I can’t believe that this is the last day of August and I have not been able to write a word all month. My day job involves tower sites and they have been most susceptible to lightening strikes this month. I’ve been very busy with equipment failures and therefore falling behind on major projects that were also due this month. Of course I still have all the church responsibilities as well. All of that equals no writing for the blog. I pray that the storms will pass soon both literally and figuratively.
In the past month there has been some excellent writing on other blogs that I would like to share with you if you haven’t read these already. You know my passion for planning and preparation so these are in that mindset. Enjoy!
Agile Ministry has had an excellent series of posts on growing your ministry. Check these out.
Growing Your Ministry
Growing Your Ministry Through…Purpose
Growing Your Ministry Through…Structure
Growing Your Ministry Through…Process
Growing Your Ministry Through…Interviewing
Growing Your Ministry Through…Procedures
Anthony Coppedge has written a couple of posts that have struck a nerve both good and bad. Check these out.
Big and Little Church Excuses
"Help! I Can't Plan My Sermons in Advance!!"
Perry Noble hit a home run, scored a touchdown, kicked a game winning goal and other various sports analogy clichés with his post on planning yesterday. Check out this post.
Have A Plan!!!
I hope to be back to writing soon!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Announcements & Articles of Interest
It seems that since this blog had its one year anniversary that I have had nothing to say. I have a lot to say actually just not much time to put it into this media right now. Increased responsibilities and some life tragedies have kept me away. For now I just want to leave you with some links to some articles and equipment announcements that you may have missed.
Training: Where to Get Help
Many of you indicated that audio education is valuable and the more the better. Shure Notes for Houses of Worship is one educational vehicle to help you in your quest for knowledge and we decided to dedicate this issue to other resources that are available to help you and your team make sound decisions.
READ MORE?
JBL MRX500 Series
JBL's new MRX500 Series comprises five passive sound reinforcement loudspeakers using JBL Professional 400W Differential Drive® transducers (the same as used in its VerTec line array). Featuring a specially engineered, lightweight plywood enclosure design, JBL Professional’s engineers have ensured the MRX500 Series is typically 20 percent to 30 percent lighter than competitive systems. All units despite a kick-resistant 16-gauge heavy-duty grille and a DuraFlex™ finish.
READ MORE?
Now Shipping: QSC PLX2
QSC's PLX2 amplifiers are divided into two product groups offering power outputs of up to 3,600 watts. Adding subwoofer processing and convenient back panel switches to the original PLX platform, the PLX2 "02" lineup (models PLX1802, PLX2502, PLX3102 and PLX3602) are complemented by the compact PLX2 "04" amps (models PLX1104 and PLX1804), which bring the same technology to applications where bridged or 2-ohm operation isn't required.
READ MORE?
QSC Audio Introduces MD Powered Series Loudspeakers
The MD Powered loudspeaker series from QSC Audio offers exceptional performance in a wide variety of applications, including houses of worship, performing arts facilities, hotels, casinos, night clubs, and sporting facilities.
READ MORE?
The MO Guys Introduce New Book
A new book from Jason and Len that explores the questions of how to communicate effectively in an image driven society and reach a world conditioned by television and videogames.
READ MORE?
The Life of a Backline Tech
You might be a musician. Maybe you build instruments. You have a mind for electronics. And you like to travel. Add the lure of the road and the excitement of touring with a band (or working in a hot venue) and you have the makings of a career as a backline tech. A roadie.
READ MORE?
Training: Where to Get Help
Many of you indicated that audio education is valuable and the more the better. Shure Notes for Houses of Worship is one educational vehicle to help you in your quest for knowledge and we decided to dedicate this issue to other resources that are available to help you and your team make sound decisions.
READ MORE?
JBL MRX500 Series
JBL's new MRX500 Series comprises five passive sound reinforcement loudspeakers using JBL Professional 400W Differential Drive® transducers (the same as used in its VerTec line array). Featuring a specially engineered, lightweight plywood enclosure design, JBL Professional’s engineers have ensured the MRX500 Series is typically 20 percent to 30 percent lighter than competitive systems. All units despite a kick-resistant 16-gauge heavy-duty grille and a DuraFlex™ finish.
READ MORE?
Now Shipping: QSC PLX2
QSC's PLX2 amplifiers are divided into two product groups offering power outputs of up to 3,600 watts. Adding subwoofer processing and convenient back panel switches to the original PLX platform, the PLX2 "02" lineup (models PLX1802, PLX2502, PLX3102 and PLX3602) are complemented by the compact PLX2 "04" amps (models PLX1104 and PLX1804), which bring the same technology to applications where bridged or 2-ohm operation isn't required.
READ MORE?
QSC Audio Introduces MD Powered Series Loudspeakers
The MD Powered loudspeaker series from QSC Audio offers exceptional performance in a wide variety of applications, including houses of worship, performing arts facilities, hotels, casinos, night clubs, and sporting facilities.
READ MORE?
The MO Guys Introduce New Book
A new book from Jason and Len that explores the questions of how to communicate effectively in an image driven society and reach a world conditioned by television and videogames.
READ MORE?
The Life of a Backline Tech
You might be a musician. Maybe you build instruments. You have a mind for electronics. And you like to travel. Add the lure of the road and the excitement of touring with a band (or working in a hot venue) and you have the makings of a career as a backline tech. A roadie.
READ MORE?
Friday, June 02, 2006
ONE YEAR CELEBRATION!
Yesterday made one year of existence for the Media Ministry blog. What a ride! This has been an amazing experience so far and I look to continue on. I have met some incredibly gifted and talented people. I have been opened up to a whole new community that I never knew existed before last year. God has truly blessed me through this blog. I have been told a couple of accounts of how this blog has been used by God in an awesome way that gave me chills. I did not get to witness first hand what has transpired but just knowing that God is using you as an instrument of His will is more than enough.
Thanks to all my loyal readers. I hope to never disappoint. I pray to only get better. I want to strive for excellence in all that I do for the glory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Of course the first thing you notice is the drastic change in appearance of this site. I thought the one year anniversary was a good a time as any. Change is good!
Romans 2:29 (NLT) 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.
Colossians 1:6 (NLT) 6This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners.
Thank God for templates though. Maybe some day this sound guy will learn code but it is not today. I did do the banner image though so progress for me is hopeful. :>)
I pray that this blog will continue to be used as an instrument of God and that everyone that visits here will find encouragement, inspiration, knowledge or just the peace that you are not alone in going through the trials and tribulations of media and technology ministry.
Looking forward to another great year!
Thanks to all my loyal readers. I hope to never disappoint. I pray to only get better. I want to strive for excellence in all that I do for the glory of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Of course the first thing you notice is the drastic change in appearance of this site. I thought the one year anniversary was a good a time as any. Change is good!
Romans 2:29 (NLT) 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.
Colossians 1:6 (NLT) 6This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners.
Thank God for templates though. Maybe some day this sound guy will learn code but it is not today. I did do the banner image though so progress for me is hopeful. :>)
I pray that this blog will continue to be used as an instrument of God and that everyone that visits here will find encouragement, inspiration, knowledge or just the peace that you are not alone in going through the trials and tribulations of media and technology ministry.
Looking forward to another great year!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
It's Really About Worship
A recent thread on the Church Sound Check forum has garnered attention from many members on the list. The thread started with a post titled “Time for a Break” in which one church sound guy stated that he was calling it quits after 19 years at this particular church. The main reason it seemed was church leadership would not heed his advice on technical matters. This thread brought forth a hail of similar stories and complete understanding on needing to take a break.
But one post changed all of that. The post was titled “He Doesn’t Need Us” in which a passionate response was given that God does not need us. This post went on to assert that it is our own pride that causes problems because we think we are irreplaceable. That we believe that the church would cease to exist because we don’t show up to turn knobs and push faders.
The post had this to say, “We seem to be operating out of the basic assumption that "serving God" is necessary and desirable. This is usually and easily extended to "God needs my service", which then leads to "the church couldn't make it without my service" - which has to be extended to "God couldn't make it without my service".Really?????Now, let's be truly honest. Let's drop our religious masks and be real. We all would reject the above paragraph - and say that "of course I know God is almighty and that He and His church can survive without me". But, then we go and live as if we truly believe the opposite! We let our families suffer, and rationalize that this is okay because we are truly "needed" (and that God and His church wouldn't be okay without my services). We let our personal life and even our health suffer, and also rationalize that this is necessary and okay - for the same reasons. Most important of all, we let our spiritual life, no - drop that religious jargon and admit that a real trusting and listening relationship with our redeemer and Lord is sacrificed for the sake of the "ministry" and the "serving". Be truly honest - have you ever hid behind a sound desk or a computer screen?
OUCH! I felt that one. I believe that he is correct in his analysis for many of us; including me at times. Jesus was talking to Peter when He told him that He would build His church and that the gates of Hell would not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18) Who do we think we are that the church in which we are serving would fail because we are not there? If God is in it then there is nothing that we do that will stop it. Therefore I agree with this post that God does not need us.
This post goes on to speak about worship.
“Do we really think that you can worship the God of the universe in spirit and truth while mixing or running PP, or otherwise working? Oh, we may experience God in some measure, but you can't be lost in worship and still be doing your job. You just can't! I'm sorry, but I have come to take these two as mutually exclusive,…”
Although I can understand where the writer is coming from I don’t completely agree with this statement. Many equate worship with singing and music and therefore many worship leaders are music ministers. I believe that our offering is our worship. Singing and playing an instrument is an offering to God and is worship. Performing our best at the mixing console is our offering to God and is worship. When we have the correct response to a trying situation at work that shows we are offering our life as a living testament to God that is worship. Casting Crowns has a song titled Lifesong. The first line goes;
Empty hands held high; Such a small sacrifice.
If not joined with my life; I sing in vain tonight.
Our entire lives should be an offering to God. In everything we do we should be doing for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is true devotion and that is worship. If we are allowing our technical offering to become just a job or work then we need to examine our own hearts to see if we are there for us or for God.
Galatians 2:20 (NLT) 20I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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.
The premise of the rest of the post is that God does not need our service and that if we believe that God needs us then we are being prideful. God, absolutely, does not need us but He created us for a purpose. That purpose is to bring glory to Him. God yearns for a relationship with us. He wants us to need Him. Although it is the better thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship like Mary; Jesus did not say Martha was wrong for doing the work but for being upset because Mary did not choose service too. Likewise I don’t believe that Mary was upset because Martha was serving and not sitting with Jesus. Whether we are serving or just participating in a corporate worship service we are there for God and God only. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. We should be concentrating on bringing glory to God through praise, learning and serving. I believe that we would be dishonoring God if we do not use the gifts and talents that He has given us for His service. Once again I’m not saying that God needs our service just that He wants our service.
The writer of the post wrote, "I heard recently that a study revealed that 85% of those that "made a decision for Christ" in today's churches are out of the church (any church) within a year." I believe that we need to reach out to those that receive Christ and get them into service so that they do not fall away. But with that service we must disciple. I believe that is where churches fail. The Great Commission is misinterpreted as "go and make converts" when what Jesus said was "...go and make disciples..." It is a much greater thing to worship at the feet of Jesus but don't completely discount service to the church because as Paul said in Colossians 1:24 - 29 (NLT) 24I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church. 25God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles. 26This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people. 27For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. 28So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect£ in their relationship to Christ. 29I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
I also believe that God does not call us to just serve Him but to also serve others. We serve in the technical ministry to facilitate worship. We serve to help others hear and see what the Lord has laid on the heart of the worship leader or the pastor. Jesus gave us this example,
John 13:12 - 17 (NLT) 12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
We were created to serve.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We give of ourselves in service because God has given everything for us.
Romans 12:1 (NLT) 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?
Our service has meaning.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT) 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
It really all comes down to worship. Who are we presenting our offering to? When we sing are we singing for the Lord? When we play an instrument are we playing it for the Lord? When we operate sound and video equipment are we doing that for the Lord?
I thank the writer for his passionate plea and for bringing to light areas in my life that I need to work on. I pray that in all that we do we do with a heart to bring glory to God. I pray that we do not let our own selfishness or pride get in the way of our worship or distract anyone else from worship. Let us worship God with our praise, our service, with our lives.
But one post changed all of that. The post was titled “He Doesn’t Need Us” in which a passionate response was given that God does not need us. This post went on to assert that it is our own pride that causes problems because we think we are irreplaceable. That we believe that the church would cease to exist because we don’t show up to turn knobs and push faders.
The post had this to say, “We seem to be operating out of the basic assumption that "serving God" is necessary and desirable. This is usually and easily extended to "God needs my service", which then leads to "the church couldn't make it without my service" - which has to be extended to "God couldn't make it without my service".Really?????Now, let's be truly honest. Let's drop our religious masks and be real. We all would reject the above paragraph - and say that "of course I know God is almighty and that He and His church can survive without me". But, then we go and live as if we truly believe the opposite! We let our families suffer, and rationalize that this is okay because we are truly "needed" (and that God and His church wouldn't be okay without my services). We let our personal life and even our health suffer, and also rationalize that this is necessary and okay - for the same reasons. Most important of all, we let our spiritual life, no - drop that religious jargon and admit that a real trusting and listening relationship with our redeemer and Lord is sacrificed for the sake of the "ministry" and the "serving". Be truly honest - have you ever hid behind a sound desk or a computer screen?
OUCH! I felt that one. I believe that he is correct in his analysis for many of us; including me at times. Jesus was talking to Peter when He told him that He would build His church and that the gates of Hell would not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18) Who do we think we are that the church in which we are serving would fail because we are not there? If God is in it then there is nothing that we do that will stop it. Therefore I agree with this post that God does not need us.
This post goes on to speak about worship.
“Do we really think that you can worship the God of the universe in spirit and truth while mixing or running PP, or otherwise working? Oh, we may experience God in some measure, but you can't be lost in worship and still be doing your job. You just can't! I'm sorry, but I have come to take these two as mutually exclusive,…”
Although I can understand where the writer is coming from I don’t completely agree with this statement. Many equate worship with singing and music and therefore many worship leaders are music ministers. I believe that our offering is our worship. Singing and playing an instrument is an offering to God and is worship. Performing our best at the mixing console is our offering to God and is worship. When we have the correct response to a trying situation at work that shows we are offering our life as a living testament to God that is worship. Casting Crowns has a song titled Lifesong. The first line goes;
Empty hands held high; Such a small sacrifice.
If not joined with my life; I sing in vain tonight.
Our entire lives should be an offering to God. In everything we do we should be doing for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is true devotion and that is worship. If we are allowing our technical offering to become just a job or work then we need to examine our own hearts to see if we are there for us or for God.
Galatians 2:20 (NLT) 20I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
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.
The premise of the rest of the post is that God does not need our service and that if we believe that God needs us then we are being prideful. God, absolutely, does not need us but He created us for a purpose. That purpose is to bring glory to Him. God yearns for a relationship with us. He wants us to need Him. Although it is the better thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and worship like Mary; Jesus did not say Martha was wrong for doing the work but for being upset because Mary did not choose service too. Likewise I don’t believe that Mary was upset because Martha was serving and not sitting with Jesus. Whether we are serving or just participating in a corporate worship service we are there for God and God only. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing. We should be concentrating on bringing glory to God through praise, learning and serving. I believe that we would be dishonoring God if we do not use the gifts and talents that He has given us for His service. Once again I’m not saying that God needs our service just that He wants our service.
The writer of the post wrote, "I heard recently that a study revealed that 85% of those that "made a decision for Christ" in today's churches are out of the church (any church) within a year." I believe that we need to reach out to those that receive Christ and get them into service so that they do not fall away. But with that service we must disciple. I believe that is where churches fail. The Great Commission is misinterpreted as "go and make converts" when what Jesus said was "...go and make disciples..." It is a much greater thing to worship at the feet of Jesus but don't completely discount service to the church because as Paul said in Colossians 1:24 - 29 (NLT) 24I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ’s sufferings for his body, the church. 25God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles. 26This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people. 27For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory. 28So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect£ in their relationship to Christ. 29I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.
I also believe that God does not call us to just serve Him but to also serve others. We serve in the technical ministry to facilitate worship. We serve to help others hear and see what the Lord has laid on the heart of the worship leader or the pastor. Jesus gave us this example,
John 13:12 - 17 (NLT) 12After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. 14And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. 17You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.
We were created to serve.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) 10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
We give of ourselves in service because God has given everything for us.
Romans 12:1 (NLT) 1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?
Our service has meaning.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT) 58So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
It really all comes down to worship. Who are we presenting our offering to? When we sing are we singing for the Lord? When we play an instrument are we playing it for the Lord? When we operate sound and video equipment are we doing that for the Lord?
I thank the writer for his passionate plea and for bringing to light areas in my life that I need to work on. I pray that in all that we do we do with a heart to bring glory to God. I pray that we do not let our own selfishness or pride get in the way of our worship or distract anyone else from worship. Let us worship God with our praise, our service, with our lives.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Examples of Good Customer Service
I wrote recently about bad customer service (What Happened to Good Customer Service?). I wanted to recognize a couple of positive experiences as well.
I’m member of the Church Sound Check discussion group which I believe is the best forum for media ministry any where. If you are involved in media ministry then you need to be a member of this group. In this group is some of the most knowledgeable and wise people from churches, manufacturers, consulting firms, distributors etc. that you will find. One member of this group really stands out on a consistent basis. His name is Carey and he is design engineer for Allen & Heath. What distinguishes Carey from most is that he is about helping others regardless of whether you own an Allen & Heath mixing console or some other manufacturer’s mixer. He is a wealth of knowledge about audio and will share his knowledge with anyone. That is great customer service when you may not even be a customer. I would actually call that Kingdom minded. I applaud you Carey!
I next recognize the company Audio Ethics. We recently held a community wide evangelistic event at a local stadium. This event was the effort of 20 churches combined out of the local ministerial association. Unfortunately the knowledge of producing an event of this magnitude was lacking. I found out late in the planning what was proposed for audio and lighting and when I did my heart sank. I had to do something. I went into scramble mode and started taking bids from the limited knowledge I had of the event. The funding was not adequate to acquire the services of most production companies. In fact some would not even return my calls after I told them what we had for budget. Gordon Snyder in Production Services at Audio Ethics understood exactly what I was going through and worked with me to get the very best audio, lighting and stage for the money that was budgeted. We were able to procure a portable stage with more than adequate lighting and an awesome sound system for this event so that we could reach out to the community and share the gospel with excellence. Audio Ethics had the same understanding that the people we were trying to reach do not know Christ and do not go to church but they do recognize if you are putting forth a good production.
The “road crew” from Audio Ethics are very knowledgeable and hard working. Maybe the only fault I could see was that these guys were obviously tired from being stretched thin by working all day with various responsibilities and then working nights and weekends on these types of events and concerts. They knew every piece of equipment from top to bottom. Sam Trexler was the lead and not only did an excellent job of directing complete set up and tear down but produced some great mixes for the various praise bands, ensembles and the mass choir.
Audio Ethics did not skimp whatsoever on the sound system. For example they used QSC amps, D & B Audiotechnik array, subs and box speakers and to top everything off was the Yamaha
MC7L digital audio mixing console. I was absolutely thrilled when I started to see what was being unpacked.
I extend a great big thank you to Audio Ethics for their example of excellence and good customer service.
I’m member of the Church Sound Check discussion group which I believe is the best forum for media ministry any where. If you are involved in media ministry then you need to be a member of this group. In this group is some of the most knowledgeable and wise people from churches, manufacturers, consulting firms, distributors etc. that you will find. One member of this group really stands out on a consistent basis. His name is Carey and he is design engineer for Allen & Heath. What distinguishes Carey from most is that he is about helping others regardless of whether you own an Allen & Heath mixing console or some other manufacturer’s mixer. He is a wealth of knowledge about audio and will share his knowledge with anyone. That is great customer service when you may not even be a customer. I would actually call that Kingdom minded. I applaud you Carey!
I next recognize the company Audio Ethics. We recently held a community wide evangelistic event at a local stadium. This event was the effort of 20 churches combined out of the local ministerial association. Unfortunately the knowledge of producing an event of this magnitude was lacking. I found out late in the planning what was proposed for audio and lighting and when I did my heart sank. I had to do something. I went into scramble mode and started taking bids from the limited knowledge I had of the event. The funding was not adequate to acquire the services of most production companies. In fact some would not even return my calls after I told them what we had for budget. Gordon Snyder in Production Services at Audio Ethics understood exactly what I was going through and worked with me to get the very best audio, lighting and stage for the money that was budgeted. We were able to procure a portable stage with more than adequate lighting and an awesome sound system for this event so that we could reach out to the community and share the gospel with excellence. Audio Ethics had the same understanding that the people we were trying to reach do not know Christ and do not go to church but they do recognize if you are putting forth a good production.
The “road crew” from Audio Ethics are very knowledgeable and hard working. Maybe the only fault I could see was that these guys were obviously tired from being stretched thin by working all day with various responsibilities and then working nights and weekends on these types of events and concerts. They knew every piece of equipment from top to bottom. Sam Trexler was the lead and not only did an excellent job of directing complete set up and tear down but produced some great mixes for the various praise bands, ensembles and the mass choir.Audio Ethics did not skimp whatsoever on the sound system. For example they used QSC amps, D & B Audiotechnik array, subs and box speakers and to top everything off was the Yamaha
MC7L digital audio mixing console. I was absolutely thrilled when I started to see what was being unpacked.I extend a great big thank you to Audio Ethics for their example of excellence and good customer service.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Nothing But The Truth
I actually was able to visit a church this past Sunday. I can’t remember the last time I visited another church. I was afraid that I would be analyzing the place as to what was needed for audio, video and lighting and be completely distracted from being involved in the worship service. I did analyze the sanctuary at Elkin Valley Baptist Church in Elkin, NC but I was not distracted. The service was traditional and I was making mental notes of what was needed in media during each element including the sermon. Although I was doing that I was still able to enjoy the service and hear a great sermon from Pastor Johnny Blevins. I hear expository preaching just about every Sunday but it has been a while since I heard an exposition on just one verse. That one verse was Ephesians 4:25
Ephesians 4:25 (ESV) 25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Pastor Blevins sermon was titled “Nothing but the Truth”. The three major points that Pastor Blevins shared with us were:
This sermon was the final straw in something I have been struggling with. I had been asked to give a description of my blog for an upcoming feature and I realized that I had started this blog as a place to rant and vent. That is why I used a screen name or an alias as it was. I was hiding behind that instead of being completely truthful. Of course the reason for blogging had changed really quickly from being negative to how I could help others and learn from the wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the blogosphere.
Therefore all pretenses are gone from this blog. No more not being totally honest with those that read this blog. The description of the blog has changed as well as my profile. I want to be completely truthful in all things as should be a characteristic of someone that loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with all I have.
I’m so grateful for the urgings of the Holy Spirit and Pastor Blevins being used as an instrument to show me how important complete honesty is to God and the body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:25 (ESV) 25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Pastor Blevins sermon was titled “Nothing but the Truth”. The three major points that Pastor Blevins shared with us were:
- Lying is incompatible with the Christian life.
- Truthfulness is characteristic of the Christian life.
- Speaking the truth is essential for the body of Christ.
This sermon was the final straw in something I have been struggling with. I had been asked to give a description of my blog for an upcoming feature and I realized that I had started this blog as a place to rant and vent. That is why I used a screen name or an alias as it was. I was hiding behind that instead of being completely truthful. Of course the reason for blogging had changed really quickly from being negative to how I could help others and learn from the wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the blogosphere.
Therefore all pretenses are gone from this blog. No more not being totally honest with those that read this blog. The description of the blog has changed as well as my profile. I want to be completely truthful in all things as should be a characteristic of someone that loves the Lord and wants to serve Him with all I have.
I’m so grateful for the urgings of the Holy Spirit and Pastor Blevins being used as an instrument to show me how important complete honesty is to God and the body of Christ.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
What Happened to Good Customer Service?
What has happened to good customer service? Last month Anthony Coppedge posted Service With a Smile on his blog. It got me to thinking about how I treat people in my day job and how I treat people at my church. I guess it also made me more aware of how others treat me as a customer. I have in the last two months been very busy with various companies to make things happen in our church productions. I must say that overall I’m very disappointed in the customer service of most of these companies. A couple I will probably never deal with again. Let me give an example…
I was recently in the market for video distribution and came to the conclusion that video over CAT-5e would be my best option. About that time I had received the latest catalog from my preferred distributor. In this catalog they advertised a FSR Twister system and the description said that this kit included transmitter, receiver and hub. I thought this is perfect. I called up the company and ordered this kit among a healthy order of consumables. Now this order is from their latest catalog of specials that I just received and I was told that the kit mentioned above was not in stock. How could you advertise a special and then not keep it in stock? Strike One!
I was hoping to have this kit in place for a youth conference that was coming up in a couple of weeks. I received the rest of my order in 3 days but the FSR kit was on back order. After a week went by I called and was told that the order was due in the next day and then I would have my kit a few days after that. That time elapsed and I called back again. I was told that the order had not come in and that it would probably be another week. Well, that put me past having the system in for the youth conference. But did you notice that no one could give me an exact answer. Strike Two!
The week after the youth conference I finally received my FSR Twister kit minus the hub. I called up the company and talked to the sales rep that I had ordered from and told him that I received an incomplete order. He told me that he was not sure what happened and would find out and call me back. OK I can deal with that. He didn’t call back! I called back and he told me that The FSR web site was inconclusive. I’m thinking, “Call your supplier FSR!” He said, “I call FSR and see what is up.” Good call! Once again he said that he would call me back. He didn’t call back. I waited two days and then called back again. I asked for the same sales rep and I got the impression that he had not called anyone. He told me that he was going to call FSR right then and put me on hold. When he came back on the line he told me that FSR said that the hub was not part of the kit. I told him that you are advertising it as part of the kit and I had ordered it with that intention. Plus it was not cheap. He said he would talk to his manager and call me back. Are you seeing a pattern here? That’s right…he did not call me back. I had to call back once again two days later and receive their final answer. I was told by the same sales rep that they had make a mistake in the catalog and this was his final comment, “You got what you paid for.”
Strike Three! YOUR OUT!!!
I also receive this company’s e-newsletter and there has not been an explanation or retraction for the catalog error yet. I also visited FSR web site and their description is misleading on the kit in question. They continually show pictures of the transmitter, receiver and hub together and you have to really dig to find out that the hub is not part of the kit. They may want to think about changing that.
OK End of rant! I’m in the market for a new distributor of professional audio, video and lighting gear. My former preferred distributor was a one stop shop and I liked it that way. Who do you use?
I’m not naming the company above because I forgive them. I was amazed at the touch of the Holy Spirit to keep me calm through the whole ordeal and not ruin my testimony because I really wanted to blast them.
I give the above example to point out that in our dealing with others we need to be completely honest. We need to have a complete understanding of what service or goods we are offering. We need to follow through. This correlates to sharing the gospel. We need to give people we share the Word with just that…the WORD. The absolute truth of the scriptures that they are dead in their sins but have the hope of eternal life only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. We need to know the Word so we can share the gospel at any given opportunity and defend the truth of the Word when needed. Once someone has accepted Christ our work is not done. Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not converts. We need to follow through with those that accept Christ as their Lord and Savior to help them to grow spiritually.
Let me leave you with this passage of what our service to others should look like.
Philippians 2:3 - 8 (RSV) 3Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
I was recently in the market for video distribution and came to the conclusion that video over CAT-5e would be my best option. About that time I had received the latest catalog from my preferred distributor. In this catalog they advertised a FSR Twister system and the description said that this kit included transmitter, receiver and hub. I thought this is perfect. I called up the company and ordered this kit among a healthy order of consumables. Now this order is from their latest catalog of specials that I just received and I was told that the kit mentioned above was not in stock. How could you advertise a special and then not keep it in stock? Strike One!
I was hoping to have this kit in place for a youth conference that was coming up in a couple of weeks. I received the rest of my order in 3 days but the FSR kit was on back order. After a week went by I called and was told that the order was due in the next day and then I would have my kit a few days after that. That time elapsed and I called back again. I was told that the order had not come in and that it would probably be another week. Well, that put me past having the system in for the youth conference. But did you notice that no one could give me an exact answer. Strike Two!
The week after the youth conference I finally received my FSR Twister kit minus the hub. I called up the company and talked to the sales rep that I had ordered from and told him that I received an incomplete order. He told me that he was not sure what happened and would find out and call me back. OK I can deal with that. He didn’t call back! I called back and he told me that The FSR web site was inconclusive. I’m thinking, “Call your supplier FSR!” He said, “I call FSR and see what is up.” Good call! Once again he said that he would call me back. He didn’t call back. I waited two days and then called back again. I asked for the same sales rep and I got the impression that he had not called anyone. He told me that he was going to call FSR right then and put me on hold. When he came back on the line he told me that FSR said that the hub was not part of the kit. I told him that you are advertising it as part of the kit and I had ordered it with that intention. Plus it was not cheap. He said he would talk to his manager and call me back. Are you seeing a pattern here? That’s right…he did not call me back. I had to call back once again two days later and receive their final answer. I was told by the same sales rep that they had make a mistake in the catalog and this was his final comment, “You got what you paid for.”
Strike Three! YOUR OUT!!!
I also receive this company’s e-newsletter and there has not been an explanation or retraction for the catalog error yet. I also visited FSR web site and their description is misleading on the kit in question. They continually show pictures of the transmitter, receiver and hub together and you have to really dig to find out that the hub is not part of the kit. They may want to think about changing that.
OK End of rant! I’m in the market for a new distributor of professional audio, video and lighting gear. My former preferred distributor was a one stop shop and I liked it that way. Who do you use?
I’m not naming the company above because I forgive them. I was amazed at the touch of the Holy Spirit to keep me calm through the whole ordeal and not ruin my testimony because I really wanted to blast them.
I give the above example to point out that in our dealing with others we need to be completely honest. We need to have a complete understanding of what service or goods we are offering. We need to follow through. This correlates to sharing the gospel. We need to give people we share the Word with just that…the WORD. The absolute truth of the scriptures that they are dead in their sins but have the hope of eternal life only through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection. We need to know the Word so we can share the gospel at any given opportunity and defend the truth of the Word when needed. Once someone has accepted Christ our work is not done. Jesus commanded us to make disciples, not converts. We need to follow through with those that accept Christ as their Lord and Savior to help them to grow spiritually.
Let me leave you with this passage of what our service to others should look like.
Philippians 2:3 - 8 (RSV) 3Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Pray for Productions
Have you noticed the scarcity of posts on media and technology blogs lately? This is the busiest time of the year by far. The lack of posts tells me that my fellow ministers in media and technology are diligent in striving for excellence in all of their productions. Let us remember each other in prayer! During all of this it becomes easy to lose sight of exactly why we are doing this. Take a moment to remember that we are celebrating and sharing with others the events of the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!
OK I have to run and pick up a rack of wireless microphone systems I rented…
OK I have to run and pick up a rack of wireless microphone systems I rented…
Friday, March 24, 2006
Check Out Agile Ministry
I discovered a new blog today that has some really great advice and wisdom associated with media and technology ministry. Check out Agile Ministry.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Danley Sound Labs
I keep hearing about these amazing loudspeakers from Danley Sound Labs. I keep reading rave reviews and articles just like this one; Danley Crosses The Bridge.
Also a recent thread on Church Sound Check discussion group revealed a heart for the Lord by this manufacturer and systems integrator partner dB Audio & Video president Mike Hedden.
I can’t wait to hear a set of these speakers to experience for myself what I have been reading about. Anyone else have any experience with these speakers?
Also a recent thread on Church Sound Check discussion group revealed a heart for the Lord by this manufacturer and systems integrator partner dB Audio & Video president Mike Hedden.
I can’t wait to hear a set of these speakers to experience for myself what I have been reading about. Anyone else have any experience with these speakers?
New Tool for Evangelism
A great, fairly new tool for outreach and evangelism is podcasting. I know there are many churches and pastors that are using podcasting to get their sermons out to whoever may want to download and listen. What an awesome tool to get the message out that God has given you to many, many more people than your congregation. This has also come to be known as Godcasting. Every time I hear that term used I think of when Jesus was hand picking His disciples. He came to Simon Peter and Andrew who were fishermen and had casted their nets many times for fish.
Matthew 4:19 (NLT) 19Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
Another technological tool that can be used to “fish for people” and for discipleship as well.
Check out this article from Sound & Video Contractor
“Godcasts” Hot New Tools of Evangelism
Also check out this series of articles on podcasting from Shure:
Podcasting 101: How to Get Started
Chuck Harris of East Bay Fellowship Church: Learning Curve
Dave Hopkins:Spires and Steeples: Podcasting & Godcasting
Matthew 4:19 (NLT) 19Jesus called out to them, “Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
Another technological tool that can be used to “fish for people” and for discipleship as well.
Check out this article from Sound & Video Contractor
“Godcasts” Hot New Tools of Evangelism
Also check out this series of articles on podcasting from Shure:
Podcasting 101: How to Get Started
Chuck Harris of East Bay Fellowship Church: Learning Curve
Dave Hopkins:Spires and Steeples: Podcasting & Godcasting
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Web Ministry Kickoff
Last Sunday we finally had the kickoff meeting for our new Web Ministry Team for our church website. The meeting was fairly informal. We threw around a lot of ideas and vented some frustration on the design, maintaining, and using the previous website. We all had ideas that we would like to see implemented. We took some time and looked at several church, ministry and secular websites to determine what we like and do not like. All and all I think it was an enjoyable time and we now have a clear direction.
We established the goal that first and foremost that our website would be honoring to God and that we would strive for excellence to bring glory to Him. We also decided that our church website would be a tool for outreach as well as useful to the members. These are broad goals and will become details in the months to come.
I’m very pleased that we are taking our time to do this ministry right. I would much rather have no site at all than have a site that is in no way obtaining our goals. Pray that we keep our objectives in mind on every decision about this website.
Next meeting we will start discussing layout.
We established the goal that first and foremost that our website would be honoring to God and that we would strive for excellence to bring glory to Him. We also decided that our church website would be a tool for outreach as well as useful to the members. These are broad goals and will become details in the months to come.
I’m very pleased that we are taking our time to do this ministry right. I would much rather have no site at all than have a site that is in no way obtaining our goals. Pray that we keep our objectives in mind on every decision about this website.
Next meeting we will start discussing layout.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Microsoft Abandons PowerPoint
Recently I have been talking a lot about excellence in the way we present media in the church. It never ceases to amaze me how many people think that PowerPoint is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I almost wish the following article was true. Check out Microsoft Abandons PowerPoint
Monday, February 13, 2006
Examples in Excellence
I recently wrote in my post “Suffering in Media Ministry” about mediocrity or settling for less in our daily walk with Christ and in our ministries. I wrote about striving for excellence in all that we do for the glory of God. There have been some other good posts concerning the same thing recently in “Dealing with Mistakes” by Anthony Coppedge and “Is EXCELLENCE a dirty word?” by Jeffrey Jones at Soundbooth.org (not to be confused with Soundbooth.com) Check these articles out when you get a chance.
I believe that many times when you start to talk about pursuing excellence then people have the perception that you want perfection. That is just not true. The definition of excellence is the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree and the definition of excel is to distinguish oneself or to do or be better than; surpass. The definition of perfection is the state of being without a flaw or defect. Well, we all know that we are not perfect. We are not without sin and we are going to make mistakes. What we do when we sin in our daily lives or make mistakes in the ministry determines whether or not we are pursuing excellence. I want to distinguish myself before the Lord. I want to surpass the old life of sin and I want to do better in the ministry in which God has called me to serve.
You can’t say it any better than God’s Word. I believe that as we are given everything to live a godly life that will produce a life of moral excellence we will also be given the power to produce a ministry of excellence. Like I have said before if God has called you to a particular ministry then why would He not give you everything you need to accomplish His will? I wish people would stop putting God in a box. God is able to do exceedingly more than we can think to ask. Let God be the determining factor in your pursuits and not your own limited thinking.
I had the great privilege of witnessing the pursuance of excellence this past weekend in the form of the recording studio. What a pleasure it was to watch a group of men not settle for mediocrity.
My worship pastor, Rusty Fleming, along with Donna Thomas and Marie Broome make up the singing group Surrender that are based out of our church. Last year when they were performing at a gig in the Raleigh, NC area they caught the attention of Winslow Stillman. He liked what he heard and wanted to bring them into the studio.
Winslow Stillman has over 40 years experience in the music business. He is an
award-winning music and broadcast producer, having created highly successful syndicated radio shows, including NASCAR Country, and Thunder Road, and the internationally syndicated program, The Road. As a producer in Nashville, Winslow worked in the studio with artists such as Dobie Gray, Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, Bela Flek, Burl Ives, and Jimmy Hall. An accomplished songwriter and guitarist in several genres, he has performed with various ensembles and has appeared on national TV as a vocalist.
Winslow along with bass player Gene Barrio and drummer Karl von Gunten continued to impress me with their attention to detail, finesse and their pursuit of excellence. Gene amazed me with his ear for not only his bass part but for everyone else part as well. Karl’s determination to get it right was refreshing but even better was his humble spirit. I really enjoyed talking to Karl over a couple of days. His personality has him at a disadvantage in a room full of prima- donnas. :>)
Winslow’s ability to arrange on the fly, play lead guitar, record and provide overall leadership was a thing to behold. All of them are fine musicians. Did they have the best gear in a state of the art studio with the finest of instruments? No. Did they do the best they could with what they had? Absolutely! Did they
make mistakes? Yes. Did they say "that's good enough"? Absolutely not! Let me clarify that what they have to use is better than anything I have ever had permission to touch.
Now, I don’t know where these guys are in their relationship with Jesus Christ but on a praise and worship recording project these guys brought honor to God by their attitudes and by doing the very best that they could possibly do before the Lord. You could consider this a ministry for these guys so what else was really great to see was that family comes before ministry. You have heard me say or saw my writings before in which I have stated that God is first then family and then ministry. These guys practice that very thing. This past weekend a couple of family obligations took precedence over recording and that is the way it should be.
I want to thank these guys for allowing me to hang out with them but most of all to thank them for the examples in excellence.
I believe that many times when you start to talk about pursuing excellence then people have the perception that you want perfection. That is just not true. The definition of excellence is the quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree and the definition of excel is to distinguish oneself or to do or be better than; surpass. The definition of perfection is the state of being without a flaw or defect. Well, we all know that we are not perfect. We are not without sin and we are going to make mistakes. What we do when we sin in our daily lives or make mistakes in the ministry determines whether or not we are pursuing excellence. I want to distinguish myself before the Lord. I want to surpass the old life of sin and I want to do better in the ministry in which God has called me to serve.
2 Peter 1:3 - 9 (NLT) 3As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! 4And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.
5So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin.
You can’t say it any better than God’s Word. I believe that as we are given everything to live a godly life that will produce a life of moral excellence we will also be given the power to produce a ministry of excellence. Like I have said before if God has called you to a particular ministry then why would He not give you everything you need to accomplish His will? I wish people would stop putting God in a box. God is able to do exceedingly more than we can think to ask. Let God be the determining factor in your pursuits and not your own limited thinking.
I had the great privilege of witnessing the pursuance of excellence this past weekend in the form of the recording studio. What a pleasure it was to watch a group of men not settle for mediocrity.
My worship pastor, Rusty Fleming, along with Donna Thomas and Marie Broome make up the singing group Surrender that are based out of our church. Last year when they were performing at a gig in the Raleigh, NC area they caught the attention of Winslow Stillman. He liked what he heard and wanted to bring them into the studio.Winslow Stillman has over 40 years experience in the music business. He is an
award-winning music and broadcast producer, having created highly successful syndicated radio shows, including NASCAR Country, and Thunder Road, and the internationally syndicated program, The Road. As a producer in Nashville, Winslow worked in the studio with artists such as Dobie Gray, Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, Bela Flek, Burl Ives, and Jimmy Hall. An accomplished songwriter and guitarist in several genres, he has performed with various ensembles and has appeared on national TV as a vocalist. 
Winslow along with bass player Gene Barrio and drummer Karl von Gunten continued to impress me with their attention to detail, finesse and their pursuit of excellence. Gene amazed me with his ear for not only his bass part but for everyone else part as well. Karl’s determination to get it right was refreshing but even better was his humble spirit. I really enjoyed talking to Karl over a couple of days. His personality has him at a disadvantage in a room full of prima- donnas. :>)Winslow’s ability to arrange on the fly, play lead guitar, record and provide overall leadership was a thing to behold. All of them are fine musicians. Did they have the best gear in a state of the art studio with the finest of instruments? No. Did they do the best they could with what they had? Absolutely! Did they
make mistakes? Yes. Did they say "that's good enough"? Absolutely not! Let me clarify that what they have to use is better than anything I have ever had permission to touch. Now, I don’t know where these guys are in their relationship with Jesus Christ but on a praise and worship recording project these guys brought honor to God by their attitudes and by doing the very best that they could possibly do before the Lord. You could consider this a ministry for these guys so what else was really great to see was that family comes before ministry. You have heard me say or saw my writings before in which I have stated that God is first then family and then ministry. These guys practice that very thing. This past weekend a couple of family obligations took precedence over recording and that is the way it should be.
I want to thank these guys for allowing me to hang out with them but most of all to thank them for the examples in excellence.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Wisdom in Ministry Leadership
There has been some great dialog in the last couple of days concerning the purpose of media in ministry. I pray for direction daily because the hardest part of media ministry is the ministry I believe. The technical side can be child’s play in comparison to the human factor in utilizing media and technology to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’ve been searching and I present a couple of gems of wisdom to you.
That excerpt was from a post titled Why and What at Soundbooth.com. Attitude is sometimes very hard to sequester and patience is hard to come by but they are a key to good leadership. This post mentioned “to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad.” Let me add to thank God in the good and bad times as well.
Because we know that God is in all things. It doesn’t matter if it is good or bad. God is there.
Now I’m usually the one that likes to whine first but then I realize that I have to eat the cheese too. I might not like what is happening and I might get frustrated that the same problem keeps popping up and sometimes I get down right angry. When it comes down to it I have been given the responsibility for media ministry at this church. I need to become the “solutionist” or I need to seek out “solutionist” from my team.
Anthony Coppedge had this to say in his post today titled Tech Leadership: “The Right Solutions”;
Thank you very much gentlemen for your posts of wisdom. They have helped me tremendously and hope they do others as well.
Tech is merely a tool of ministry. Technicians are ministers, using their craft and gear to minister and that IS what our mindset
should always be. Tech is a means to an end, not the end itself.As a church tech team leader, I have both paid and volunteer staff. They all are at different stages, of life, ministry, and spiritual growth. I spend a lot of time speaking into them the 'vision' and why we do what we do. I have found that patience is key. I can't change the attitude of my staff, I can lead by example and preach the doctrine of doing all we do with excellence and a servants heart. It is ongoing and something I have to be aware of all the time.
Being a tech in church is very complicated. Things happen, good things and bad things. Staff always looks to leadership for their reaction to both. We, as leaders, are responsible to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad. We must realize when
things go correctly that God is glorified and when things go bad that the most important thing we can do is to keep a good attitude and resolve the situation with technical excellence and a servants heart.
That excerpt was from a post titled Why and What at Soundbooth.com. Attitude is sometimes very hard to sequester and patience is hard to come by but they are a key to good leadership. This post mentioned “to praise God in the good times and trust him in the bad.” Let me add to thank God in the good and bad times as well.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 (NLT) 16Always be joyful. 17Keep on praying. 18No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Because we know that God is in all things. It doesn’t matter if it is good or bad. God is there.
Romans 8:28 (TLB) 28And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.
Now I’m usually the one that likes to whine first but then I realize that I have to eat the cheese too. I might not like what is happening and I might get frustrated that the same problem keeps popping up and sometimes I get down right angry. When it comes down to it I have been given the responsibility for media ministry at this church. I need to become the “solutionist” or I need to seek out “solutionist” from my team.
Anthony Coppedge had this to say in his post today titled Tech Leadership: “The Right Solutions”;
Anthony also had this to say;Become a solutionist and bring comprehensive options to your leadership. It won't get fixed on its own; you need to be the catalyst as a solutionist!
“Open, honest communication without pretense” is what I have learned is a must with dealing with anger, frustration and other’s personalities. It is a key to resolving conflict, building relationships and getting the job done. Living it out is most certainly difficult.As you can tell, what I'm describing is nothing more than open, honest communication without pretense. Hearing me say it is one thing: living it out is another!
Thank you very much gentlemen for your posts of wisdom. They have helped me tremendously and hope they do others as well.
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