Main Thing Podcast
This podcast encourages others to love God and people by leading them to know and follow Jesus’ truth.
Main Thing Podcast
INSIDE COVENANT | Sean Mire
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We sit down with Sean, our director of Media Ministry, to talk about calling, craft, and how thoughtful AV can deepen worship without stealing focus.
• what the AV ministry covers across Sundays, livestreams and socials
• why visual choices should enhance worship rather than distract
• Sean’s path from TV station to church staff
• hiring people already living the ministry
• faith becoming personal beyond childhood belief
• mission work creating short films for local evangelism
• films echoing biblical story arcs and gospel themes
Covenant Church Houma
Welcome And Format Change
SPEAKER_00Main Thing Podcast with Pastor Steve, equipping you to respond and thrive in the world we live in today. Keep the main thing the main thing has been a saying that Pastor Steve has told for decades. It means no matter what is happening around us, Jesus is what we need to have front and center in our lives. There couldn't be a more powerful reminder for us to recall in today's divisive and dark culture. From foundational truths and scripture to the hot topics of today's culture, allow this podcast to inspire and motivate you on your faith journey.
Meet Sean, AV Director
SPEAKER_01All right. Well, we are so glad you guys are with us with the Main Thing Podcast. As you might have noticed if you listened uh the last few weeks, we've uh changed a little bit. And uh instead of having Pastor Steve on with us for the next uh few podcasts, we're uh highlighting some of our ministries here at Covenant Church and some of our uh ministers. And so today I've got a guy who's actually been here for every bit of the podcast. In fact, he's probably uh one of the most important parts of the podcast, but you've never seen him. This is Sean Meir, and Sean is our uh director of technical ministries and audio and visual here at Covenant. Sean, welcome. Thanks. Thanks for coming to the other side of the camera. Yeah, other side of the table over there. So it's nice. Yep. Sean is always in the background. That's right. And uh checking on things. So it's interesting to see him on this side today. Does it feel weird to be on this side of the camera?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it feels a little weird. So it'll be fun to edit too, I'm sure, because usually I get to listen to each of these podcasts four or five times when I edit it. So yeah, I get to listen to myself talk.
SPEAKER_01So see, when I say something dumb, you don't know I think it's dumb and it stays in. But if you think you said something dumb, the magic of editing. Exactly. I'll just take it all. I'm a little jealous. Well, tell me, tell me about the audiovisual ministries here. What what do you do? And uh why is that so important uh to what we do here at Covenant?
SPEAKER_02Um, I mean, there's a lot of things. It's um, you know, everything we do on Sunday morning just from the visual standpoint. So all the lights, the screens, um, everything like that, social media, the live streams, um, anything, all of our um online presence too. Um, I mean, we we do do a little bit of a teamwork on that end, but um I'm usually the one that leads that up. So out of all the all the things you do, what what's your favorite to do? My favorite, probably just because my background is like video stuff, probably my favorite is like doing announcement videos or any kind of like special videos we do. Um like when we go into a couple well, now is this airing, we've come back from the Honduras mission trip. Yep. Um, but getting to go there and just film them all week um and edit that together, make a little movie out of it. That kind of thing is is my favorite thing.
SPEAKER_01That reminds me when uh I guess it was the last year or yeah before you guys did a whole documentary of Honduras.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. We've done that the last two years.
What The AV Ministry Does
SPEAKER_01Oh, you okay, so two straight years. So so moving into documentary filmmaking, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. If if only you could be like the office and and stick the people in front of a window and just have like little talking heads, yeah. There's your next goal. Um, well, how'd you end up uh in this position? Like, I mean, I I kind of know how you ended up, but but tell everybody, how'd you end up?
SPEAKER_02Um it's kind of I feel like the the story's kind of an interesting story. Um right after college, I was working at a TV station for like I think six, five or six years. I was, I don't know, time went by, I wasn't keeping track, but it was a long time. Um and it got to a place where I was there. Um I was also doing ministry here. I was not not officially, but just as a church goer. Um but I was at a point where it was like I felt like I just wasn't, I don't know, I just I didn't feel happy where I was. I wasn't happy um doing that thing, but I really enjoyed like the activities of it. I just felt like that wasn't where I was supposed to be, but I had no clue like what that looked like. Fast forward to one day I get called into my boss's office and I get let go, which was kind of a surprise, kind of a shock. I was like, what in the world? Like, you know, it was it was kind of it was a very little thing that like led to it. Yeah. Um, but I think as it turned out, I think it was just a God thing that God saw that like, hey, this isn't where you're supposed to be. And and I could feel that, but it was like I wasn't bold enough to take a step and like go somewhere else.
SPEAKER_01Cut the cords of me, yeah.
Filming Trips And Documentary Work
SPEAKER_02And uh so I was I had like a couple days where I was just like, okay, great. Well now now what am I supposed to do? And then maybe a week later I get a call from you to go, you know, have lunch. And I'm thinking you're gonna like cut like console me, you know, for losing my job. Uh but no, then you offered me this job, and what I didn't know is behind the scenes, y'all had been talking about wanting to hire someone to do um to do media. Um, and I think Chad even told me a couple times there were conversations that were like, Man, if only Sean was available, you'd hire him on the spot. And then I became available.
SPEAKER_01And that was it. Well, I remember I remember Steve popping his head in my office one morning and saying, Hey, I just heard Sean's not at the TV station anymore. And I think I called you that day uh to talk with you because we we already knew we wanted, uh we would love to have you on the team. Yeah. And so uh it's interesting when when you talk about you were already doing ministry.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
From TV Job Loss To Calling
SPEAKER_01So here we we've been pretty blessed over the years that we have people in the church that are doing ministry and can move into a full-time staff position. And one of the things I've learned from Pastor Steve over the years is you don't have to or you don't need to find somebody and then try to lead them to doing ministry. You should you should be able to see who's already doing it, right? Right. You already doing it. We knew you had a ministry heart, so it was not um it was not a a scary thing uh, you know, to offer you a job. In fact, I remember uh this probably goes against any kind of administrative HR thing, but I don't think we really we didn't even really have an interview. It was pretty much we talked a while. Yeah, and uh pretty much hey, we want you to come on board. So well, it has been uh we have been very fortunate to have you here. Um I often think of audiovisual is and this this may sound silly and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but it's almost like a a a referee in sports. You know, nobody notices the referee or the umpire until they do something dumb. Yeah, and nobody notices audiovisual until the screen messes up, right? Yeah, and then everybody looks back at the sound booth and it's like, oh no. Uh and so I'm so thankful that you know it our audiovisual enhances ministry, I think. I don't I don't think it it does not distract from it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you know, yeah. That's always my goal too. Um especially with the I mean it it's in small ways, you know, it's not like it's huge, like in your face way, but I always find, especially with the worship side of like trying to find visuals that do enhance. Like what like what's this song saying? Okay, let me find some visual that kind of shows that in some way, some form that is you know gonna um kind of further people's understanding of of what they're singing.
SPEAKER_01You know, that that all of a sudden it reminds me one Easter, and I I still think about this one because I thought it was it just worked so well. There were whatever song we were doing, there was a there was a break between uh Jesus going in the grave and then rising up from the grave and and uh whoever, and I'm sure this was uh some of you guys obviously playing beforehand, but as y'all talked about as they sang Rose or got in the grave, the lights go down, and then when it hit that word rose, the lights just yeah, yeah. You know, that was kind of a goosebumm, I thought. And I thought that was I remember thinking at the time, man, that enhanced that song. Not not in a showy way, not in just flashing lights to have flashing lights, but it it told part of the story there. Yeah, yeah. And uh man, I think that's that's so good. Well, back up a little bit. How how'd you come to faith in Christ?
SPEAKER_02Um, so I was I feel like my story is the typical where like when I was grew up in the church, I mean, I think I started coming to this church, in fact. Uh I think I was in preschool when we started coming. Yeah, um, and so very young, um, I like made the decision, you know, went up to the altar and um got baptized and all that. Um, and I think at that time I did understand. But I think, I mean, when you're you know, when you're that young, it's like you I feel like I understood, like I believed in God and and I understood that, but I felt like there was a different time where like I gave understood what it fully meant to like give my life to Christ. Um and I think that happened my senior year of high school, which was just a time for me where like I had a lot of free time. Because I mean, around here, you know, you get the early dismissal seniors and you get that you're it's it's kind of it was kind of a time where like I was looking forward to like college, the rest of your your life. Um and so a lot of like thinking about my life, right? Yeah, um, and kind of like that kind of thing. And so just had a lot of like quiet moments to like reflect on, kind of challenge my faith almost. Kind of do I believe this? Um and through all that throughout the year, really came to a you know decision that like, yeah, I do really believe all this, and I want to, you know, give my life to this.
Hiring Philosophy And Ministry Fit
SPEAKER_01And I think that's such a um a typical story for for people like me and you that did grow up in church. Yeah, you know. Um I know a lot of times in in church we we focus so much on that moment of salvation. But I think it's also a process. You know, when Paul said work out your faith in fear and trembling. Yeah, you know, I think when you grew up in the church, it it's I don't know the best way to say this. I think you're so used to it, you you know uh the process, yeah, but you have to own it. You know, I I think so many of us, and I think that's a healthy place to be when you're asking yourself that question do I really believe what I say I believe? Yeah, you know, yeah, and then when you take the time on your own to explore that, then it then it really becomes real in your life. Yeah, that's cool. Well, tell me about college. What what how was your uh how was your college years?
SPEAKER_02Uh college years were great, actually. Um kind of going leading from that, um really got into college ministry. Um it was a perfect thing where my senior year, that was back when we did Sunday school. And so my senior Sunday school leader happened to have just come from the same college I was going to and was really involved in campus ministry. Yeah. So I just immediately got plugged in with them, um, started doing college ministry. So, so that kind of led to like me getting a heart for ministry. At the same time, college was really where I started getting into media stuff. Um, because I feel like that's something a lot of people always think of me as like because I do tech now. Right. Yeah. Growing up, I was not the tech guy.
SPEAKER_03Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02Um, I was I wasn't big into computers.
SPEAKER_01You weren't the precocious 14-year-old sitting in the sound booth knowing everything.
SPEAKER_02Not really. I think I did. I think I do remember doing like a VBS back in the old church. Yes. Um, but had no clue what I was doing the whole time. I was probably just put there just because I was available. Um but yeah, but when when I got into college, started doing a lot of that and got really into that. Um and so I feel like it was a time of like really growing those two aspects of like getting a heart for ministry, but also getting the skills to like do media and video and all that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_01Now, were were you in college when you went to Ethiopia? I was, I was. I seem to remember. Did did you do video with that trip? Yeah, yeah. So what was that?
SPEAKER_02That was um, I want to say that was my junior year. That was the first mission trip I ever went on. Um, and it was it was a month in Ethiopia where we went, um, it was with a group that they make these short films that are designed to share the gospel with someone. So like it might talk about someone's purpose or something, and then you can talk to them like what's your purpose in life? And that can lead to uh open up a conversation.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so it was for a specific media purpose that you guys went over.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and so we went over there and we what we did was we made short films, um, and specifically in their language, um, so that they could the ministries could use those to do evangelism.
AV As Worship Enhancer
SPEAKER_01Oh man. That that is neat, and and I think a lot of times we don't realize so many what we would call secular uh pursuits are all can be grounded in scripture and grounded in ministry.
SPEAKER_02You know, absolutely and I always um because one of my big hobbies is of course movies and film. Right. But it's really cool how like when you look at so many like movies and films, the stories and all and the concepts usually somehow derive something from the Bible.
SPEAKER_01Right, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Because it's like God's kind of like instilled this like you know, the inside of us to like want stories, and like we we write stories that kind of show basically or say that tell the gospel basically.
SPEAKER_01Man, uh that that uh makes me think of one of my favorite authors is uh a professor named Nancy Pearcy who's in Houston. But she talks about that that all worldviews, all beliefs, they borrow from scripture. They don't realize it. Yeah, yeah, but they are yeah because as Ecclesiastes in chapter three says, God's put eternity in our hearts. Yeah, you know, we don't even realize it. That's yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, that's amazing. Well what's your what's your favorite way to recharge for ministry? How what what's your hobby? You said movies and film, but like what do you like to do with those?
SPEAKER_02I would I would say that's probably it. Um love watching movies, love um TV shows or you know, different series. Yep. Um that's kind of my way to just sit back and rewind.
SPEAKER_01Okay, because I pictured you going home and editing video for fun, but that's not a good idea. No, I like to watch other people and how they've done it. So you go. There you go. There you go. Well, how's um you know what I want I want to go back? I want to ask you about this. When you were a youth, your youth group was legendary for the things you guys did.
SPEAKER_02I I've been legendary, but I'm not so sure.
SPEAKER_01You know, at the at the time when you were in youth, I was doing middle school. And well, actually, you'd probably been a senior and I was I was doing middle school, so I didn't have to deal with everything your group did. Yeah, but I know uh our high school minister at the time uh did. But what's some of your favorite memories from the youth back then?
SPEAKER_02Oh man, um I think just like the friends we had, you know, we had a good group. Um we we pulled a lot of pranks, you know, we were kind of in that way. Um uh but I just remember going on a lot of like concerts and trips and um just having a great time with the youth. Um but yeah, that was a great time.
SPEAKER_01Tell me about there's a there was a a legendary girl in the youth group named Jessica. Oh yes, Jessica Michaels. Jessica Michaels.
SPEAKER_02That that was a fun prank that I would love to see the youth because that's um re reborn, you know, uh revive it. Uh-huh. Um but yeah, that was a little prank we used to play on our youth pastor where um anytime there would be like a sign-up. Now they can't do it today because we do it all on the app.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah.
Salvation, Ownership Of Faith
SPEAKER_02So I just realized that they can't do it today. But back in the day, it would just be like a sheet of paper in the youth building for any event, you know, having a lock-in, you sign up on the sign-up sheet or whatever. Um, we're going to camp or a lock, you know, somewhere. Yeah. And so we would what we would do, we would just write random names down. So that way, whenever they would do like roll call, uh-huh, they would go back and be reading the sheet and then they just announce this name. And so the name that kept coming up was just, I don't know how we came up with it, but it was just Jessica Michaels. I think because it was sounded like a real name. Yeah. So they wouldn't get that it's a fake, and they would announce it, and then Jessica wouldn't be there, and we'd just be in the back cracking of platform.
SPEAKER_01The youth minister was probably like, I've never even met this person. Like, I gotta make a contact. This I'm being a terrible minister. Yeah, I'm not. Well, you know, the other day you're talking about registration online. Uh, so we had somebody uh sign up for one of my classes, and they had the name was a like a storybook character name. Oh, yeah. And I was like, look at this punk. Somebody's just making this up. And nope, that was a really reasonable thing. They were they were there in the class. So I'm glad I didn't say something stupid, you know, like, well, I'll tell you what, uh, a little punk here. All right, so I'm gonna I'm gonna ask you a series of questions. Okay, you gotta answer uh as quick. Okay, favorite movie.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, um that's a tough one because there's so many. Um, the one I've always said is um a cart, it's actually an old cartoon, but it's really good, the Iron Giant.
SPEAKER_01Iron Giant. I've never seen that, but I've heard it's it's wonderful.
SPEAKER_02I I didn't see it when it first came out, and then I think I was at like strangely a men's retreat in college, and we watched it, and it's so good.
SPEAKER_01You know, I think the guy who did that movie did a lot of Pixar movies. I think he did the Incredibles, probably.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's just it's animated, and I'm not a big on animation, but it and again that's the one with the story. Yep, it's it's very gospel-centric, you know.
SPEAKER_01So if you're a listener watching, uh Sean recommends the Iron Giant to watch. It's a good movie. I think it's pretty good. Favorite TV show.
SPEAKER_02Ooh, um well, I just finished watching Stranger Things, so that's on the top of my list.
SPEAKER_01So I see I I I would have narrowed it to two just from hearing you talk over the years, but favorite uh sport, favorite sport basketball, basketball, favorite team, pelicans, of course, yeah. Of course, right? You still go to you go to a lot of games or video games?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, as as we're filming this, I went Monday night to a game. They actually won, which is rare this season. Even better.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02All right.
SPEAKER_01Uh let's see here. Favorite restaurant.
SPEAKER_02I would say anything Italian. I'm big on Italian. Italian food, really. Um, so like around here, I mean, unless I like break the bank, it's gonna be Olive Garden.
SPEAKER_01Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_02Um but yeah, that's I think that's my favorite.
SPEAKER_01Funny the way you said if unless you break the bank, because when I was growing up, I saw Olive Garden as the epitome of fine dining. Yeah, we went to Olive Garden, I was like, wow, my parents were going big time tonight.
unknownAll right.
SPEAKER_01Oh man, I had one more question. What was it? What was it? Uh favorite place to uh to go on like a vacation?
College Ministry And Media Skills
SPEAKER_02I feel like I don't like going on vacation. I like a staycation. But if I had to go anywhere where like I like historical places, uh-huh. Like I'm not a touristy person. Like, don't don't send me to Disney World or anything like that. Um, but if it's like a place, like a museum, um, or especially where it's like actually where something historical happened, that's that's my thing.
SPEAKER_01One more question.
SPEAKER_02Favorite thing to do in New Orleans? Um I mean, for me being the Pels fan, I like going to Pelicans games, Saints games, that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_01All right, all right. Well, as we wrap up today, how how's God working in your life personally right now? How's he what what's he doing in your life to to grow you, to to change you?
SPEAKER_02For me, it's I mean, we're it's just being um every day refreshed in my walk. Um because especially now um being here every day, or sometimes you get in this mood where like, okay, you're um, you know, I'm listening to sermons every week and and then listening to again to them again when I'm like creating reels or whatever. So it's like you're constantly um hearing the word, but still having that like like it not being stale, you know, or not like um being something that I'm just like ho-hum every day doing this every day. Um making sure that I'm still um you know, finding ways to like learn more in my faith and make it like where it's like exciting, you know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think that's a lesson I've older ministers tried to teach me early on, and that you have to you still have to separate your devotional life from your ministry life. Yeah. You know, not not meaning ministry life is bad, but just you can't like for me prepare for a Bible study and call that devotion. You gotta do something totally different than that. And and I did I never think about that that you you probably listen to Pastor C sermons five times before it actually gets put out. Yeah. And uh and all those different things. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Which is great because I do, you know, I do pick up things, you know, when you're editing it or something that I'm like, oh, I missed that on Sunday, or you know.
Ethiopia Films And Evangelism
SPEAKER_01Yep. Um but yeah. Cool. All right. Well, man, I can't tell you how much we appreciate you here at Coming to Church. And thank you for coming in front of the camera today. All right. All right, guys. I don't know. Y'all may have missed something crazy he said that he edited out. I don't know. You'll just have to wonder about that or ask him when you see him at church. Uh man, so glad you guys joined us for main thing podcast today, and we will see you guys next time. God bless y'all.