If something fails in your service, what happens? First off, you need to determine who makes the call. It needs to be someone NOT on the platform, because they won’t have the ability to figure out what the problem is as it’s happening. Then, work out your response to as many scenarios in advance as possible, and then turn over the reins [and the trust] to your service producer or tech director Here are a couple of sample scenarios that you may face, along with some potential solutions:
- It’s stormy out and the power goes down;
- One of your side screen projectors bites the dust mid-song;
- The preaching pastor’s mic malfunctions, and it’s not just a battery;
1. If the power goes out and doesn’t come back: Small room with windows, go acoustic if possible and do a shortened version of the service [in my mind, this is one of the ONLY potential positives about having windows in a sanctuary, lol]. It will actually very likely end up being a special moment for the congregation. Big room w/no windows, sorry – game over [by law] – you have to empty the room for safety.
2. Projector goes down: Go on as if nothing happened. You don’t need to announce that the projector is down, everyone can see it. It’s non-essential, so it’s an annoyance, not a critical fail.
3. Pastor’s mic dies: Switch to the backup mic that you have ready to go for just such a circumstance [there should ALWAYS be an extra mic wired, tested and ready to go]. Pastors, for many of you, this may mean switching to a handheld mic when you normally wear a headset – it’s worthwhile to practice that every once in a while so that it doesn’t throw you for a loop.
Of course, these are just a handful of potential fails that can happen [and probably will, eventually]. Thinking these things through ahead of time greatly lessens the stress when they occur, and significantly reduces the negative impact on the services.
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