Let’s face it, unless you are running sound, doing projector, or playing music, you shouldn’t be picking out the issues related to church logistics and technical operations.
But, let’s also be equally fair here: that doesn’t stop you.
I was at a worship night recently at my church. It was a city-wide event that grouped musicians from several different churches in town, and brought the larger Body of Christ into the same heart and passion of loving Jesus.
A terrifically joyous event, if you have ever had the privilege of attending something like this.
The unity is breathtaking—the chorus is spirit lifting. But more than anything, there is a very real sense of spiritual brotherhood (and sisterhood, don’t worry). It’s at times like this that you realize every church in your city is trying to do and work toward the same goal of seeing Jesus glorified. In all honesty, it’s almost convicting every time I attend something like this, as it reveals my own infernal and carnal need to compete and trample those who are not a part of my local church.
In the end, it’s all about Jesus.
A More Sinister Culprit
However, this unfortunate need for competition isn’t the only thing silently killing church unity and encounters with God. During the worship night, I found myself attacked again and again with a different, more subtle demon: my inner tech critic.
It was shocking to me that, even in the midst of such a wonderful experience, I could simultaneously be having negative reactions to a chord missed here; an off-beat drum there; a terrible sound of feedback going unaddressed…
You get my point, I think. For those of us in the technology field, looking at things that we think would improve a service are all good and well. But in the midst of worship (where the point isn’t to think about improving things or picking out areas of potential growth) this kind of habitual behavior is detrimental to the reason you are there, and is silently robbing you of an encounter with your one and true Maker.
Because of this, I started to think of ways as to how I can shut off that inner voice when I’m not a part of the operations:
5 Ways to Silence Your Inner Critic
1. Realize Why You Showed Up in the First Place
Hopefully, you came to whatever event you are attending to receive and to give glory and worship to your Heavenly King. If this isn’t why you came, you either shouldn’t be there, or you should be helping. But let’s get one thing straight: sitting in the back making remarks about how things could be better isn’t helping, and it sure isn’t helping your pursuit of God.
2. Consciously Focus
It seems trivial, but you would be surprised at the power of a mental decision. Decide specifically, at the beginning of any event, that you are there to worship and/or do whatever the event is about. This will help set your mind to focus “on things above”.
3. Pray
Sometimes, there can be things at work in a service that aren’t seeable to the eye. There can be a “spirit of distraction” or whatever looming about causing a disunity. How can you help? By praying for the Spirit of God to enter the situation. Having an eye for areas of improvement is a potent weapon against the enemy when combined with humble intercession.
4. Get Prayer and Stop Talking
An equally effective method for silencing your inner critic is by simply shutting up and asking the person closest to you to pray for your mind. You’ll appreciate their words of encouragement and understanding, but you’ll also counteract your critic by switching your brain to “listen mode”.
5. Realize That It Doesn’t Matter
Honestly, at the end of the day, the performance of the service doesn’t matter. Before we had tech and sound and lights and fog machines, there was a force more powerful than performance and excellence, and that force went by the name of the Holy Spirit. The good news is that He is still active and alive today, and he will triumph and surpass any shortcomings that we can muster…which happens to be many 🙂
What are some ways that you turn off your tech critic?
Eric Dye says
Great tips, man.
Calvin Koepke says
Thanks!