5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Going Into Media Ministry

As I look back over my 20 years of experience in media ministry, I think about what I would have told my 16-year-old self who was so eager to step into the media booth. Back then, my only care in the world was making sure we had enough cassette tapes of the sermon available immediately after service and making sure the VHS orders would be filled by next Sunday. The past two decades have been a blur of technology upgrades, achievements and failures, successes and frustrations, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Here are five things I wish I knew before going into media ministry.

1. You don’t need the best equipment

Back in the day, I would thumb through all of the video trade magazines wishing our church could have this new camera or that new sound board. I’ve learned you don’t need the coolest motion graphic backgrounds or a LED video wall to make your media ministry better. As long as you have a good team of volunteers and working equipment, you don’t need the latest and greatest to be successful. Sure, we all would love to have the best equipment, but often times we are subject to budgets and other cost restraints. Use what you have to the best of your ability and God will take care of the rest.

2. Teach your volunteers how to run everything

I can’t stress this enough. The best way to be an effective media director is to teach everyone how to do everything. If you, or someone in your ministry is out, there will be someone else to step in. At the very least, write a standard operating procedure (SOP) that volunteers can refer to and keep it in your ministry area. Don’t leave your church in a bind when you are not there.

3. Delegate duties

You don’t need to do everything by yourself. Don’t overwork yourself. Assign duties to volunteers. Pay someone to design, edit, film if you need to. Even someone who is not in media ministry could do one or two things to help. You don’t need to run both sound and video. Asking for help can alleviate stress and burnout in ministry.

5. There will be Murphy’s Law days

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. There are just some days where there is feedback in the mics, song lyrics are not displayed, and the streaming is down but guess what? You always have next Sunday. It will be okay. Whether it is operator error or equipment malfunction, don’t get stressed out. Don’t fuss and bring negative energy to your team. Fix the problem and move on. Don’t let a bad day ruin your ministry.

4. Your Pastor is stressed too

Prior to marrying my husband who is a pastor, I never realized all of the things pastors have to think about. They not only have to think about budgets, interpersonal relationships, and leading a congregation spiritually, they also have to think about their jobs outside of ministry and their family. It is a lot on their minds. Show some grace.

About Andrea Gray

Wife, dog mom, lover of all things creative. Her passion for equipping media ministry volunteers and leaders has spanned over 20 years. She has served in churches large and small, traditional and contemporary. She serves as Director of Media alongside her husband Rev. Charvis Gray at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church.