Ministry Live Streaming: Dealing with the Critics

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Live Streaming: Dealing with the Critics

A technically imperfect ministry that changes lives is better than a perfect one that affects no one. concentrate on changed lives and watch...

By: Paul Clifford ; Church Production There you are, minding your own business, serving the Lord in silence and humility when it happens. You know the feeling. Someone comes up to you to “share something in love” and the next thing you know you’re defending everything about your ministry. When you do tech, you’ll hear from these people on a regular basis. Either the sound is too loud or they can’t hear. Either the lights are too distracting or they’re not bright enough. Either live streaming is a waste of our money or we’re not doing enough to reach out to those outside the church doors. Sometimes it just feels like you can’t win. When it comes to people who seem to be against “it”, no matter what it is, there are steps you can take, steps that may win some over, and may win respect from others. Remember criticisms are rarely about the tech itself. It’s often more about the person talking than the problem they’re talking about.
Identify the type of critic
Your church is doing a live stream and someone brings up “concerns” about this new ministry. The first step is to find out what they’re actually concerned about. Not everyone who raises a concern is a trouble maker. Some people actually care and want to make sure that potential problems are addressed. Others just want to get their way at all costs. When it comes to criticism, think of critics in four categories. If someone says something like, “I love what we’re doing with live streaming, but I heard that churches aren’t allowed to live stream anymore and I don’t want us to get into trouble,” you’re talking with someone who cares about the ministry, but doesn’t really understand it — an ignorant fan. If you hear something like, “Why are we doing this stupid streaming thing? This internet thing is just a fad anyway,” you’re dealing with someone who doesn’t understand what they’re talking about and doesn’t care about it as a ministry — the troll. Should you get a comment card that says, “I hate that we’re live streaming, but if we must, the speed we’re getting from the ISP should be adequate if you were to just tweak the encoder settings,” that’s someone who doesn’t care about the ministry, but knows what they’re talking about — the skeptical tech. Finally, if you might get an email that says, “Love what we’re doing with the live stream, but I think the sound could be better if we use a separate aux send,” you’re dealing with someone who cares about the ministry and knows what they’re talking about — the helpful tech. This isn’t to say that identification is always easy. ...Click Here To Continue to Full Article

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