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Sanctuary Mix

For pastors

Grow a sound team, one step at a time

New volunteers rarely leave because the job is too hard. They leave because nobody showed them how to grow into it. Give them a clear path, made of small steps they can succeed at. Let them learn where the pressure is low first: rehearsals, midweek meetings, the youth service. Sit beside them, give them one job at a time, and let them make small mistakes where they don't matter.

From Sanctuary Mix, Chapter 13.

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The Sunday ladder

Small steps, and a Sunday at the end of each level. Your sound team's leader signs off each step at your church, once the volunteer can do it without help, not just once.

  1. Level 1: Essentials

    1. Step 1, Watch

      3 items to sign off

    2. Step 2, Help

      4 items to sign off

    3. Step 3, Learn the channel (for speech)

      3 items to sign off

    4. Level 1 service

      4 items to sign off

    Your Sunday: trusted to run a spoken-word service at your church.

  2. Level 2: The Full Band

    1. Step 3, Learn the channel (for the band)

      4 items to sign off

    2. Step 4, Mix with a mentor

      4 items to sign off

    3. Level 2 service

      5 items to sign off

    Your Sunday: trusted to mix a full band, with in-ears, and with tracks if the church uses them, at your church.

  3. Level 3: Lead the Team

    1. Step 5, Run a Sunday: the stream

      2 items to sign off

    2. Under pressure

      5 items to sign off

    3. Step 6, Train someone

      4 items to sign off

    Your Sunday: trusted to lead the sound team, run the stream mix and stay calm under pressure at your church.

Find your step: six questions to send a volunteer, to see where they start.

Teach each step the same way

  1. Show: do it yourself while they watch, and say out loud what you're doing and why.
  2. Share: they do it while you stand beside them, hands off the desk unless something goes wrong.
  3. Step back: they do it while you're nearby but busy with something else.
  4. Sign off: only when they can do it without help, not just once.

How long it takes

At one lesson a week, with its task at church, as the training suggests (faster when you need it):

  • Level 1: 10 lessons, about 2 hours 30 minutes online, so about 10 weeks
  • Level 2: 11 lessons, about 3 hours 35 minutes online, so about 11 weeks
  • Level 3: 10 lessons, about 3 hours 20 minutes online, so about 10 weeks

Look after them

  • Give them rest. Serving every week burns people out. Give everyone Sundays in the congregation, simply to worship. As a guide, nobody serves over three Sundays in four: it depends on your volunteers and services.
  • Thank in public, correct in private. Name good work where others can hear it. Talk through problems one to one.
  • Invest in them. Training, time on the desk midweek, good headphones, a team meal now and then.
  • Protect their hearing. Sensible levels, and earplugs at the desk for long days (Chapter 10).

From Sanctuary Mix, Chapter 13.

When you speak

The training teaches your sound team that whenever a pastor speaks, at any time, there is sound. What they'll ask of you:

Your mic is live and ready at the desk before you come up. Unmute it with its own switch as you start, and leave it unmuted until your part is over (after a sermon, the end of the response song): mute it only for a cough or a private word. The sound team is watching, and will help.

From Sanctuary Mix, Chapter 7.

Planting a church?

The free church plant gear plans say what to buy for sound, screens and a stream, from R50 000 to R750 000, in the order to buy it, with shop prices and the date each was checked. Each plan adds to the one before, so nothing has to be replaced.

See how they're doing

Sanctuary Mix Training comes with the team licence. Your sound team's leader can give you a view-only place in it, to see the team at a glance without changing anything, or print you the one-page team report.

Choose your copy