Design hybrid events and church services

General mode of operation

After introducing the different types of events, I would first like to talk about the general functioning and structures. Hybrid events are very complex.

Producer role

The name producer certainly sounds far-fetched to some in the context of a church service. One could say service leader, program director, or something similar.

Nevertheless, the name is correct: A producer initiates, coordinates, supervises, and directs. The person should have creative and coordinating skills in the context of creating a church service or event. The producer leads the entire process and "directs". This means that he or she coordinates the entire process in advance. This person "represents" the worship service, so to speak. With regard to the church service, the producer should be interested in everything, and he should be informed about everything, because he has to keep the overall picture of the church service in mind. During the church service, the producer is the director. This means that from the rehearsals, the briefing, the opening of the doors to the performance of the individual program points, he directs everything, gives instructions, and bears the responsibility. Of course, depending on the size of the church and the individual teams, this can look very different. Leading the entire process is a key function. Working closely with the pastor or preacher, this person should communicate the idea or vision to all involved. It is important that this person is not on stage themselves on the day of the event/church service so that they can focus entirely on the big picture and the process. This task can be performed by a team or an individual.

Depending on the size of the church or event, an event manager may also be required. It has proven useful to distinguish the following tasks and roles.

Event Manager

has overall responsibility for the (on-site/online) event

has responsibility for all tasks related to the event (marketing, security, catering, communication, facility management, etc.)

has responsibility for the (on-site/online) visitors

has responsibility for the workers

should be informed about program contents

can stop program content if it has a negative impact on the overall event (e.g., for timing, cleaning, etc.)

Producer

has overall responsibility for the program of the on-site/online) event

is the first point of contact for all workers regarding the implementation of the program

For smaller events, most of the tasks of an event manager can be taken over by the producer. However, it is important to focus on a core area as soon as possible.

A producer is a manager of needs.

For every church service or event there is a need for workers, who in turn have different tasks, e.g., in a worship team, for sound or light and of course the pastor or the person who moderates the service. Depending on the facilities, many other areas are added. Each person needs different elements and prerequisites to be able to do a good job in the church service. It is not only important to know these, but also to be interested in them as a producer. For it is through interest in each other's tasks that a true understanding of each other develops. For example, the presenter needs something different from the sound engineer. As a producer, you should be aware of the needs of each area and make sure you handle them well. What do the teams need in order to do their work well and with motivation?

Plan well

This usually begins with good planning. The earlier and better you know the individual areas and elements of the service, the better you can coordinate and arrange them. It is helpful to make simple lists for these items. For example, what does a particular element mean to each team? What does it mean for sound, lighting, multimedia, for the band, etc.? What do they need to know in advance to prepare well? More about this in the following chapters.

Communicate well

When you are done planning, communicate well in advance. Let the teams know what to expect. Also on site: Make sure you communicate well with everyone and bring everyone along as they need to do their jobs. If there is a spontaneous adjustment in the sequence, it is your responsibility as a producer to communicate this sufficiently and proactively to all teams that need to know about it. That way you can meet their need for information and preparation.

Consider time and resources

Some people have difficulty understanding technical processes. They do not take what spontaneous wishes or changes at short notice mean in terms of effort into account. Your task is to take them into account or ask about them in advance. For example, if the worship band always only announces with which instruments and with how many singers it will be on stage on Sunday morning, it can be difficult for the sound technicians to prepare well. Lighting programming also takes time and skills to learn. If you do not tell them how you want the lights to be until rehearsal, it will be too late. Because by doing that, you do not give the lighting guy a chance to do his job well. This must be clear beforehand. This way, during the rehearsal, small adjustments can be made. This means: You have to guess or ask how much time is needed for the individual areas. If there are additional ideas and technical equipment has to be rented to implement them, this can never happen spontaneously. Most of the time the workers want to do a very good job. This can be better facilitated by following these points.

The needs of workers must also be well managed in the workplace. Here, it is not the loudest person who gets attention, but you as the producer must weigh all the needs of the individual areas and make decisions. For example, if the band urgently needs to rehearse something, there may not be time to rehearse the sequence of the sermon. Or the sound department urgently needs to do a second sound check because there was a technical crash. Then perhaps there is not enough time to rehearse a play. What to do? You have to weigh up what has priority so that everyone can reach their goals as well as possible. If there are disruptions, talk with the area managers or operators to make decisions. As producer, you are the boss on the field. This authority should be given to you (as described below). It helps the overall culture on the field if everyone realizes that you care about everyone equally.

As a "needs manager", you should have a basic idea of how all the workers do their work. It is also helpful if you know what it means to perform a task on the field. Respect the way others work. Ask questions, watch, and show interest. This way you can guide everyone better.

A producer is a good communicator

As mentioned above, it is absolutely necessary to communicate well. Since you are fully involved in the preparation and have to be informed about all the details, you have the most relevant knowledge in all areas. This knowledge now has to be brought to the person in charge of an area in the right form and at the right time. Since you know how the areas work, you know when they ideally need which information. If not, ask. Often deadlines are not met by individual areas. For example, the songs that are to be sung on Sunday arrive in the planning too late. Or the Bible texts and the sermon outline are handed in much too late and not as agreed. It is your job to proactively follow up on this. Ideally, you as a whole team will have agreed on a schedule for deadlines and information. You can use your coordination to ensure that this is adhered to. The reason is simple: All areas should be able to be prepared in the best possible way. This mutual understanding is crucial. Through your good communication, you can ensure that it is adhered to.

On the day of the event, your communication is also crucial on site. Sure, there is often a certain standard that everyone should be aware of (more on that later). But any change should be well communicated by you. It also helps if you guide the preacher and the moderator well and go through all the details with them or ask if anything is still unclear.

The producer's job has a lot to do with interpersonal actions. This person must make arrangements between teams and individuals and coordinate various elements and needs. The following points can help ensure a true dialogue.

Understand

A central characteristic of a successful encounter is the feeling of being understood. We all know how it feels to feel misunderstood or not understood. Try to understand your counterpart and to correctly classify his or her questions or statements.

Empathy

Empathy means putting oneself in the other person's shoes on an emotional level. Anyone who is not prepared to do this will not find genuine understanding. It is not only about perceiving the factual content, but also about empathizing emotionally or recognizing the other person's emotions and showing this.

Openness

A dialogue is never just me, but always me and you and, unlike a monologue, it always includes the basic question: How do you see it? Am I really open to my counterpart's point of view, to his attitude, his opinion, his needs? It is about being ready for the possibility that things and the world are different from the way you see them.

Interest

Be interested in the person you are talking to and...