at 9:58am on a Sunday. They get into why the conversation about checklists usually loses people in the first ten seconds (it sounds like "monkey work," it sounds bureaucratic, it sounds like a pilot's pre-flight that has nothing to do with worship) and why every one of those objections is actually the point. Dillan walks through the pastor who texted him after a "train wreck" weekend — no real disasters, just a stack of small, completely avoidable mistakes that no one caught because no one was checking — and uses it as the anchor for the rest of the conversation. They unpack what should actually be on a pre-service checklist beyond the technical stuff (greeting the band on stage, confirming lighting colors match the worship backgrounds, coordinating with ushers on doors), and Dillan makes the case that the leader's checklist is the one most churches skip entirely — and that leaders who can't remember to pray before rehearsal need that prompt more than they think. They get into why putting prayer on a checklist isn't unspiritual, it's honest, and why the documented version of your process is what lets you take a vacation, lets a key volunteer take a few months off when life gets hard without you treating them like a betrayal, and lets a backup operator step in without burning down the Sunday. They close with a walkthrough of the new checklists feature inside MxU — recurring checklists auto-assigned to whoever's scheduled in Planning Center, completion timestamps visible to the leader, accountability built in — and a Chernobyl reference that, depending on your tolerance for hyperbole, is either a stretch or exactly right.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=checklistsFREE RESOURCES 🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=checklists&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES 🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=checklists&utm_medium=social🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=checklists&utm_medium=social🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=checklists&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxU.appInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/mxu.app/WHAT IS MxU? MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=checklists&utm_medium=social

Spencer and Dillan open on a stat that should reframe how every worship and tech leader thinks about their team — most churches aren't one volunteer away from crumbling because they only have one volunteer, they're one third of a team away from crumbling, and that's just as fragile. They split the conversation into two completely different church realities. For the 100-200 person church where you legitimately know everyone's name and the bench really is thin, Dillan makes the harder case most pastors don't want to hear: maybe the answer isn't recruiting more people, it's scaling back the operation — running a five-person Sunday instead of a fifteen-person Sunday, and trusting that the gospel can still be preached and the Spirit can still move without three camera operators. For the 1,000-plus person church, the answer is the opposite — the people are in your congregation, you just haven't met them yet, and the issue isn't supply, it's that you're recruiting from a podium when you should be recruiting through relationship. They get into the trap of recruiting for need ("we're sinking, please get on the Titanic") versus recruiting for life change, why nobody jumps on a boat that's already going under, and why the real win of serving isn't a better show — it's the person whose life gets changed because they showed up. Spencer makes the case that the leaders who feel the volunteer shortage most acutely are usually the ones whose volunteers have no idea there's a shortage at all, and that telling people the actual need is step one. They close on three practical takeaways: pray for the volunteers you need by role, never let a single volunteer hold your weekend hostage, and build a real weekend strategy because the Sunday morning service is the biggest funnel into your church — and most churches have no plan for what to do with the people standing in it.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=one-volunteerFREE RESOURCES 🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=one-volunteer&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES 🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=one-volunteer&utm_medium=social🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=one-volunteer&utm_medium=social🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=one-volunteer&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITYFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU? MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=one-volunteer&utm_medium=social

In this episode, Spencer, Dillan, and Jeff open with a line that's going to make some people close the tab — churches should stop hiring so many people. They pull that statement apart for forty minutes: why hiring is almost always the easier path instead of the better one, what gets stolen from a church when leaders pay people instead of recruiting and developing them, and the leadership disconnect that treats the tech team like janitors ("we pay people to clean toilets, we pay people to mix audio") while expecting kids ministry and guest services to run on volunteers. Jeff makes the case that serving on a production team is fulfilling a priestly role — preparing the place of God for the people of God — and that pastors who offload that role to paid contractors are robbing their people of the discipleship that comes from sacrificing time and gifts. They get honest about front-of-house mixing being a real outlier (it's a long-game skill that takes reps), and Dillan offers a middle ground: take your annual contract budget and use a chunk of it to fly in a high-level coach once a quarter to pour into your volunteers, instead of paying someone to mix every weekend. They close on the harder truth underneath all of this — the church isn't a business, the people in the seats aren't customers, and the moment a leader treats the weekend like a transactional experience instead of a body of believers stewarding their gifts, something has been stolen.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=stop-hiringFREE RESOURCES 🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=stop-hiring&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES 🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=stop-hiring&utm_medium=social🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=stop-hiring&utm_medium=social🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=stop-hiring&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU? MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=stop-hiring&utm_medium=social

In this episode, Spencer and Dillan are joined by Jeff Sandstrom for a follow-up to "Can You Be Too Young for Ministry?" — but flipped. When is it time for older worship and tech leaders to step aside? Or is that even the right question? Jeff brings decades of perspective from working alongside Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, and others, and the conversation gets honest fast. We dig into why churches deplatform people too soon based on age, the difference between someone aging out and someone refusing to stay coachable, why the church's "if it ain't broke" attitude toward worship and production lets segregation between ministries grow, and Jeff's own honest admission about the tech he resisted learning. We also cover why "closed fists" disqualify you faster than any number on a birthday cake, the real reason a lot of older leaders are leaving ministry (hint: it's not age — it's burnout, frustration, and the friend who told them they could make $200k working 15 hours a week), and what it actually takes to keep getting better in your craft instead of coasting on what used to work.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ageoutFREE RESOURCES 🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=ageout&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES 🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=ageout&utm_medium=social 🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=ageout&utm_medium=social 🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=ageout&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY🤝 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU? MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=ageout&utm_medium=social

This week, a text exchange between a pastor and a livestream provider went public — and the church production community lit up. We walk through what happened, why it's bigger than one bad situation, and what it reveals about how we treat people in this industry.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=facebookFREE RESOURCES 🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=facebook&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=facebook&utm_medium=social 🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=facebook&utm_medium=social 🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=facebook&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mxurocks/🤝 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU? MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=facebook&utm_medium=social

Is your church pulling out all the stops for Easter... only to go back to normal the very next week? Dillan and Spencer get honest about the Easter "Super Bowl Sunday" mentality — and whether treating one Sunday as the big event is actually doing more harm than good.In this episode:⛪ Easter as "Super Bowl Sunday" — should every weekend get that energy?👔 Why church stage wardrobes are becoming a distraction (and what it communicates)🎻 String quartets, guest worship leaders & freelancers on big weekends — is it clickbait?🙏 The power of praying over seats — why not every weekend?✅ What to carry from Easter into EVERY Sunday going forwardCheck out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=easterFREE RESOURCES🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=easter&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=easter&utm_medium=social🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=easter&utm_medium=social🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=easter&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mxurocks/🤝 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU?MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=easter&utm_medium=social

If your auditions feel awkward, intimidating, or ineffective… you’re probably doing them wrong.Here’s how to build auditions that actually grow your team.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=auditionFREE RESOURCES🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=audition&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=audition&utm_medium=social🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=overproduced&utm_medium=social🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=audition&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mxurocks/🤝 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU?MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=audition&utm_medium=social

Someone walks up after service and says, “How do I get involved?”The worst thing you can do is say you’ll follow up… and then never respond.In this episode we talk about one of the biggest mistakes churches make when onboarding new volunteers and why quick follow-up matters more than you think. If someone has the courage to offer their time, leaders need to respond.Check out our FREE Team Night Guide: https://getmxu.com/resources/team-night-guide/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=loseFREE RESOURCES🆓 Take advantage of all the free resources for worship and tech teams that MxU has to offer (growing weekly): https://getmxu.com/resources/?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=lose&utm_medium=socialIMPROVE YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES🎓 1,000+ Training Videos: https://getmxu.com/training?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=lose&utm_medium=social🖥️ Volunteer Training Tool: https://getmxu.com/learning-management-system?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=lose&utm_medium=social🚀 Personalized Coaching: https://getmxu.com/coaching?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=lose&utm_medium=socialJOIN THE COMMUNITY📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mxurocks/🤝 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MxUrocksWHAT IS MxU?MxU is an online training platform for church leaders to train and equip their worship and tech volunteers: https://getmxu.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=lose&utm_medium=social