The lighting trusses will be hung vertically, reminiscent of chandeliers in an old theatre but with a modern twist. Each truss will be lit inside with a small LED fixture and will also have a moving head fixture mounted on the bottom. 

I am super psyched about this design and can't wait to see it come together. I will post pictures as soon as it is up. In the mean time I included the final renderings below for your viewing pleasure.

First, audio should not have a huge dynamic range. It should not be too loud or too soft. You don't want your listener to constantly have to adjust their volume.

Second, your video needs to be the highest possible quality as well. Streaming video doesn't look great to begin with so if you start with poor quality video you will end up with really poor quality video. Take time to get the cleanest signal possible.

Third, be careful to remember the context in which your audience will experience your service. A person watching your service in a 3 inch window on their computer screen won't be able to see much detail unless you keep your shots fairly close. So, pay careful attention to your composition. Closer shots will also help reduce macro-blocking.

These three principles may seem basic, but if you follow them you will be successful at delivering a streaming experience that your audience will enjoy. This is the foundation, everything else is just icing on the cake.

Above is the first stage of the of the design proposal for the fall set. It shows the 3D model of the stage along with hard constructed elements that we are proposing. The soft goods will be added to the next revision.

Please comment below and let me know what you think.

Yesterday however, was a very different kind of service. I was asked to preform a service for a man only 49 tears old. He had two children, 23 and 20, and a beautiful granddaughter. He had been married to the same woman for twenty-something years and had worked two jobs ever since they were married. 

What was so amazing about the service was not the man himself but the impact that he left on those around him. I had the opportunity to sit down and speak to his widow on the day prior to the service. She shared with me all kinds of wonderful memories and stories about her dear husband.

The service was held at a small but very nice chapel in town. I arrived about a half hour early and there were already a few people in addition to the family there. I don't know why but I guess I figured that the service would be small, just family and close friends. But as the clock ticked closer and closer to the time we were supposed to begin, more and more people kept coming. The service ended up starting about 15 minutes late because we waited for everyone in line to sign the guest book. By the time we were underway the crowds of people not only filled the chapel shoulder to shoulder like a New York subway, but there were people packed into the lobby and in the adjacent chapel listening over the speakers. I have never seen such a thing! this was amazing! What a testament to a life well lived and what an encouragement to the family. 

As for me, I am thankful that God allowed me to be a part of this service. He could have chosen anyone, but He chose me and for that I am honored!

You may also notice another new link above, the contact link. Use this link to shoot me an email or ask a specific question. 

**Warning, the video below is for super geeks. It's long but super cool!**

Leadership Summit Promo from Flamingo Road Church on Vimeo.

When I was young I was a bit of a slacker. I never wanted to do more than what I was asked to do and I would always look for a shortcut. Just as a side note, that is no longer how I operate. Anyway, my parents would always tell me, "anything worth doing is worth doing well." That is so true. We should never be willing to accept "good enough." To take that a step further, if "good enough" is good enough then you shouldn't do what ever it is you're doing in the first place. If you're not that into it, don't waste your time!

Alright, now that I've convinced you to strive for excellence, how do you measure it? The answer is, I don't know. At least for you, I don't know. You have got to define success in realistic specific language. Then, you must implement measurements to evaluate whether or not you are moving toward your definition of success.

For the Production Team at Flamingo Road Church it looks like this:

1. Was the team Diverse?
2. Did we reach our Potential meaning; did we give it our all?
3. Did we create an Environment that allowed the congregation to experience God and was it appropriately aligned with the series and Flamingo brand?
4. Did we Collaborate with anyone, whether on the team or not, about what we are doing?
5. Are we Moving forward, did we do something better than last weekend?
6. Did we spend time Thinking about what or how we can do to achieve excellence?
7. Did we approach the weekend with Creativity in design and problem solving?
8. Did we use all the tools available, (Planning Center Online, MP3’s, etc.), to prepare and be familiar with the service before arriving for rehearsal?
9. Did we come to rehearsals on time and prepared?
10. Did we maintain good attitudes and make quick adjustments in the face of problems?
11. Did we execute all cues on time?

The measurements above may or may not work in your environment or organization, but it is what defines success for us. My hope is that you take this information and adapt it to your organization so that we can all execute at a higher level.

So, you may ask, what's the point? What's the big deal? Well, as ministry leaders we are called to be co-laborers. We must collaborate with each other to accomplish the work of Christ. All too often in ministry we compete with and compare ourselves to other ministries. We hoard information and put up walls in order to keep the "competition" at bay. Sometimes our pride tells us that if we don't come up with the idea ourselves then it's not good. The Bible says that we are all part of one body and that we are to work together to accomplish the work of the Lord.

I challenge you to give collaboration a shot. Reach out to people doing ministry around you. Ask questions, build relationships, work together. You will be amazed at what you will learn and what you will be able to help others learn.

I have the honor of serving as the Global Production Director at Flamingo Road Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. It is my responsibility to lead the team of production managers that serve at each of our campuses. The measure of success that I set before them may, at first, seem a bit counter intuitive. I stress to them on many occasions that they will achieve "success" in their position when they are standing in the back of the room on the weekend with a clipboard and a cup of coffee not doing anything. As strange as this directive may sound it has a simple premise. When the production managers are not doing anything, the volunteers are, and that's what it's all about. That is empowering people to do ministry.

As easy as this may sound it is actually quite difficult and may take years to get to for a few reasons. First, as technically inclined people we naturally want to do things ourselves. Whether due to distrust for others or just simply a desire to "get our hands dirty." Second, it takes a great deal of time and effort to train people, particularly volunteers, to continuously execute at a high level. Lastly, volunteer teams are constantly changing and always need training, support, and help.

So, How do you create a culture where you, as a production manager can sit back and just drink coffee? You have got to be intentional about it. Take risks. Allow volunteers to do things that you would normally do yourself. Give them the opportunity to figure things out on their own. Let them know that you trust them. Another way that you can empower your your best volunteers is to "hire" them as "volunteer staff." Give them a title and a set of responsibilities the same as you would for a paid staff member. Now, all of the sudden, you have volunteers that are leading others and executing the tasks of the weekend and you've become a leader of leaders! Now, all you have to do is stand in the back with your clipboard and your coffee, encourage your volunteers, and watch them reach their potential!