‘Lone Wolf: A person who prefers to live, act, or work alone or independent of others.’
It’s an easy trap to fall into, particularly in smaller churches. When I moved cities as part of a church planting team, I quickly and naturally spearheaded our church tech. It is my passion and gifting to serve in this capacity. However, the demands of the role and lack of team meant that I regressed to the point that I wasn’t enjoying church life and community. I had become:
The Lone Wolf Church Tech.
I could be running sound multiple Sundays straight. I would get my head in “the zone” operating our tech, and come home having not spoken or connected to anyone. Doing church tech became my shield and comfort zone. It was easy to hide behind the AV laptop. I stopped contributing in the most basic way a member of a community should; being known and knowing others. My experience of church was purely functional.
Quitting crossed my mind.
That was the point that I had the strength to make significant change. I got brutally honest with myself, my pastor, and community about where things were at. This gave me the momentum to turn things around. The church had grown rapidly during that period, I’d become a Dad and had grown up a whole bunch! New team members came on board. I began to enjoy and experience the fullness of church life again.
My core focus for leading our church tech ministry is now growing team. On Sundays, our team’s capacity has tripled. I’m no longer behind the sound board every week. I’ve launched a story gathering social media team, which is revolutionizing how we do social media. I even got to play bass in the worship band recently, something I hadn’t done in over five years!
It crept up on me and while took a while to shake it off, but I’m no longer The Lone Wolf Church Tech.
Are you a Lone Wolf Church Tech?
What do you need to do, change or put in place to avoid this trap?
Matt Fisher
I’ve had a passion for church tech since I took over the controls in the sound booth in my early teens. I’m passionate about the leverage of technology for Kingdom mission. On the weekends, you can find me playing Bass, mountain biking, enjoying good coffee, books and leading our kids on adventures.
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