Great AV gear means nothing if the person running it on Sunday morning doesn’t know what they’re doing — or worse, is too nervous to try. Almost every church we work with across the Phoenix Valley eventually asks the same question: how do we actually train our volunteers well, and keep them around?
Here’s an approach that works.
Start Simple, Then Layer Complexity
The biggest mistake churches make is handing a brand-new volunteer the full manual on day one. Most volunteers don’t need — or want — to understand every input, EQ band, and routing option before they ever touch the board. Start with the absolute basics: how to bring up a wireless mic, how to follow a simple cue sheet, how to recognize and fix the two or three most common problems. Let them build confidence on the fundamentals before introducing the more technical layers.
Explain the “Why,” Not Just the “Which Button”
A volunteer who only knows which button to press will freeze the moment something goes slightly wrong. A volunteer who understands why that button does what it does can actually troubleshoot. Take the extra five minutes during training to explain what’s actually happening — why feedback occurs, why a fader needs to come up slowly, why a wireless mic might cut out — and you’ll build a far more capable team.
One-on-One Training Beats Group Training
Group training sessions are efficient for your time, but they rarely produce confident volunteers. Different people learn at different speeds, and a board operator with previous experience needs a completely different pace than someone who’s never touched a mixer. Wherever possible, pair new volunteers one-on-one with an experienced operator for their first several services.
Build Consistency Into the System, Not Just the People
Volunteers rotate, get busy, move, or simply burn out — and when your entire system depends on one person’s memory, you’re one absence away from a rough Sunday. Standardize your processes: a written pre-service checklist, labeled inputs on the board, saved scene presets, and a simple troubleshooting guide posted at the booth. The goal is a system robust enough that a reasonably trained volunteer can step in and have a good Sunday, even if it’s not their usual role.
Show Up During Their First Few Services
Confidence comes from repetition with support nearby, not from a single training session followed by being thrown into the deep end. Plan to have an experienced person nearby (even just available by text) for a new volunteer’s first handful of services, not just their very first one.
Keep Them — Don’t Just Train Them
Training is only half the equation; retention is the other half. Simple things matter more than churches expect: a consistent schedule that includes time off, recognition for the (often invisible) work they do, and a sense that they’re part of a team rather than just filling a slot. Churches that treat their AV volunteers like a real ministry team, not just a rotation to fill, tend to keep people for years instead of months.
Want Help Building a System Your Volunteers Can Actually Run?
Part of what we do at Brilliance AV is design systems with your actual volunteer team in mind — intuitive layouts, labeled signal flow, and presets that make Sunday mornings less stressful for the people running your booth.
Need a system — and a training approach — that sets your volunteers up to succeed? Contact Brilliance AV and let’s talk about your team.
