The 60-Hour Weeks Nobody Asked Me to Work
This week we're at Maryland Community Church in Terre Haute, Indiana with Paul Bamberg, their technical production director. Paul was the on...
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The MxU Podcast
The MxU Podcast. Hosted by Jeff Sandstrom, Lee Fields, and other special guests. Join in on convos about audio, lighting, life, concerts, and interviews with the industry’s best.
Episodes
20 of 272 episodesLeading Worship With a Drinking Problem
Brad Damas leads worship at Shoreline Church in Knoxville. For years, he hid a drinking problem while leading on Sundays. Then one night in...
Your Best Musician Might Not Be Ready to Lead
They can sing. They can play. But are they ready to lead people? We’re in Knoxville with Collin O’Neel from Sevier Heights Church, talking a...
The Reality of Being a Female Worship Pastor
We’re at Faith Promise with worship pastor Jess Elston, and this one gets personal. Jess talks about growing up as a Black woman in the Sout...
He Tried to Fix the Worship Team in 6 weeks
We’re at Fellowship Church in Knoxville with Spencer Garland. Years before coming here, he quit ministry and thought he was done for good. T...
He Became Worship Pastor at 27—and Didn’t Feel Ready
David was 27 when he became worship pastor at First Baptist Concord, leading people old enough to be his grandparents. We talk about the pre...
They Built a Church in 3 Months
Three months to get their new church building ready. Two pieces of painter’s tape delay the opening. And when Easter rolls around, the LED w...
Church Budget Crisis: How Leaders Can Respond with Integrity
A church hires a production company, signs the contract, and then says it doesn’t have the money to pay the bill. Now what? That story opens...
Ministry Burnout: Is Serving Costing Your Health, Faith, and Family?
Ministry burnout often begins when church production and worship leaders neglect the very things their leadership depends on. In this candid...
Why Church Techs Seem Grumpy
We confront the pride and self-importance that can undermine church production teams, contrasting technical leaders who make others feel val...
The Worship Team Spent Our Budget
We tackle a recurring church leadership tension: how should worship and production share a limited budget? Examining when technical systems...
Worship vs. Production: How Church Teams Build Trust and Communicate
Why worship leaders and church production teams often struggle to understand each other—and how shared purpose, stronger relationships, and...
The "Sixth Dude" of Dude Perfect: How Their Live Show Really Works
Behind every Dude Perfect show is a team making the impossible look easy. In this episode, we talk with Jeff about live sound, touring, and...
Pastor Ignored the Timer. Again.
Should your church use timers—or are they doing more harm than good? In this episode, we talk through the purpose of timers, how they can he...
How to Build Church Systems That Actually Serve People
Building great church systems isn't about automation—it's about people. In this episode, we discuss why your systems should create more marg...
The Real Reason I Left My Church
Cody recently left his church—but not because of conflict, burnout, or scandal. In this episode, we talk about discerning God's direction, h...
How to Scale from 18 to 50 Production Volunteers
How do you grow a production team from 18 volunteers to 50 in just two years? In this episode, we sit down with Cody, who actually did it. I...
We've Got BIG News
About six months ago, Spencer called Cody out of the blue from a gym treadmill — and that call turned into the biggest move in MxU's history...
Pilots Use Checklists. Why Don't Worship Teams?
Most churches don't document any of their weekend process — it lives in the heads of a few key volunteers, and that's the entire reason you...
I Was the Reason My Volunteers Quit
Spencer and Dillan spend the next thirty minutes unpacking the honest diagnosis, which is that the volunteer almost never is the problem. Di...