Hi, I’m Alé. I serve within our Production Department here at VOUS. Each Sunday, I get to oversee the flow of our in-service experiences as our service producer. Our team recently shared a series of two articles entitled The Road To Sunday. (Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2.) In those articles, Oliver—our Production Director—detailed the weekly process our team goes through to prepare for our Sunday services. In today’s article, I want to take the next step and share a breakdown from my perspective of what a typical Sunday looks like for our production teams.
Currently at VOUS, we host eight services each Sunday in two locations. Our first service starts bright and early at 9:00am (that’s early for us here in Miami). Below is a breakdown of our Sunday morning routine, from call time to the beginning of our first service.
5:45AM | Production & Worship Call Time
6:00AM | Sound Check
6:20AM | Slides & Confidence Monitor Check
6:40AM | Video Content Check
6:45AM | Worship Rehearsal
6:50AM | Camera Color Correction & White Balance
7:25AM | Full Production Rehearsal
7:45AM | Run Through
8:25AM | Team Rally
8:40AM | Platform Huddle
9:00AM | Sunday Service
Here is a little more detail on what I do on a typical Sunday morning.
1. Huddle with Production Teams
The first thing I do as we kick off our Sunday is huddle with our production teams. Before we break out into our individual areas of responsibility, we gather to review details for the day and answer any questions. In this huddle, I share reminders of key elements for the upcoming services, reiterating recurring responsibilities but emphasizing anything unusual happening that day.
2. Review & Update Content
Each week, we run a series of midweek content checks to ensure we have everything we need for our weekend programs. But things move quickly around here and there are inevitably updates made to announcements, slides, videos, etc. between the end of our workweek and Sunday morning. So one of the first things we do is review updated content—including design slides, video elements, and sermon notes—to confirm that everything is correct.
3. Connect with Production & Worship Teams
Once I have reviewed content, I make my rounds and connect with teams individually. My goal is to get a read on where each team is in their pre-service process and offer my support wherever it is needed. Are we on schedule? Do we have any issues or delays? Have we made any changes to our setlist, song leaders, or arrangements? Are lighting looks and cues ready to go? Most Sundays, this step reveals a number of problems that need to be resolved, and I work with our teams to solve them.
4. Full Production Rehearsal
During our Full Production Rehearsal, worship and all production teams run through our setlist from top to bottom. This is where we get to see all of the worship elements—music, lyrics, visuals, lighting, cameras, stage transitions—come together before we step into our full service Run Through. If all is progressing correctly, we shouldn’t have to make any more adjustments at this point in our morning. (Though, let’s be real, that is not always the case.)
5. Connect with MCs
Before we jump into our Run Through, I take time to connect with our service MCs. We review announcements for the day, reiterating specific details and language MCs received during the week. This is where I share any changes that may have been made since we last connected and answer any questions our MCs may have. This step helps to avoid any delays or confusion once we hit our Run Through.
6. Run Through
Run Through is the stage of our Sunday morning where all teams and leaders come together to go over every part of our upcoming service. My role during Run Through is to cue each moment, review details one last time, make final adjustments, and keep things moving. To keep us on the same page, I communicate in two ways. For information that pertains to everyone in the room, I use a microphone that runs through our FOH system; for information specific to our production teams, I use comms (a communication headset).
7. Platform Huddle
Our Run Through essentially flows directly into a brief rally for all of our teams serving that day. After that rally in the auditorium, our production and worship teams head into our designated space for Platform Huddle. This is the final connection point before service begins, where one of our leaders will encourage our servant leaders, share important information, and lead us in prayer together. During these huddles, my role is to run everyone through our service flow one last time before service begins.
8. Produce Services
During service, I am positioned at the front of the room with a comm headset on. Along with our Production Director, I oversee the flow of service, cueing each moment for our production teams and MCs and ensuring that everyone is in sync. I help our teams anticipate upcoming moments and strive to keep transitions smooth. If anything goes wrong, I work with our leaders to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and get us back on track.
9. Share Feedback & Make Adjustments
As each service ends, I run a brief huddle with our production teams, sharing feedback and making adjustments. My goal is to make sure everyone is clear on the wins and challenges of the previous service and that they feel celebrated, supported, and excited for the next. We typically have about ten minutes between the end of a service and our next Platform Huddle, so these moments in between are quick and focused.
Sundays at VOUS are full and fast-paced, but we love what we get to do. We don’t live to host services, we know our purpose is to serve God and serve people. That’s why we work. Excellence is our spirit—we’re always going to give our best to whatever we’re working on—but we never want to lose sight of the simplicity of the Gospel. God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to restore our relationship with him. That truth changed my life. I serve so others can hear and be changed too.
