Friday, July 28, 2006

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - Why Are You Here?

Why are you involved in media or technology ministry?  Here are some possible answers:

“I like working with _____ (chose one or more: sound/video/web sites/computers).”

“The pastor said we need to serve so I had to pick something.”

“I work on computers for a living so I’m helping out the church.”

If any of these are your reasoning for being involved in media ministry then you need to get out of it right now!  If you are looking at being involved at church just like any other activity such as sports, clubs or volunteer organizations then you are there for the wrong reason. The correct answer should be something like this:

“I want to serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His church with the gifts and talents that He has granted me to the best of the ability He has given me.”

Media ministry, as with all ministries, is not about us or our abilities.  It is all about serving Jesus Christ and serving others.  By showing up to operate sound or video equipment or designing a web site or making publications you are not doing the pastor, or technical director, or worship leader or the congregation any favors.  If you come in with that kind of mindset then it becomes about you.  It becomes an issue of selfish ambition and pride.  Trust me it is easy to get caught up in being selfish and prideful.

In the mindset of serving God and serving others I believe there is nothing wrong with being pleased with our accomplishments.  If we are doing a great job mixing a service or produced a video that touches people or designed a web site that brought people to the doors of our church then we can be proud of that because we did it as a representative of Jesus Christ.  The Apostle Paul told the church at Galatia “Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,”. (Galatians 6:4)  When we measure ourselves up against someone else then we are serving with a wrong motive.  Should we strive to do our very best?  Absolutely!  God deserves nothing less but our best may not be someone else’s best.  To paraphrase 1 Samuel 16:7 man looks at what we do outwardly but God knows our heart.

I believe that you should also see your service as an offering to God.  Our offerings should be unblemished and without defect.  Does that mean perfect?  No, there was only one perfect offering and that was Jesus Christ.  We should make every effort to make sure that our offering is the best we have.  We covered how in the last post.
We also went into more detail about our offering and how it correlates to worship in a previous post in May titled “It’s Really About Worship”  Please take a moment to read that post.

God is THE Creator.  He is very creative but He is also very detailed and structured.  You need both in media ministry.  You have to have creative people and you need structured people and you need unity between the two and on occasion you will have someone that is both.  Bonus!  They will have various talents and personalities.  Those various talents and personalities unified to accomplish a common goal is what makes up a team.  On a personal level, as a director, God has entrusted me with discipleship of the team.  He has given me a stewardship responsibility over media and technology at our church.  He has entrusted me with a vision on how to proceed using the tool of media and technology to serve Him, serve others and further His Kingdom.  I don’t do this on my own.  I need each and every member of the media ministry team.  I prompt discipleship but ultimately they are responsible for their spiritual growth.  I work toward solutions with equipment by listening to the needs of others and by what the team tells me.  I work toward the prize of pleasing my Lord by using media and technology to do the very thing that He has called me to do.  The verses around Galatians 6:4 that I quoted earlier speak to teamwork.  

Galatians 6:1-5 (NIV) 1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his own load.

Your team should all be helping each other with spiritual growth and with meeting the needs of each other as well as the staff and the entire body of Christ. Your team should understand how to proceed with the tools given them to help facilitate serving Him, serving others and furthering His Kingdom.  Your team should be striving for excellence in their service or offering.  Every team member should be responsible to take care of whatever task has been given to them therefore carrying there own load.  It is a team effort!  Everyone must do their part otherwise the burden is much heavier for someone else and will eventually get to the point that they collapse under the weight and then you have lost a team member.  It is the responsibility of tech directors and team leaders to make sure that the weight stays evenly distributed even if that means restructuring your team or making unpopular decisions.

We adopted a Media Ministry Team mission statement a year ago which I will not repeat here because we have changed it some to better represent our mission.

The goal of the Media Ministry team is to provide services worthy of the worship of Jesus Christ.  We will accomplish this goal by utilizing prayer, planning, preparation and practice while keeping our priorities of God, family and church in order.  We will seek how to best serve every ministry with media and technology to help facilitate bringing people to know Jesus, helping people to grow in Jesus and sending people to show Jesus.

That is why you are here.  

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - How?

How do we do media ministry?

The short answer is very intentionally.  Media is not a tool that can just be thrown together and expected to be effective.  Unfortunately in many churches that is exactly what is happening.  The results are mixed.  In the area of audio, video and lighting sometimes you pull it off and sometimes you don’t.  If you pull it off then maybe someone was affected and their heart and mind was opened to what God had for them but your tech team is stressed to the point of breaking and completely missed the message of what the media was being used for.  If you don’t pull it off then nobody was affected and you probably lost someone for the entire service and in extreme cases maybe forever.

I don’t mean to be overly dramatic here so let me clarify.  How many of you have family members and friends that don’t know Christ?  I have a bunch.  It is like trying to push an elephant out of the way with a feather to get them to step foot in a church.  So say you finally do get them to come to church and the sound is bad, video is out of sync and a light bulb falls and hits someone in the head.  Ok, so the last one is out of our control and yes, that did happen.  What I’m trying to say here is that every Sunday we may have only that one chance to reach a particular person for Christ.  And we are not ready…

So how do we get ready?  Let’s take a trip shall we?  

First and foremost is PRAYER.  We should start everything by going before the throne of God and seeking His will.  We need to ask God where we are going and let Him provide us with a map.  We should be praying for God’s guidance in how to specifically implement media into every ministry of our churches.  We should be praying for guidance into what media to implement for elements of our worship services.  We should be praying for our team members and the staff in the area of spiritual growth.  We should be praying for our team members and everyone else who will be performing their duties during a worship service.  I also say a special prayer for media use in funerals and weddings because I know there will be people in the audience that this really is the only time they come into a church.  Prayer is our first step of communication.

Colossians 4:2 (NLT) 2Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
 

Next thing we have to do to get ready is PLANNING.  God has given us a map so now we need to start plotting our course.  Like I said before, using media should be very intentional.  The decision to use media at all and what specific forms of media to use should come out of the planning for outreach, worship services and other special events.  Everyone needs to be communicating what God has laid on their heart concerning a certain event, sermon series, ministry etc.  If God is in it then we should all be on the same page of the map and carrying out a plan instead of everyone doing their own thing.  It makes it so much easier when everyone is using the same map to get somewhere.  If I know before hand what the heart of the worship leader is on a theme then I can create an atmosphere with sound, lighting and video to help convey that to the congregation.  
Now the pastor also needs to be of the same thinking.  We need to all be going the same place if you know what I mean.  If the pastor is preaching on a topic and the worship leader is leading us in songs the complete opposite of the topic then it makes it very difficult to use media consistently especially if you had no input and are making a cursory attempt to implement.  Everyone feels like they are on roller coaster ride.  
Good planning will also lead to less stress and exasperation of your team by them not having to react to everything on the fly every Sunday.  Some people are fine with adapting to a whim but most technical people are not.  The remedy to all of this is effective communication and planning.  

Proverbs 3:21 - 23 (NLT) 21My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them,  22for they fill you with life and bring you honor and respect.  23They keep you safe on your way and keep your feet from stumbling. 

Proverbs 21:5 (NLT) 5Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.


PREPARATION is the next thing that needs to happen to get ready.  After you have prayed for God’s guidance and have plotted the course then it is time to prepare for the trip.  Prayer and planning should also be part of your preparation.  If you have planned and now know what the destination everyone is heading toward then it is most certainly easier to set lighting and choose what graphics, fonts and video you need to use.  In your preparation think of how this graphic or motion or video will be perceived and does it really fit into getting people to the destination.  Get others in your family or your friends to look at things and see what they think.  Continue the effective communication by running everything through those that were involved in planning to make sure you are staying true to what was planned.
Also with preparation comes the administrative part.  You need to keep in communication with your team who will be implementing the media by operating equipment.  They need to know what the plan is as well.  If we all plan a trip and have a bus (media) to take us there, then we better let the bus driver know where we want to go or we will never get there.  Our audio, video and lighting operators need to understand what we want to accomplish in a worship service and help us get there.  There needs to be easy to follow instructions or script for the service, also called cue sheets, for your team to use.  Tech team members need to make sure that they completely understand every element and if they don’t they need to ask.  I use a weekly e-mail to inform or remind the team what is coming up that Sunday and I also attach the service script for them to look at and start their own preparation.  Another way to accomplish this communication and also planning is through online collaboration which can be much more interactive but everyone has to take the responsibility to check in.
I ask the members of my team who will be operating gear at a worship service to be on position a half hour before a service starts and an hour before special events.  Those times are becoming increasingly not enough.  In that time they need to first prepare their hearts for worship.  Take time to pray with the team before every service.  Then they can start visualizing what they are going to do for each element by looking through the service script which they should have reviewed earlier in the week.  They should also use this time for final testing of CDs, DVDs, videos, and performing a final sound check.
Preparation is key in using media in ministry to creating an atmosphere conducive to worship and removing distraction.  Not everyone prepares in the same matter but our preparation should be beneficial in helping us to arrive at the destination.

Joshua 7:13 (NLT) 13“Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things.
 

Next is PRACTICE.  Going back to the trip analogy, we all now know where we are going and how we are going to get there so now we need to check the bus to make sure it is in good working condition so that we do not break down on our journey. This is an area that is seriously lacking in many churches.  Once you have prayed, planned and prepared you absolutely need to practice.  If you create a slide show or video on your computer and then wait until you are in the worship service to see what it looks like on the big screen you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.  Then it is too late to change anything and people in the congregation are adversely affected by what we have presented. Recorded media can all be very different.  If the first time you hear a CD accompaniment is during the worship service and it starts out too loud or too low then you have caused a distraction and have possibly thrown off a choir or vocalist.  You need to take the time to know how your media elements look and sound before it is presented to a congregation.  I am a firm believer in tech rehearsals and sound checks.  I want to know that everything works and how it going to look and sound before I present it as an offering for my Lord because that is what it is.  More to come on that in another post.  Practice needs planning and preparation as well as communication and cooperation to be effective.  It is very difficult to practice when you have not prepared and/or don’t have the cooperation of others.  Good planning and communication will go a long way in making practice a reality.

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NLT) 25All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
 

As with everything and not just media ministry you must remember your PRIORITIES.  Your personal relationship with God comes first.  Personal time in prayer, reading God’s Word and studying should come before everything.  Next is your family.  Your family comes before church or ministry.  I believe that with all my heart but I don’t always put it into practice.  I believe more time with family would come about when there is a team effort in planning, preparation and practice.  The more we can all rely on others to get things done because we are all using the same map and going to the same place then we can enjoy the trip and rejoice together in arriving at the destination.

Philippians 3:8 - 9 (NLT) 8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ  9and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 


With PRAYER, PLANNING, PREPARATION, PRACTICE all in the context of our PRIORITIES we can be used of God to accomplish His will in people’s lives.  We offer our gifts and talents for His use and glory and with that we should be very intentional.  

Monday, July 17, 2006

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - When & Where

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.
  

Friday, July 14, 2006

Back to Basics: Media Ministry - What & Why

This is Part 1 in a series of articles in getting back to the basics of Media Ministry.

What is Media Ministry?  

Let us take a look at exactly what is “media”.  Media is the derived plural from the word medium which I know conjures up negative connotations but when you look at the definition of the word medium it gives a different view.

  • An intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on.

  • An agency by which something is accomplished, conveyed or transferred.

  • A means of mass communications.

We use different forms of media as an intervening substance to transmit or carry the message of Jesus Christ.  Our audio and video systems convey or transfer what the Lord has laid on the heart of the Worship Leader to the congregation.  We use media to communicate to as many as we possibly can at any one time.

We use media such as our website and our A/V systems to bring people to know Jesus.  We use printed publications, DVDs and projectors to help aid in discipleship classes to help people to grow in Jesus.
We use portable sound systems and show videos of the mission field to facilitate sending people to show Jesus.

Some examples of media are:
  • Audio/Sound

  • Video (backgrounds, presentation, produced, own films)

  • Lighting

  • Web site

  • Publications (newsletters, bulletins, inserts, posters)

  • Recorded media (CD, DVD, MP3, MPEG)

  • Special effects (fog, snow, aroma machines)


Why should we use media?  

Our primary use of course is to bring glory to God and to be a representative of Him in all that we do first and foremost.

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.

Our church has a mission statement that states:

Bringing People to Know Jesus
     Helping People to Grow in Jesus
          Sending People to Show Jesus

That mission statement sums up our evangelism, discipleship and missions emphasis.  Are we using media to accomplish that mission statement?  We should be.

We know from the teachings of Jesus Christ that He used what was relevant and available to Him to create a word picture in the minds of His disciples and others that were following.  In Matthew 13 alone Jesus uses a mustard seed, yeast, wheat and weeds, hidden treasure, pearl merchant and a fishing net to explain the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today we should also be using what is relevant to the culture of today and that is media.  We are a media saturated society and people today are being bombarded with the message of the world.  Media is amoral.  It makes no distinction.  So what is used to convey the message of moral relativism and social depravity can also be used to spread the truth of God’s Holy Word and the awesome gift of life through Jesus Christ.

Media is an invaluable and powerful tool in ministry and should always be used with the mindset of bringing glory to God.  Let’s use we got.  The world and Satan are using it very effectively and it is time we do the same.

Friday, July 07, 2006

Stay Tuned!

It seems that I can’t find the time to write lately.  When I do have a few moments I draw a blank on what to write.  I hope to change all of that soon with a series of posts on our philosophy on media ministry and a review of our concert series.  
Next week I will be attending Seminars 4 Worship in Charlotte, NC.  S4W in the past has been geared towards worship leaders but this year they have added many technology classes.  I’m going to check them out and let you know my experience with the new format.  The great thing is that one of my favorite song writers, Paul Baloche, will be there and leading worship on Monday night.  
If any of you are going to be there then leave a comment or send me an e-mail and we can get together for lunch or something.