To add to your “job requirements” for finding new people, we also have the added – 1) you have to raise your own support & 2) you will most likely have to relocate to another continent far from family & friends.

Yeah, recruiting has been a little difficult.

I’ve been following your blog since I was formally employed at a small mega church in the 48th state (trying to keep some anonymity). I’ve never commented on any post, but this was a topic close to home and had to jump in.

The brief version. I was originally hired part-time as a sound tech by the worship/media pastor. This eventually led to him handing me the Adobe Creative Suite and learned how to use InDesign and so on. I ended up doing some nice pieces that I’m proud of which led to the decision to put me as the full-time graphic artist.

A few years go by, add another designer/collaborator primarily doing work for the youth department. We worked tremendously well together, yet we were constantly in a struggle with what we we’re supposed to be designing. More specifically, no one could communicate to us what we were supposed to be communicating to the congregation because they didn’t know themselves. A good design doesn’t fix a lack of content. It eventually became a very draining and depressing environment to work in.

I am appreciative of the skills that I was able learn at the church which gave me enough experience and skills to take a secular job as a graphic designer (being paid a more competive salary with less hours worked). That translates to me as more time to spend with my family.

I don’t think this problem is isolated with the church. I work for a Fortune 30 company and manage a large part of our infrastructure and we are also struggling to find top notch young talent with the skills we are looking for. The best talent is coming from overseas, but that isn’t a christian group, so while we can use that talent (and as a christian get a chance to be a witness) that doesn’t work for the church. What we have been doing is hiring young folks with solid competencies in leadership, communication and teamwork and a good technical base and training them with the skills we need. Does it work out every time?? No, but we have been fairly successful at building some technically savvy young leaders. Not sure if that is an option for the church as that takes some time and money to do, but if it is I think it is better than hiring an experienced person because these young kids are hungry to learn and you can shape and mold them to be outstanding contributers.

Just a slightly different perspective, from a church volunteer and full time in the corporate world viewpoint.

I coach teams at churches all over to do the tech stuff. I have come to realize that these leaders have replaced youth pastors as the hardest working least paid on a church staff.

but the fact does remain that technology is moving quicker than volunteers can keep up with.

I agree with you that the pool is pretty shallow when it comes to technical people who want to work in a ministry environment. I think it’s even harder to find people who are gifted creatively and technically, and have project management skills to help with the concurrent use of staff and freelance talent to produce creative product.

The leadership vacuum that exists in so many churches leaves technical staff, media folks, or creative teams, hanging out in wind taking shots from every direction simply for doing the work they’ve been asked to do. The pastor doesn’t take the shot because the parishioner doesn’t like the new website, video, or whatever. The tech person does! I’m beginning to suspect that there are a lot of leaders who intentionally use creative media and technology to drive change in congregations. The technical and media staff is used as a shield for all of the arrows that come from engaging change inappropriately. The workers are even fewer after they’ve made sacrifices to take a position, and then aren’t appreciated, or worse are beat up for doing what they’re told!

the reality is the landscape has changed. If your going to talk to the current culture, you need to take a real look at having highly skilled production and tech people. You also need to find a certain amount of techs that can make the leap from managing themselves and their art to managing others and the process. (Harder than you think.). The single biggest asset I have found for our community. (other than we have some high level volunteers in certain area’s such as IT/Video Production) is growing people from the inside, we use a lot of interning programs and after school type things for college and high school kids in regards to highly specialized tasks, and then we chunk out all other technology tasks into bite size push a button type tasks for volunteers, which gives them the ability to taste what it is like to serve and get involved and them they can make the jump to deeper levels if they like, I have also been able to tap into the local school district and do less than class sized training for kids who are already interested in areas of production. And then plug them into serving opps. You have to have your ducks in a row as well. Most techs take what they are doing very seriously and if you don’t have a system setup to take care of them and the process.. man they’ll take their gifts elsewhere. It might be simple to say but create the environment for a production/techie to grow in their relationship with Christ, others and art.. and they will.

The cool thing is ( “I Think”) is that we ( the church) are kind of in a first generational thing as far as high production values go, in terms of culture and what is expected .(a very general comment I know) but the next generation is already thinking this way. I have 15 year old interns that have the production mindset that I didn’t develop until my early 20′s (I am 40 and came out of the production world of regional touring and recording studios and freelance video work and into the church world when my life was turned around by Christ. ) So if you can get someone to tap in to that and reproduce themselves into them then things will get easier as we go.

As far as where to find them? If it was me….. If they aren’t currently in your church, and your church is small , cast the vision for it, including the resources you will make available to “raise” someone up and see what God does. If you have money to throw at it, talk to Full Sail or NYU or SAE (or any other large production school) or get plugged into your local scene and see who is rocking it and then cast that vision to them and see how God puts it all together.

Man this turned into a long comment.. sorry…:)

We have some folks who have made great money in the corporate world and then have the option to leave that behind to make an impact in full time ministry. Having guys like that are great, but I think you can’t assume that those guys are the rule. They are a great exception to the rule.
Certainly we are seeing the challenge here.