When to use media?
As I stated in my last post media encompasses a whole host of things that that can be used to convey the message that we are sharing. When to use that media is almost becoming a non-debatable issue. With each generation the learning style is changing. My grandparents, parents and I to a degree had to be auditory learners. That means that we had to listen to hours upon hours of lecturing in school and preaching in our churches. The only visual stimulation was reading text in a, what do you know, text book. No wonder I didn’t like school.
I was on the cusp of innovation when I was going through school so there was some visual and tactile learning but not much and definitely not to the degree we have today. There was not a personal computer in every home. The closest thing was a remote control with like, 6 buttons. I had no experience with a personal computer until I was an adult. Now kids could not complete their homework without a personal computer with internet access. Today we have amazing acoustic advances in stereo and surround sound processing in our homes. When I was growing up I think the most significant advance was quadraphonic sound. If you remember that then move closer to the screen so that you can read this. We have went from 8-track to now I travel with my music on a SD memory card. We now have a lot of interaction and more and more our entertainment is becoming “on demand”. I bring all of this up to demonstrate how much has changed in a relatively short period of time. Technological advances are replicating at an ever increasing rate. Our kids are now visual learners. We ourselves have become accustomed to great sound and video in our consumer gear. We are becoming conditioned to being able to interact and get the information we want in an instant.
Like it or not we as the body of Christ are competing for people’s attention. We have to be able grab people’s attention and hold it. If we are trying to reach people with the only hope of life which is through Jesus Christ and we are to make disciples of them then we need to be able to reach them and teach them using a tool that they can relate to and that is the various forms of media. So when to use media is pretty much every time the doors are open.
When not to use media?
You know all of that quality in audio and video I was talking about that we have all come to take for granted? When you step into a church and it is like stepping back in time and the quality is awful then you need to address your media use. If you can’t use video with the utmost quality and to the best of your ability then just don’t use it. If the sound is horrible then make every effort to make it right. If your church website is outdated and not interactive then it would be better if you didn’t have a website at all.
Colossians 3:17 (NLT) 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
I state this verse once again because we are representatives of Jesus Christ. I don’t want someone who is searching to think that my Jesus doesn’t rate quality. I don’t want them to think that my Jesus is outdated. I don’t want them to think that my Jesus is not interactive. You get my point? It is all about representing Jesus Christ!
Other instances when you will probably not use media are in your personal relationships. One of the best ways for those that don’t know Christ is to see it lived out in your life. In those relationships, opportunities arise where you can share why you are as you are. This is not usually a good time to whip out your laptop and projector and go through the FAITH power point presentation. Now you may be able to use media such as the Passion of the Christ and the Jesus film to help share the gospel and foster further discussion. Like Jesus, use what you can.
Where do we use media?
Well, naturally we use media in our worship services. We can also have a web presence. Some things you might not think of are banners outside your church or posters inside that promote a sermon series or discipleship classes. Another use is a good portable sound system that can be used for outreach events. Video cameras on mission trips for reports back to the home church are great. Mobile A/V carts with television and DVD player to go with the shut-in ministry to enjoy a worship service with them is another good one. There are many, many more I’m sure you could also come up with.
When and where to use media are ever increasing but should always be at the discretion of the Holy Spirit. But whenever and wherever you use media you need to strive for excellence because we are representing Jesus Christ. I can’t stress that enough.
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