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Consider this an ode to an unsung hero in your church. He labors behind the scenes, and you probably only notice him when he makes a mistake. So here’s to…the church sound guy.

The traditional Catholic Mass begins with the priest’s greeting, “The Lord be with you.” The church then responds, “And also with you.” One priest stood to greet the church, but the microphone wasn’t working. Looking at the sound booth, the priest said loudly, “There’s something wrong with this mic!” Instinctively, the congregation answered, “And also with you.” Ha! The priest just glared.

“Church tech guy” is a thankless job. What happens when a lyric slide glitches or a microphone fails? Everyone turns to look at the poor fellow behind the sound board. (One sound guy posted Genesis 39:26 on his booth: “Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”)

Tech guys deal with finicky musicians, tricky technology, procrastinating preachers, and grumpy church members. “The music’s too loud!” October is Pastor Appreciation Month, but there is no Sound Guy Appreciation Month. Why do tech guys often wear black? One explained, “Because I’m the villain of the church.”

But a sound guy is a good guy (dressed like a bad guy) who helps the front guy point to the Best Guy. I’m going to ask you to help these unsung heroes. Keep reading to find out how…

Even before loudspeakers were patented in 1925, preachers used technology to amplify their voices. When the Israelites returned from Babylon, Ezra preached the Law from a “high wooden platform” to make himself hearable. (Neh 8:4) When a crowd gathered to hear Jesus at Galilee, the Creator of Acoustics preached from a boat a little ways from shore—to make himself hearable. (Luke 5:3)

In 1857, preparing to preach to 20,000 at London’s Crystal Palace, Charles Spurgeon visited the building to test the acoustics. In the huge empty room, he found just the right place and boomed out John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” Satisfied with the sound, he left. In the lobby, a lone workman heard the words and “was smitten with conviction, put down his tools, and did not rest until he was able to rejoice in Christ as his Savior.” Spurgeon “accidentally” led a man to Christ in a sound check!

“Faith comes by hearing,” says Paul in Romans 10:17, and that’s why church sound guys matter. God’s Word needs heard. A few preachers with booming voices like Spurgeon can speak without a mic. (Though it’s exhausting—after preaching at the Crystal Palace, Spurgeon slept for 24 hours straight.) But most preachers are grateful for good technological assistance.

And so are their hearers. My dad wears hearing aids, and for the last ten years, the sound mix in his church made it hard for him to hear the sermon. My parents recently moved, and he told me excitedly: the mix in their new church allows him to hear the teaching of God’s Word. “It’s amazing!”

You can help more sound guys help more folks like my dad. Keep reading to find out how…

As a traveling preacher, I’ve met legions of sound guys and gals. They’re usually volunteers with no formal training, but they arrive at church early every Sunday morning to test mics, heal glitchy computers, adjust lighting, and type lastminute slides for guest preachers—all fueled by Red Bull and love for Jesus.

The people who arrive later that morning can sing and listen and learn about Jesus, never thinking about the guy who made it possible…unless the preacher’s mic stops working. Then everyone turns to look at you-know-who, and the long-suffering sound guy just smiles and waves.

Church tech guys really are unsung heroes.

But they need some help, and you can help provide it…

Some large churches hire tech people, and OCC has trained many worship production staff now serving in churches around the nation. But in churches that can’t hire tech staff, who trains the volunteers? Answer: worship ministers.

OCC’s Worship and Creative Arts Department trains worship ministers to guide those unsung heroes. Our students gain music and production skills, and they can then guide church volunteers to use ProPresenter, lighting, and sound in ways that best communicate the gospel, not distract from it. (An OCC-trained worship minister helped the sound guys at my dad’s new church get the mix just right.)

James Garner once starred in a movie entitled Support Your Local Sheriff. I want to ask you to “support your local church sound guys.” How? By training those who will train them.

You can train these future worship ministers by supplying a couple of current needs: two new sound boards and five new computers.

• The two sound boards run our weekly chapel service and our chapel live stream (with thousands of annual online views). The boards are also where our worship students gain skills. Cost: $31,000.

• The five computers are for the Worship and Creative Arts computer lab, where students learn programs to create worship band music, choir music, graphics, videos, and slides. Cost: $10,000.

(One of the old soundboards died, the other is close, and our current computers won’t run the newest software.)

Tools like the sound boards will bless thousands who attend events in our chapel each year. But I’m thinking mostly of current students like Justis Davis and Alexis Piper. Soon they’ll be serving in a church, and when their sound guy needs a little help, they’ll be ready to teach and encourage.

You support church sound guys by supporting those who lead (and cheerlead) them. Would you prayerfully consider a gift toward our $41,000 goal to prepare OCC worship students?

The OCC worship minister who helped my dad hear the sermon? I won’t mention his name, because that’s how tech guys are. They like working behind the scenes, so the preacher can just talk about Jesus. A sound guy is a good guy (dressed like a bad guy) who helps the front guy point to the Best Guy.

Thank you for considering a gift to support these unsung heroes, and…here’s to church sound guys!

Yours in Christ,

Matt Proctor
President

P.S. Speaking of events in our chapel, here are two you won't want to miss! Our Christmas musical, The Sound of Music, is coming December 5-8. Purchase your tickets now at . And, you can hear Andrew Peterson in concert at the 2025 Preaching-Teaching Convention! Read more and register at .

*NOTE: Any gifts above needed amount will be used for similar campus projects.