Professional Liabilities

I have witnessed a dynamic in churches that goes like this. . .

Leadership wants a video, fast – and they don’t want to spend any money. So you end up doing a fast, cheep video. And of course it looks like a fast, cheep video. Then when leadership wants a video, and it’s important to them, they go to someone else because all they’ve seen you do is fast, cheep videos. This is what I call the professional liability of working in a church setting.

Years ago, a friend was telling me how he didn’t feel valued for his professional abilities at the ministry he was working for. I told him, “You can’t let this place define you professionally”. It’s up to you to rise above their value of you and maintain and even grow your professionalism.

Here’s a few things to consider to maintain your professionalism and grow in your field:

1. Educate yourself. Go to seminars. Read trade publications. Don’t let the requirements of your job determine the amount of training you afford yourself.

2. Form an association with others (or join an existing one), who are in the same field as you. Have lunch together, critique each other’s work . . . as iron sharpens iron . . . I recently began meeting with other tech directors in the Dallas area.

3. Remember that first and foremost, your work should be performed as unto the Lord, and He deserves the best quality.

4. Do the best with what you have to work with. I’ve seen some really great videos that were produced on a shoestring and hardly any equipment. The reason the videos were good is because the producer was forced into some very creative thinking to overcome the technical limitations he faced.