What to do about Larry the Sound Guy

When I came into a new church, a number of years ago, I met Larry the Sound Guy[1].  He was a Deacon (Elder) and had a number of jobs throughout the church, but running the sound system was his favorite, by far. He would come in every day and tinker with the equipment and he had installed the entire system by himself 20 years ago (as he was constantly reminding everyone).

This was all well and good, except that the sound system malfunctioned on a regular basis, due primarily to the fact that we had equipment that was 20 years old. Larry, however, insisted that it sounded fine, and fought tooth and nail any attempt to make any upgrades. So, we just had to deal with a sound system that sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies (“Snap!,” “Crackle!,” and “Pop!”) all through the worship services.

However, the real problem that brought things to a head concerned the choir rehearsals. I had the opportunity to sit in on a couple of practices, and I noticed that Larry could not keep track of which CD and which Track was to be played at any given time. They had to spend an inordinate amount of time saying things like, “No, Larry, not that track, the other one!” or, “No, Larry, not that CD, the other one!” It was a mess, and everyone knew it. Everyone, that is, except Larry.

This rocked on for a number of months until even Larry realized something needed to be done. One night, after a particularly frustrating rehearsal, Larry went to a few of the choir members and made the statement that it was time for him to retire as sound board operator. In a gentle and encouraging fashion, they agreed with him.

The next week, in our monthly Deacons meeting, Larry, without any prompting, announced his retirement from the Sound Board Operator position. The chairman confirmed that Larry’s intention was to retire immediately, as soon as we could find a replacement. I pointed out that “Sam” was the assistant Sound Board Operator, and that he really should be approached first about the position, and then if he refused, we could then consider another. Everyone agreed with this.

So the next day, I went to Sam’s house and explained everything that had transpired up until that point. Sam acknowledged that there had been a number of complaints about the sound system, but that he didn’t want to see Larry pushed out. He said that he would take it, but on the condition that he talk to Larry directly to make sure that no one was coercing him to step aside.

I agreed to this, and at the time I felt that Larry would probably change his mind about retiring when we saw we had someone lined up to take his place. I was both right and wrong about this, as time would tell.

The next day, I received a phone call from Sam, who told me that he had talked to Larry, and that Larry had confirmed that he was retiring voluntarily. Sam then agreed to take the position, and I explained that I needed to get some new equipment installed, and that Sam would start the following Wednesday. (For the life of me, I do not remember who ran the sound system on that Sunday. If it was Larry, this might have contributed to his confusion.)

That Wednesday night, we had Sam running the sound system, and here comes Larry. Larry all of a sudden decided that he had said that he was going to retire “eventually,” not right away. I, and the others, as gently as we could, stood fast and did not allow him to take his position back. He stormed out in a huff.

I tried to visit with him a few days later, and his daughter was present. All she said to me was. “He’s really hurt over what happened.” When I talked to Larry, he said, “I really needed to retire, I just didn’t want to admit it.” We made a little small talk for a few minutes, and then I excused myself.

For the next few weeks, we didn’t see much of Larry. He attended a different church in town for a few weeks, but eventually, he did come back.

In the mean time, we did have at least one church member come storming into the church on a Sunday morning, demanding to know why Larry had been fired. The Choir Leader quickly explained things, and she calmed down immediately. This was my first inkling that we had a bit of a problem on our hands.

For the next several months, everything was quiet, until I had a visit from “Frank” and “Cindy,” a couple that had been attending for quite some time, and were now interested in joining. As we discussed the requirements for membership, and how the church worked, Cindy made the remark, “It took me a long time to get over what you did to Larry.[2]”

I asked her to explain what she meant by that. She said, “When you fired him.” I replied that Larry had not been fired but had quit voluntarily. She insisted that he had told her that he had been fired, specifically by me. My response was that I had a room full of witnesses that would say otherwise.

This response seemed to shock her, and her entire demeanor changed, and she said, “Uh oh, I think I owe you an apology. I’m sorry, I should have come to you sooner.”

She told me later, that she and Larry’s step-daughter (not the one that I had met earlier) confronted Larry, demanding to know what really happened. Larry then confessed that he had indeed quit voluntarily, and that he had lied about my actions relating to this. They then relayed this information to the daughter, and things settled down from there.

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I write about this because most of the churches that I had served in have had their own “Larry.” There is almost always someone who is continuing to serve beyond their ability to be effective, and indeed, may even be a hindrance to one degree or another, and the question arises, what can the Pastor and the church do?

The answer is, probably not very much.

Here is what I took away from this whole episode:

1.    Everyone knows this person is a problem.

You had to be deaf not to know that there was a problem with the sound, and every one knew that Larry was the reason. It’s just that no one had the heart to say or do anything. What it boiled down to was that the people would rather have a bad sound system rather than see Larry get hurt. This is to their credit, and it is a reflection of their love for him.

Part of the issue that arises with this sort of thing is that things like a bad sound system mean more to the Pastor than it does to the average person sitting out in the pews. There is a very good chance that the people are right.

Sometimes, we pastors get worked up over things that don’t really matter in the long haul. Things like less than perfect sound, books out of place in the library, cups stored in the wrong place can be frustrating, but taking care of people is obviously more important. Don’t get caught up in things that don’t really matter.

2.    Don’t make the first move.

I am reminded of the Dallas Cowboys, and their legendary coach, Tom Landry. When the new owners fired him in 1989, fans were incensed. As one newspaper writer put it, “They wanted him fired, but they wanted him fired with dignity.”

Unless you can find a dignified way to remove a person, you are likely to have a fight on your hands if you try to take the initiative. You are generally better off waiting for either God or the person themselves to make the first move.

Having said that, there is one set of circumstances that would prompt me to make a move, regardless of the blowback. That would be if there were a safety or health issue. If Larry had been driving a bus full of kids every week, I would have said something as soon as I had gotten there. I can live with hurt feelings on my conscience much easier than I can live with a bus full of injured children.

3.    Make sure that you have witnesses.

It is not uncommon for someone who has been in a position for a great deal of time to come to the conclusion that they are ready to retire. When that happens, they may go to the Pastor with this. It is sometimes tempting to go ahead and make a change immediately. However, the person may have second thoughts, and if they deny telling you something, you are going to look like the bad guy.

It would be wise, before instigating any moves, to have another person, such as the Chairman of the Deacons, go to them and verify their intentions. This will give the person in question an “out,” if they want to, and it will provide you with some cover, if they try to pull something later. Had I not had the aforementioned “room full of witnesses,” I could have been in serious trouble.

4.    Once you have reached a certain point in the process, you have to stand firm on your decision.

This is where it can get painful. There comes a point in the discussion where the person in question passes the point of no return (you’ll know it when you get there.) Once you hit that point, you have to stand firm. I am convinced that had we given in to Larry when he exploded, we never would have gotten him out of that sound booth until he died.

5.    Love everyone involved, despite what they have done.

Even if you have been lied about, even if you have been screamed at, love your people. This is, in my opinion, the most difficult part of ministry: loving the unlovable. Once the crisis has passed, whether you win, lose, or draw, love everyone involved.

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[1] All of the names have been changed to avoid any undue attention.

[2] This conversation has been reproduced from memory, as best as I can recall it.